Electric Buses, US Lighthouses, Cooler Microbes

Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites! I'm Nancy Sun… And I'm Hope Ngo. In today's news: Building electric buses, saving lighthouses, and breaking down plastic. All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________ 政府啟動公車電動化 Taiwan Invests in Electric Buses. Taiwan is working hard to reach the target of zero-emissions (零碳排) status by 2050. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is now working on an important project. It plans to replace all diesel (柴油) city buses with electric buses by 2030. The project has been approved by the Executive Yuan (行政院). Before 2020, most electric buses were imported from other countries. Some companies that ran city bus services did not want to switch to electric buses. They felt the electric buses were very expensive and did not work very well. And they also felt there weren't many places to charge (充電) electric buses, or maintain (維修) them. The government then launched a 3 year project for electric buses in 2020. Since then, many Taiwan manufacturers have designed, and made electric buses. Right now, two of these manufacturers are mass producing (大量生產) electric buses. Others are also joining the project. The government says the project will create manufacturing jobs. 政府說這個計畫能夠使台灣加入國際電動公車的供應鏈。 ________________________________ 美國燈塔免費送 Lighthouses Head into Modern Times For hundreds of years, lighthouses have been a beacon of safety. They mark (標示) dangerous coastlines, and hazardous reefs. They help guide ships safely into harbors. Now, technology has helped marine navigation (航海) become much safer. GPS, digital maps and radar have helped reduce danger at sea. Since then, lighthouses have become less important. But they are an important part of history. In 2000, the US passed the National Historical Lighthouse Preservation Act. The government gives the lighthouses to groups that are willing to preserve them (保存，保護). This year, the government will give away 6 lighthouses. Groups that get the lighthouses have to maintain (維修, 保養) the property. They also have to let the public enjoy the property too, The government says more than 80 lighthouses have found new futures this way. 如果找不到願意認領的機構，燈塔將會以拍賣的形式供社會大眾競標。 ________________________________ 能分解塑膠的微生物 Microbial Marvel Makes Plastic Sustainable Our world has been fighting the problem of plastic for decades. Since starting mass production during World War II, humans have created 9.1 billion tons of plastic. Nowadays, plastic is everywhere, from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, to inside our bodies. Recycling may help, but doesn't completely solve the problem. And recycling plastic may also make lots of microplastics. So what's the solution? Researchers have been experimenting with microorganisms (微生物). They are looking for ways to use these microorganisms to break down plastic. And they've found microbes that can digest (消化) plastic. But these microbes can only do this in temperatures above 29 degrees Celsius. This means if we use these microbes to break down plastic, we would also use a lot of energy to make heat. Now, scientists have found another type of microbe high in the Swiss Alps (阿爾卑斯山) and the Arctic (北極圈). These microbes can function at a cooler temperature. They can break down biodegradable (生物分解) plastic at 15 degrees Celsius. The researchers want to find the best temperature for these microbes to work. They also want to find out how the microbes break down plastic. This could help scientists find ways to recycle plastic that are better for the environment. These microbes could also make recycling plastic cheaper. 科學家期待能從微生物研究裡，找到更有效的塑膠分解方式。 ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites… Taiwan plans to replace all diesel city buses with electric buses by 2030. Right now, two of these manufacturers are mass producing electric buses. The government says the project will create manufacturing jobs. ________________________________ Lighthouses have become less important, now that technology has reduced danger at sea. But they are an important part of history. Now, the US is giving some lighthouses to groups that are willing to preserve them, and let the public enjoy them too. ________________________________ And, Scientists have found a type of microbe high in the Swiss Alps and the Arctic that can break down plastic at cooler temperatures. They also want to find out how the microbes break down plastic. This could help scientists find ways to recycle plastic that are better for the environment. ________________________________ And that's today's episode of News Bites!