- Meet the Jordanian Diving Duo Dedicated to Marine Conservation
- "Every Dish Must Look Like Art": the Japanese-Peruvian Culinary Sensation of 'Nikkei'
- Scientists Discover Huge ‘Sponge Gardens’ Thriving Deep under the North Pole
- Transgenic Glowing Fish Invades Brazilian Streams
- Exercise Might Help Relieve 'Dry Eye'
- Experimental Brain Surgery May Help Some People Overcome Drug Addiction
Meet the Jordanian Diving Duo Dedicated to Marine Conservation
致力於海洋保護的約旦潛水二人組
Culture
Seif Al Madanat and Beisan Alsharif met through the diving community in Aqaba. The duo shared the same passion for conserving the Red Sea. While exploring the Jordanian waters, the divers quickly realised that pollution is the biggest threat to marine life. “Without talking underwater, we both started collecting trash in our jackets, and when we got out of the dive, without saying any word, we were both happy that we were doing the same thing,” Seif tells Scenes. -From Euronews. Article with video
Seif Al Madanat 和 Beisan Alsharif 是在亞喀巴的潛水區認識的，兩人對保護紅海有著同樣的熱情。在探索約旦水域時，潛水員們很快意識到污染是海洋生物面臨的最大威脅。 Seif 表示，“潛進水中，我們不發一言開始將垃圾收進潛水衣中；當結束潛水時，也不須任何言語表達，我們都很高興我們正在做同樣的事情”。 -From Euronews. Article with video
"Every Dish Must Look Like Art": the Japanese-Peruvian Culinary Sensation of 'Nikkei'
“每道菜都是一件藝術品”：融合日本與秘魯的特別料理—Nikkei
Culture
The unlikely combination of Japanese cooking skills and Peruvian cuisine creates a recipe for a truly unique taste, otherwise known as ‘Nikkei’. Japanese immigrants started arriving in Peru in the late 1800s. Remaining loyal to their heritage, they brought aspects of their culture with them, including their cooking skills. The word 'Nikkei' derives from 'Nikkeijin', which means Japanese people who emigrated from Japan and their descendants.The popularity of this cuisine quickly grew, and ‘Nikkei’ can be found in the neighbouring countries of Peru. -From Euronews. Article with video
結合了日本烹飪技巧和秘魯美食，不可思議的創造出了一種被稱為“Nikkei”的獨特口味料理。日本移民於 1800 年代後期開始抵達秘魯。 他們忠於自己的傳統，帶來了他們文化的各個方面，包括他們的烹飪技巧。“Nikkei”這個詞來源於“Nikkeijin”，意思是從日本移居的日本人及其後代。這種美食很快就流行起來，在秘魯的鄰國也可以找到“Nikkei”。-From Euronews. Article with video
Scientists Discover Huge ‘Sponge Gardens’ Thriving Deep under the North Pole
科學家發現北極深海蘊藏巨大的海綿花園
Sciences
Massive “sponge gardens” were found living on the peaks of extinct volcanoes near the North Pole during an expedition on the advanced POLARSTERN research vessel. These primitive creatures are one of the most basic forms of animal life and can be found all over the world, from shallow tropical reefs to the depths of the Arctic Ocean. Using a camera lowered far below the ice, the team captured images of the sponge gardens. After analysing samples in the lab, they determined that they were an average of 300 years old. “This is a unique ecosystem. We have never seen anything like it before in the high Central Arctic,” the chief scientist of the expedition explains. The Arctic is also one of the regions most affected by climate change with sea ice retreating at an alarming rate. The discovery highlights just how much more there is to learn about the deepest parts of our oceans - and what we risk losing to climate change. -From Euronews.
先進的POLARSTERN研究船探勘期間，在靠近北極的死火山峰發現巨大海綿花園。這些原始生物為動物生命的最基本型態之一，全世界自熱帶淺礁到北極深海都能找到。該團隊使用相機深入冰層下拍攝海綿花園，經實驗室樣本分析，確定它們平均已300歲。探險隊的首席科學家說：「這是一個獨特的生態系統，我們過去在北極中部高地從未發現類似生物。」北極也是受氣候變化影響最嚴重的地區之一，海冰消退速度驚人；此發現突顯了我們對海洋最深處仍需學習，以及氣候變化會讓我們失去什麼。-From Euronews. Article with video
Transgenic Glowing Fish Invades Brazilian Streams
基因轉殖的發光魚入侵巴西溪流
Sciences
The red- and green-glowing versions of the modified zebrafish have escaped fish farms in southeastern Brazil and are multiplying in creeks in the Atlantic Forest, a new study shows. It is a rare example of a transgenic animal accidentally becoming established in nature, and a concern for biologists, who worry the exotic fish could threaten the local fauna in one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet. The fish are reproducing all year round, with a peak during the rainy season—just as native zebrafish do in Asia. The invaders are also eating well: a diversified diet of native insects, algae, and zooplankton, the researchers reported this week in Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. -From Science
一項新研究顯示：散發紅光和綠光的改良斑馬魚已逃離巴西東南部的養魚場，並在大西洋森林的溪流中繁殖。這是基因轉殖動物意外進入自然界繁殖的罕見例子，正釀成生物學家擔憂，他們擔心這種外來魚種會威脅到地球上生物最多樣的地區之一的當地物種。這種魚全年都在繁殖，雨季更是繁殖高峰，如同亞洲原生斑馬魚。研究人員在近期的「新熱帶動物和環境研究」報告指出：多樣的本地昆蟲、藻類和浮游生物也提供入侵者豐美的食物。-From Science
Exercise Might Help Relieve 'Dry Eye'
運動能有助於緩解“眼睛乾澀”
Health
The small study divided 52 participants into two groups — athletes and non-athletes. The athletes exercised on a treadmill at least five times a week, while non-athletes did so no more than once a week. The researchers assessed the moisture level of participants' eyes before and five minutes after each workout. While the athletes had the greatest increases in tear quality and tear film stability after their workouts, the non-athletes also saw a significant increase, the findings showed. With so much of people's time spent looking at screens, dry eye symptoms are on the rise, the researcher said in a university news release. "It can be challenging for people to regularly exercise when the demand is there to work increasingly longer hours in front of screens," he said. "However, our findings show physical activity can be really important for not just our overall well-being, but for our ocular health, too." –from US NEWS
研究將52名參與者分為有持續鍛鍊習慣的運動員組，以及每週鍛鍊不超過一次的非運動員組，並在鍛鍊前後五分鐘，評估兩組參與者的眼部的濕潤狀態。研究結果顯示，非運動員組鍛鍊後的眼淚品質以及淚膜的穩定性提高，運動員組提升地更明顯。在新聞發佈會上，研究員表示，現在人們在螢幕前工作的時間越來越長，很難保持運動習慣，因此眼睛乾澀症狀出現的情形增加。然而，持續運動習慣不僅是對整體，對眼部的健康狀況也有幫助。–from US NEWS
Experimental Brain Surgery May Help Some People Overcome Drug Addiction
協助人們克服毒癮的實驗性腦部手術
Health
There is a research study testing the safety and feasibility of deep brain stimulation, or DBS, as an addiction treatment. Dr. Ali Rezai, a neurosurgeon, drilled a hole in patient's skull. He inserted an electrical probe, a fine piece of wire barely a millimeter wide. As patient lay sedated but awake, Rezai showed him a series of images on a monitor to induce the cravings and anxiety. Based on patient's responses, Rezai adjusted the probe --a little to the left, now a little higher up -- to make sure it sat in the correct position. The team hoped the electrical signal would restore healthy function to damaged brain areas. A guy who never made it past three months sober has now been drug-free for 2½ years now. Though the research are their infancy, the goal is to find indicators that can warn doctors and patients that a relapse is near. Doctors can then remotely adjust the strength and placement of the electrical current from the probe for better effect. --from CNN. Article with video.
這是一個DBS (腦深層刺激手術)的成癮治療研究，探討其安全性和可行性。神經外科醫師Ali Rezai在患者的頭骨上鑽了一個洞，並插入一根極細的電探針。當病患鎮定且清醒時，團隊在螢幕上展示可能誘發患者對成癮的圖片，並根據病患的反應調整探針，希望能透過電流訊號恢復大腦受損區域的健康功能。一名從未超過清醒三個月的病患已經成功戒毒了2年半。儘管這些實驗還處於起步階段，但目標是警示醫師與病患即將復發的徵兆，並使醫師得以遠端調整電流強度和探針位置，以獲得更好的效果。--from CNN. Article with video.