Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

Tiny cells remake themselves, scientists make a discovery, and one human
pushes herself to a new limit.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

台灣科學家發現新的細胞分裂方式
Taiwanese Scientists Discover New Kind of Cell Division

Each living thing (生物) that you can see... is not just one thing.

That's because the living things you can see with your eyes, like animals and
plants, are made up of many, many cells (細胞).

Cells are tiny living things that carry DNA.

Most cells are too small to see, but together, they make up (構成) bigger
forms of life.

And cells can reproduce (繁殖) in different ways.

They can combine (結合) their DNA, to make one new cell.

Or they can split their DNA evenly (均勻地分裂), to make two cells that are
exactly the same.

And for a long time, scientists thought these were the only two ways that
cells could reproduce.
很久以來，科學家一直認為細胞只有這兩種繁殖的方式。

But recently, scientists in Taiwan were carefully watching (仔細觀察) the
cells of a certain kind of fish, as it grew from a baby into an adult.

And they noticed that the fish cells were reproducing in a different way!

So they used a special computer system to tag (標籤) each tiny cell with a
different color.

That way, they could see which cells reproduced first.

The scientists discovered that the cells were splitting their DNA quickly and
unevenly (不均勻地分裂).

Now, they will continue to study it in other animals, too...

Because the more we learn about our cells, the more we learn about ourselves!
________________________________

科學新發現 內耳絨毛細胞可以長回來
Scientists Discover Gene to Regrow Lost Ear Hair Cells

If you're listening to this episode of News Bites, then your ears should be
working just fine.

But how exactly do our ears hear things?

Inside our ears, there are cells called "hair cells" (絨毛細胞).

Each hair cell has tiny hairs on it, which vibrate (震動) when sound hits our
ears.

There are outer hair cells (外耳絨毛細胞), which catch the sound first.

And then there are inner hair cells (內耳絨毛細胞), which communicate the
sound to our brains.

But there's one problem: Hair cells can't reproduce (不能繁殖).

Usually, cells in our bodies can reproduce, so if we lose some, we can make
more.

But if we lose our hair cells, we lose our hearing (失去聽覺), and they can't
grow back (長不回來).

Fortunately (幸好), scientists in the United States have recently discovered
a way to make new hair cells.

When a new cell is growing, they can change one tiny piece of its DNA to make
it become either an outer hair cell, or an inner hair cell.
新的細胞生長時，科學家可以稍微調整它們的DNA，讓它們變成外耳或是內耳絨毛細胞。

For now, the scientists are still only trying this on mice, until they say it
is safe enough to try in humans.

But when scientists get better at making new hair cells, we could soon help
people who have lost their hearing.

And all of this work is to help a few tiny cells in our ears, so that our
brains can hear the sounds around us.

So, thank you for listening... but be sure to thank your ear hair cells for
letting you listen, too!
________________________________

單腿女跑者 打破馬拉松世界紀錄
One-Legged Woman Breaks Marathon Record

Many animals can run pretty quickly on four legs.

And some people can run pretty fast on two legs, as well!

But one woman has proven (證明了) that she doesn't need that many legs to be
a runner.

Her name is Jacky, and she ran 104 marathons in 104 days... with only one leg!

First of all, no matter how many legs you have (不管你有幾條腿), a marathon
is already very difficult to run.

That's because one marathon is 42 kilometers long.

And Jacky ran that far every single day!

Jacky lost one of her legs to cancer, so she replaced it with a prosthetic
leg.
Jacky之前因為癌症而失去一條腿，之後用義肢來代替。

The prosthetic leg makes it harder to run, but she showed us it's still
possible.

And she says she still wants to run even more marathons, later this year!

So the next time you want to complain (抱怨) about walking somewhere...
remember how many legs you have.

Or at least (至少) just be grateful it's not a marathon!
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Scientists in Taiwan used a special computer system to tag tiny fish cells
with different colors.

And they noticed that some of the fish cells were splitting their DNA quickly
and unevenly.

Now, scientists want to look for this new kind of cell division in other
animals, too.
________________________________

And,

Scientists in the United States have recently discovered a way to make "hair
cells", which are the kind of cells in our ears that help us hear things.

When a new cell is growing, they can change one tiny piece of its DNA to make
it become either an outer hair cell, or an inner hair cell.

And when scientists get better at this process, we could soon help people who
have lost their hearing.
________________________________

And,

One woman has recently run 104 marathons in 104 days... with only one leg.

She had lost one of her legs to cancer, and replaced it with a prosthetic leg.

She says she still wants to run even more marathons, later this year.
________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we asked you to have your say about caring for people.

14-year-old Brian, from Linkou Junior High School, says he's thankful for his
mother's care.

***

And that does it for this week's "Have Your Say"!

Remember, if your answer was chosen for the show this week, we'll be sending
you a gift in the mail.

Make sure to tune in again next week for an all-new question!
 

Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Paz Bueno…

And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.

In today's news:

A musician wins an award despite his condition, a secret forest is found in
China, and a space rock passes by Earth!

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

藝術家克服逆境贏得音樂獎
An artist overcomes adversity to win a music award

A Tainan musician (音樂家) won an award despite having a serious health
condition.

Jeremy Lee was the winner of the ninth Hybrid Original Tournament.

With the help of his friends, a singer and a guitarist (吉他手), Lee competed
with 150 teams.

The competition took place at Kaohsiung's Hanshin Arena last month.

His winning song is called 'This Night, We Say Goodbye'.

Lee started learning to play guitar and write songs in junior high school.

He developed a passion for music, and he won a national music competition
when he was in college.

But before he could sign a contract with a record company, he was in a
serious car accident.
還沒來得及與唱片公司簽約，就遇到一場嚴重車禍。

He has severe paralysis (癱瘓) because of the accident ten years ago.

He cannot move his body from his neck down.

But the accident did not end his music career(職業生涯).

He can create music using a mouth-operated computer trackpad.
他可以用嘴巴控制電腦觸控板來創作音樂。

Lee says he can continue his musical dream and winning the competition
inspires (啟發) him to keep writing more songs.
________________________________

中國大坑底部 發現秘密森林
A hidden ancient forest was discovered at the bottom of a sinkhole in China

Scientists have found an entire forest hidden at the bottom of a giant
sinkhole (巨大坑洞) in China!

A sinkhole is a hole in the ground which is formed when the land collapses
(倒塌), leaving a big hole.

It happens when the rock underneath the ground is washed away (沖走) by
water.

Sinkholes can cause a lot of damage (損害) to the land around it.

The discovery was made this month by explorers (探險家) who found three ways
to enter the cave.

They alerted (通知) scientists about the sinkhole in the Guangxi region.

It is 306 meters long and nearly 200 meters deep.

They found a lot of ancient (古老的) trees and plants.

Some of the trees are 40 meters tall!

Experts believe there are new species of animals and plants that have never
been seen before living in the sinkhole.
專家認為，生活在這個大坑中的動物和植物可能是新物種。

Scientists have to hike (爬山) for hours to reach the secret forest.

But they are excited to find out more about its environment (環境).
________________________________

美國太空總署說 今年最大的太空岩石上週末飛越地球
NASA says the largest space rock of the year flew by last weekend

A huge asteroid (小行星) traveled near our planet last Friday!

Well, it wasn't TOO close - it was about 2.5 million miles (相當於四百萬公里)
away from Earth.

Asteroids are giant space rocks in our solar system that orbit the Sun
(繞太陽運行).

Sometimes they are called NEOs - Near Earth Objects.

No asteroid has hit Earth in 66 million years, since the one that caused the
dinosaurs to become extinct.
自從導致恐龍滅絕的小行星撞地球，6600 萬年以來這種事沒有再發生過。

The team at NASA that studies Near Earth Objects says the asteroid was
discovered more than 30 years ago.

They have been tracking (追?) it for a long time.

The space rock is called 7335 and it's more than a mile in diameter
(直徑將近兩公里).

That's twice the length of the Burj Khalifa-the tallest building in the world!

This asteroid is one of more than 29,000 near-earth objects that NASA
monitors (監視) every year.

Don't worry though-the chances of them hitting our planet are very, very low.

7335 will come back in June 2055.

Next time, it will pass by at an even farther distance from our planet.
下一次，它將在離地球更遠的地方經過。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Jeremy Lee was the winner of the ninth Hybrid Original Tournament.

He has severe paralysis because of a car accident ten years ago.

But it does not stop him from following his passion.
________________________________

And,

A hidden ancient forest was discovered at the bottom of a sinkhole in China.

Scientists have to hike for hours to reach the secret forest.

And they believe new species of animals and plants will be found there.
________________________________

And,

A huge asteroid traveled near our planet last Friday.

The space rock is called 7335 and it's more than a mile in diameter.

This asteroid is one of the near-earth objects that NASA monitors every year.

7335 will come back in June 2055.
________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about learning online.

Many of you have spent some time going to school online now. It's one way to
make sure that we stay as safe as possible, with COVID-19 still going around.
In some ways learning online can be a fun new way to go to school. But in
some ways, it can be challenging too.

How do you feel about learning online?

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you like, the name of your school.

Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear
your message on our show on Friday!
 

Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Jane Lee.

In today's news:

Hearing noise, tasting bitterness, and the next halftime star.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

台北市噪音最高的地方
The Noisiest Places in Taipei

Think about where you live.

You know what it looks like.

But what does it sound like?

If you live in the city, it might sound a little like this...

If you have lived in the city for a long time, you might be used to this.

But scientists say too much noise is not healthy.

Researchers from Academia Sinica (中央研究院) made a map.

The map shows Taipei City.

And it shows how noisy the city is.

這張地圖顯示台北市各區噪音的高低。

Each place on the map has a color.

And the colors show the decibels of noise.

A "decibel" (分貝) is how we measure sound.

Higher decibels mean the sound is louder.

Lower decibels mean the sound is quieter.

The World Health Organization says outdoor noise levels during the day should
be less than 53 decibels.

But the map shows 30 percent of places in Taipei are louder than that.

And the WHO says noise levels during nighttime should be less than 45
decibels.

The map shows 25 percent of places in Taipei are louder than that at night.

The scientists say the city's Daan District (大安區) and Zhongshan District
(中山區) are especially noisy at night.

And places close to Songshan Airport and the Taipei Flora Expo Park
(台北花博公園) are noisy during the day.

Experts say too much noise can make people feel discomfort (不舒服).

And too much noise long-term (長期的) can be unhealthy for our bodies and
minds.

They say noise is becoming more of a problem in cities.

And now the world is thinking more about noise pollution.

They say the problem of noise needs to be solved so people can live healthy
lives.
________________________________

寶寶心裡苦？胎兒表情透露食物喜好
Fetuses Smile for Carrots, Cry for Kale

Do you like vegetables?

Is there one vegetable that just makes you go, "BLEH"?

Well, it seems like babies do this too, even before they are born!

Some scientists wanted to learn more about fetuses (胎兒).

A "fetus" is a baby still in the mother's womb (子宮).

Scientists wanted to understand if a fetus can taste things even in the womb.

They looked at fetuses of 100 women.

The women were in their last 3 months of pregnancy.

The scientists had some of the women eat carrots.

And some of the women ate kale (羽衣甘藍).

They chose carrots because many people would say carrots have a "sweet" taste.

And they chose kale, because many people say kale has a "bitter" taste
(苦的味道).

Then the scientists took 4D ultrasound scans.

接下來，研究人員讓這100名孕婦做了4D超音波掃描。

These scans would take pictures of the baby's face.

Here's what they found...

If the mother ate carrots, many of the babies showed faces that looked like a
smile.

The corners of their lips went up (嘴角上揚).

And if the mother ate kale, many of the babies showed faces that looked like
they wanted to cry.

Their lips pulled down.

Scientists say they are still trying to understand what this means.

They say eating healthy food is very important.

But they know many healthy vegetables have a bitter taste, like kale.

They hope they can find ways to help children and adults eat more healthy
vegetables.
________________________________

蕾哈娜登上超級盃中場秀舞台
Rihanna to Star in Super Bowl Half-time Show

The Super Bowl halftime show is a big event.

The Super Bowl is the final game, between the two best American football
teams in the NFL.

Many people in the U.S. go to the game in person.

Even more people watch the game on TV.

The halftime show happens every year at the Super Bowl.

It takes place during a break, in the middle of the game.

Many famous stars, like Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and Michael Jackson have
starred in the show.

能在美式足球超級盃中場表演的藝人幾乎都是超級巨星，包括女神卡卡、威肯、和麥可傑克森。

Now, the NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the star of the next halftime
show.

The 57th Super Bowl, and Rihanna's halftime show will take place in February
of next year.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Researchers made a map showing noise in each part of Taipei City.

They say noise is becoming more of a problem in cities.

And too much noise long-term can be unhealthy for our bodies and minds.
________________________________

Scientists wanted to understand if a fetus can taste things even in the womb.

They found if a mother ate carrots, many of the babies showed faces that
looked like a smile.

And if the mother ate kale, many of the babies showed faces that looked like
they wanted to cry.

The scientists hope they can find ways to help children and adults eat more
healthy vegetables.
________________________________

And,

Now, the NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the star of the halftime show
this year.

The halftime show happens every year at the Super Bowl, during a break in the
middle of the game.

The 57th Super Bowl, and Rihanna's halftime show will take place in February
next year.
________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about being angry.

We all feel angry sometimes. Maybe someone did something to annoy us. Or
maybe we're angry at ourselves. Feeling angry is totally normal. So when you
are angry, how do you handle those feelings?

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.

Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear
your message on our show on Friday!
 

Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun,

And I'm Clifford Chu.

In today's news:

A search for young musicians, a statue for kindness, and old jewelry that
looks new.

All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________

國家青年交響樂團2023年成立
National Symphony Youth Orchestra Looking for Young Musicians

Are you a musician?

The National Symphony Orchestra is going to set up a youth orchestra
(青年交響樂團) next year.

The orchestra says it wants to help young musicians grow and learn.

The NSO will hold auditions for musicians between 12 and 25 years old.

And the orchestra will pick around 70 people.

These 70 young musicians will go through an education program.

The program will be held at the Northern Miaoli Art Center (苗北藝文中心).

Then the group will give its first concert there in July.

The youth orchestra will also hold four or five concerts around Taiwan.

樂團將招募約70位全台各地的年輕音樂家，經過二週的樂團排練、課程後在各縣市舉辦4到5場音樂會。

They will play both classic (古典) and contemporary (現代) music.

The NSO hopes the youth orchestra can become cultural ambassadors for Taiwan.
________________________________

仁慈的雕像
A Statue for Being Kind

There are many statues (雕像) around the world.

Most of them are statues of famous people, like kings, queens, and presidents.

But there is a new statue in the U.K. that honors (尊敬 ) a woman for being
kind.

The woman's name is Jo Newby, and she has been a volunteer for 20 years.

During that time as a volunteer, she fostered 92 children.

Jo在20年中照顧了92名寄養兒童。

But she's not just a foster mom.

Jo Newby also started a special football club (足球俱樂部) in her town.

All children are welcome, including those who have disabilities (身心障礙).

Local coaches say the club is important.

They say there is no other program like it in the area where they live.

The new statue is four meters tall, and is made with recycled material
(回收材料).

The statue shows Jo holding football shoes in one hand.

And in the other hand, she holds 92 balloons to symbolize (代表) all her
foster children.

Jo doesn't think she has done anything to deserve (該得到) the statue.

She says all she thinks about is the children she helps, and making sure they
feel happy, included (被接受) and safe.

She also believes that any act of kindness makes a difference.
________________________________

考古學家發現千年維京首飾
Scientists Find Ancient Jewelry that Looks New

An archaeologist is a scientist that studies history by looking for, and
discovering antiques and artifacts (古老文物).

To do this, they have to travel to faraway places (遙遠的地方).

So when they finally find things that show them how people lived hundreds of
years ago, they get very excited.

Archaeologists in Sweden made one such discovery recently (最近).

They found treasure that they think is about 1,000 years old!

The treasure was hidden in a pot.

There are rings, pearls, and coins made of silver.

The archaeologists were very excited because they said the jewelry looked
almost completely new.

考古學家說這些古老的首飾看起來像是新的。

Some of the coins did not come from the area.

Instead, they came from France, England, Bohemia and Bavaria.

The French coin is important, because the archaeologists say it is very rare
(稀有).

They think the coin was made during the 10th century, A.D.

The artifacts were buried under the floor of a building.

The building is in an area where Vikings (維京人) lived for several hundred
years.

Scientists still don't know why such valuable things were buried like that.

But they want to find out.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

The National Symphony Orchestra is going to set up a youth orchestra next
year.

The NSO will hold auditions for musicians between 12 and 25 years old.

And the orchestra will pick around 70 people.
________________________________

A new statue in the U.K. honors a woman for being kind.

Jo Newby has fostered 92 children over 20 years.

She also started a special football club that welcomes all children.
________________________________

And...

Archaeologists in Sweden found treasure that they think is about 1,000 years
old!

There are rings, pearls, and coins made of silver.

The archaeologists were very excited because they said the jewelry looked
almost completely new.
________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about food.

Food is a big part of our lives. And at times, food can mean different things
to us. If you were a food, what food would you be?

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.

Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear
your message on our show on Friday!
 

________________________________

Well howdy there, you've got yourself another episode of News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

Taiwan's offers mountain adventures, self-driving robotaxis take off in
China, and scientists use human breath for gardens.

Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next!
________________________________

嘉義透過山林旅遊爭取穆斯林觀光客
Taiwan's Chiayi Woos Muslim travelers With Mountain Adventure

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Chiayi?

Usually, it's Alishan (阿里山).

The mountain is famous for its sunrise, sea of clouds, and forest railways.

But the mountain is not the only attraction Chiayi has to offer.

Recently, a group of Muslim (穆斯林) tourists from Malaysia was treated to a
trip to Chiayi.

This was part of a travel promotion targeting Muslims.

Their itinerary (行程) included Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫), recreational
farms, and a park on the Alishan range.

This was part of the county government's campaign to promote tours that
included Halal-certified (清真認證) restaurants.

To be Halal certified, the food has to be prepared according to Islam Law
(伊斯蘭法律).

For example, Muslims do not eat pork (豬肉).

Even the cooking equipment cannot ever come into contact with pork.

The animals used for food also have to be prepared according to Islamic
ritual rites (儀式).

Although the requirements are strict, the government is confident that there
will be more Muslim-friendly attractions in the future.
嘉義縣政府將致力於營造更多的穆斯林友善景點。
________________________________

中國大陸無人駕駛計程車掀風潮
Self-Driving Robotaxis are Taking Off in China

Imagine hopping into a taxi... and realizing that there's no driver!

This is a goal that car manufacturers are working to achieve.

In China, one company might have just gotten closer to making it a reality.

AutoX announced that it had rolled out fully autonomous (自動駕駛) cars on
public roads in Shenzhen (深圳).

Previously, companies operating autonomous vehicles on public roads were
required to have safety drivers inside.

AutoX currently has completely removed the backup driver or any remote
operators (遠程操作員) for its cars.

The company released a video of its autonomous vehicle navigating (導航) on
its own, through the city's downtown area.

The video also shows passengers getting in, and the vehicle veering past
pedestrians to perform a U-turn.

The CEO says the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for contactless
service (無接觸服務).

This led to the acceleration of the development of autonomous artificial
intelligence, or A.I.
新冠肺炎的疫情加速了自動駕駛系統人工智慧的發展。

Although the A.I. for autonomous vehicles is not ready to go fully public,
the developers are hopeful that the time is near.

So, don't be too surprised if you don't see a driver in your taxi in the
future!
________________________________

科學家使用人類吐出的二氧化碳作為花圃的肥料
Scientists Use Carbon Dioxide from Human Breath as Fertilizer

We all know that when there's too many people in a room, the temperature
rises.

This is partly due to the CO2 that we breathe out.

It traps the heat, causing the temperature to rise.

However, in Boston University, researchers put the gas to good use.

They directed the CO2 coming from a campus building's exhaust vents (排氣口)
to a rooftop garden.

They grew two groups of the same plants, corn and spinach (菠菜).

The CO2 was directed to one group, but not the other.

And control fans were installed, to enable the researchers to control the
amount of CO2 reaching the vegetables.

Over time, the researchers discovered that the spinach with CO2 grew up to
four times larger than usual.

The corn also grew up to twice the usual size.

Other elements might have contributed to the growth of the vegetables.

But the researchers are optimistic (樂觀) that the system can be improved,
and implemented (實施) in many buildings.

The concept of taking high concentrations (濃度) of CO2 from human
respiration (呼吸) and using it on a rooftop farm is exciting.

Who knows, maybe rooftop gardens might produce better vegetables than farms
one day!
或許大樓屋頂的菜園有一天會種出比農場更優質的蔬菜。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A group of Muslim tourists from Malaysia was recently treated to a trip to
Chiayi.

It was part of a travel promotion targeting Muslims, and included a visit to
Alishan, with Halal-certified restaurants.
________________________________

And,

A Chinese company called AutoX is making fully autonomous cars for public
roads in Shenzhen.

AutoX currently has completely removed backup drivers and remote operators
for its cars.
________________________________

And,

Researchers in the U.S. directed CO2 gas from exhaust vents to a rooftop
garden.

Over time, they discovered that the plants with more CO2 grew up to four
times larger than usual.
________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about feeling thankful.

Many people in North America celebrate a holiday called "Thanksgiving", when
they get together and give thanks. But no matter where you live, there are so
many reasons to be thankful!

So, what are you most thankful for?

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.

Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear
your message on our show on Friday!