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California passes school food bill banning 6 chemicals linked to behavioral issues in kids

加州議會通過含有六種與兒童行為問題相關之化學物質在內的學校食物禁令法案

Health
California passes school food bill banning 6 chemicals linked to behavioral issues in kids

The California Legislature has passed a bill with bipartisan support banning the use of red dye No. 40 and five other chemicals in foods served at public schools. Known as the California School Food Safety Act and introduced by Democratic Assembly member Jesse Gabriel in February, Assembly Bill 2316 prohibits a school district, county superintendent of schools or charter school with grades kindergarten through 12th from offering foods or beverages containing red dye No. 40, yellow dyes Nos. 5 and 6, blue dyes Nos. 1 and 2, and green dye No. 3. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has until September 30 to sign into the law the bill that, if legalized, would be enacted on December 31, 2027. The bill stems from concerns these dyes would harm children’s ability to learn, as they have been linked to behavioral difficulties and decreased attention among children, according to a 2021 study by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. If Newsom signs the bill, the decision would render the United States food environment more in alignment with that of the European Union, where products including these dyes are required to have a warning label saying those products could harm young people, Gabriel added.

---from CNN

加州議會在兩黨共同支持下通過了一項法案,禁止公立學校提供包含紅色染料四十號、與另外五種化學添加劑的食物。 《加州校園食品安全法案》由民主黨議員Jesse Gabriel在二月提出。加州議會第2316號法案禁止在幼兒園至12年級的學區、具教育主管辦公室或特許學校中提供含有紅色40號、黃色5號6號、藍色1號2號和綠色染料3號在內的食物及飲品。民主黨籍的加州州長Gavin Newsom必須要在今年9月30日之前完成該法案的簽署。 該法案若合法化,將會在2027年12月31日頒布。 該法案源自於美國加州環境衛生風險評估局2021的一項報告。食物染劑與兒童行為問題和注意力下降相關,可能會損害兒童的學習能力。 Gabriel補充道;如果州長Newsom簽屬該法案,將會使美國的食品環境與歐盟國家更為一致。同時,這些含有可能傷害年輕人健康之染劑的食品,需要有一個警告標語。

---摘錄翻譯自CNN

Food as fuel might not be the healthiest approach, experts say

專家表示,將食物視為燃料可能不是最健康的方法

Health
Food as fuel might not be the healthiest approach, experts say

Eating driven by emotions, otherwise known as emotional eating, is often painted as scary, unhealthy, and out of control, but the truth is that it is very normal and can be part of a healthy relationship with food, said Jennifer Rollin, founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. Of course, there is a line where emotional eating can become unhealthy, but it is important that people embrace nuance when it comes to ways of eating, rather than apply strict rules and shame-based strategies, said Robin Klein, a weight-inclusive eating disorder dietitian in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. It may be time to put emotional eating into proper perspective and learn how to work with it, rather than against, for a healthier relationship with food, experts said. There is a line, however, when emotional eating does become a problem, and that often happens when eating is a person’s primary way to cope, Klein said. Some warning signs that you are relying too much on food to cope or engaging in binge eating include: eating larger quantities than most people would in a short time, feeling a loss of control, feeling guilt and shame, eating in secret, and often eating way past the point of fullness, Rollin said.

---from CNN

「由情緒驅動的飲食行為,就是俗稱的情緒性飲食。它常被描述成可怕、不健康且失控的。但事實是,這種透過情緒引起的飲食行為非常正常,甚至是與食物建立起健康關係的一部分。」美國馬里蘭州洛克維爾飲食失調中心的創始人Jennifer Rollin說。 「當然,這種情緒性的飲食行為有時候會變得不健康。重要的是,人們在飲食方式上要接受細微差別,,而不是嚴苛的規則和羞辱性的策略」賓州華盛頓堡的一名體重包容性飲食失調營養師Robin Klein說道。專家們表示,為了與食物建立更健康的關係,或許我們該開始以正確的觀點看待情緒性飲食,並學習和它合作,而不是一味的反對。 「然而,情緒性飲食還是存著一定的界線,尤其當一個人遇到情緒上頭,總是選擇靠飲食來應付時,這樣往往會造成問題。」Klein說道。 Rollin說:「一些警示信號表明你正過於依賴食物來應對或深陷暴飲暴食的行為,包括:在短時間內吃下比大多數人還多的食物、感到失控、感到內疚、偷偷進食,且經常吃到超出飽足感的程度。」

---摘錄翻譯自CNN

Signed Dalí prints ‘tucked away and forgotten’ for 50 years found in garage

知名藝術家Dalí的簽名印刷品被發現閒置車庫裡長達五十年

Culture
Signed Dalí prints ‘tucked away and forgotten’ for 50 years found in garage

Ten signed Salvador Dalí lithographs have been discovered in a garage in London, where they have been stashed for half a century. The artworks, which were discovered by an auctioneer during a routine valuation, are now expected to fetch several thousand dollars at auction. The colorful prints were uncovered when the expert was called to a property in Mayfair, central London, to give the customer an assessment of some antiques at the property. But the visit took a turn when the pair went out to the garage of the client, who has not been identified. The set of pictures are thought to have been purchased for around £500 ($660) at the time, while each Dalí print could now fetch that amount individually when the collection goes under the hammer on September 30, according to the auction house.

---from CNN

倫敦的一個車庫發現了十幅簽名的Salvador Dalí石版畫,這些畫作已被藏匿長達半個世紀。 這些藝術品是拍賣師在常規估價期間發現的,預計能在拍賣會上賣出數千美金。 當這位專家應邀前往倫敦市中心梅費爾一處房產,為客戶評估古董。但當兩人來到客戶的車庫時,情況有了意想不到的轉折,至於這位客戶身份未被披露。據拍賣行透露,這組作品當時的購買價格大約為500英鎊(約660美元),而當該系列9月30日拍賣時,每幅Dalí的石版畫現在都可以單獨拍賣出這個價格。

---摘錄翻譯自CNN

Mystery of ‘Pinnacle Man’ found frozen in a cave solved after nearly five decades

長達五十年在洞穴中的Pinnacle Man神秘懸案宣告偵破

Culture
Mystery of ‘Pinnacle Man’ found frozen in a cave solved after nearly five decades

A man found frozen in a Pennsylvania cave in 1977 has finally been identified, closing the book on a nearly 50-year-long mystery. The Berks County Coroner’s Office identified the remains of the missing man as Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Surprisingly, advanced technology played no role in identifying the “Pinnacle Man,” a moniker inspired by the peak in the Appalachian Mountains near where Grubb was found. Instead, Berks County Coroner John Fielding told reporters at a Tuesday news conference that a Pennsylvania State Police detective discovered the missing link to the cold case the old-fashioned way, by digging through files. One of Grubb’s family members was notified by the Berks County Coroner’s Office, who confirmed Grubb’s identity. The family member asked the office to place his remains in the family plot. “This identification brings a long awaited resolution to his family, who have been notified and expressed their deep appreciation for the collective efforts that made it possible. It is moments like these that remind us of the importance of our work to provide answers, to bring closure and to give the unidentified a name and a story,” Fielding said.

---from CNN

1977年在賓夕法尼亞州一個洞穴裡發現的男子遺體,經過了50年,男子身份終於在今天被確認。 伯克斯縣法醫辦公室確定了這具遺體正是來自賓州華盛頓堡的Nicholas Paul Grubb(27歲)。 出乎意料的是,先進技術在識別Pinnacle Man—這個名字源自於發現格拉布的阿巴拉契亞山脈附近的山峰—的過程中並未發揮作用。 相反的,伯克斯縣法醫John Fielding在週二的新聞發布會上告訴記者,一名賓州州警探通過傳統方法,僅僅透過翻閱檔案,便發現了這個懸案的關鍵線索。 伯克斯縣法醫辦公室隨後通知了Grubb的一位親屬,並確認了Grubb的身份,該親人要求將他的遺體安葬在家族墓地。 法醫John Fielding表示:「這一次的身份確認,為他的家人帶來了期待已久的解脫,他們已被通知並表達了對所有使這一結果成為可能的努力的深切感謝。正是這樣,我們才深刻認識到我們工作的意義——提供答案,帶來結束,並為那些身份未明的死者們賦予名字和故事。」

---摘錄翻譯自CNN

NASA spacecraft collision may have created a meteor shower that will last for 100 years

NASA的太空船在一次撞擊中製造了一場可能持續百年的流星雨

Culture
NASA spacecraft collision may have created a meteor shower that will last for 100 years

Rocky debris blasted away from the tiny asteroid Dimorphos when NASA’s DART spacecraft intentionally slammed into it in 2022 could create the first human-made meteor shower known as the Dimorphids, new study has found. But scientists also estimated the intentional collision generated more than 2 million pounds (nearly 1 million kilograms) of rocks and dust — enough to fill about six or seven rail cars. Where exactly in space all of that material will end up has remained an open question. Now, new research suggests fragments of Dimorphos will arrive in the vicinity of Earth and Mars within one to three decades, with the possibility that some debris could reach the red planet within seven years. Small debris could also reach Earth’s atmosphere within the next 10 years. The Planetary Science Journal has accepted the study for publication. “This material could produce visible meteors (commonly called shooting stars) as they penetrate the Martian atmosphere,” said lead study author Eloy Peña Asensio, a postdoctoral researcher for the Deep-space Astrodynamics Research and Technology group at Italy’s Polytechnic University of Milan. “Once the first particles reach Mars or Earth, they could continue to arrive intermittently and periodically for at least the next 100 years, which is the duration of our calculations.” The individual pieces are small, ranging from sand grain-type particles to fragments similar in size to smartphones, so none of the debris poses a risk to Earth, Peña Asensio said. “They would disintegrate in the upper atmosphere through a process known as ablation, caused by friction with the air at hypervelocity,” he said. “There is no possibility of a Dimorphos material reaching Earth’s surface.” Future observations could help researchers refine mass measurements of the debris and determine how quickly it is moving to calculate the expected meteor activity, Peña Asensio said. Overall, the mission will enable astronomers to understand the dynamical evolution of debris “produced by an impact in such a complex system of double asteroids,” Michel said.

---from CNN

最新研究指出,當NASA的DART航天器在2022年故意撞擊的小行星Dimorphos時,產生的岩石碎片可能會形成史上第一個人造流星雨,NASA將之名為Dimorphids。 科學家們估計,這次的撞擊產生了超過200萬磅(接近100萬公斤)的岩石和塵埃——足以填滿六到七節火車車廂。目前,這些材料在太空中的具體去向仍是一個未解的謎。 這個新的研究表明,Dimorphos的碎片可能會在一至三十年內抵達地球和火星附近,甚至有可能在七年內抵達火星。小碎片可能在未來十年進入地球的大氣層。至於這項研究,已發表在《行星科學雜誌》上。 「當這些物質穿透火星大氣層時,可能會產生可見的流星(流星雨)。」論文的主要作者Eloy Peña Asensio表示,他是義大利米蘭理工大學深空天體力學研究與技術小組的博士後研究員。 「一旦第一批顆粒到達火星或地球,它們可能會在接下來至少100年內間歇性地或定期地到達,這是我們計算的時間範圍。這些碎片很小,從沙粒大小到類似智慧型手機大小的碎片都有,不過這些碎片並不會對地球構成威脅。」Peña Asensio說道。 「它們會通過一個叫燒蝕的過程,並在高空大氣中解體。這是由於超高速下與空氣摩擦所致,」他說:「Dimorphos的材料沒有辦法抵達地球表面。」 Peña Asensio更表示,未來進一步的觀測有助於研究人員更精確地測量碎片的質量,並確定其移動速度,以計算預期的流星活動。 「總體來說,這次任務將使天文學家能夠理解在這樣一個複雜的雙行星系統中,由撞擊產生的碎片的動力學演化。」Michel表示。

---摘錄翻譯自CNN

Scientists build a robot that is part fungus, part machine

科學家打造了一種結合真菌及機械的機器人

Sciences
Scientists build a robot that is part fungus, part machine

Powered by conventional electricity via plug or battery, these simple robotic creations would be unremarkable, but what sets these two robots apart is that they are controlled by a living entity: a king oyster mushroom. By growing the mushroom’s mycelium, or rootlike threads, into the robot’s hardware, a team led by Cornell University researchers has engineered two types of robots that sense and respond to the environment by harnessing electrical signals made by the fungus and its sensitivity to light. The robots are the latest accomplishment of scientists in a field known as biohybrid robotics who seek to combine biological, living materials such as plant and animal cells or insects with synthetic components to make partly living and partly engineered entities. Biohybrid robots have yet to venture beyond the lab, but researchers hope one day robot jellyfish may explore oceans, sperm-powered bots may be able to deliver fertility treatments and cyborg cockroaches could search for survivors in the wake of an earthquake. “Mechanisms, including computing, understanding and action as a response, are done in the biological world and in the artificial world that humans have created, and biology most of the time is better at it than our artificial systems are,” said Robert Shepherd, a senior author of a study detailing the robots published August 28 in the journal Science Robotics.

---from CNN

若是由傳統的電力供電(通過插頭或電池)的機器人,並不會特別引人注目,但這兩個機器人與眾不同的是,它們是由一個活體實體——一個杏鮑菇來控制。 由康乃爾大學的研究團隊主導,他們通過將蘑菇的菌絲(類似根狀結構)植入機器人硬體中,研製出了兩種類型的機器人。這些機器人利用真菌產生的電信號及其對光的敏感性來感知和回應環境。 這些機器人是生物混合機器人領域科學家的最新成果,他們試圖結合生物與活體材料,比如動植物細胞或昆蟲,合成組件,製造出部分活體和部分機械的成品。 目前,生物混合機器人還在實驗室內部,但研究人員希望有一天機器水母可以探索海洋,精子驅動的機器人能夠提供生育治療,仿生機械蟑螂則能在地震後搜索生還者。 「生物世界和人類創造的人工世界中都存在著理解、計算和作為回應的行為,而生物通常在這方面比我們的人工系統更加優越。」該研究的資深作者Robert Shepherd說。這項研究詳細介紹了這些機器人,該研究已於8月28日發表在《科學機器人學》期刊上。

---摘錄翻譯自CNN

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