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- A Way to Instantly Extract Biofuel from Banana Peel
- Extinct 'Fantastic Giant Tortoise' Found Alive on the Galápagos Islands
- Margaret Atwood's Fireproof 'The Handmaid's Tale' to be Auctioned
- The Place with Europe's Longest Name
- Nasal Vaccines for COVID-19 Offer Hope and Face Hurdles COVID-19
- Improved Disease Control in Public Buildings ’Could Save UK Billions A Year’
- 前期彩蛋答案：New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA)；珍珠產業；變形翼病毒(Deformed wing virus)、蜂蟹蟎(Varroa Destructor)
A Way to Instantly Extract Biofuel from Banana Peel
一個能自香蕉皮中快速萃取生質燃料的方法
Sciences
Scientists have discovered a new method of extracting hydrogen that could significantly boost supplies of the gas from biomass. Dried banana peels zapped with a powerful xenon flash can be instantly turned into renewable energy. First, the banana peels must be dried at around 100°C for 24 hours, then ground and sieved to a fine powder before being placed in a stainless steel reactor. Each kilogram of dried biomass can generate around 100 litres of hydrogen and 330g of biochar, which is up to 33 weight per cent of the original dried banana peel mass,” says Dr. Nagar, one of the authors from the École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. This splitting of natural biomass into gas and charcoal is offered as a “smart, rapid and eco-friendly” solution to hydrogen production. --from Euronews
科學家們發現了一種萃取氫氣的新方法，可以顯著提高生質氣體的供應。用強力氙燈照射的乾香蕉皮，可以立即轉化為再生能源。首先，香蕉皮必須以 100°C左右乾燥24小時，然後研磨、過篩成細粉後，放入不銹鋼反應器中。瑞士洛桑聯邦理工學院（École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne）的Nagar博士表示：「每公斤生物質可產生約100公升氫氣和330克生物炭，其重量可達到原本香蕉皮乾質量的33%。」這種將天然生物質分解為氣體和木炭的做法是一種「智能、快速和環保」的製氫方案。 --摘錄翻譯自Euronews
Extinct 'Fantastic Giant Tortoise' Found Alive on the Galápagos Islands
加拉巴哥群島上發現存活的絕種「神奇巨龜」
Sciences
Believed to be extinct for more than a century, a rare species of giant tortoise is in fact still alive. Scientists assumed that the chelonoidis phantasticus had died out more than a century ago. The species is better known as the ‘fantastic giant tortoise’ and is native to the Galápagos Fernandina island. Giant tortoises can weigh as much as 417 kg and can grow up to 1.3m. They usually live between 80 and 120 years. The only known specimen was discovered in 1906. In 2019, researchers on Fernandina island discovered Fernanda, a lone female settled on an isolated vegetation patch. After comparing Fernanda’s DNA to that of the ‘fantastic giant tortoise’ specimen collected in 1906, the team confirmed that the pair are members of the same species last week.
--from Euronews
據信已經滅絕了超過一個世紀、一種稀有的巨龜，實際上仍存活著。科學家們臆斷chelonoidis phantasticus陸龜在一個多世紀前便已經滅絕。該物種「神奇的巨龜」之名更為人所知，原產於加拉巴哥群島的費南迪納島。巨龜可重達417公斤，且可長到1.3公尺。牠們的壽命通常在80到120歲間。唯一已知的標本是在1906年發現的。費爾南迪納島上的研究人員於2019年發現了孤獨的雌龜Fernanda，她定居在一片隱密的植被區。在比對Fernanda與1906年收集的「神奇巨龜」標本的 DNA後，研究小組上週確認兩者是同一物種成員。
--摘錄翻譯自Euronews
Margaret Atwood's Fireproof 'The Handmaid's Tale' to be Auctioned
Margaret Atwood的「女僕的故事」防火版將被拍賣
Culture
Atwood and her publisher are auctioning off an unburnable copy of her bestselling dystopian novel. The move is a gesture of protest against book banning and censorship in the US. In the promotional video, author Margaret Atwood holds a flamethrower in her hand, then aims it at a book. It is her own book. The flame shoots out but the book remains unharmed. Atwood's publisher, Random House, is using this video to promote the fireproof copy of one of Atwood's most famous books, "The Handmaid's Tale." The unburnable edition was auctioned by Sotheby's on the evening of June 7.
--from Deutsche Welle
阿特伍德和她的出版商將拍賣她最暢銷的反烏托邦小說的抗焚燒版本。 此舉是為了抗議美國禁書令和審查制度。在宣傳影片中，作者Margaret Atwood手裡拿著一個火焰噴射器，然後瞄準一本她自己的書。火焰噴射出來，但書並沒有受到損毀。Atwood的出版商Random House正用這段影片來宣傳Atwood最著名的書籍之一《女僕的故事》的防火版本。抗焚燒版本於6月7日晚在蘇富比拍賣。
--摘錄翻譯自Deutsche Welle
The Place with Europe's Longest Name
歐洲名字最長的地方
Culture
The island of Anglesey off the northwest coast of Wales is a peaceful place. Very few tourists stray this far out, as there are very few attractions. However, Anglesey was once a center of druid culture, and for many centuries served as a place of refuge for Celtic high priests. Numerous myths surrounding this period survive to this day. One place especially feels like a relic from this era. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the name of the 3,000-resident village in the southeast of the island. Translated into English it means: The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White Hazel near the Fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave. With 58 letters strung together without gaps, it's the longest single-word place name anywhere in Europe.
--from Deutsche Welle
威爾士西北海岸外的安構西島是一個寧靜的地方。因為景點極少，很少有遊客會跑到這麼遠的地方。然而，安構西曾經是德魯伊教文化的中心，幾個世紀以來一直是塞爾蒂克大祭司的庇護所。這時期的許多神話仍流傳至今。有個地方感覺特別像是這時代的遺跡。Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch是此島東南部有 3,000居民的村莊的名稱。譯成英文的意思是：在激烈的漩渦和紅洞穴旁的泰西里奧教堂附近的空心白榛樹裡的瑪麗教堂。由無間隔的58個字母串成，此為歐洲最長的單字地名。
--摘錄翻譯自Deutsche Welle
Nasal Vaccines for COVID-19 Offer Hope and Face Hurdles COVID-19
鼻用疫苗帶來希望，也面臨難題
Health
Jabs in the arm may not be as good at preventing transmission as nasal spray vaccines, some scientists suspect. Sprayed up the nose, the vaccines teach our immune systems to fortify our nostrils against coronavirus. But these types of vaccines still have a way to go before hitting local pharmacies. First, it’s crucial for the nasal vaccines to strike the right balance-- their sprays must be strong enough to provoke our immune systems, but still weak enough that there aren’t unwelcome symptoms or side effects. Second, nasal sprays face the same problem as current COVID-19 vaccines. When the virus evolves in ways that help it hide from our immune system, nasal vaccines may also need regular updating.
--from ScienceNews
一些科學家懷疑，手臂注射在預防傳播方面可能不如鼻噴霧疫苗那麼好。將這些疫苗噴入鼻孔，可以教會我們的免疫系統增強我們鼻腔抵禦冠狀病毒的能力。但這類型的疫苗在進到地方藥局之前還有一段路要走。首先，鼻用疫苗所造成之作用的適當平衡是關鍵－噴霧必須夠強以刺激我們的免疫系統，但也不會因此引起令人不適的的症狀或副作用。其次，鼻噴霧劑也面臨與目前COVID-19疫苗相同的問題，當病毒因突變而進化到能夠避開人體免疫系統時，鼻用疫苗可能也需要定期更新。
--摘錄翻譯自ScienceNews
Improved Disease Control in Public Buildings ’Could Save UK Billions A Year’
公共建築內改善後的疾病控制「每年可為英國省下數十億美元」
Health
Measures such as improved ventilation would boost economy by helping prevent ill health, says report. It is the first study to comprehensively evaluate the health, social and economic costs of airborne infections, including Covid. Even without a pandemic, seasonal respiratory diseases cost the UK about £8bn a year in disruption and sick days, said the report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. However, implementing improved ventilation in all buildings that require it could save at least £3bn a year – the figure could be higher as the calculation did not include wider estimates for improvements in health and wellbeing.
--from The Guardian
報告指出：改善通風設施等措施藉由幫助預防疾病來促進經濟發展。這是第一個全面評估空氣傳播感染對於健康、社會和經濟成本的研究，也包括Covid。皇家工程院和特許建築設備工程師學會的報告指出，即使沒有疫情大流行，季節性呼吸道疾病也會招致工作之中斷與病假，造成英國每年約80億英鎊的損失。然而，在所有建築物中實施必要的通風改善，則每年可以節省至少30億英鎊，甚至可能會高過此金額，因為這個估算不包括改善健康和福祉等更廣泛的評估。
--摘錄翻譯自The Guardian