Issue 70 – May 29, 2023

Apples and blackberries may help lower chances of developing frailty – study

關於蘋果和黑莓可能有助於降低罹患老年衰弱症的機率之研究

Health

Eating foods like apples and blackberries may help lower your chances of developing frailty. Research suggests plant-based foods that contain dietary compounds called flavonols could potentially be linked to a decreased likelihood of the condition. The study suggests flavonoids called quercetin, which is found in apples and blackberries, may be the most important for frailty prevention. Researchers found that for every 10 mg higher intake of flavonols per day – about one medium-sized apple – the odds of frailty were reduced by 20%.

--from Independent

攝取蘋果和黑莓等食物或許將有助於降低迸發老年衰弱症（Frailty）的機率。研究指出，植物性食物中含有一種被稱為黃酮醇的膳食化合物，它或許跟降低老年衰弱症的可能性有關。該研究指出，名為槲皮素的類黃酮化合物存在於蘋果和黑莓之中，或許對預防老年衰弱症有著重要的作用。研究人員發現，每天每攝入10毫克黃酮醇（大約一個中等大小的蘋果）將使罹患該疾病的機率減少20%。

--摘錄翻譯自Independent

Ireland to introduce alcohol label health warning

愛爾蘭引入酒精有害健康的警示標籤

Health

The Republic of Ireland is set to introduce health warning labels on alcohol products. Stephen Donnelly, the Irish minister for health, signed new regulations into law on Monday but they will not come into force until 2026. Labelling will warn consumers about the risks of drinking alcohol as well as providing a product's calorie content and the number of grams of alcohol. The Irish government said the regulations would bring alcohol products into line with requirements for food packaging. Consumers will be warned about the dangers of drinking while pregnant as well as the risks of liver disease and fatal cancers.

--from BBC Health

愛爾蘭政府計劃在酒類產品引入健康警示標籤。愛爾蘭衛生部長Stephen Donnelly於本週一簽署了新的法規，但該法規將於2026年生效。標籤上警告消費者飲酒的風險，並提供該產品的卡路里含量與酒精克數。愛爾蘭政府表示，這些法規將使酒類產品更符合食品包裝的要求。消費者會接收到孕期飲酒的危險性及肝臟疾病與致命癌症風險的警告。

--摘錄翻譯自BBC Health

The 100 greatest children's books of all time

史上最偉大的100 本童書

Culture

All in all, then, it felt like the right time to do our bit to both give children's literature its due and consider what has made and continues to make great children's writing. And so, in order to do that, we have decided to ask many experts a very simple question: what is the greatest children's book of all time? In total, 1050 different books were voted for by 177 experts – critics, authors, and publishing figures – who came from 56 countries, from Austria to Uzbekistan. Of these voters, 133 were female, 41 were male and three preferred not to say. Each voter listed their 10 greatest children's books, which we scored and ranked to produce the top 100 listed below. The end result is a list that reflects the vast scope of children’s literature through the eras, standing as a tribute to its boundless imagination, thrilling storytelling, and profound themes.

--from BBC Culture

總而言之，現在是時候為兒童文學做出應有的貢獻，並思考是什麼造就了偉大的兒童文學。因此，為了做到這一點，我們[BBC]決定向多位專家提出一個非常簡單的問題：您認為史上最偉大的童書是哪一本？來自 56 個國家（從奧地利到烏茲別克都有）的 177 位專家（書籍評論家、作家和出版界人士）總共提名了1050 本童書。在這些投票者中，有 133 名女性、41 名男性、3名不願意透露性別。每位投票者被要求列出他們認為最偉大的 10 本童書，而我們[BBC]再對其進行評分和排名，從而產生下面列出的100 本童書。這份書單，除了反映了在時代轉變下兒童文學廣闊多樣創作題材的變遷與革新，更是對兒童文學無限想像、激動人心和深刻的故事主題表達敬意。

--摘錄翻譯自BBC Culture

Where the Wild Things Are: The best children's book ever

《野獸國》：史上最偉大的童書

Culture

Accepting the coveted Caldecott Medal in 1964, an annual award honouring the "most distinguished American picture book for children", the author Maurice Sendak addressed the rumbles of disapproval his winning book had received from some quarters about it being too frightening by wryly commenting, "Where the Wild Things Are was not meant to please everybody – only children." Of course, far from only appealing to children, after initially sending shockwaves around the literary establishment, over the decades the book has beguiled almost everyone who has encountered it, young and old, from world leaders to film directors. For this poll, children's authors and experts from Singapore and Iceland to Portugal and Peru voted for it in their droves. Most importantly though, it has indeed captivated generations of children thirsty for mischief, mastery, and a cracking wild rumpus.

-- from BBC Culture

1964 年，《野獸國》獲得了Caldecott 獎。此獎項旨在表揚該年度「最傑出的美國兒童繪本」。《野獸國》的作者Maurice Sendak在獲獎後談及少數對他的作品持負面評價的人們。他們認為這本繪本太可怕了，不適合兒童。作者挖苦的回應：「《野獸國》 並不是為了取悅所有人——只有孩子們[是我要取悅的對象]。」 當然，這本書不僅僅吸引了孩子們。在最初對文學界產生衝擊後，幾十年來，這本書吸引了所有閱覽過它的人，無論老人、小孩、世界領袖抑或是電影導演。在本次調查中，從新加坡、冰島到葡萄牙和秘魯的兒童作家和專家紛紛投給了此書。但最重要的是，此書確實吸引了一代又一代渴望淘氣惡作劇和狂野喧鬧的孩子。

--摘錄翻譯自 BBC Culture

Jupiter's lightning bolts contort the same way as Earth's

木星的閃電與地球的閃電同樣曲折震撼

Sciences

Jovian lightning emits radio wave pulses that are typically separated by about one millisecond, researchers report May 23 in Nature Communications. The energetic prestissimo, the scientists say, is a sign that the gas giant’s lightning propagates in pulses, at a pace comparable to that of the bolts that cavort through our own planet’s thunderclouds. If bolts extend through Jupiter’s water clouds at a similar velocity as they do in Earth’s clouds, then Jovian lightning might branch and extend in steps that are hundreds to thousands of meters long. That’s comparable in length to the jolted strides of Earth’s intracloud lightning, the researchers say. The similarities between the two world’s electrical phenomena could have implications for the search for alien life.

--from Science News

研究人員5月23日在《自然通訊》（Nature Communication）中報告，木星閃電發出的無線電波脈衝通常相隔約1毫秒（即1/1000秒）。科學家們說，充滿能量的極快聲是這顆氣態巨行星的閃電以脈衝形式傳導的現象，傳導速度相當於閃電穿過我們所在行星的雷雲層的速度。如果閃電以穿過地球雲中相近的速度穿過木星的水雲，那麼木星閃電可能會分叉並循序延伸至數百甚至數千米長。研究人員說此長度足以媲美在地球雲中震盪的閃電。這兩個世界的電象相似性可能會對搜尋外星生命有所影響。

--摘錄翻譯自Science News 

Discovered in the deep: scientists solve mystery of ‘pogo-stick’ seabed holes

深海探索：科學家解開海床上似以「彈跳桿」戳出海地洞之謎

Sciences

During an expedition in the cold waters of the Bering Sea, between Russia and Alaska, last summer, a team of scientists spotted neat lines of holes poked into the seafloor. But they did not know who – or what – had created them. Scientists on the German research vessel Sonne set about hunting for clues. They sifted through several hundred images captured by a camera towed above the seafloor. The pictures revealed distinctive rows oval-shaped holes, each measuring roughly two or three centimetres – as if something had pogo-sticked a short way over the seabed. But the mystery remained – until now. One of the team, Angelika Brandt, also from Germany, noticed something: a little crustacean. It was an amphipod – a relative of beach-dwelling sand hoppers.

--from The Guardian

去年夏天，在俄羅斯與阿拉斯加間的白令海寒冷水域進行探勘時，一組科學家發現了整齊的孔洞，這些洞深通至海底。但他們不知道是誰或是什麼創造了它們。德國研究船Sonne上的科學家們著手尋找線索。他們篩檢了由拖曳在海底的相機所拍攝的數百張圖像。這些照片顯示出一排排獨特的橢圓形孔洞，每個孔洞大約2、3公分—疑似使用彈跳桿狀的東西在海床上戳出來的。但謎團依然未解—直到現在。同樣來自德國的團隊成員Angelika Brandt注意到了一些東西：一隻小甲殼類動物。這是一種來自南極洲的端足目動物，是以沙灘為棲地的沙蚤的親戚。

--摘錄翻譯自The Guardian

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