Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A friendly gift, an endangered plant found in the wild, and new discoveries from the deep sea!
Keep on listening to learn more about these stories, right after -
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台北向聖克里斯多福和尼維斯島捐贈 YouBike
Taipei Donates YouBikes to St. Kitts and Nevis
Riding a bicycle has many benefits (好處).
It's great for your health because it can strengthen (鍛煉) your heart and muscles.
It's also good for the environment because bikes don't release harmful gasses like cars do.
自行車對環境也很好，因為自行車不像汽車那樣釋放有害氣體。
That way, they help keep our air clean!
This month, Taipei City donated (捐贈) 50 first-generation YouBikes to the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
A special ceremony (儀式) took place at the Taipei City Hall to celebrate this moment.
Ambassador (大使) Donya Francis from Saint Kitts and Nevis said these bikes would help his country become a more sustainable island.
Bikes are more than just a fun ride.
They are also part of a larger effort to help our environment and health.
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日本發現瀕危植物
Endangered Plant Found in Japan
Our next story is about an unexpected discovery of a rare plant (稀有植物) in Japan.
This plant was believed to be extinct in the wild.
這種植物在野外被認為已經絕種了。
But it turns out… it's not!
The Waterwheel Plant, or Aldrovanda vesiculosa, (囊泡貉藻) is an endangered plant found in only fifty places around the world.
Surprisingly, a Japanese team discovered nearly ten thousand of these plants in a pond in Ishikawa Prefecture (石川縣).
This free-floating plant catches insects with traps like a Venus Fly Trap.
這種自由浮動的植物用陷阱捕捉昆蟲，就像捕蠅草一樣。
Once found across Africa, Australia, Eurasia, and Japan, this plant has seen its numbers drop due to water and habitat changes.
But here's the mystery: Where did all these plants suddenly come from?
The scientists did some detective work.
They found that the pond, once used for paddy fields, was no longer needed and allowed to return to its natural state.
他們發現，這個曾經是稻田的池塘漸漸恢復了自然狀態。
Trees around the pond were cut down, allowing more sunlight to reach the water.
Could someone have planted them there?
The team thinks not.
They believe that a 'seed bank' (種子庫), a stash of seeds in the soil, waited for the right conditions to grow.
As the pond conditions improved, the seeds sprouted, leading to the sudden appearance of these plants.
隨著池塘環境的改善，種子開始發芽，導致這些植物的突然出現。
So, it looks like Japan has regained a wild population of this unique plant!
看來日本已經恢復了這種獨特植物的野生種群！
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科學家發現古老的沉船
Scientists Discover Ancient Shipwrecks
Imagine a vast watery graveyard full of ancient ships!
想像一個充滿古老船隻的水下墓地！
In the Mediterranean Sea, right off the Tunisian coast, is a dangerous sea route that's swallowed up hundreds of vessels over thousands of years.
位於地中海，就在突尼斯海岸的正對面，這是一條危險的海路，數千年來吞噬了數百艘船。
And a big team of underwater archaeologists (考古學家) from eight countries have been exploring the area.
They used high-tech gadgets (高科技裝置) like robots and special sonar (聲納) to map out a huge area of the ocean floor.
They found six shipwrecks (沉船)…
And three were completely new discoveries!
One wreck might be a merchant ship (商船) from over 2000 years ago.
The other two are much more recent, probably from the late 1800s or early 1900s.
The archaeologists also took new pictures of three Roman shipwrecks (三艘羅馬沉船) discovered in the 1980s and 2000s.
They were thrilled (驚喜) to see that these wrecks were still in great condition.
Finding these sunken secrets was exciting, but the main goal of the mission was to protect them.
這些沉沒的秘密確實令人興奮，但這次任務的主要目標是要保護它們。
You see, these underwater treasures are at risk from fishing, climate change, and people who might want to take artefacts away.
這些水下寶藏正面臨著被捕魚、氣候變化，以及可能想要帶走文物的人的威脅。
So this project is all about documenting and protecting our shared underwater heritage (文化遺產).
The experts didn't take any artefacts (文物) but are hoping to return with even more advanced technology in the future.
There's a whole lot more under the sea waiting to be discovered.
Every discovery helps us learn more about history.
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So, in today's News Bites:
This month, Taipei City donated 50 first-generation YouBikes to the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
A special ceremony took place at the Taipei City Hall to celebrate this moment.
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And,
A team of scientists found the endangered Waterwheel Plant in a Japanese pond.
This plant was believed to be extinct in the wild.
But Japan has regained a wild population of this unique plant!
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A big team of underwater archaeologists from eight countries have been exploring the Skerki Bank.
They found six shipwrecks…
And three were completely new discoveries!
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And that's today's episode of News Bites!