SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Scientists Find Most Earth-Like Planet

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Scientists Find Most Earth-Like Planet Yet Discovered
By Dana Demange, Cynthia Kirk, ...

Broadcast: Tuesday, June 28, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty¹. On our program this week, we talk about a natural substance that makes people more likely to trust each other. We also answer a question about stuttering and describe treatments for the speech disorder². But first, space scientists report the discovery of what they call the most Earth-like planet ever found.

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VOICE ONE:

American scientists say they have discovered the smallest Earth-like planet ever observed outside our solar system. They announced their findings earlier this month at the National Science Foundation, near Washington, D.C.

The scientists made the discovery with one of the huge telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory³ in Hawaii. Each telescope stands eight levels tall and weighs more than three hundred metric tons.

The scientists describe the newly-discovered planet as a ball of rock made of the same materials as Earth. They also said the planet could have an atmosphere.

VOICE TWO:

The scientists said the planet is more similar to Earth than anything ever observed. Yet it is very different. It is more than seven times the size of Earth and unable to support life. That is because the planet is extremely hot. Its surface temperature is between two hundred and four hundred degrees Celsius⁴.

The scientists told reporters the planet orbits a star called Gliese Eight-Seven-Six. It is fifteen light years away from Earth in the group of stars known as Aquarius. The planet moves around the star once every two days. Gliese Eight-Seven-Six has two larger planets. They are closer in size to Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.

VOICE ONE:

The scientists say the newly-discovered planet may be the first rocky planet ever found orbiting a star similar to our Sun. Three other rocky planets have been reported in other solar systems. But they orbit the remains⁵ of an exploded star, not a normal one.

The scientists said they do not know where the planet came from. But it is as small as can be found with current instruments. They also said improved instruments are planned in the next ten years. And they said the discovery suggests that more Earth-like planets will be found in the future.

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VOICE TWO:

Do you have trouble trusting people? Maybe your body needs more oxytocin. That is a hormone⁶ that some scientists say makes people more likely to trust each other.

Research scientists at universities in Switzerland and the United States recently tested the effects of oxytocin on a group of students. About one hundred eighty male students from the University of Zurich took part.

The researchers set up an investment game as part of the study. Some of the students were investors⁸ in the money game. Others were called trustees.

VOICE ONE:

Investors and trustees were not permitted to communicate. Investors were given money. They were told any investment they made would be immediately worth three times more. But, they had to work with a trustee on each investment. And, the trustee had complete control of the money after the investment was made. So, a trustee could keep it all. Or give some back to the investor⁷.

To make it even trickier⁹, an investor could work with each trustee only once. So an investor had no experience of a trustee before working with him.

VOICE TWO:

Before the games began some students were given oxytocin through their noses. Others breathed in a harmless substance, or placebo¹⁰.

The researchers found that persons who received the hormone invested seventeen percent more than those who got the placebo. Forty-five percent of those in the oxytocin group invested all their money. That compared with twenty-one percent of the investors in the placebo group.

The researchers also reported that oxytocin only affected¹¹ investors when they working with human trustees. The researchers say the effects of the hormone disappeared when the investors worked with computers as trustees.

Ernest Fehr of the University of Zurich led the study. He says increasing trust may be useful for people with social fears and the brain disorder autism.

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VOICE ONE:

There are new estimates of the number of Americans with the virus that causes AIDS. Government scientists say more than one million were living with the human immunodeficiency virus, or H.I.V. at the end of two thousand three. Health officials gave a report this month at the National H.I.V. Prevention Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set a goal in two thousand one to cut the rate of new infections in half. That goal has not been met. But a C.D.C. official, Doctor Ronald Valdiserri, said researchers do think they are making progress.

VOICE TWO:

Doctor Carlos del Rio of Emory University in Atlanta, however, suggested that prevention efforts have failed. He says there may be as many as sixty thousand new cases per year. In recent years, the number has been estimated at forty thousand.

Almost half of those infected are believed to be men who have sex with other men. And, experts say, almost half are black. People who are infected with H.I.V. often do not know it. There are no cures. But drug treatments can delay the progress of H.I.V. into AIDS. AIDS leaves a person defenseless against disease.

Researchers estimate that about forty million people worldwide are living with H.I.V. They estimate that every day more than eight thousand people die from conditions linked to AIDS.

About half of all people living with H.I.V. are women. And about half of new infections are in young adults.

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VOICE ONE:

Our question this week comes from Vietnam. Nguyen To Hieu would like to learn more about stuttering.

Stuttering is speech disorder. It also may be called stammering¹² in some countries. Stuttering happens when the normal flow of speech is broken up. The speaker may repeat sounds or words. Or the speaker may have problems starting a word.

Some situations may cause people to stutter. For example, talking in front of a group might cause stuttering. Yet singing or speaking alone might not.

VOICE TWO:

Experts estimate that more than three million Americans stutter. Stuttering affects people of all ages. But it is most common in children between the ages of two and six years. This kind of stuttering is called developmental stuttering. Children might stutter as they develop language skills, but they usually learn to speak normally once they are older.

Adults who stutter might have a form of stuttering called neurogenic. This means there are signal problems between the brain and the muscles and nerves that control speech.

Another kind of stuttering is called psychogenic. It is linked to the mental activities of thought and reasoning. This kind of stuttering is rare and can be found in individuals who have a mental illness or who experienced extreme mental pressure.

VOICE ONE:

Medical experts do not know exactly why people stutter. They do know that stuttering may be common among members of the same family. Yet, the gene¹³ that is responsible has yet to be found.

Several treatments for stuttering do exist. Speech-language pathologists can provide help. They are trained to test and treat persons with voice, speech and language disorders¹⁴. They can help people who stutter learn ways to improve their speech through special training. Speech-language pathologists also can help patients deal with the feelings that often come with such a disorder. When asked to speak, some people who stutter become easily frightened or shy.

VOICE TWO:

Experts say it helps to be patient when talking with someone who stutters. When that person speaks, listen quietly. Also, it is important for parents of children who stutter to provide an easy home environment. Parents should be supportive of their children and not punish them for stuttering.

Many Americans who stuttered have become successful in work that requires public speaking. They include the actress Marilyn Monroe, actors Bruce Willis and James Earl Jones, and singer Carly Simon.

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VOICE ONE:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Dana Demange, Cynthia Kirk, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver¹⁵. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. 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 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

4 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。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

7 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 trickier   

adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的

参考例句：

• This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. 以上是一般规则，但某些案例会比别的案例更为棘手。 来自互联网
• The lower the numbers go, the trickier the problems get. 武器的数量越低，问题就越复杂。 来自互联网

10 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 stammering   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He betrayed nervousness by stammering. 他说话结结巴巴说明他胆子小。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Why,\" he said, actually stammering, \"how do you do?\" “哎呀，\"他说，真的有些结结巴巴，\"你好啊？” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

13 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。

14 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。