Eating Fish May Prevent Strokes

 

Broadcast: Jan 28, 2003
By by Mario Ritter and George Grow

VOICE ONE:

This is Sarah Long.

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 way to make important research information free to people around the world. We tell about a study that says eating fish may prevent strokes. And we tell about new research in Antarctica.

VOICE ONE:

        A group of leading scientists wants to permit people all over the world to use important research information without having to pay for it. Harold Varmus is leading the effort to create the Public Library of Science. Doctor Varmus is a former Nobel Prize winner in medicine. He is the president of the Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He is also the former director of America's National Institutes of Health near Washington, D-C.

        The Public Library of Science will offer the latest scientific information on the Internet. The results of scientific research will be useful to scientists, doctors, students and the general public.

VOICE TWO:

        This information is usually published in major scientific journals like Science and Nature. Some experts believe that scientific publications are entering a new period. Today, information can be published on the Internet's World Wide Web. This greatly reduces the cost of publishing a journal. Many scientists believe that it is now time to use electronic publishing to permit everyone to use the latest knowledge and research. Currently³, researchers present their work to major scientific publications.

        Institutions and individuals pay for the right to read that information. The Public Library of Science will ask researchers to pay about one-thousand-five-hundred dollars to present their research. Other scientists would investigate and confirm the research. Then, the information would be put on the World Wide Web for free.

VOICE ONE:

        The policy of the Public Library of Science will permit all kinds of scientific knowledge to be used as long as the name of the researcher is provided. The policy is based on that of the GenBank library of genetic⁴ research. GenBank is operated by the National Institutes of Health. Scientific organizations around the world add to the GenBank information every day. Researchers can use it freely and immediately. This has been an important aid in the fast progress of gene² research.

VOICE TWO:

        Many people think that researchers will want to send their work to the Public Library of Science. They believe that one of the reasons is because it is such a good cause. Such a free scientific resource will permit scientists in poor countries and students all over the world to learn about the newest scientific developments.

        Supporters of the project also point out that the people who pay taxes will no longer have to pay two times to read research. Taxpayers⁵ pay nearly forty-thousand-million dollars for scientific research each year.

        The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in San Francisco, California, has given nine-million dollars for the project. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland also supports the Public Library of Science. The organization says it will pay the extra costs involved in developing the project.

VOICE ONE:

        However, the success of the project depends on how many scientists seek to publish their research in the Public Library of Science. Many younger researchers may not want to risk publishing in such a resource. These scientists may believe they need the recognition⁶ that famous scientific journals provide. Yet, established scientists may see the Public Library of Science as a way to help the cause of science. Many scientists agree that sharing and cooperation are important values in science.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

        You are listening to the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS on VOA. This is Bob Doughty with Sarah Long in Washington.

        An American study has shown that eating a small amount of fish every month can reduce the risk of stroke. The study showed that men who ate seafood⁷ even once a month cut their risk of the most common kind of stroke.

        Over the years, many studies have shown that eating fish is important for good health. Those studies showed that people who eat fish reduce their risk of stroke and heart attack. People in Iceland and Japan, for example, eat more fish on average than other people. People in those countries also have the world's lowest death rates from stroke and heart disease.

VOICE ONE:

        The new study is surprising because it shows that eating even small amounts of fish appears to produce the health effect. The National Institutes of Health provided money for the study. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the findings.

        Doctors at the Harvard University School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts carried out the study. They studied the diets of more than forty-thousand men during a twelve-year period. The men were asked how often they ate fish. They also were asked about the kinds of seafood they ate.

        The Harvard team found that eating fish had a protective effect against ischemic (eh-SKEE-mic) strokes. An ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage⁸ in the flow of blood to the brain. This is the most common kind of stroke. Eighty percent of all strokes are caused by a blockage. Ischemic strokes often result in death. They also are a leading cause of severe disability in many western countries.

VOICE TWO:

        Albert Ascherio (as-CARE-ee-yo) was a member of the Harvard team. He says the study found that men who ate fish a few times a month had almost half the risk of stroke compared with men who never ate fish. However, there was no evidence that eating fish more than a few times a month reduced a man's risk of stroke even more. Eating fish a few times a month was just as good as eating fish almost every day.

        The doctors say fish helps because its fatty acids make the blood flow more freely. They say this helps to prevent blockages⁹ in the blood flow. The doctors say eating different kinds of seafood is the best plan of action. They say men should include fish in their diet to reduce the risk of stroke.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

        A new report says a huge piece of Antarctic ice has been melting and releasing water into the world's oceans for the past ten-thousand years. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet covers five-hundred-eighty-thousand square kilometers. The report warns that the ice sheet could disappear in seven-thousand years if the melting continues at its current rate. It says this might raise sea levels around the world by about five meters.

        John Stone from the University of Washington wrote the report. He warns that a quick or sudden melting of the ice sheet could cause serious problems for some islands and coastal¹⁰ areas.

VOICE TWO:

        Mister Stone's team measured chemicals found in rocks on seven mountains in Antarctica. The tops of these mountains were completely covered by ice ten-thousand years ago. As the ice began to melt away, radiation from deep space started hitting the rocks. This changed the chemical formation in the mountains. The scientists could estimate how old the rocks were by studying the chemicals.

        Ten-thousand years ago, large areas of ice had nearly all melted across Europe and in North America. The new study shows that the huge area of ice in West Antarctica was just starting to melt by then.The new report was published in Science magazine.

VOICE ONE:

        Earlier this month, another group of scientists completed a rare, over-land trip to Antarctica's southern most point. The scientists traveled almost one-thousand-three-hundred kilometers to the South Pole. Along the way, they removed pieces of ice from the ground and collected other information. The scientists plan to compare this evidence with other ice cores gathered from other parts of Antarctica. From this, they hope to get a better understanding of the continent's climate and the effect of rising temperatures.

VOICE TWO:

        This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Mario Ritter and George Grow. It was produced by George Grow. This is Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

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

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 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

6 recognition   

n.承认，认可，认出，认识

参考例句：

• The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
• A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意，表示认识对方。

7 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

8 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

9 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

10 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。