“地开花”，埋了整个村子——银厂沟风景区纪实

当地人告诉我．地震发生的那一刻谢家店子”地开花”了．整个村子在瞬间消失．而且连一根木头都看不到．就像从来没有存在过一样。这是一种什么现象呢……2008年6月12日．彭州市灾后恢复重建论证会召开．这一天,正好是距5·12汶川大地震发生一个月。     

“对面的青山一瞬间成了裸体”——卧龙保护区纪实

“一座碧绿的青山从山头开始崩塌．非常迅速,树木．岩石．泥土仿佛一下子失去了支撑．像瀑布一样倾泻而下．伴随着轰隆隆的咆哮声震耳欲聋．几秒后掀起的尘土．遮天蔽日。”每一个关心卧龙保护区的国人,在看了2008年5月17日四川电视台播出的这段录像后．第一次真实地感受到5·12地震对生态环境破坏的全过程．这之前我们看到更多的都是结果!     

“山体垮塌像下面条一样”——龙溪—虹口保护区纪实

地震时被甩进湖里 “地震时我们这里有两个人正在湖边走着．一下子就被晃到水里去了!你说这地震有多厉害？“龙溪—虹口保护区工作人员尚涛的话让我心里一沉。     

“周围的山都像是在放炮，激起许多土柱子”——白水江保护区纪实

“地震来时,我正带着一台照相机和一台摄像机站在跌水崖环路边的一个向外突出的陡崖上面,这个山是东西走向的,我面朝北．背后就是青川的唐家河保护区,我站的这个地方是大熊猫觅食时常走的路的上方,因为在竹林里想拍到大熊猫实在太难了．经过几年的摸索,我们发现这里是拍摄大熊猫的好地方。     

“大地就像牛羊全身在抖动”——九寨沟保护区纪实

”地震时我正在屋里,摇得很厉害．过去也经常有地震,但这次不一样,那个山就像牛羊全身抖动那样地抖!时间太长了,好像非要把房子摇垮不可。我就感到头晕．好像要压到胸口了．再看山上有的地方有石头滚下来。”这是九寨沟管理局的桑吉开车到机场接我们时．一见面就告诉我们的。     

“半扇山倒下来，一下就把我家埋了!”——白水河保护区纪实

“当时我们家刚吃完饭．我正给我9个月的儿子在衣柜里找衣服呢．脚下剧烈摇晃起来,就听爸妈在外屋喊‘地震了!快跑!’”抱着孩子的这个妇女名叫杜玲,她一边回忆着当时情况一边带我们到她以前的家去。之所以说是以前的家是因为那个地方根本没有任何房屋的痕迹．一座不小的土丘垮塌下来．将她的家完全埋住了。     

“震前半小时山林突然鸦雀无声”——唐家河保护区纪实

那一刻,连猴子都吓着了! 一大堆从山顶一直垮塌到公路上的大石头、泥土和横七竖八的断树挡住了去路,我们只好下车徒步前行。刚刚走了几十米,又是一堆更大的垮塌物堆在路上．唐家河国家级自然保护区管理处的副处长鲜方海告诉我们,地震后路都抢通了,这是这两天又垮下来的,现在已进入雨季．还会不断地垮。     

Record performances at the Boston Marathon: Biometeorological factors

Air temperature and relative humidity have long been suspected of affecting the performance of marathon runners. Though these factors are important in their extremes, we show that other factors are even more indicative of race performances. Performances of the top 3 finishers in the last 30 Boston Marathons were correlated with hourly meteorological data for each race day. These 90 individual performances were classified as: record breaking performances (31), average performances (35), and unusually slow performances (24). The factors that help predict record breaking and unusually slow performances are: (i) wet bulb temperature, (ii) percent sky cover, and (iii) presence or absence of a light precipitation. Record breaking performances are characterized by a wet bulb temperature of <7.8°C, and 100% sky cover. A light drizzle is also conducive to better performances. On the other hand, unusually low performances are accompanied by a wet bulb temperature of >7.8°C, and a sky cover of 50% or less. No light, precipitation was recorded on any of the unusually slow race days. A graphic analysis clearly shows these relationships to exist. In addition, a multiple regression analysis confirms the importance of these variables. The authors advise that these are reliable predictors; however, when considering marathon races held in various geographical regions and differing climatic regimes, the exact numerical thresholds used here may not apply.     

Record of archaeal activity at the serpentinite‐hosted Lost City Hydrothermal Field

Samples of young, outer surfaces of brucite–carbonate deposits from the ultramafic‐hosted Lost City hydrothermal field were analyzed for DNA and lipid biomarker distributions and for carbon and hydrogen stable isotope compositions of the lipids. Methane‐cycling archaeal communities, notably the Lost City Methanosarcinales (LCMS) phylotype, are specifically addressed. Lost City is unlike all other hydrothermal systems known to date and is characterized by metal‐ and CO₂‐poor, high pH fluids with high H₂ and CH₄ contents resulting from serpentinization processes at depth. The archaeal fraction of the microbial community varies widely within the Lost City chimneys, from 1–81% and covaries with concentrations of hydrogen within the fluids. Archaeal lipids include isoprenoid glycerol di‐ and tetraethers and C₂₅ and C₃₀ isoprenoid hydrocarbons (pentamethylicosane derivatives – PMIs – and squalenoids). In particular, unsaturated PMIs and squalenoids, attributed to the LCMS archaea, were identified for the first time in the carbonate deposits at Lost City and probably record processes exclusively occurring at the surface of the chimneys. The carbon isotope compositions of PMIs and squalenoids are remarkably heterogeneous across samples and show highly ¹³C‐enriched signatures reaching δ¹³C values of up to +24.6‰. Unlike other environments in which similar structural and isotopic lipid heterogeneity has been observed and attributed to diversity in the archaeal assemblage, the lipids here appear to be synthesized solely by the LCMS. Some of the variations in lipid isotope signatures may, in part, be due to unusual isotopic fractionation during biosynthesis under extreme conditions. However, we argue that the diversity in archaeal abundances, lipid structure and carbon isotope composition rather reflects the ability of the LCMS archaeal biofilms to adapt to chemical gradients in the hydrothermal chimneys and possibly to perform either methanotrophy or methanogenesis using dissolved inorganic carbon, methane or formate as a function of the prevailing environmental conditions.