"That's awesome," said NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, after he ate a piece of red lettuce (窝笸） that was grown in a special box. "Tastes good," agreed US astronaut Scott Kelly, who is spending one year at the research station. "Kind of like arugula (芝麻菜）)" Kelly added, and then used small bottles to spread olive oil and vinegar on his leaf, much as one might spread ketchup on a hot dog.

NASA says that if space explorers can grow their own food while they are away from the Earth they would be more likely to survive the deep space exploration, which can last months or even years. With no way to resupply a spacecraft making a long journey to and from Mars, the ability to grow food during the trip will be key to survive. "Having the ability for us to grow our own food is a big step in that direction," Kelly said.

Ray Wheeler, NASA's lead scientist for advanced life support activities at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, also said fresh foods that contain antioxidants, such as tomatoes, blueberries and red lettuce, "could have a positive impact on people's moods and also could provide some protection against radiation in space.

The red romaine lettuce was grown in a special plant-growing box called a Veggie unit, and was flown to space. The seeds are contained in rooting pillows, which come complete with soil and fertilizer. Since water cannot be poured in space, a special irrigation system delivers moisture to the plant pillows from below.

The seeds were "activated" by Kelly on July 8 and grew for 33 days. On Monday, Lindgren used tongs (夹子) to harvest the lettuce from its growing box, before attaching the leaves carefully to a tray. He cleaned them with food-safe bag and shared with other four members.

A previous crop of lettuce was grown in space last year but was not eaten by astronauts. Instead, it underwent-and passed-food safety tests back on Earth.

South Koreans are about to get a year or two younger, thanks to a new law passed on Thursday that aims to standardize how age is calculated in the country.

At present, it's common for South Koreans to have not just one age, but three – an "international age," a "Korean age" and a "calendar age. " But to end confusion, the country's parliament has decreed（颁布法令）that from June 2023 all official documents must use the standard "international age. "

In South Korea, a person's "international age" refers to the number of years since they were born, and starts at zero – the same system used in most other countries. But when asked their age in informal settings, most South Koreans will answer with their "Korean age," which could be one or even two years older than their "international age. " Under this system, babies are considered one year old on the day they're born, with a year added every January 1. In some circumstances, South Koreans also use their "calendar age" – a kind of mashup (混搭) between international and Korean age – which considers babies as zero years old the day they're born and adds a year to their age every January 1.

Take "Gangnam Style" singer Psy, for example. Born on December 31, 1977, he is considered 44 by international age, 45 by calendar age, and 46 by Korean age.

If this sounds confusing, it is, with daily life in the country often switching between the hodgepodge (大杂烩) of different systems. Most people use Korean age, which has its roots in China, in everyday life and social interaction, while international age is more often used for legal and official matters – for instance, when dealing with civil laws. However, some laws – including those surrounding the legal ages for drinking, smoking, and military conscription (征兵) – use calendar age.

"The revision is aimed at reducing unnecessary socio-economic costs because legal and social disputes as well as confusion persist（持续存在）due to the different ways of calculating age," Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party told parliament.

Jonathan the tortoise, the world's oldest land animal, turned 190 over the weekend on the island of St. Helena, where he enjoyed a "cake" of seasonal fruits, leafy greens and vegetables, including carrots carved into the number "190".

Jonathan was brought to St. Helena from the Seychelles in 1882 as a gift. According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan surpassed the previous record holder, Tu'i Malila, who lived in the 1770s until 1965and could be even older. He arrived in St. Helena as a fully mature tortoise, meaning he was at least 50 in 1882.

"The vet is still feeding him by hand once a week to boost his calories, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, as he is blind and has no sense of smell. His hearing though is excellent and he loves the company of humans, and responds well to his vet Joe Hollins' voice as he associates him with a feast, Guinness World Records said.

"The tortoise enjoys the sun but on very hot days takes to the shade. On mild days, he will sunbathe his long neck and legs stretched fully out of his shell to absorb heat and transfer it to his core," according to Hollins. When it's cold, Jonathan has been known to "dig himself into leaf mold or grass cuttings and remain there all day."

In most cases, the lifespan of a tortoise or turtle depends on the species and level of care they receive. They generally live much longer in captivity than in the wild, because in the wild, they must find their own food in addition to evading predators while not getting medical treatment. Larger turtle and tortoise species also tend to live longer than their smaller counterparts. For more information about animal record holders, click here.