For people who are blind or visually impaired(视力受损的), the world is often a little different. So when the guide dog comes along, everything becomes a whole lot better.

"love it when he plays with me and how excited he gets when he sees me come home from school. He jumps up and down!" This report is from Luke Herbert. age 8. of Ft. Lewis-McChord. Wash. He's talking about Yeti, his 2-year-old yellow dog.

Wait--there's more. Yeti also gives the best slobber (口水) kisses!" He tells Daily Paws. Yep, that's the good thing right there.

Few relationships compare to the one between a boy and his dog, but Luke and Yeti are an extra-special team. Luke has braved 14 operations in his young life and is legally blind. His parents. Stephanie and Matthew Herbert. requested help from Guide Dogs for the Blind's K9 Buddy Program.

Now Luke and Yeti are like brothers, and his parents are surprised. They've seen an extra increase of confidence in their son who loves to take Yeti exploring with him and can approach his partners more easily if Yeti is by his side.

Luke has also just grown so much as an individual by really learning to take care of someone other than himself. "the Herberts say" He's learning real-life skills from taking care of Yeti which will benefit him far into adulthood. We are so proud of both of them and can't wait to see where their relationship takes them!"

Luke added that he loves having Yeti, especially, since he always makes him feel better when he's sad or doesn't feel good. More importantly. "I get to keep him forever!" he says.

Now Luke Herbert and his guide dog, Yeti, are ready for a new adventure.

A family cruise（乘船游览）offers a convenient and cost-effective alternative winter vacation. Here are appealing at-sea vacation ideas to consider this winter.

Tour Australia with Princess Cruises

For a faraway family vacation, consider exploring Australia aboard the Princess. Leaving on Dec. 17, the Princess will take passengers to the Whitsunday Archipelago and the Great Barrier Reef. And on the ship, little ones can enjoy a wide range of onboard activities, from dance classes to volleyball classes. In the evening, parents and their kids can enjoy kid-friendly movies.

Explore Asian Metropolises with Regent Seven Seas

Regent Seven Seas' ships take visitors to world-class destinations across Asia. Departing on Dec. 17, this 12-day cruise offers plenty of outdoor activities. Kids will enjoy the waterfalls of Miyazaki and the legendary street food scene in Hong Kong. As for onboard food, families can choose from a variety of dining options, from fast food to an Italian eatery.

Discover Patagonia with Seabourn

The amazing journey to Antarctica and Patagonia aboard the Seabourn Quest departs on Nov, 29, and includes a jam-packed agenda. Animal lovers can admire penguins, seals and other fascinating wildlife up close via daily Zodiac boat trips. Back onboard the ship, kids can take baths, watch shows, play board games and curl up with a book at the library.

Cruise to the Caribbean with Disney

Disney Cruise Line's four ships offer plenty of bells and whistles for kids. Besides, there are plenty of family-friendly stateroom category options that cater to budget-conscious families. Depart from Port Canaveral, on a four-night cruise aboard the Disney Dream for a fun adventure through the Bahamas, with stops in Disney's privately owned island.

Scientists have long sought to prevent sharp memories from dulling with age, but the problem remains unsettled. Now research published in Scientific Reports suggests virtual reality might help older people recall facts and events based on specific details.

The study involved 42 healthy older adults from the San Francisco Bay Area. Half spent a dozen hours over four weeks playing a virtual-reality game called Labyrinth; they wore headsets and walked in place, walking virtual neighborhoods while completing small tasks. The other half, in the control group, used electronic tablets to play games that did not require recalling details. After 15 sessions (期), the latter performed roughly the same as before on a long-term memory test. But the Labyrinth players gain an improvement in memory through the VR game. A scientist Peter Wais of the University of California said the improvements brought them up to the level of another group of younger adults taking the same memory tests.

Meredith Thompson, an education researcher, studies learning through VR games but was not involved in the new study. It would be great to actually follow people over time and see what this type of game does for long-term memory. She says, adding VR can provide greater involvement than other games. Wais's team is now investigating how long the observed effects last and which elements of the training have the most impact.

A cognitive (认知)psychologist, Daniel Simons, who was also not involved in the study, notes experiments with other games that claim to train the brain have often failed to evaluate this. And it remains unclear how test performance in a laboratory setting might translate to real-world situations. The outcome, Simons notes, "needs to be repeated, ideally with a much larger group, before it's treated as a strong finding. "

For now, Wais says, the team hopes its studies with similar-sized groups will help draw funding to test the game in a larger pool of participants.