A recent study found that the nutritional quality of Icelandic Spirulina algae (螺旋藻)   produced by a cutting- edge biotechnology system in Iceland, is superior to that of beef in terms of protein, essential fatty acids, and iron, and can serve as a healthy, safe, and more sustainable substitute to meat in daily diets.

According to the study, for every kilogram of beef meat replaced with Icelandic Spirulina, consumers will save some 1,400 liters of water, 340 square meters of fertile land, and nearly 100 kilograms of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Moreover, the algae may be consumed in different forms, including as wet biomass, or in the form of paste, powder, or pill. For example, one can use Icelandic Spirulina powder as an ingredient in pasta, pancakes, and pastries, or drink an Icelandic Spirulina shake.

While the role of meat in human diets has been helpful, its ecological footprint is considerable and harmful. Raising beef cattle requires arable lands and feeds, and emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and global warming. As the demand for animal-source proteins grows, so do the damages caused by the animal breeding. As a response, humanity is searching for novel ways to ensure its nutritional security.

Algae, especially Spirulina, are considered among the most effective food producers on Earth and can be cultivated using different techniques. It is an autotrophic organism (自养生物) and is dependent on photosynthesis (光合作用) and a supply of carbon dioxide. Thus, unlike many other alternative protein sources, cultivating this food source removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reduces climate change.

Dr. Asaf Tzachor, leading researcher of the study, stressed: “Nutritional security, climate change reduction, and climate change adaptation can go hand in hand. All consumers must do is adopt a bit of Icelandic Spirulina into their meals and diets instead of beef meat. It’s healthier, safer, and more sustainable. Whatever change we wish to see in the world should be clearly shown in our dietary choices.”

For some, rice is simply bought at the market, ready to take home and steam or boil. But have you ever wondered about the journey the grains of rice take before they reach your plate or bowl, or fork or chopsticks?

Sowing the seeds

First, the seeds are sown. Sometimes, they are planted directly in the fields, but often they are sown in nurseries where they spend their first 30 days putting forth shoots and grow into seedlings (苗).

Transplanting to the fields

After about 30 days, the seedlings are transplanted to the fields. Transplanting is exhausting, tiring work that requires standing in water and repeatedly bending over.

Harvesting

When the mature plants are a golden yellow colour, the new grains are ready to harvest. Sometimes farmers use a mechanical reaper, but often they use only a sharp knife or sickle (镰刀).

Threshing (脱粒)

Threshing separates the grains from the stalks (秆). This can be done with mechanical threshers or combines, but often the stalks are simply pounded against a hard surface. When threshing is done without machinery, the rice is tied into bundles (捆) and dried in the sun first.

Drying the rice

Drying is very important because if the moisture (水分) content is too high, the freshly harvested grains will spoil easily. In many countries, the grains are laid out to dry wherever space is available, from basketball courts to sections of major highways. Wealthy farmers may put large quantities of grains into heated airdryers.

After that, some of these grains, after certain kinds of processing and transporting, will end up in your bowl; others will be saved for the seeds next year.

Most birds produce short, simple calls, but songbirds also have the ability of many complex vocal (发声的) patterns that help them attract mates, defend territory (领地), and strengthen their social bonds. Each songbird species has its own unique song patterns, some with characteristic regional dialects. Experienced listeners can even distinguish individual birds by their unique songs.

A lot of what scientists know about bird song comes from studying zebra finches. A baby male zebra finch typically learns to sing from its father or other males, starting while it’s still a baby bird in the nest. First comes the sensory learning stage, when the baby finch hears the songs sung around it and commits them to memory. The bird starts to vocalize during the motor learning stage, practicing until it can match the song it memorized. As the bird learns, hearing the tutor’s song over and over again is helpful — up to a point. If it hears the song too many times, the imitation (模仿) becomes worse -- and the source matters. If the song is played through a loudspeaker, he can’t pick it up as easily. But hide the same loudspeaker inside a toy painted to look like a zebra finch, and his learning improves.

What if the baby never hears another zebra finch’s song? Interestingly enough, it’ll sing anyway. Isolated finches still produce what are called innate songs or isolate songs. A specific tune might be taught, but the instinct to sing seems to exist in a songbird’s brain. Innate songs sound different from the “cultured” songs learned from other finches - at first. If isolate zebra finches start a new colony, the young birds pick up the isolate song from their fathers. But the song changes from generation to generation. And after a few generations, the melody actually starts to resemble the cultured songs sung by zebra finches in the wild.