Watching the behaviour and body language of zoo animals could be the key to understanding and improving their welfare, new research suggests. Traditionally, zoos have focused on more straightforward measures such as whether animals are eating and sleeping.

The new review, by the University of Exeter and the University of Winchester, says zoos have made great improvements in recent years, but closer observation of animal behaviour — a method called Qualitative Behavioural Assessment, developed in farming — could show even more about their state of mind.

An animal’s positioning of its body, facial movements and activity levels are among the things that might tell whether it is excited, calm, interested, nervous, relaxed, etc.

“Zookeepers are knowledgeable about their animals, and they will often recognise an animal’s state of mind by its behaviour and body language,” said Dr. Paul Rose, of the University of Exeter.

“What we are suggesting is a more scientific method of this, carried out over time.”

“Certain behaviours will show certain moods (情绪) in an animal, and we should build our knowledge of this for different animals that live in zoos. For example, lions have a lot of facial expressions, and research on these expressions could help zoos understand the animals’ state of mind. This information could then be used to improve welfare by changing diets, feeding times or any number of other aspects of the way animals are kept.”

Dr. Rose carries out much of his research at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, and is now examining how the swans (天鹅) there might show their state of mind through their behavioural expression.

“We’re looking at how much time they spend exploring their habitat, which could show what they’re feeling,” he said. “When they’re unsure, they appear to move less and be more careful, and draw their feathers (羽毛) close to their bodies.”

The study suggests research opportunities for Qualitative Behavioural Assessment and practices that could be used by zoos. “Animal welfare in zoos has improved greatly in the last 10 or 20 years, and this method gives zoos another way to recognise and improve the welfare of animals,” Dr. Rose said.

Beijing-born Chloe Zhao made a historic win, becoming the first Asian woman director to take home the Golden Globe Award for Best Director on Sunday night in Los Angeles, causing a stir among domestic netizens.

Nomadland, Zhao's third film, grabbed two top awards, including Best Picture, at the 2021 Annual Golden Globe Awards, making her the second filmmaker of Chinese descent after Ang Lee to get the top directorial prize of the 78 year old event, widely considered as an indicator of the Oscars.

Adapted from American journalist Jessica Bruder's 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film stars the actress Frances McDormand as a 62-year old woman who travels in the vast lands of America in order to explore life as a modern-day nomad (流浪者).

With a short yet glittering resume (简历), Zhao, who was born in 1982 and sent to study overseas in 1998, has gained attention from the first film directed by her Songs My Brothers Taught Me in 2015 before accumulating more popularity for the award-winning The Rider in 2017. The latter helped her to seize the attention of McDormand, who then chose the rights of the Nomadland book.

After being released in international film events since autumn last year. Nomadland has been a favorite of many major festivals, including its victorious win of the Golden Lion Award as the best film at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.

So far, the film has received more than 90 awards, making it a sought-after competitor in the upcoming Oscars.

Song Dandan, a famous actress and the stepmother of Zhao, sent her greetings on SinaWeibo saying every award won by Zhao has surpassed (超过) the family’s expectations, bringing them huge joy. She added that she hopes Zhao’s success will encourage more Chinese youth to pursue their dreams.

NBA commissioner David Stern was in Orlando on Thursday night, getting ready for Sunday’s All-Star Game. Of course, all he could talk about was the only player anyone wants to talk about these days: New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin.

Hours before Lin took the court against the Heat, a few hundred miles South down I-95 in Miami, Stern told reporters that Lin’s instant popularity hasn’t ever been matched in sports history, not even by Sunday’s biggest names, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.

The Associated Press had the details.

“I haven’t done a calculation, but it’s fair to say that no player has created the interest and the craze in this short period of time, in any sport, that I’m aware of like Jeremy Lin has,” Stern said Thursday.

Lin, an undrafted(未选秀的)guard from Harvard, has become the NBA’s biggest story since coming off the Knicks’ bench earlier this month to lead them to nine wins in 11 games heading into their matchup with Miami on Thursday night.

With Lin’s popularity in Asia as the league’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, and with the religious community because of his strong Christian faith, Stern says he’s “never quite seen anything like” the attention on Lin.

“It’s fascinating,” Stern said after the All-Star Jam Session opening ceremonies.

The top five videos on NBA.com since Feb. 4, when Lin joined the circulation, are all Lin or Knicks related. Lin went from 190,000 followers on Sina, China’s version of Twitter, on Feb. 2 to more than 1 million as of Feb. 16.

Indeed, Lin’s popularity is so out of this world that the NBA made a late list switch to ensure his participation in the Rising Stars Challenge on All-Star Saturday, a game that includes the NBA’s best rookies(新秀球员)and sophomores. Lin is in such high demand that all of the game’s other participants will meet with the media following a team practice on Friday while Lin will have his own, separate press conference later in the night.

This is Jeremy’s world, folks. We’re all just living in it. Even David Stern and the rest of the league’s All-Stars, at least for the moment.