SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
By Cynthia Kirk, Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Tuesday, November 30, 2004

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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: a possible health risk for users of cellular² telephones and we answer a listener's question about computers.

VOICE ONE:

But first, a discovery that could help scientists better understand how great apes developed.

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VOICE ONE:

 
AP Photo
Research scientists in Spain have discovered fossil remains³ of an ape-like animal that lived about thirteen million years ago. The researchers believe the fossils might be from the last common ancestor of all great apes alive today. Or, they say the fossils might be from a creature similar to the last ancestor.

The researchers found more than eighty bones or pieces of bone from the same animal. The bones form one of the most complete known ape skeletons from the Miocene Epoch⁴. That period began about twenty-two million years ago. It ended about five million years ago.

VOICE TWO:

Salvador Moya-Sola led the team that found the fossils. He says this marks the first time that a modern ape-like system of chest bones has been discovered. Mister Moya-Sola works for the Miquel Crusafont Institute of Paleontology in Barcelona, Spain. His team reported its findings in Science magazine.

The fossils were found near Barcelona. An earth-moving vehicle uncovered a tooth. Then the researchers found other bones from the head, chest, back, hands and feet of the ape-like creature. They named it Pierolapithecus catalaunicus (pyair-o-la-PITH-ee-cuss cat-a-LOON-ih-cuss).

VOICE ONE:

The researchers say the individual they uncovered probably was male and weighed about thirty-five kilograms. They say Pierolapithecus had firm bones in its lower back and could move its wrists in different directions. They say this made climbing possible. The creature also appears to have had teeth that could crush fruit.

The researchers say Pierolapithecus had shoulders like modern great apes, such as chimpanzees, gorillas⁵ and human beings. However, the shoulders are different from those of monkeys. Monkey shoulders are like those of dogs.

VOICE TWO:

Modern great apes are thought to have developed from Old World monkeys. The great apes then divided from lesser⁶ apes. That happened between eleven million and sixteen million years ago.

For many years, scientists have been attempting to find ancestors of the great ape that developed after this division. Skeletons of other ape-like animals were found. But they appear to have been less well developed than the newly-found fossils.

VOICE ONE:

The researchers say the lower back of Pierolapithecus is much like that of modern great apes. They say the head bones of the fossil and great apes also are similar.

Mister Moya-Sola says he believes Pierolapithecus lived in Africa in addition to what became Spain. He also says he believes this kind of animal probably first developed in Africa.

Scientists unconnected with the study have praised the findings. Other scientists said more studies are needed to satisfy questions about how great apes developed.

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VOICE TWO:

A Swedish study suggests that people who use cellular phones for at least ten years might be at greater risk for developing a rare, non-cancerous tumor⁷. These tumors are called acoustic⁸ neuromas. They grow on the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain. The risk was higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

Acoustic neuromas affect fewer than one in one hundred thousand people a year. They grow slowly and can take several years to be discovered. The tumor pushes on the surface of the brain, but does not grow into the brain itself.

VOICE ONE:

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, led the study. It was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

The study involved seven hundred fifty Swedes. About one hundred fifty of them had acoustic neuromas. About six hundred other people did not. Researchers asked all of the people about their cell phone use.

The researchers found that those people who had used cell phones for at least ten years had almost two times the risk of developing acoustic neuromas. Also, the tumor risk was almost four times higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held. There was no increased risk for those who had used cell phones for fewer than ten years.

VOICE TWO:

At the time the study was done, only analog⁹ phones had been in use for ten years. Almost all early analog cell phones released more electromagnetic radiation than the digital phones now being sold. But researchers say they cannot be sure if the results are just linked to the use of analog phones. They say additional study is needed.

Earlier experiments have shown radiation from cellular phones can affect brain cells in a laboratory. But studies on people found no evidence that the phones present a health risk. However, experts say children should avoid using the phones for long periods because their brains are still developing.

The study is part of a research program known as the Interphone study. The World Health Organization's cancer research institute organized the research. It is attempting to learn if electromagnetic radiation from cell phones damages health. Final results of the study are to be released early next year.

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VOICE ONE:

We recently received a message from a listener in Nepal. Lok Raj Joshi asks, "How can you define 'computer'?"

That is a big question. We immediately went to our computer. We asked the Google search engine for a definition. Answers appeared almost immediately. Many of the definitions were similar. They generally said a computer is an electronic device that executes the orders in a program. A computer stores, processes and provides information for users.

VOICE TWO:

There are several kinds of computers. Supercomputers are the fastest and most powerful. These computers carry out complex mathematical problems, mostly in connection with large systems. They are important for work including engineering design and weather science.

Supercomputers are rare and very costly¹⁰. Personal computers are much more common. You will find them in someone's home or car. There are personal computers small enough to carry in your hand. People often use computers at work. They help people communicate and work together without having to be near each other.

VOICE ONE:

Computers can be linked together through a simple telephone line or through more complex wireless¹¹ technology. One huge system of these connections is called the Internet. It includes the World Wide Web and electronic mail operations.

This communication system linked only about two-hundred computers in nineteen-eighty-one. In less than ten years, that number was hundreds of thousands. Today, experts say it is not possible to know exactly how many computers have Internet links. But, they say the estimates begin in the hundreds of millions.

VOICE TWO:

The Internet makes it possible for people to find information within seconds. Newspapers and magazines often have an Internet website. Organizations of all kinds also create their own websites.

Reporters use the Internet to help them write stories. Doctors use it to compare information about medical treatments. Teachers, farmers, and truckers also use the Internet. And, many people search the World Wide Web for non-work purposes.

VOICE ONE:

The Internet has led to changes in the way people live. Many people praise it as an open exchange for ideas and information. Yet government officials and industry experts have expressed concern about a lack of control over the Internet. Some groups protest sexual or violent images and writing placed on the World Wide Web. Other critics question the trustworthiness of information found through the Internet.

The Internet is surely part of any larger explanation of a computer. But maybe our listener in Nepal wanted a more personal definition. One well-known American recently wrote that his hope for the future of computers has never been greater. Microsoft founder¹² Bill Gates wrote that he expects computing¹³ to change how people live, work, learn and are entertained as deeply in the next twenty-five years as in the last.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Cynthia Kirk, Jerilyn Watson, and Caty Weaver¹⁴. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. And, our engineer was Dwayne Collins. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for Science in the News in VOA Special English.

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 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

3 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。

4 epoch   

n.(新)时代；历元

参考例句：

• The epoch of revolution creates great figures.革命时代造就伟大的人物。
• We're at the end of the historical epoch,and at the dawn of another.我们正处在一个历史时代的末期，另一个历史时代的开端。

5 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

7 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

8 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

9 analog   

n.类似物，模拟

参考例句：

• The analog signal contains high-frequency video information,which helps make up the picture.模拟信号包括有助于构成图像的高频视频信息。
• The analog computer measures continuously,without proceeding step by step.模拟计算机不是一步一步地进行，而是连续地进行量度。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

14 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。