SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Digest

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - April 30, 2002: Digest

VOICE ONE:

This is Ray Freeman.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Bob Doughty¹ with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments
in science. Today, we tell about a new major group of insects. We tell about a space rock that came close to
Earth. And we tell about food for soldiers that can stay fresh for three years.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

Scientists have discovered the first major new group, or order, of insects in almost ninety years. Danish and
German researchers reported three kinds of wingless insects unknown to science in the past. Evidence shows that
the insects have existed for at least forty-five -million years.

Science magazine reported the discovery this month. Insect expert Joachim Adis (JOE-kim AH-dis) helped write
the report. Mister Adis works at the Max Planck Institute for Limnology in Ploen, Germany. He says the new
order is the thirty-first order of insects to be identified.

Examples of the insects came from private collections and from museums in Britain and Germany. Some insects
were trapped inside an ancient material called amber². Others were found alive in southwest Africa. The insects
measure about two-and-one-half centimeters. They look similar to insects called walking sticks, preying³ mantises⁴
and crickets⁵.

VOICE TWO:

It is not unusual for scientists to discover and identify new kinds of insects. But an order is a large group of
creatures. For example, an order called Lepidoptera contains all known moths⁶ and butterflies. The last new order
of insects was discovered in Nineteen-Fifteen. Some scientists who heard about the discovery of the new order
did not believe it.

Most insects cannot be identified until they are adults. By that time, they usually have wings. The new order may
not have been recognized earlier because the insects lack wings.

VOICE ONE:

The discovery of the new order resulted from good luck as well as hard work. Biologist Oliver Zompro is a
student of Mister Adis at the Max Planck Institute. Mister Zompro was examining several insects sent to the
institute for identification⁷. They came from museums and private collectors. The insects were in amber that was
at least forty -five -million years old. Mister Zompro found that the insects could not be identified as part of any
known order.

Officials at the British Museum of Natural History then showed Mister Zompro another insect.
This insect came from Tanzania in Nineteen-Fifty. It had been in the museum for sixteen years.
Its collectors had sent it there to be identified. However, the museum experts could not do so.
Mister Zompro recognized it as similar to the mysterious insects he had seen before.

He also examined another example of the order in the Berlin Museum of Natural History. It had
been found in Namibia at the beginning of the Twentieth Century.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Zompro believed the mysterious insects might still be alive on Earth. He and a research
team sent computer e-mail messages to museums around the world for help. They wanted to
know if anybody had seen similar creatures.

The only response came from Namibia. So, the researchers went to the southwest African nation
to look for the insects. Other experts from England, South Africa, the United States and Namibia
joined the team. They found the insects on Brandberg Mountain in western Namibia.

Collectors reportedly are already paying high prices for the rare insects. Officials in Namibia
have increased security to prevent people from seizing the insects and selling them. Scientists
(Photo -now are looking for more of the newly identified insects in Brazil.

Science)

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

A huge space rock came near Earth last month. Scientists say it measured between forty and eighty meters wide.
Scientists think it was about the size of a large passenger plane. The space rock passed within about four-
hundred-eighty-thousand kilometers of our planet. It was only a little further away from us than the Moon.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered the asteroid⁸ four days after it
passed Earth and had moved off into space. They say it could have done severe damage if it had
hit a major city. They say few asteroids⁹ that large have ever been known to pass so close to Earth.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists said no one saw the space rock for two reasons. They said it came toward Earth from
the direction of the Sun. This made it extremely difficult to see because of the brightness¹⁰ of the Sun. And it was
not big enough to see.

Gareth Williams works with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He is also an assistant director of
the International Astronomical¹¹ Union’s Minor¹² Planet Center. Part of his job is finding space rocks that could be
a danger to Earth.

He says no amount of searching would have found the asteroid because of its size and where it came from. Mister
Williams says there have probably been many similar space rocks that have flown close to our planet and then
traveled back into deep space.

VOICE ONE:

Researchers say the asteroid’s orbit should not present a danger to Earth in the next century. However, they are
worried about similar space rocks that could be in orbits that bring them close to Earth.

A smaller space rock did hit an area of Siberia in Russia in Nineteen-Oh-Eight. It destroyed trees for hundreds of
square kilometers. A similar asteroid made of iron crashed into the ground in the area that is now the American
state of Arizona fifty-thousand years ago. It created a hole in the earth that was one -thousand-two-hundred meters
wide.

Benny Peiser is an expert on space rocks that have hit the Earth in the past. He works at the Liverpool John
Moores University in Britain. He says that satellites will soon be used to search space for asteroids that may
present a danger to Earth. He says scientists are studying space rocks in an effort to develop a plan for moving
the big ones away from Earth.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

The United States military has developed a new product to feed soldiers in battle. The food contains meat and
bread and is eaten like a sandwich. It can stay fresh for up to three years.

Scientists at the Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, developed the
sandwiches. They do not have to be kept cool while being stored. And they do not have to be
heated before eating.

For years, the United States military has wanted to add to its collection of food for soldiers.
Such food is commonly called “Meal, Ready-to-Eat,
”
or M-R-E. M-R-E foods are designed
for soldiers on the move.

Until now, soldiers had to make sandwiches from bread and other foods stored in separate containers.

VOICE ONE:

The new sandwiches are similar in size and appearance to some products already sold in American food stores.
Yet they can survive extreme temperatures and being dropped from an airplane. The sandwiches will stay fresh
for up to three years at twenty-six degrees Celsius¹³. At thirty -eight degrees, they will keep up to six months.

Researchers developed the sandwiches using a method called intermediate¹⁴ moisture technology. This technology
protects foods by controlling water activity and levels of acid. Scientists use substances called humectants to
reduce the amount of water in the product. This limits the growth of bacteria. The scientists also add naturally
acidic substances to protect the product. The sandwiches are covered tightly¹⁵ in heavy plastic to protect them
against water and oxygen.

VOICE TWO:

Recently, the military approved two kinds of sandwiches for use in the M-R-E program. One contains barbecue
chicken. The other has pepperoni, a pork product often added to pizza.

Officials report that soldiers who tested the sandwiches said their taste was acceptable¹⁶. The sandwiches also meet
safety requirements set by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

American military scientists are now planning to extend the list of M-R-E foods to include bagels, burritos and
even small pizzas. Battlefield meals may never be the same again.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Jerilyn Watson, Paul Thompson and George Grow. It
was produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Ray Freeman.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice
of America.

((THEME))

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1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

3 preying   

v.掠食( prey的现在分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• This problem has been preying on my mind all day. 这个问题让我伤了整整一天脑筋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For a while he let his eyes idly follow the preying bird. 他自己的眼睛随着寻食的鸟毫无目的地看了一会儿。 来自辞典例句

4 mantises   

n.螳螂( mantis的名词复数 )

参考例句：

5 crickets   

n.蟋蟀( cricket的名词复数 )；板球

参考例句：

• The crickets stridulated their everlasting monotonous meaningful note. 蟋蟀发出了它们持久的，单调而有意思的调子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The crickets chirped faster and louder. 蟋蟀叫得更欢了。 来自辞典例句

6 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 identification   

n.视为同一，证明同一，确认

参考例句：

• He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。
• We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。

8 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

9 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

10 brightness   

n.明亮，亮度，聪颖，光泽度，灯火通明

参考例句：

• The brightness of the paint has worn off a little.油漆的光泽有些磨损了。
• Her eyes squinted against the brightness.亮光刺得她眯起眼睛。

11 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

12 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

13 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

14 intermediate   

adj.中间的，居间的，中级的；n.中间体，媒介物

参考例句：

• This country is now at an intermediate stage of development.这个国家目前正处于发展的中间阶段。
• Gray is intermediate between black and white.灰色介于黑色和白色之间。

15 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

16 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。