Safer Sidewalks and a Boiling Planet

News Bites

Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Sidewalks are getting safer to walk on, a newly discovered planet would not be good for a bath, and using frogs to keep milk fresh.
Let's go!
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新法改善人行道安全
New Laws Improve Sidewalk Safety
Do you feel safe when you walk outside?
On some roads, the cars and the scooters drive really fast.
That's why you should walk on the sidewalk (人行道).
Cars and scooters shouldn't drive on the sidewalk.
So it's supposed to be a safer place.
But in many parts of Taiwan, the sidewalks are… not great.
For example, sidewalks may be blocked by parked cars or walls.
And many roads have no sidewalk at all.
有的人行道被堵住，有的道路根本沒有人行道。
That's bad for pedestrians (行人) who want to walk places.
And many pedestrians get hurt or killed on Taiwan's roads every year.
That's why the government is making new laws for sidewalk safety.
The laws say they must plan for safer sidewalks.
They will need to build sidewalks on city streets that don't have any yet.
What's more, if the sidewalk is blocked by a mailbox or fire hydrant, the government needs to move those things (要把它們遷走).
If someone blocks a sidewalk by building over it, they will have to pay a fine (支付罰款).
What about sidewalk safety near schools or train stations?
Those are the places where there are often more people walking.
The law covers that, too.
It says local governments can declare pedestrian-friendly zones (行人友善區) around schools, hospitals and public transit stations.
How will we know if the plan works?
They government has set a clear goal (目標).
They hope to reduce pedestrian deaths by 50% by 2030 and have "zero pedestrian deaths" by 2050.
他們的目標是到 2050 年行人的死亡數降為零。
However, some people say this goal is not strong enough.
Why should we wait until 2050 for pedestrians to be safe on the road?
That's why all kinds of people are pushing for more pedestrian safety laws.
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科學家發現 熾熱行星
Boiling Water Planet Discovered
Do you like to bathe in hot springs (溫泉)?
It's so comfortable.
You go to a hot spring, where hot water comes from the ground.
Then you can sit in the water and relax.
Did you hear scientists have discovered a hot spring planet (溫泉行星)?
Yeah, they think the whole planet is covered in hot water.
科學家認為整個星球都被熱水覆蓋。
Wow! So can we take a bath there?
I don't think so.
For one thing, that planet is very far from Earth.
It's in outer space, 70 light-years (七十光年) away from us.
Scientists only found it with a powerful telescope.
They noticed water vapor (水汽) on the planet, which makes them think it could be covered in hot water.
But there's another reason we can't take a bath there…
The water is super hot.
Scientists from England think it's more than 100 degrees!
At that temperature, the planet's ocean is hotter than boiling water (比滾水還熱).
But another team of scientists from Canada thinks it's even hotter than that.
They saw the same planet, and they think it's actually 4,000 degrees!
They think the planet is covered in hot steam (熱蒸氣).
Hmmm… I guess that wouldn't be very comfortable for humans.
That's not all.
Scientists think the planet is tidally locked (潮汐鎖定).
That means it doesn't spin around, like Earth does.
Instead, one side of the planet always faces towards its star, and the other side always faces away.
它的一邊永遠面對太陽，也就是它自己的恆星，另外一邊永遠背對著。
The bright side would be very hot.
But the dark side of the planet would be much cooler.
Maybe the dark side would be easier for life to survive on.
By the way, what's this planet called?
They call it "TOI-270 d".
That's a boring name.
Let's think of a better one.
我們來為這個星球想一個名字。
We can call it "Hydroscorch".
Or maybe "Steamtopia".
Do you have any ideas to name this hot water planet?
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So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan's government is making new laws for sidewalk safety.
They want to build more sidewalks, and make sure the sidewalks are easy to walk on.
Their goal is to make sure by the year 2050 that pedestrians aren't dying on the roads.
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And,
Scientists have discovered a planet covered in hot water.
They think the water is more than 100 degrees.
Other scientists think it is actually hot steam.
Either way, humans probably couldn't survive there.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever smelled milk that's gone bad?
It's pretty yucky!
Long before we had refrigerators, people had to figure out how stop their milk from spoiling too quickly.
People in Russia and Finland had a special way to keep their milk fresh.
They would place live Russian brown frogs in the milk! *sfx: croak!*
A scientist from Moscow State University found out why this worked.
The skin of these frogs has peptides and anti-microbial compounds…
Basically, the frog's skin produces chemicals that fight germs and keep the milk from going bad!
Would you drink milk after a frog's been in it?
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 [e-mail], 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!