Shownotes Transcript
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites! I'm Kelly Kimura… And I'm Jacob Ingram. Coming up next in today's news: Taiwanese researchers develop new methods to use less animal testing, and an overdue book is returned after 105 years! And in today's Tasty Tidbit, art is making people want to visit Taiwan! Stay tuned for more on those stories!
台灣研究人員開發新方法減少動物試驗 **Taiwanese Researchers Develop New Methods to Use Less Animal Testing **
When we get sick, we take medicine (藥物) to help us get better. When we find bugs in our houses, we use pesticides (殺蟲劑) to kill them. When we want our skin to look better, we use cosmetics (化妝品). Before these products (產品) are sold, they must be safe for people and the environment (環境). Therefore, they have to be tested. They are often tested on animals. However, this raises the problem of the ethics (倫理) of animal testing and cruelty (殘酷) to animals. According to an animal rights organization (動物權利組織), millions of animals are used to test products every year in the U.S. These animals include mice, monkeys, cats, and dogs. Until now, animal testing has been a crucial (關鍵的) step for the safety of products. Taiwan’s Minister of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC國科會) announced that researchers have developed 102 alternative testing methods (替代測試方法). These alternative testing methods can reduce animal testing by about sixty percent. One of the methods uses biomimetic (仿生) skin cells for irritant (過敏原) testing. Traditionally (傳統上), irritant testing uses rabbits (兔子). But with biomimetic technology, researchers are able to mimic (模仿) different conditions (狀況) for human skin (人的皮膚). This technology can also mimic animal skin cells (細胞) for pet-related (與寵物有關的) products. Another method uses AI in various tests. AI can evaluate (評價) the level of toxicity (毒性) of pesticides on human skin. This method does not use animals. Alternative testing takes only four days, which is faster than animal testing. The minister said that the NSTC is “committed to achieving (致力於實現) the ‘three R’s’ of animal testing: replace, reduce, and refine” (替換、減少、改進). “Replace” means to test with something else instead of animals. “Reduce” means to lessen the number of animals used in a test. “Refine” means to avoid (防止) or lessen the pain or distress (疼痛或苦難) of animals used in testing at any time during their lives. He feels that Taiwan, as an advanced country (先進國家), should find other ways to test products. 目前，國內的許多政府機構以及研究單位都在朝這個方向努力。 Researchers will continue to develop more alternative methods.
逾期105年，書本終於歸還圖書館 Overdue Book Returned to Colorado Library After 105 Years Dr. Seuss wrote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.” Before the internet, reading books was the best way to learn and get information. And the best place to get books is a library. Many of us have borrowed books from our school library or a public library. And some of us have paid fines (罰款) when we forgot to return books before the due date (到期日)! Now imagine a book being returned many years after its due date… How about 105 years!? How much would that fine be? A few months ago, a book was returned to a library in Colorado, in the United States. It was checked out (查看) on February 13th, 1919. A worker at the library told the local TV station about the book. She said, “It came to us from a woman who got it from her brother, who found it in their mom’s belongings (媽媽的東西).” The worker said that the someone had written notes in the book. She said the book was well-loved. Maybe the book was passed down (傳下來) from parent to child in a family that loves reading. According to the library’s rules in 1919, there was a fine of 2 cents per day on overdue books. That adds up (總共) to $760 US dollars. But $760 US dollars in 1919 is worth (價值) about $14,000 US dollars now! That’s over $450,000 Taiwan dollars! Wow! It was lucky for the woman — and maybe unlucky for the library — that the library had stopped collecting overdue fines in 2020. 喜歡到圖書館借書的朋友，記得按時還書。
So in today's News Bites: Companies will need to use fewer animals for safety testing because of Taiwan’s researchers. The researchers’ alternative testing methods can reduce animal testing by sixty percent.
And… In the United States, a book was returned to a library after 105 years. With today’s money, the fine would be $14,000 US dollars.
趣味小點 ** Tasty Tidbit**
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Art on two trains in Los Angeles, California, is making people want to visit Taiwan! People can see this colorful work of Taiwanese artist Hung Yi (洪易) on the A and E Lines until the end of October. On the “Show Me Taiwan” train, famous sights and popular events in red and white are shown in a paper-cut style. They include Taipei 101, Sun Moon Lake, the Big Buddha of Baguashan in Changhua, and the Matsu procession (媽祖遊行). On the “Gourmet Taiwan” train, people can see beef noodle soup, soup dumplings, boba tea, stinky tofu, fruit, and other tasty Taiwanese treats. Yum! Taiwan’s going to have lots of visitors from Los Angeles!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at [email protected]. And you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!