A crane fell on the roof of a house in Ijesselstein, Netherlands, on Saturday, December 13. No one was hurt in the incident, which happened when a man tried to surprise his girlfriend by proposing from the top of the crane, according to Dutch affiliate RTL News.
People gather around a downed aircraft in Athurugiriya, Sri Lanka, as firefighters try to extinguish flames amid the debris on Friday, December 12. The Sri Lanka Air Force plane crashed into a rubber plantation, killing all four people on board, police said.
A museum staff member checks the lighting near the "Earlier Mona Lisa" before the painting went on exhibition at The Arts House in Singapore. A private Swiss art foundation says the painting was done by Leonardo da Vinci years before his "Mona Lisa" masterpiece.
Whirling Dervishes perform a traditional "sema" ritual during a ceremony in Istanbul on Saturday, December 13. The ceremony marked the death of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the father of the Mevlevi sect the Dervishes belong to.
A civilian informant at Camp Aguinaldo, east of Manila, Philippines, holds a reward of 5.3 million Philippine pesos (nearly USD 120,000 U.S.) for the arrest of suspected Abu Sayyaf militants on Tuesday, December 16. The bounty was part of anti-terrorism efforts in the Philippines.
Debris and rocks fill the backyards of homes in Camarillo Springs, California, on Friday, December 12. Ten homes were damaged and ruled uninhabitable after a mudslide crashed into the subdivision and piled rocks almost as high as roof lines, authorities said.
Buddhist monks take pictures at a courthouse in Yangon, Myanmar, as they wait to see Philip Blackwood after a court hearing on Thursday, December 18. Blackwood, general manager of the V Gastro Bar, and two business partners were arrested last week after an online advertisement for the bar showed a psychedelic image of Buddha wearing headphones.
A man dressed as a devil performs during a Krampus show Saturday, December 13, in Kaplice, Czech Republic. Each year, people in costumes and masks parade through the streets to disperse the ghosts of winter.
不要被酷而短暂的应用和华而不实的小发明所迷惑，今年的顶级科技革新将产生更深远影响。大部分技术革新已经开始改变我们以及周围的世界，有的技术革新会直接产生影响，而其他革新可能需要数十年时间才能完成。美国主流网络媒体BI盘点了2014年可改写科技史的10大技术革新，以下为详细内容，未按照特定顺序排列。
图注：DNA纳米机器人注入蟑螂体内：纳米技术是一个不断发展的研究领域，主要以操纵分子水平的材料为主。纳米技术的一个应用前景是使用纳米机器人将药物注入体内，治疗疾病。2月份，以色列一个研究团队开发出用DNA链制作的纳米机器人，并注入蟑螂体内。这种DNA纳米机器人可以自我聚合，然后控制以特定细胞为靶向的分子，这证明它们拥有携带药物攻击癌细胞的巨大潜力。
叶绿体中植入纳米管创造超级植物：纳米管是管状的巨大碳分子，拥有不同寻常的热性能和电特性。3月份，美国麻省理工学院与加州理工学院宣布，他们可将纳米管植入植物叶绿体中，这种新式组合可增强光合作用和植物生长速度数倍。这种技术投入实际应用可能还需数年时间，但除了促使植物加速生长外，它还有其他用途，比如利用植物发电、建造可自我修复材料和能够自我发电的建筑材料等。
可在血管中游动的扇贝型机器人：德国马克斯-普朗克研究所的研究人员开发出一种微型机器人，它们可在血管中游动，修复受损组织或递送药物。这种机器人面临的挑战是血液粘度妨碍它们的移动速度。研究人员设计出扇贝型机器人，以外部磁场为驱动力。这些机器人可成为研发未来医疗设备的基础。
微芯片帮助瘫痪病人控制手臂：在许多医疗情况下，植入物已经成为革命性的治疗方式。4月份，美国俄亥俄州立大学的研究人员成功利用微芯片帮助一名瘫痪病人恢复手臂控制。他们经过10年时间开发出名为Neurobridge的设备，可根据大脑模式刺激肌肉。这种技术为许多残疾人带来希望。通过插入我们的脑电波，有朝一日我们可能只需要思维就能控制各种设备。
鼻细胞帮助修复断裂脊髓：生物技术正形成新的医疗手段，而且其效果可能是永久性的。弗洛茨瓦夫医学院的演技人员从病人鼻部取出神经细胞，然后将其植入脊髓中。这种移植细胞可刺激断裂神经纤维生长接合，为脊柱损伤部分搭建桥梁，从而促使病人重新站起来。这种革新技术显示，神经系统的损伤可被修复。