Recently, Australian scientists tried a new tracker on the magpies. They hoped to learn more about how far the birds flew and what they did during a normal day. The scientists are concerned that magpies may have a hard time adjusting as the world warms up because of climate change.

Australian magpies are medium-sized black and white birds. They live in groups of up to 12 birds and work together to defend the area they live in. It’s hard to find trackers that work well with small and medium-sized birds. But the newly-produced trackers were light enough and could be recharged without wires while they were still on the birds. To keep the trackers on the birds without causing flying problems, the researchers developed a special harness. It was tough, so it wouldn’t come off by accident. But it had a special release controlled by magnets, which allows the scientists to free the birds from the harnesses at a special magnetic bird feeder, without having to catch the birds again.

The researchers placed trackers on five magpies using their special harnesses. But just ten minutes after setting up the last magpie, they noticed something unusual: An adult female magpie was helping another magpie get free from its harness. In a few hours, most of the other magpies were also freed from their harnesses. By the third day, none of the birds had trackers anymore.

The scientists were disappointed about the trackers, but they realized that the magpies had taught them something else — that magpies are able and willing to help each other out, even if the bird who is helping doesn’t get a reward. This is called “rescue behavior”, and it’s not that common in the animal world, especially among birds. The researchers think this is the first time rescue behavior has been reported for Australian magpies.

The researchers are glad they’ve learned about the rescue behavior of magpies. But now they need to try again to figure out a good way to track these clever birds.

I have seen how having an animal in your life can make things much better for all concerned. Here are some reasons.

A pet’s love never stops.

【小题1】. Even if you cannot return that unconditional love, just knowing that it is there will make your life better.

Caring for something other than yourself is emotionally healthy.

Giving and getting a little love, even if you have to say “sit down” 270 times a day, can take your mind off your troubles and help you to see what really matters.

【小题2】.

If you have a dog, you need to take it (and yourself) on walks. Dogs are happiest when they are walking. And it’s common knowledge that taking regular walks is also good for your heart and brain health.

Just the act of petting a creature lowers your blood pressure and helps you relax.

The next time you are feeling uncomfortable, I suggest going to your local shelter and giving some love to an animal there. 【小题3】, but notice how you feel when the two of you are exchanging emotional energy. And don’t be surprised if you do adopt!

Saving a life will make yours better.

【小题4】, but what about the used ones? All my animals have been rescued, and they are as sweet as can be.

Maybe you think you don’t have enough room in your heart.

You may already have a family to love, and that is totally wonderful. 【小题5】 I know not everybody is an animal lover, but if you think you might be, don’t lose this chance.

It sounds like something out of Dr. Seuss, but artist Sam Van Aken is developing a tree that blooms(开花)in pink, purple and red in the spring-and that is capable of bearing 40 different kinds of fruit.

No, it's not genetic engineering. Van Aken, an associate professor in Syracuse University's art department, used an age-old technique called grafting(嫁接)to attach branches from 40 different kinds of stone fruit onto a single tree. But during the process of creation, he soon discovered that it was actually pretty hard to find so many distinct varieties of stone fruit in New York. "I realized the extend which we've created these massive monocultures(单种作物)." Most grocery stores and markets only sell a few varieties-and most of them are grown in California.

Van Aken believes our national security is dependent upon our fond security. Now that we have created these monocultures that only grow a few varieties of each crop, if something happens to just one of those varieties, it can have a dramatic impact upon our food supply. And the key to maintaining our food security is preserving our biodiversity.

100 years ago, there were far more varieties of fruit growing in the backyards of the Americans. Today, only a small part of those remain, and what is left is threatened by industrialization of agriculture, disease and climate change. Most of those threatened varieties were introduced to the US by immigrants. They cared for and cultivated them, and valued them so much that they saw them as a connection to their home. "More than just food, embedded in these fruit is our culture…In many ways these fruit is our story. And I was fortunate enough to learn about it through an artwork that I created entitled the "Tree of 40 Fruit'," Van Aken says.