Hello and welcome back to a brand-new episode of News Bites!

I'm Allie Highsmith.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

Taiwan scientists join an international Moon research network, and a
laboratory worker's death raises health questions in Russia.

And in today's News Flash, our word is: investigate.

Keep on listening to find out more!
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台灣科學家加入NASA月球研究合作夥伴
Taiwan Scientists Join NASA's Moon Research Network

What could you build with Moon dust?

A road? A wall? Maybe part of a future Moon base?

Scientists in Taiwan want to explore questions like these.

A project led by National Central University (國立中央大學) has joined an
international research network run by NASA.

NASA is the United States' space agency.

The Taiwan project is called TULIP.

Its researchers will work with scientists in other countries to learn more
about the Moon.

這項由中央大學主導的計畫，將與國際科學家合作，研究月球。

One part of their work involves watching for flashes (閃光) on the Moon.

When a space rock hits the Moon's surface (表面), the hit can produce a brief
flash of light.

By watching these flashes, scientists can investigate how often space rocks
hit the Moon.

They can use observations from Taiwan's Lulin Observatory (鹿林天文台) to support
similar research in the United States and Europe.

Another part of the project studies the Moon's extremely thin layer of gas.

Researchers want to understand how materials move above the surface, and how
some remain on the Moon.

研究人員也想了解，月球表面上的物質如何移動，以及一些物質是如何留在月球上。

And then there's the Moon dust.

The Moon's surface is covered with loose dust and broken rock.

Scientists call this material "regolith" (月壤).

The team will study whether people could use it to make building materials.

Why would that help?

Sending materials from Earth to the Moon is difficult.

Using materials already on the Moon could help with future construction (建設).

研究月壤能不能製成建材，可能有助於未來在月球上進行建設。

The project will also help train young scientists and engineers.

Their work could support future exploration (探索) of the Moon and Mars.
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俄羅斯實驗室人員死亡引發疑慮
Questions Remain After Russian Lab Worker's Death

When someone becomes seriously ill, doctors look for the cause.

Sometimes, the answer takes time.

Earlier this month, a 28-year-old laboratory worker died in Siberia, Russia.

She worked at a research institute that studies plague (鼠疫) and other
diseases.

Russian officials said that she died from pneumonia (肺炎), but the cause of
that pneumonia was unclear.

Pneumonia is an illness that affects the lungs and can make breathing
difficult.

俄羅斯官員表示，這名研究人員死於肺炎，但造成肺炎的原因仍不清楚。

Some early news reports suggested she might have caught plague during a
laboratory accident.

However, that claim has not been confirmed (證實).

Russian authorities said their investigations found no laboratory accident.

They also said tests did not find plague in the worker or the people who had
been in contact with her.

Officials checked those people's health and used quarantine measures (隔離措施)
at the hospital as a precaution.

這些措施是為了預防傳染，並不代表已經證實發生鼠疫。

The World Health Organization, or WHO, asked Russia for more information.

In an October 10th report, the WHO said it had found no evidence of
continuing spread linked to the case.

However, it still did not have a confirmed explanation for the worker's
illness.

So, what is pneumonic plague (肺鼠疫)?

It is a form of plague that affects the lungs.

Bacteria (細菌) causes it.

It can pass between people through tiny particles released when an infected
person coughs.

It is a serious disease, but doctors can treat it with antibiotics (抗生素).

Early treatment is very important.

肺鼠疫是由細菌引起的疾病，可以用抗生素治療，但早治療非常重要。

Scientists need test results and other evidence to understand what happened
in Russia.

For now, plague has not been confirmed as the cause of the worker's death.
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RECAP

So, in today's News Bites:

A Taiwan project led by National Central University has joined NASA's
international Moon research network.

Scientists will study flashes from space rocks hitting the Moon, gases around
it, and possible uses for Moon dust.

Their work could help future space exploration.
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And,

A laboratory worker's death in Russia has raised questions about a possible
plague infection.

However, plague has not been confirmed.

WHO said it had found no evidence of continuing spread linked to the case,
but the cause of the worker's illness remained unclear.
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NEWS FLASH

In today's News Flash, our word is "investigate"! (調查、研究)

"Investigate" is a verb.

It means to look carefully for facts so you can understand something.

In our first story, scientists investigate what happens when space rocks hit
the Moon.

In our second story, health officials investigate the cause of a worker's
illness.

The noun is "investigation" (調查、研究).

For example: "The investigation took several weeks."

Is there anything that you would like to investigate?

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If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your
message and send us your Bite-Sized Break to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you
might hear it in an upcoming episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!