One of the rules of my job was never to visit the children alone when I was dressed as Ronald, for I might frighten⁸ them with my painted face and red wig*. I wasn’t permitted to have any physical contact⁹ with the children either, since doing so might pass on germs¹⁰ to them. Though I understood the reasoning* behind these rules, I also felt that sometimes nothing could convey love, empathy*, and warmth¹¹ like a heartfelt* embrace.

Once, as I was leaving the hospital after finishing my work for the day, I heard a voice coming from a half-open door. “Ronald,” the frail¹² voice called, prompting¹³ me to push open the door and go in. I found a small boy of about five lying in bed and looking extremely weak and pale. “His name is Billy,” his parents told me, smiling. It was really heartbreaking to see such a young boy confined¹⁴ to a hospital bed. I knew I had to do anything I could to cheer little Billy up, so I stayed and did some magic tricks for him. A sparkle¹⁵ soon came to his eyes and I asked if I could do anything else for him. Billy replied, “Ronald, can I have a hug¹⁶?”

Although having to turn him down pained me deeply, I had no choice. I told Billy that it was against the rules and then quickly added that we could do some coloring instead. A while later, it appeared that he was getting drowsy¹⁷, so I rose to my feet to get ready to leave. That was when he stretched¹⁸ out his tiny arms to hug me. I was about to refuse¹⁹ again, but then I saw the look of hope in his eyes. Suddenly, I realized I no longer cared if I was caught breaking the rules. Some things in life, after all, were more important. I picked him up and held him in my arms.

After that, we talked and talked. He confided* his worries to me. He was afraid that his little brother would have no one to play with. Also, he was scared that his dog would go hungry because he had hidden all its bones. It seemed that Billy knew he would never be going home. And yet, even then, he was only thinking of others.

When I finally stood up to leave, I gave Billy’s parents my number and told them not to hesitate²⁰ to call me if I could be of any assistance. Two days later, I received a call from Billy’s mom, who told me her son had passed away. She wanted to thank me for making a difference in his life, for he’d said to her, “Mommy, I don’t mind if I can’t see Santa* this year because I’ve hugged Ronald.”

The Marshmallow Challenge, promoted by Canadian technology expert Tom Wujec*, has been conducted around the world with architects⁸ and engineers, CEOs*, lawyers, business graduates⁹, and even kindergarteners*. Over the years the challenge has produced some surprising results. In Wujec’s study, the average height of the structures constructed¹⁰ was 20 inches. The group that built the highest structure was, as expected, architects and engineers. CEOs performed slightly¹¹ better than average, coming in third. Lawyers, on the other hand, performed below average, ranking¹² second to last. And despite working to create the best plan, business graduates performed the worst. Amazingly, kindergarteners outperformed* most of the adult teams to achieve the second best performance.

The impressive performance of the kindergarten group, whose structures were taller than those of most adult teams, can be explained by several reasons related to their unique¹³ way of working. One reason is that kids usually get started with what has been given to them right away, whereas adults usually don’t start putting the structure together until they have spent most of the time planning. This leaves no time to adjust¹⁴ the design if it cannot support the marshmallow. Another reason is that unlike adults, kindergarteners are quicker to change their methods after failed approaches. They rely¹⁵ on trial and error—if one method doesn’t work, they quickly move on to the next. This approach gives them immediate feedback¹⁶ about what design elements¹⁷ work to give their structure height and stability¹⁸. Still another reason for their success is that children tend to collaborate freely and naturally. They don’t waste time deciding who is in charge. Instead, they are more focused on working together to figure out how to build the tallest structure.

The Marshmallow Challenge teaches us that age and experience are not the only routes¹⁹ to success. In order to solve problems, we must roll up our sleeves and get down to work right away, explore²⁰ and experiment with new ideas, and collaborate effectively. In this way, we can surely keep the marshmallow at the top.

However, Prometheus’s love for humankind brought him into conflict⁷ with Zeus*, the king of the Olympian* gods. When the gods and humans met at Mecone* to decide on the distribution⁸ of sacrifices that humans should make to the gods, Prometheus tricked Zeus for the benefit⁹ of humans. He slaughtered¹⁰ a bull and created two offerings*. One was a pile of beef hidden inside a bull’s stomach, and the other was a pile of bones covered in shiny fat. He then asked Zeus to choose one. The king of the gods chose the second one, believing there must be juicy meat underneath¹¹ the fat, but instead he ended up with nothing but bones. As a result, from that day on, humans would keep the meat for themselves and burn animal bones as an offering to the gods.

Angry about being tricked, Zeus took fire away from humankind. Without it, humans began to starve and freeze¹². Unable to make tools or weapons, they had to live in caves and often fell victim¹³ to wild beasts*. Prometheus saw how miserable¹⁴ they were and decided to help. He took a stalk* of fennel* and lit its hollow¹⁵ center with fire that he had stolen from the sun. Then, he gave humans this stalk with the fire inside it.

Furious¹⁶ about Prometheus’s theft¹⁷, Zeus punished¹⁸ the Titan by banishing¹⁹ him to a place far to the east. There, Prometheus was chained to a rock, and an eagle sent by Zeus fed on Prometheus’s liver*. Though his liver kept growing back, the eagle would return every day to gnaw* at it again, torturing²⁰ Prometheus until the end of time. Through his sacrifice, Prometheus, who gave humans not only the ability to stand upright but also the gift of fire, which set the stage for human civilization²¹, came to be known in later centuries as the “Champion of Humankind.”

3D-Printed Limbs: Body Parts That Don’t Cost an Arm and a Leg

When Alex Pring was born in Florida without most of his right arm, it seemed that his life would never be like that of other children. However, Alex’s life changed when engineering students at a university in the US collaborated to give him a hand. They developed a plastic electronic⁵ arm equipped⁶ with a sensor that would enable Alex to open and close his hand by slightly flexing⁷ his biceps muscle. Now, Alex can

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use both arms to hug his parents. With 3D printing technology, artificial limbs can be produced relatively⁸ cheaply, which promises to benefit people like Alex in ways that they never dreamed possible.

Man-Made Reefs: 3D under the Sea

Sea temperatures⁹ have risen to an alarming degree because of global warming. Many creatures underneath the surface have suffered as a result, especially due to the decreasing number of coral reefs. These frail and precious¹⁰ underwater structures are home to many sea creatures. If the reefs continue to disappear, the balance¹¹ of many ecosystems might be destroyed forever. To help protect¹² sea creatures’ habitats¹³, a project relying on 3D printing has been launched to create artificial coral reefs in the Caribbean. These reefs are designed to closely match natural reefs not only in texture¹⁴ but also in structure. If 3D-printed reefs can consistently succeed in attracting sea creatures, it appears that they could help save valuable underwater ecosystems.

Building a Brighter Future: The 3D-Printed Cities of Tomorrow

Erecting¹⁵ new buildings often requires a tremendous amount of labor and time. In order to reduce¹⁶ costs and speed up construction, experts in Dubai created the “Office of the Future,” the world’s first stable and reliable 3D-printed office building, in 2016. According to reports, it took a huge 3D printer just seventeen days to print all the parts for the 250-square-meter building and took workers only two days to assemble¹⁷ these individual¹⁸ concrete pieces. 3D printing this unique and modern-looking building required only half the labor and just a tenth of the time. This achievement has prompted Dubai to use innovative 3D printing technology more in the future. By 2030, 25% of its buildings will be constructed in this way.

　　Clearly, 3D printing can be tremendously beneficial to humankind and to our planet in numerous ways. To ensure positive change, we simply need to build on the technology we already have and map out a blueprint for the future. Just imagine!

3D-Printed Limbs: Body Parts That Don’t Cost an Arm and a Leg

When Alex Pring was born in Florida without most of his right arm, it seemed that his life would never be like that of other children. However, Alex’s life changed when engineering students at a university in the US collaborated to give him a hand. They developed a plastic electronic⁵ arm equipped⁶ with a sensor that would enable Alex to open and close his hand by slightly flexing⁷ his biceps muscle. Now, Alex can

2

use both arms to hug his parents. With 3D printing technology, artificial limbs can be produced relatively⁸ cheaply, which promises to benefit people like Alex in ways that they never dreamed possible.

Man-Made Reefs: 3D under the Sea

Sea temperatures⁹ have risen to an alarming degree because of global warming. Many creatures underneath the surface have suffered as a result, especially due to the decreasing number of coral reefs. These frail and precious¹⁰ underwater structures are home to many sea creatures. If the reefs continue to disappear, the balance¹¹ of many ecosystems might be destroyed forever. To help protect¹² sea creatures’ habitats¹³, a project relying on 3D printing has been launched to create artificial coral reefs in the Caribbean. These reefs are designed to closely match natural reefs not only in texture¹⁴ but also in structure. If 3D-printed reefs can consistently succeed in attracting sea creatures, it appears that they could help save valuable underwater ecosystems.

Building a Brighter Future: The 3D-Printed Cities of Tomorrow

Erecting¹⁵ new buildings often requires a tremendous amount of labor and time. In order to reduce¹⁶ costs and speed up construction, experts in Dubai created the “Office of the Future,” the world’s first stable and reliable 3D-printed office building, in 2016. According to reports, it took a huge 3D printer just seventeen days to print all the parts for the 250-square-meter building and took workers only two days to assemble¹⁷ these individual¹⁸ concrete pieces. 3D printing this unique and modern-looking building required only half the labor and just a tenth of the time. This achievement has prompted Dubai to use innovative 3D printing technology more in the future. By 2030, 25% of its buildings will be constructed in this way.

　　Clearly, 3D printing can be tremendously beneficial to humankind and to our planet in numerous ways. To ensure positive change, we simply need to build on the technology we already have and map out a blueprint for the future. Just imagine!