Taiwan Millet, Plant Music

News Bites

Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites! I'm Paz Bueno. And I'm Brody Halverson. Today's stories… Taiwan's millet seeds are stored in the Artic, a gardener makes music, and stories of mermaids in the Caribbean! Let's begin! ________________________________ 臺灣珍貴種子 走進北極 Taiwan's Tiny Treasures Go to the Arctic Seeds (種子) are tiny but mighty treasures essential for our food and agriculture. They carry the genetic blueprint of plants (植物的基因藍圖). Protecting seeds means preserving the diversity of our crops (保護農作物的多樣性)… …which helps us adapt (適應) to changes like climate shifts and disease. Speaking of protecting seeds, did you know that a team from Taiwan traveled to the Arctic (北極) at the end of May? They took 170 seeds of a grain called millet (小米) to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway (挪威的斯瓦爾巴全球種子庫). Oh, the "Doomsday Seed Vault! (世界末日種子庫)! It's like a safe place for seeds from all over the world, right? Exactly! It helps keep seeds safe in case of big problems like climate change, wars, or other disasters. At the end of May, there was a ceremony in Svalbard to celebrate Taiwan's participation in this important project. Many important people from Taiwan were there, including scientists and representatives of Taiwan's indigenous Peoples (臺灣原住民). Millet is very important to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. It's a staple food and has special cultural rituals. 小米是一種主要的食物，並且有特殊的文化儀式。 These seeds will help ensure that future generations can continue to grow millet. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located in the northernmost town in the Arctic Circle (北極圈內最北邊的小鎮). It's a very secure place, protected by natural freezing conditions and strong underground tunnels. It can even withstand earthquakes and nuclear attacks! 它甚至能夠承受地震和核武攻擊！ By sending millet seeds to the Global Seed Vault, Taiwan is helping to protect global agriculture and preserve (保存) important parts of its culture. It's amazing how something so small can have such a big impact on our world. Every seed counts when it comes to protecting our planet's biodiversity (生物多樣性) and ensuring a healthy future. ________________________________ 園丁的新旋律 A Gardener's New Tune Humans have always been creative (有創意) with music, inventing countless instruments over the centuries. From simple drums and flutes to complex (複雜的) pianos and electric guitars… …each new instrument has brought unique sounds and styles. People have even used everyday objects (日常物品) to make music! Anything can become an instrument with a bit of imagination. And now, a gardener (園丁) in England has found a way to make music with…plants! He has introduced a whole new way to create and enjoy music. A gardener named Martin Noble-James discovered a unique way to make music using plants. Martin built a special machine called a synthesizer (合成器) to turn plants' electrical impulses into sounds (將植物的電脈衝轉化為聲音). This new music style is called bio-sonification (生物聲音化). Bio-sonification works by connecting electrodes (電極) to plants. These electrodes pick up the plants' natural electrical signals (自然的電訊). The signals are then transformed into music (轉化為音樂) through the synthesizer. Martin got interested in this during the COVID-19 lockdown (新冠疫情封鎖期) and has been experimenting ever since. He says he enjoys making music without controlling it. Instead, he collaborates (合作) with the plants. He finds it exciting to perform live, just plugging in a plant and seeing what happens. 他覺得現場表演很好玩，只需要插入一株植物，看看會發生什麼事。 Changes to the plants, like watering them or tearing off a leaf, can alter the sounds they produce. 假如改變植物，比如澆水或撕下一片葉子，都會改變它們產生的聲音。 Martin says that the plants produce voltage (電壓), and you can create different sounds with that voltage. It's a unique way to enjoy music and see how plants can create beautiful sounds. ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites… A team from Taiwan traveled to the Arctic at the end of May. They took 170 special millet seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. It's a place for seeds from all over the world, keeping them safe for food security and agriculture. ________________________________ And, A gardener named Martin Noble-James discovered a unique way to make music using plants. Martin built a special synthesizer to turn plants' natural electrical signals into sounds. The electrical signals are transformed into music through the synthesizer. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit Famous Italian explorer Christopher Columbus is known for reaching the Americas in 1492. On January 9th, 1493, Columbus was sailing near the Dominican Republic. While sailing, he thought he saw three "mermaids" in the water. He said these "mermaids" were not as beautiful as the ones in legends. But these creatures were not mermaids at all. They were actually…manatees! *manatee sound* They are large, gentle sea animals. 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!