SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Pressure Rises on Scientific Publisher

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Pressure Rises on Scientific Publishers to Offer 'Open Access' / 2,400-Year-Old Gold Mask Found in Bulg...
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Broadcast: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty¹. On our program this week: more pressure on publishers over the costs of scientific literature.

VOICE ONE:

An expert on Chinese history says Genghis Khan could read and write.

VOICE TWO:

 
Graphic² Image
Bulgarian scientists find an ancient gold mask fit for a king.

VOICE ONE:

And, science and sports meet with "marathon mice."

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VOICE ONE:

Prices for published research on science, medicine and other subjects have been rising. This has been a problem for many libraries, schools and individuals. In Britain, for example, the average price of an academic journal rose fifty-eight percent between nineteen ninety-eight and two thousand three.

Recently, British and American lawmakers have proposed measures toward what is called open access publishing. Researchers would pay to have their studies published. They would also be permitted to keep the right to reprint their own work. And, if a government pays for a study, the findings would be free for the public to read on the Internet.

In Washington, there are proposals from the House Appropriations³ Committee. The committee said the National Institutes of Health should provide free access to any research it finances. Such access would normally be provided six months after a study has been published in a journal. However, if a scientist used federal money to pay any publication costs, then the research would go on the Internet immediately.

These proposals now go to the Senate. The Science and Technology Committee in the House of Commons made similar recommendations last month to the British government.

VOICE TWO:

Critics, however, say such changes would decrease the number of journals. They say scientific publications would not have enough money to stay in business.

Crispin Davis heads the publishing company Reed Elsevier in Britain. Mister Davis notes that many publishing companies already offer free access to some materials. But he says this kind of literature currently makes up only about one percent of what is published. As a result, he says he does not believe the "scholar pays" business model will succeed. Critics also say research could be influenced by whoever pays to publish the work, such as drug companies.

But supporters argue that open access publishing will help researchers in developing countries especially. If the proposals become law, supporters say more experts from around the world will be able to influence scientific discovery.

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty.

A Chinese history expert says he has found new evidence about Genghis Khan, the thirteenth century ruler of Mongolia. Tengus Bayaryn of Inner Mongolia University says the evidence shows that Genghis Khan could both read and write. Historians have widely believed that he could do neither. Genghis Khan was over forty years old before there was a written Mongolian language.

The new evidence is a group of ancient documents. The professor says these include a letter apparently⁴ written by Genghis Khan in the year twelve nineteen. The message praises the writings of a Taoist religious leader. And it says the Mongolian ruler will read the writings personally.

Professor Bayaryn says the letter was written in Mongolian and the use of the word "personally" clearly suggests that Genghis Khan could read.

Genghis Khan unified⁵ Mongolian tribes to create a fighting force that controlled China and Central Asia. He became the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Later, he was declared Genghis Khan, or universal ruler. His territory reached from Asia to present day Europe. He died in twelve twenty-seven.

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VOICE TWO:

Bulgarian scientists have found a solid gold mask in the burial place of a Thracian king from two thousand four hundred years ago. Thrace was an ancient country on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe.

The research team found the mask near a village east of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Georgi Kitov of the Institute of Archaeology⁶ and Museum in Sofia says it is the first Thracian mask of solid gold ever found. Professor Kitov says the mask weighs five hundred grams and shows a human face. He says the face may be that of King Seutus the third.

VOICE ONE:

The Thracians were a tribal⁷ people. They lived in parts of what is now Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Turkey and Greece. They lived at the same time as the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The Thracians sometimes clashed with these other cultures. The Thracians disappeared as a people almost two thousand years ago. They had no written language.

The researchers who found the gold mask also found a ring nearby. It shows a man rowing a boat in what appears to be an Olympic competition. Professor Kitov had suggested that the discovery should bring good luck to the Bulgarian rowers at the Athens Olympics. Maybe it did. Rowers Ivo Yanakiev and Rumyana Neykova both finished third in their individual events.

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VOICE TWO:

The Olympics closed Sunday after the men's marathon in Athens. Those athletes ran fast and far. Now imagine if those runners had the strength to go two times as far before getting tired. Scientists have reported progress toward creating such an athlete. But, this athlete would have trouble entering the Olympics.

Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, led the research. He says his team of genetic⁹ scientists created mice that ran for one thousand eight hundred meters on treadmill¹⁰ machines. A group of normal mice ran only nine hundred meters and they stopped after about an hour. The so-called marathon mice kept going for thirty more minutes.

VOICE ONE:

The scientists made some genetic changes in the mice that involved a protein. The protein is called PPAR-delta. It helps control the burning of fat in the body; it acts as a switch. The scientists treated normal mice with an experimental drug. As a result, the so-called fat switch was always active in the skeletal muscles.

The scientists found that the activated¹¹ form increased the rate at which the body burns fat. The mice had a lot more of the muscle cells needed for long periods of exercise than normal mice. And Ronald Evans says the muscles also provided resistance to weight gain, even in mice that did not exercise.

The scientists say the PPAR-delta protein is a possible target for drugs to treat diabetes¹² and disorders¹³ that result from too much fat in the blood. They say the discovery could also lead to treatments for people who are obese¹⁴, severely¹⁵ overweight.

VOICE TWO:

The Public Library of Science published the report in its free online journal PLoS Biology, at publiclibraryofscience -- one word -- dot o-r-g.

There was also a separate report on a study at the University of California, San Diego. Professor Randall Johnson and his team say they increased energy levels in mice by removing a gene⁸. That gene controls how skeletal muscles burn fat when there are changes in oxygen levels in the muscle tissue.

Muscles in mammals normally burn fat through a process that uses oxygen. This process is called aerobic¹⁶ metabolism¹⁷. But if oxygen levels get low, the muscles begin to burn fat without the use of oxygen. That is called anaerobic¹⁸ metabolism. It provides bursts of power but not long-term energy.

The scientists say the genetic change prevented the mice from creating energy this way. As a result, the animals could run for a much longer period of time. They were also much better swimmers than normal mice.

VOICE ONE:

But there was a price to pay. After four days of tests, the genetically¹⁹ engineered mice had far more muscle damage than a group of normal mice. The scientists did not know why that happened. Still, they say their work should interest medical researchers seeking treatments for genetic disorders in people.

But discoveries of ways to create super-athletic mice must surely also add to the worries of Olympic officials. The use of performance drugs that are difficult to test for is already a problem. Genetically engineered athletes may be next.

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VOICE TWO:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Jill Moss²⁰, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver²¹. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. This is Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Sarah Long. To send us e-mail, write to [email protected]. And 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 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

6 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 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。

9 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。

10 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

11 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

12 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

13 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》

14 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

15 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

16 aerobic   

adj.需氧的，增氧健身法的，有氧的

参考例句：

• Aerobic exercise helps to build up stamina.有氧健身操有助于增强耐力。
• Aerobic dance is conductive to the health.有氧舞蹈有助于健康。

17 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

18 anaerobic   

adj.厌氧的

参考例句：

• Anaerobic respiration occurs only in particularly active tissues such as muscles during severe exercise. 厌氧呼吸只有在处于剧烈运动状态的肌肉等特别活跃的组织中才会发生。
• Infection,especially anaerobic infection, is much more apt to occur.感染，特别是厌氧感染很容易发生。

19 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

20 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

21 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。