Top science stories of 2005

即将过去的2005年充满了科技奇观, 由美国国家地理杂志评选出的2005科技大事让我们震慑于大自然的威力与现代科技的神奇.
Compiled by National Geographic News, the list of the top 7 science stories of 2005 is dominated by Mother Nature.

Holy squid 神奇鱿鱼现身

For the first time ever, underwater cameras captured live images of this legendary creature.

King Tut Tour 珍贵埃及法老墓葬巡展

For the first time in 26 years, the ancient tomb treasures of King Tutankhamun are touring US museums. Boasting more than 130 artifacts from Egyptian tombs, the exhibition is in Florida, until April 23, 2006.

Python bursts after eating gator 巨蟒吞食鳄鱼撑爆

The carass of a 6-foot American alligator protrudes from the midsection of a 13-foot python in September,2005, Florida. The snake apparently bit off more than he could chew.

Ultra-lifelike robot draws cstares in Japan 日本超逼真机器人

In Osaka, Japan, robot Q1 appeared at the 2005 World Expo, where she gestured, blinked, spoke and even appeared to breathe.

Godzilla fossils reveal real-life sea monster 发现海怪哥斯拉化石

Monster fossils from a massive crocodile-like species were unearthed in Patagonia, Argentina. Researchers revealed the findings on November 11, 2005. They say the 13-foot-long 'Godzilla' lived about 135 million years ago.

Tsunami aftermath 海啸浩劫

The tsunami of December 26, 2004 wiped out entire villages in Sumatra, Indonesia, and killed over 175,000 people on two continents.

Animal-human hybrids spark controversy 人兽同体引争议

Scientists have begun producing hybrid creatures that are part human, part animal, in hopes of making advances in medicine.

 

 

Science & technology round-up

Ocean expedition sees extreme life
海洋科考队收集深海生物标本
Chinese scientists have for the first time successfully obtained samples of hydrothermal sulfide and life forms living near a deepwater hydrothermal vent during an expedition in the Indian Ocean. They detected unusual salinity and turbidity and used undersea cameras to observe many organisms, including sea anemones and shrimps living along the 2,400 meter mid-ocean ridges.

Santa worm attacking instant messengers
圣诞电脑病毒瞄准短信平台
A Santa Claus worm is attempting to trick users of major instant messaging networks into clicking on a file that delivers unwanted software to a victim's computer. The worm, dubbed "M.GiftCom.All", is circulating on the MSN, AOL, ICQ, and Yahoo instant messaging services. It is rated as a "medium" threat, a relatively rare classification. Most IM worms and Trojans receive only a "low" rating.

Growing trees may not help cool the Earth
种树可能不会使地球降温
Growing a forest might sound like a good idea to combat global warming, since trees are capable of absorbing the carbon dioxide emitted by the burning of fossil fuels. However, while tropical forests help keep Earth cool by evaporating a great deal of water, northern forests tend to warm the Earth because they absorb a lot of sunlight without losing much moisture.

Vocabulary
salinity 盐分
urbidity 浊度
ridge 背脊
ethnicaldub 绰号
evaporate 蒸发
squid 鱿鱼
hybrid 杂种
carcass 畜体
python 巨蟒
hydrothermal sulfide 热液硫化物
Godzilla 日本国兽哥斯拉