Hello and welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei rolls out vaccines to protect boys, and scientists discover an interesting solar system!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…an unusual walking fish!
Keep on listening to find out more about that, coming up next!
________________________________
台北市提供 人類乳突病毒疫苗給國中男生
HPV Vaccinations for Boys in Taipei Schools
Have you ever heard of HPV?
It's a tiny germ (病毒) that can make people sick.
HPV stands for human papillomavirus.
HPV是人類乳突病毒的縮寫。
It's really common and can spread easily (容易傳播).
Sometimes, it can cause things like warts (疣), and other times, it can lead to more serious problems.
That's why doctors say it's important to protect ourselves from it.
Starting next September, Taipei will offer HPV vaccinations for junior high school boys.
This plan was announced by the city's Department of Health (衛生局).
The vaccinations will be given at 93 schools, just like they do for girls each year.
HPV can cause serious health problems.
For women, it's linked to cervical cancer (子宮頸癌).
For men, it can cause head and neck cancers (頭頸癌).
HPV can also lead to genital warts (生殖器疣) in both boys and girls.
HPV is not just spread through sexual contact.
HPV不僅僅透過性接觸傳播。
For example, a doctor once saw a baby with genital warts from HPV.
The baby probably caught it from the parents while changing diapers (換尿布).
The HPV vaccine is safe and effective (安全又有效).
It's important to get vaccinated because most people will get HPV at some point in their lives.
接種疫苗很重要，因為大多數人一生中都會感染HPV。
In Taipei, the vaccination rate for junior high school girls is already high, at 91%.
在台北市，國中女生的疫苗接種率已經很高，達到91%。
Now, the city plans to spend more money to offer free HPV vaccines to boys too.
Parents and the students must agree in writing before a boy can get the vaccine.
________________________________
六顆行星的宇宙之舞
Cosmic Dance of Six Planets
Far away, in a distant corner of space, there's a rare solar system (太陽系) with a special secret.
Astronomers (天文學家) have discovered something amazing there…
Six planets moving together in perfect harmony!
六顆行星完美地一起運行。
This cosmic dance is happening 100 light-years away from us and it's billions of years old!
In that solar system, the planets are a bit like Neptune (海王星), but smaller.
All of those planets are closer to their star than Mercury is to our Sun.
所有這些行星，都比我們太陽系的水星更靠近它們的恆星。
That means they orbit (環繞軌道) really fast!
What's super cool is that their orbits are perfectly lined up.
它們的軌道完美地排列起來。
It's like a pattern (模式).
When astronomers found some planets, they guessed (猜測) where others would be.
And they were right!
To find these planets, scientists used special tools.
One is called TESS, a NASA satellite (衛星) that's been finding new planets for five years.
Another one is a European satellite.
They work together to spot these faraway worlds (遙遠的世界).
Soon, the James Webb Space Telescope will join in.
It will look at these planets to see what their air is like.
Do they have lots of gas, or maybe even water?
它們是否有很多氣體，或者甚至有水？
This discovery is really important.
It helps scientists understand what solar systems look like when they're brand new.
這個發現可以幫助科學家了解太陽系在剛形成時的樣子。
Our solar system has had lots of things happen to it, like asteroids crashing into planets (小行星撞擊行星).
But this new solar system is quiet and peaceful (安靜平和), just as it was when it started.
Finding a place so calm and in sync (平靜且同步) in space is really rare and exciting.
Scientists are eager (迫不及待) to learn more about it.
This could help us know more about the beginnings of space and maybe even our own solar system.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Starting next September, Taipei will offer free HPV vaccinations for junior high school boys.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a tiny germ that can make people sick.
Sometimes, it can cause things like warts, and other times, it can lead to more serious problems.
It's important to get vaccinated because most people will get HPV at some point in their lives.
________________________________
And,
Astronomers have discovered six planets moving together in a rare solar system.
All of these planets are closer to their star than Mercury is to our Sun.
Scientists are excited to learn more about it to know more about the beginnings of space.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever seen a fish that walks?
Meet the mudskipper, a fish with an interesting talent!
Mudskippers don't just swim; they use their fins to walk on land.
They can be seen hopping around on muddy shores, looking a bit like tiny water-loving frogs.
What's even more amazing is that mudskippers can breathe air when they're out of the water.
They store water in their gills, which lets them take a stroll on land.
Mudskippers spend time catching bugs and hanging out with other mudskippers on land, then dive back into the water when they need a swim.
A walking, air-breathing fish?
Now that's a splashy surprise!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, 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!