- 本期點閱有獎已於6/6下午3:10截止！我們將e-mail通知10名得獎人及參加獎得主
- 5,000-year-old Giant: How Long does the World’s Oldest Tree Have Left?
- World’s Largest Organism Found in Australia
- The Kystriksveien: Earth's Most Beautiful Road Trip?
- Bring the Paint Festival Returns to Leicester
- Scientists Have Unlocked the Vitamin D Potential of Tomatoes
- Save Your Breath: Traditional Kyrgyz Dance Helps Ease Chronic Lung Disease
5,000-year-old Giant: How Long does the World’s Oldest Tree Have Left?
5000歲的巨木：世界上最古老的樹還能存活多久？
Sciences
An ancient alerce tree known as the "great grandfather" in southern Chile could be more than 5,000 years old, according to a new study. Scientists were not able to determine an exact age based on the tree rings because of its unusually large trunk. But they can conclude that this is the world’s oldest tree. Jonathan Barichivich, the scientist who led the study, said that both the sample they extracted and other dating methods suggest the tree is up to 5,484 years old. While it has survived numerous eras of human civilisation, Barichivich is concerned about the tree's prominence in the Alerce Costero National Park. He explains that thousands of people come to visit it each year, stepping on the tree’s roots and even taking pieces of the bark home.
--from Euronews
根據一項新研究，智利南部一棵被稱為「曾祖父」的老柏樹可能已超過5000歲。由於樹幹異常粗大，科學家們無法根據年輪判斷確切的樹齡；但他可以斷定這是世界上最古老的樹。主持這項研究的科學家Barichivich說，他們萃取的樣本和其他定年法都表明這棵樹的年齡高達5,484歲。雖然它在人類文明的許多時代中得以倖存，但Barichivich擔憂這顆樹在阿勒塞科斯特羅國家公園裡的顯眼突出。他解釋說：每年都有成千上萬的人來參觀它，踩到樹的根部，甚至把樹皮的碎片帶回家。
--摘錄翻譯自Euronews
World’s Largest Organism Found in Australia
在澳大利亞發現的世界上最大的生物
Sciences
It sounds like the stuff of science fiction: Two closely related species hybridize and create a superorganism whose growth and expansion seems unstoppable. That’s what’s happened in Western Australia’s Shark Bay, researchers say, where a seagrass meadow stemming from a single hybrid plant has extended its reach across more than 180 kilometers—an area the size of Washington, D.C. The team suspects the clone arose 4500 years ago and has been spreading ever since. That would make it among the oldest organisms on Earth, although not quite as old as the oldest tree.
--from Science news
這聽起來像是科幻小說中的東西：兩個密切相關的物種雜交，而創造出一個超級有機體，其增長和擴散似乎勢不可擋。研究人員說：這就是西澳大利亞鯊魚灣所發生的情況，那裡的海草原自單一雜交植物衍生，其覆蓋範圍已綿延超過180公里—相當於華盛頓特區的面積。研究小組懷疑繁殖體出現於4500年前，並一直在擴散。這將使它成為地球上最古老的生物之一，雖然不如最古老的樹那麼老。
--摘錄翻譯自Science news
The Kystriksveien: Earth's Most Beautiful Road Trip?
Kystriksveien：地球上最美麗的公路旅行？
Culture
Norway's coastal road from the town of Stiklestad to the Arctic city of Bodø is a 670km journey between two very different worlds. It's also one of the most beautiful road trips on the planet. At one end is the quiet sophistication of central Norway. At the other is the spare, serene beauty of the north. Connecting the two, the Kystriksveien – a route also known as the Coastal Way or Fv17 – charts a sinuous path along the coast, bucking and weaving along rugged contours all the way to the Arctic. The Scandinavian nation is blessed with one of the most beautiful yet difficult stretches of coast in Europe. Along such a coast, it seems impossible that a road should exist here at all. In short, it seems like a miracle.
--from BBC News
從Stiklestad鎮到波多北極市的挪威沿海公路是兩個截然不同的世界間的一段670公里旅途，也是地球上最美麗的公路旅程之一。一端是寧靜高雅的挪威中部，另一端是北部的空曠祥和之美。連接這兩端的Kystriksveien，一條也被稱為海濱路或Fv17的公路，沿著海岸線蜿蜒而成，崎嶇的輪廓起伏交織，一路延伸到北極。此斯堪地那維亞國家擁有歐洲最瑰麗卻最險峻的海岸線之一。沿著這樣的海岸，似乎根本不可能有道路存在。只能說–這或許是個奇蹟。
--摘錄翻譯自BBC News
Bring the Paint Festival Returns to Leicester
「帶上油漆節」重回萊斯特
Culture
A street art festival is returning to Leicester, with organisers claiming it will be the largest line-up so far. The city's Bring the Paint festival will run until Sunday, transforming the streets with more than 45 large-scale pieces of public art. The festival would feature artists from the US, Mexico, Germany, Italy and France, as well as the UK. Organisers said there will also be a variety of exhibitions, workshops, music, street art tours, live broadcasts and other activities. Artistic director of the festival, Izzy Hoskins, said: "We are incredibly excited to stage Bring The Paint for the third time in Leicester. Our world-class line-up speaks for itself. The festival is set to be one of the biggest street art events in the UK this year."
--from BBC News
一場街頭藝術慶典重返萊斯特，主辦方宣告這將是迄今最龐大的陣容。該市的「帶上油漆節」將持續到週日，以超過45件的大型公共藝術作品改造街道。此慶典有來自美國、墨西哥、德國、義大利、法國及英國的藝術家參與。主辦單位表示還會有各種展覽、工作坊、音樂、街頭藝術、現場直播及其他活動。藝術總監Izzy Hoskins說：「我們非常興奮能在萊斯特舉辦第三次的『帶上油漆節』。我們世界級的陣容有目共睹。此慶典將會是今年英國最盛大的街頭藝術活動之一。」
--摘錄翻譯自BBC News
Scientists Have Unlocked the Vitamin D Potential of Tomatoes
科學家已經解鎖番茄的維生素Ｄ潛能
Health
Fish and dairy products are the best dietary sources of vitamin D, which can make it a struggle for those on a plant-based diet to get enough of the essential micronutrient. Vitamin D helps protect our bones and keep muscles and teeth healthy. Now, a team of researchers have come up with a potential new and vegan source of vitamin D: tomatoes gene edited using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to contain a precursor to vitamin D. The researchers blocked a gene in tomato plants that normally converts provitamin D3 into cholesterol, which enabled provitamin D3 to accumulate in the ripe tomato fruit.
--from CNN News
魚肉和奶類製品是維生素Ｄ的最佳飲食來源，這使得以植物為食的人為獲得足夠的主要微量營養素感到掙扎。維生素Ｄ有助保護我們的骨骼，維持肌肉和牙齒健康。現在，一個研究團隊提出了一種具潛力的新純素維生素Ｄ來源：使用CRISPR-Cas9基因編輯技術使番茄基因包含維生素D的前驅物質。研究人員阻斷了番茄植物中的一個通常將維生素D3轉化為膽固醇的基因，使得維生素原D3能夠在成熟的番茄果實中累積。
--摘錄翻譯自CNN news
Save Your Breath: Traditional Kyrgyz Dance Helps Ease Chronic Lung Disease
拯救你的呼吸：傳統的吉爾吉斯舞蹈有助於緩解慢性肺病
Health
Every day on the respiratory ward at one of Kyrgyzstan’s biggest hospitals, Aidai Temiraly Kyzy, a 24-year-old nurse, puts on the music and leads her patients in the Kara Jorgo, the national dance of the central Asian country. This involves a range of body movements and leaves everyone smiling. The session is part of a treatment program offered to people with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD develops from midlife onwards; symptoms include breathlessness, a chronic cough, often with phlegm, and tiredness. It is one of the top three causes of death worldwide, and 90% of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
--from The Guardian
在吉爾吉斯最大的醫院之一的呼吸病房裡，24歲的護士Aidai Temiraly Kyzy播放音樂，並帶領她的病人進入Kara Jorgo世界—這是一種中亞國家的民族舞蹈。這關係到一系列的身體動作，並且為每個人帶來微笑。這是提供給患有嚴重慢性阻塞性肺病 (COPD) 患者的治療計畫的一部分。慢性阻塞性肺病好發於中年以後；症狀包括呼吸困難、慢性咳嗽、常帶有痰和疲倦。它是全球三大死因之一，90%的死亡發生在中低收入國家。
--摘錄翻譯自The Guardian