NOVA: Mysteries of Sleep Like virtually every other animal, humans need sleep to survive. But why? What do we gain from spending nearly a third of our lives in such a defenseless state? And what's at stake if we sleep poorly? The functions of sleep have long been something of a mystery. But now scientists are peering deep into the brain to see what happens while we snooze. One study reveals that well-timed bursts of pink noise can nudge a person's brain waves, extending periods of slow-wave, or deep, sleep. And toddlers learning new words show that taking even a short nap after learning something new can help the information stick. And when it comes to sleeping poorly, it may turn out that having interrupted sleep can be just as harmful as missing sleep altogether. As scientists come to understand the powerful role that sleep -- or lack of it -- plays in everything from memory to trauma to emotion regulation, one thing is clear: This biological function is as crucial as it is complex.
随着工业文明的高度发展,各种各样的食物也变得供不应求,但在这看似繁华的背后,食品安全却已到了不容忽视的地步。影片从快餐业入手,逐步向种植业、畜牧业、养殖业延展开去,揭露了大型食品公司经营者为了获取高额利润不惜改变动植物的生长方式和生长周期,他们在经营上取得丰厚的利润,而代价却是公众的健康和安全。在看似清洁的食品加工流水线上,沙门氏菌和希氏大肠杆菌毫无阻碍渗透到食物当中,毒害着人类的生命。由于政策等方面原因,人们无法也无力拒绝大公司强加于身的迫害。在金钱和欲望面前,我们自取灭亡…… 本片荣获2009年华盛顿影评人协会最佳纪录片奖。
Chapman and Maclain Way’s energetic telling of one of baseball’s great, unheralded stories is as much about independent spirit as it is about the game. When Portland, Oregon, lost its longtime minor-league affiliate, Bing Russell—who briefly played ball professionally before enjoying a successful Hollywood acting career—bought the territory and formed a single-A team to operate outside the confines of major-league baseball. When they took the field in 1973, the Mavericks—the only independent team in America—started with two strikes against them. What did Deputy Clem from Bonanza know about baseball? Or Portland, for that matter? The only thing uniting his players, recruited at open tryouts, was that no other team wanted them. Skeptics agreed that it could never work. But Bing understood a ballplayer’s dreams, and he understood an audience. His quirky, unkempt castoffs won games, and they won fans, shattering minor-league attendance records. Their spirit was contagious, and during their short reign, the Mavericks—a restaurant owner turned manager, left-handed catcher, and blackballed pitcher among them—brought independence back to baseball and embodied what it was all about: the love of the game. - J.N.