Axolotls are native to Mexico and are among the top 10 of the world’s most endangered species. The creatures, which some people call “six-horned dinosaurs,” are a focus of interest because of their unusual appearance and their remarkable ability to regenerate limbs. Over the past few years, the aquatic animal and plant laboratory of Kainan High School of Commerce and Industry, a privately run school in Taipei City, has successfully researched techniques for breeding them in captivity. As the next step, the laboratory will collaborate with National Taiwan University’s Institute of Biotechnology to do research on how the animals regenerate their limbs.
“My goodness! What an ugly fish!” “What do you mean? It’s really cute!” Kainan High School’s aquatic animal and plant laboratory has in recent times successfully bred several hundred axolotls of various varieties — white ones, yellow ones, black ones. Some of them look like salamanders, others like plumed basilisk lizards, and they often bring out contrasting reactions among the students.
Kuo Yan-chih, who is in charge of the aquatic animal and plant laboratory, says axolotls are in fact a kind of salamander. Some people call them “six-horned dinosaurs,” the “six horns” referring to the three pairs of external gills on either side of their faces, which they use to “breathe.” Axolotls originally come from Xochimilco Lake in central Mexico, where they were once a favorite food of local gourmands. Because of habitat pollution and invasion by alien species, few individuals still live in the wild. Axolotls are now classified by the Washington Convention as a category two (critically endangered) species, and the magazine American Scientist listed them among the 10 kinds of animals that are on the verge of extinction. Kuo says that in the past people in Taiwan did not know much about axolotls, but they have been successfully bred in captivity for many years in the US and Japan, where they are commonly kept as pets. Last year the Taiwanese edition of American Scientist featured axolotls on its front cover and carried an article about the creatures, which can regenerate various parts of their bodies. This aroused more curiosity about the animals.
Conditions for breeding axolotls are rigorous. Over the past couple of years, Kuo has managed to establish a set of standard procedures, such as keeping the water temperature at 17°C when the animals are breeding and keeping the water clean to improve their survival rate. Kuo says that the lab, which started out with two dozen “six-horned dinosaurs,” now has nearly a thousand of them, occupying almost all the lab’s aquarium tanks. This gives Yang quite a sense of achievement. The only tough part is feeding the axolotls their daily meal, which takes two to three hours. “Luckily they only eat one meal a day,” Kuo says.(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY JULIAN CLEGG)
被列為世界十大極度瀕危的墨西哥鈍口螈,俗稱「六角恐龍」,因為特殊外型與超強的肢體再生能力成為關注焦點。台北市私立開南商工水生動植物研究室近年來成功研發人工繁殖技術,下一步將與台大生物科技研究中心合作,投入肢體再生研究。
「唉喲!這魚怎麼這麼醜!」「哪會,很可愛耶!」開南商工水生動植物研究室近來成功繁衍數百隻的墨西哥鈍口螈,白的、黃的、黑的分屬不同品種,有的像娃娃魚、有的卻像水中蜥蜴,經常引起學生兩極化的反應。
水生動植物研究室負責人郭彥志老師說,墨西哥鈍口螈為蠑螈的一種,俗稱「六角恐龍」,「六角」意指臉部兩側三對呼吸用的外鰓,其原產地在墨西哥中部的霍奇米爾科湖,曾是當地老饕的最愛,因棲地污染與外來種入侵影響,野生個體數量稀少,目前華盛頓公約列為第二級瀕臨滅絕物種,也被美國「科學美國人」雜誌評選為全球十大瀕臨滅絕的動物之一。
郭彥志說,過去台灣對墨西哥鈍口螈了解不多,但在美國與日本卻已有長年的人工飼養經驗,經常被當作家中寵物。去年「科學人」雜誌以墨西哥鈍口螈為封面,介紹這種全身各部位都可以再生繁殖的物種,也讓各界對牠增添更多的好奇。
墨西哥鈍口螈繁殖的條件嚴格,郭彥志摸索兩年多,總算建制一套標準程序,包括繁殖期水溫控制在十七度、保持水質乾淨等,提高存活率。他說,「六角恐龍」從一開始的二十多隻到現在的近千隻,幾乎要佔滿研究室的水族箱,相當有成就感;唯一辛苦的是,每天餵完一餐就要花上二至三小時,「還好牠們一天只吃一餐」。 (自由時報記者邱紹雯)
Instagram is changing the default privacy settings for many US teenagers, part of an effort to keep them safer and give parents more control over how their kids interact online. The new settings will make teen accounts private by default, limit who those users can send private messages to, and put teens in the “most restrictive” tier when it comes to viewing sensitive content. That means the app will block teens from seeing sensitive photos and videos, including posts that show people fighting or certain cosmetic procedures. These more restrictive settings will be turned on automatically for all Instagram users under 18
Located in the picturesque mountains of eastern Spain, the small town of Bunol might appear to be just another idyllic place in the Spanish countryside. However, it is home to one of the world’s most popular food fights. Each August, tens of thousands of people from all around the globe swarm into Bunol to take part in La Tomatina. On the last Wednesday of August, you will find the streets of Bunol full of people eagerly waiting to hear the blast of a cannon. This signifies the start of La Tomatina, an event where participants hurl thousands of pounds of tomatoes
在 COVID-19 成為全球大流行 (pandemic) 的傳染病後,如何有效篩檢確診病患,一度成為討論的熱點。 疫情爆發初期,國內有些縣市首長主張要普篩(全面篩檢),找出隱藏的新冠肺炎病例,不過,疫情指揮中心說明,全面用聚合?連鎖反應 (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) 檢驗來為全民普篩,將耗費近七百億元公帑和醫療資源,不符合效益。 根據衛福部長陳時中的說法,用準確度高的 PCR 方式對全國 2300 萬人普篩,平均一人 3000 元,總額將高達 690 億元。以當時的盛行率萬分之 18,即使不用人人普篩,以看似健康的人口1800 萬人計算,也需要花費 540 億元,才能找出當中的 3 萬 2577 人無症狀感染者,其中還有 1797 人屬於「偽陽性」,即使沒有得病,還是得將他們隔離、再檢測,才能恢復正常生活。 雖然也可以用價格較低(200 元/人)的快篩做篩檢,但此舉也需花費約 46 億元,且準確度偏低,偽陰和偽陽性機率更高。 (新冠肺炎)「普篩/全面篩檢」的英文是 widespread coronavirus testing 或 community-wide screening/testing。「快篩」是 rapid testing。篩檢中,可能出現「偽陰性」(false negative) 有患病,但篩不出來,和「偽陽性」(false positive)沒患病,卻篩檢出來。 在醫學檢測上「陰性」(negative) 代表沒有(病或病毒),「陽性」 (positive) 代表有(病或病毒),避免患病與否造成污名化,因此用比較中性 (neutral) 的詞彙來稱呼。至於驗孕 (pregnancy test),「陰性」代表未懷孕,「陽性」代表懷孕。 「盛行率」的英文是 prevalence rate,即患病率,在流行病學中指特定時間內總人口中罹患該病的人口所占比例。在新冠肺炎的篩檢中,「咽喉拭子」是目前國內主流採用的方式,「咽喉拭子」英文是 throat swab,就是以棉棒擦拭咽喉部位,取得上皮細胞,並置入病毒收集瓶。如果是採集鼻咽部位,就叫「鼻咽拭子」(nasal swab)。 另外,「靈敏度」(sensitivity) 與「特異度」(specificity) 也是醫學檢測時所使用的術語,用以衡量該檢測的準確度。特異度是不帶原者 (non-carrier) 中採檢陰性的比例,而靈敏度則是帶原者 (carrier) 中採檢陽性的比例,靈敏度、特異度越高,代表準確度越高。 文章由書林出版公司提供: www.bookman.com.tw 蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《英語的對與錯》,《世紀病毒:必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等
Get ready to spin on your head -- “breaking” is set to make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games! Often referred to as breakdance or breakdancing, breaking was born in the streets of New York City during the early 1970s. It began as a way for African-American and Latin youths to express their narratives and struggles through astonishing spins and movements. B-boys and b-girls, also known as breakers, frequently compete in cyphers: events where they take turns showcasing their dance moves within a circle of spectators. Breaking comprises four main elements: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Toprock consists