At an international conference on Sept. 26, Academia Sinica academician Chou Chang-hung said that with the onset of global warming, wild plant species at average to high altitudes have been showing a tendency to migrate to higher altitudes, adding that if these species continue to migrate they will eventually reach a point where there is nowhere to grow. Chou says that six plant species indigenous to Taiwan, including Yushan’s Hypericum nagasawai, will soon face extinction, and says that the preservation of genetic resources brooks no delay.
The Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute (TESRI) under the Council of Agriculture held the International Conference on the Collection and Preservation of Plant Genetic Resources on Sept. 26, with Peter H. Raven, a former science consultant for the Clinton administration and longtime director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, around a dozen other international experts from South Africa, England, Germany and China, as well as Academia Sinica’s Chou, Lee Chia-wei, a professor in National Ching Hua University’s Department of Life Sciences, and Chiu Chi-jung and Chung Kuo-fang, both professors in National Taiwan University’s School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, presenting papers at the conference.
Chou says research shows that from 1906 to 2006 plant life at average to high altitudes in the Hehuanshan area gradually migrated to higher altitudes due to global warming, averaging 3.6m per year. If this migration trend is not slowed down, there will eventually be no more land available for the plants to grow, meaning that at least six of Taiwan’s native plant species — Anaphalis morrisonicola, Artemisia morrisonensis, Swertia randaiensis, Hypericum nagasawai, Angelica morrisonicola, and Cirsium arisanensis — potentially face extinction.
Photo courtesy of the Endemic Species Research Institute
照片由特有生物研究保育中心提供
TESRI director Tang Hsiao-yu says that they are currently in the process of planning facilities for the preservation of plant species in high-altitude mountain areas. Still at the preliminary phase of planning, they have decided to create a preservation area at Hehuanshan and will be working to collect and preserve 500 or so of the plant genetic resources currently growing at high altitudes there. With enough manpower and funding, the institute hopes to expand its collection and preservation endeavors to Southeast Asia in the future, potentially benefiting their work by holding exchanges with international experts and learning from the experiences of others, Tang says.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
全球氣候暖化，中高海拔野生植物出現往高海拔地區遷移生長的趨勢，中研院院士周昌弘九月二十六日在一場國際研討會中提出警訊，強調若高山植物持續往高處遷移，未來將無處可去，而台灣特有種的玉山金絲桃等六種植物恐將絕滅，種原蒐藏保育已刻不容緩。
Photo courtesy of the Endemic Species Research Institute
照片由特有生物研究保育中心提供
農委會特有生物研究保育中心二十六日舉辦植物種原蒐集與保育國際研討會，包括曾任美國前總統柯林頓科學顧問的密蘇里植物園園長彼得‧雷文與來自南非、英國、德國與中國等十二名國際專家學者與中研院院士周昌弘、清大生命科學系教授李家維與台大森林資源系教授邱圻榮、鍾國芳均與會發表報告。
周昌弘指出，從一九○六至二○○六年之間在氣候暖化影響下，研究紀錄顯示在合歡山區的中高海拔野生植物，每年以三點六公尺速率往高海拔遷移生長，若此趨勢未見減緩，最後將無處可去，其中至少有玉山抱莖籟簫、細葉山艾、巒大當藥、玉山金絲桃、玉山當歸與阿里山薊等六種植物極可能面臨絕滅。
特生中心主任湯曉虞表示，目前正積極籌設高山植物種原保存設施，初步選定合歡山地區設立保存場地，就現有五百多種高山植物種原進行蒐藏保存，未來若人力、財力允許更將擴展蒐藏範圍至東南亞地區，藉著國外學者專家的經驗交流，有助推動種原保存工作。
（自由時報記者陳信仁）
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been used in cooking for over a century to enhance flavor. It is often found in Chinese dishes and many other cuisines. Despite its common use, many people misunderstand the safety of MSG. The bad __1__ of MSG started in the late 1960s, when a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms like a racing heart, weakness, and numbness after the writer ate Northern Chinese food. While no specific cause was __2__, a series of questionable studies in 1968 began to point the finger at MSG. In one such study, neurologist Herbert Schaumburg and
A: The World Expo 2025 is set to open in Osaka, Japan, on Sunday, with 158 countries and regions and nine international organizations participating in the event. B: Wow, what’s the theme this time? A: The theme is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” B: Do you want to go? How long will it last? A: It’ll run for 184 days, until Oct. 13. Maybe we can go to Osaka during summer vacation. A: 2025年世界博覽會預計週日將在日本大阪開幕，158個國家或地區及9大國際組織將參與盛會！ B: 哇這次的主題是什麼？ A: 主題是：「創造閃耀生命光輝的未來社會」。 B: 你想要去嗎？展出多久啊？ A: 世博會共展出184天到10月13日，或許我們暑假時可以去大阪玩。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: The World Expo 2025 is about to open in Osaka. Is Taiwan going to participate in the event too? B: Sure, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will launch a Taiwan pavilion named “Tech World.” A: That sounds cool, and it can showcase our national strength in technology. B: The theme is “Connecting the world to create better future lives together.” The pavilion aims to attract over one million visitors. A: I hope humans can really create better future lives through this year’s fair. A: 2025年世博會即將開幕，這次台灣也會參加嗎？ B: 當然啦，外貿協會的台灣館將以「Tech World」名義參展！ A: 聽起來蠻酷的，應該是想強調台灣的科技實力。 B: 策展主題則是：「連結世界，共創未來美好生活」，希望能吸引到100萬人次參訪。 A: 希望藉由這次世博會，人類真的能共創美好生活。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The study had several issues. Small sample sizes made it hard to draw __7__ conclusions. Additionally, taking a __8__ like pure MSG on an empty stomach is likely to make a person ill in any case. Choosing individuals who already had a history of the symptoms could have created a bias because they were likely to __9__ the reactions again. When real scientific research on the effects of MSG was eventually done, many of the myths surrounding it were proven __10__. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global organizations have found MSG safe to eat. Today, MSG
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