For the first time, scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts.

Only 842 pounds of moon rocks and soil were brought back by Apollo astronauts, and most was locked away. Researchers had no idea whether anything would grow in moon soil and wanted to see if it could be used to grow food by a new group of moon explorers. NASA finally gave 12 grams to the University of Florida researchers early last year. And the long-awaited planting took place last May in a lab. And the results shocked them.

“My God! Plants actually grow in moon soil. Are you kidding me?” said Robert Ferl of the University of Florida. Ferl and other scientists planted cress (水芹菜) seeds in moon soil. The soil was brought by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and other moon walkers years ago. And the seeds sprouted.

The bad news was that after the first week, the moon soil made them grow slowly. Most of the moon plants ended up stunted (发育不良的). Results were published on May 12, 2022 in Communications Biology.

But the fact that scientists have succeeded in growing plants in moon soil has encouraged many people. “This is a big step forward to know that you can grow plants,” said Simon Gilroy, a space plant expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The real next step is to go and do it on the surface of the moon.”

Did you know that when you surf the web, websites in some countries put secret software (软件) on your computer? The software collects information about you and sends it to Internet companies. The Internet companies sell it to other businesses. Your personal information can also be assembled from social media. There are many ways your information can be used.

First, companies collect your information and record all your online habits. They find out where you live and what you do online. With the information, they can guess other things about you. For example, they can guess how old you are and what your interests are.

Your personal information could also be sold. When someone sells your information, a lot of different companies will know your online habits.

Your personal information can also be collected through social media. Even if you don’t use social media, a friend might post a picture or video of you with your name on it. If someone knows too much about you, he might steal your personal information. Then he can buy things online and post messages while pretending (假装) to be you.

▲ The law is finally changed when it comes to technology. In the European Union, for example, according to a rule, Internet users can now ask companies to show them what information they have about them and even make them delete it. If other countries do the same, the Internet could soon be a much safer place.

Have you ever wondered why everyone's nose is a different shape? Researchers have come up with a possible explanation for this. A study from Pennsylvania State University in the USA says the Earth’s climate (the typical weather conditions in an area) could have something to do with the shape of our nose.

The study found that basically（基本上，主要地）people who have wider noses usually live in warmer, wetter areas. Instead, people with narrower noses are more commonly found in colder and drier climates. The nose plays an important part in making sure the air we breathe reaches our lungs（肺）in a warm and wet condition. The width of the nostrils（鼻孔）and length of the nose help to make sure this happens. Researchers said the nose is like a little temperature controller.

The researchers used 3D images to measure（测量）the noses of more than 2,600 people from Africa, Asia and Europe. They measured the width of the nostrils, the distance between nostrils and nose height. The researchers said their findings could help people who move to different climates to get used to the heat or cold, and the wet. Dr Arslan Zaidi said increased travel and climate change make it difficult to predict if our nose will change shape in the future. He said, “Our lifestyles aren’t what they used to be. We move around the world way too much. That makes it very hard to predict the future evolution（演变）of the nose with the changing climate.”