Trees naturally absorb CO2 through photosynthesis(光合作用), releasing oxygen, storing carbon for decades, or even centuries. Biotechnology firm Living Carbon says lab trials of its genetically changed poplars(杨树) take up more carbon and grow 1.5 times faster than unchanged trees.

Engineering the poplar's genes makes its photosynthesis more efficient. turning more carbon dioxide into sugars to create wood biomass. The team added genes from pumpkin and green algae(藻类) that allow quicker growth and better carbon storage by lowering the rate of a process called photorespiration(光呼吸)—which wastes energy and allows fixed carbon to re-enter the atmosphere as CO₂.

Promising as the firm's lab results are, biologists warn that high growth rates are not guaranteed in the wild as the poplars compete for sunlight with other plants and trees. Genetically modified(GM) supertrees may also need intensive watering and fertilizer(化肥) to sustain their rapid growth.

Results are crucial given the rate of climate change and climbing CO₂ levels in the atmosphere. But critics say there are risks to planting GM trees in the wild if they reproduce with other trees, or negatively affect other plant and animal species.

Living Carbon says its trees are a hybrid that can only reproduce from cuttings, so cannot cross-pollinate(授粉) with wild trees.

If the field trials are successful then it will still take time to get approval from the government. One sixth, around 135, tree species in the US may face extinction due to climate change, deforestation, foreign insect species, or disease. And even though field trials of a GM chestnut tree have shown its resistance to some foreign disease that wiped out billions of American chestnuts, it still has not been approved for planting.

If CO₂ storage is the aim then there are species that already fit the bill. California's Redwood trees store more carbon than any other species. Redwoods are not suitable for every forestry plot, so creating climate adaptable trees through reproducing programmes that fit into local ecosystems is the goal. But in the rush to fix the climate crisis, increase CO₂ uptake, and carbon storage, GM supertrees may be part of that solution.

The twilight (朦胧的) time between full wakefulness and being sound asleep may be packed with creative potential. Rumor has it that Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, used to prefer such moments between wakefulness and sleep. Supposedly, he used to fall asleep in a chair holding two steel balls. As he fell asleep, the balls fell into metal pans. The resulting sound woke him. Then, he could write down his inventive ideas before he fell into a deep sleep and forgot them.

Researchers tested Edison's method of developing creativity with 103 healthy people. Volunteers came to the lab to solve a tricky number problem. After doing the task 60 times, they earned a 20-minute break in a quiet, dark room. They relaxed in chairs, each holding a light drinking bottle, something like the steel balls that Edison used. Participants were told to close their eyes and rest or sleep if they desired. Meanwhile, machines monitored their brain waves. About half of the participants stayed awake. Twenty-four fell asleep and stayed in the shallow short stage of sleep called N1. Fourteen others progressed to N2, a deeper stage of sleep.

After their rest, participants returned to their number problem. The researchers saw a clear difference between the groups. People with a shallow early sleep were 2.7 times as likely to spot the hidden trick as people who stayed awake. Shallow sleepers were 5.8 times as likely to spot the trick as people who reached the deeper N2 stage.

Such differences in such experiments are rare, says Delphine Oudiette, a cognitive neuroscientist. "The results raise an interesting possibility. It may help people to learn to reach that twilight stage of sleep on demand. It seems Edison was onto something about the creative powers of nodding off. But don't put too much faith in his habits. He also is said to have considered sleep ‘a criminal waste of time'."

I had a great time producing a short film with my other crew members, myself in the scene, the light and shadow seen through the camera lens, and the warmth of intimate friendship.

It was through a short film festival at our school that I had the chance to make a short film. Our film crew decided to develop a simple story focusing on friendship, growth and hospice care(临终关怀). The story was set around Christmas Eve where two kids are assigned to accompany a terminally(晚期地)ill kid during her last few days. There were conflicts and tears, but finally, the kids became close friends on Christmas Day, which was just before the ill kid passed away. We expected it to be a warm story mingled with a little sorrow and planned to name it Merry Christmas.

In producing our short film, things weren't so easy at first. We were able to use a crew member's house for shooting but it was far from the city. We experienced technical problems, among others.

It was the middle of winter, and emotional collapses of our actors were wearing our patience thin. Pale light the snow and the nervous excitement of telling ghost stories accompanied our night scene shooting.

As the cameraman, I adjusted the camera to produce the best composition of the image, specially designed with the director to achieve the desired effect. I held the camera in one hand and the spotlight in the other till midnight to finish our night scene.

As we decorated the tiny Christmas tree and looked at each other's drowsy faces in the warm light, we couldn't help wolfing down the dessert the host family offered before making the other cakes and fruits for our props(道具). We made jokes about the look of the giant spotlight which was like a huge shiny umbrella. We somehow felt closer to the characters in the film, experiencing what they experience leisurely chatting about films and songs in the serenity of night and forming a special connection with each other.

Through this experience, I realized that making short films is not only about creating art, but also about creating shared stories and bonds that last a lifetime.