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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS -April 23, 2002: Study of Shipwrecks in Europe / Feathered Dinosaur / Foods That
Can Keep You Healthy
Broadcast: VOICE ONE:
This is Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Bob Doughty with Science in the News, a VOA Special English program about recent developments
in science. Today, we tell about a project to study shipwrecks in European waters ... a discovery of a dinosaur
with feathers ... foods that can keep you healthy ... and a vitamin-enriched drink for people in developing
countries.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
Archeologists from six nations are working to study and protect four wrecked ships in northern European waters.
The European Union has provided money equal to about one-million dollars for the three-year project. The E-U
says these ships play an important part in European cultural history.
Archeologists from the Maritime Museum of Finland helped organize the project.
Scientific organizations from five other nations also are taking part. They are
Germany, Sweden, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands.
VOICE TWO:
The program has a number of goals. The archeologists want to learn why some
shipwrecks last a long time while others fall apart. They hope to develop a plan for
deciding when shipwrecks are threatened with destruction. They also want to learn
the best ways to raise ships from the bottom of the ocean. And, they are planning ways for the public to see the
wrecks without risking damage to the underwater environment surrounding them.
The scientists say the shipwrecks are in good condition. Two lie in the Baltic Sea, one near Germany and the
other near Finland. Another is in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands. A fourth lies in Lake Vattern
(VECK-ten) in Sweden. The oldest ship sailed in the thirteenth century. The most recent sank in Eighteen-Fifty-
Six.
Instruments placed on the wrecked ships will report on currents, the salt level in the water and other conditions.
Scientists know that bacteria and waves influence the breaking down of ships over time. However, little is known
about other underwater processes.
VOICE ONE:
Before the project began, the Finnish archeologists had worked on the wreck of one of the ships being studied.
This wooden sailing ship is called the Vrouw Maria (FRAH-Wah Mah-REE-ah). It sank in Seventeen-Seventy-
One while it was sailing from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was carrying artworks
and other objects to Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
The ship now lies under forty-one meters of water off the coast of Finland. The archeologists will compare the
Vrouw Maria with the other wrecks. They say this should help them decide if they should try to raise the ship.
Underwater cameras will record all the wrecks so the public can see them. One official said the project will try to
develop Internet computer Web sites for each of the sunken ships.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
American and Chinese scientists say they have discovered new evidence that modern birds developed from
dinosaurs. The researchers found remains of a dinosaur that appears to have had feathers but could not fly.
The researchers said the feathers on the dinosaur fossil have almost the same structure
as feathers on modern birds. They also suggested that the dinosaurs may have
developed feathers over time to keep warm, not to fly.
The publication “Nature”
reported findings about the dinosaur fossil last month.
The fossil was about one-hundred-twenty-eight -million years old. The scientists found
it in the Beipiao (BAY-BYAU) Paleontological Museum in China. The fossil had
been uncovered in northeastern China. They identified the animal as a dromaeosaur
(DRAH-mah-soar).
VOICE ONE:
Mark Norell of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City took part in the research. He said the
fossil has feathers on its tail and legs. Some of the feathers measure up to thirteen centimeters.The dromaeosaur
ate meat. It was almost one meter long. It had hollow bones, like a bird. Scientists believe it was able to run fast
on two powerful legs.
Last year, the same team found an older dromaeosaur fossil. It was about one-hundred-thirty-million years old. It
was discovered in the same northeastern area of China. The scientists said the older fossil apparently was partly
covered with soft feathers called down.
VOICE TWO:
The latest finding by the Chinese and American team adds to a major scientific debate. In recent years, many
scientists have accepted the idea that modern birds developed from dinosaurs. A few scientists still argue that
birds developed from another kind of reptile.
Some experts welcomed the discovery about the dinosaur as proof of the bird theory. Others said bird feathers
might have accidentally become mixed into the fossil as it formed. Several years ago, scientists discovered that
people had placed objects identified as feathers in a dinosaur fossil from China.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Experts say the food people eat greatly affects their health. They say that some foods are especially good for
preventing disease.
A dromaeosaur
(Image -Mick Ellison/AMNH)
Many foods contain substances that protect against tissue damage. One of these is
tomatoes. The substance lycopene is released when tomatoes are cooked. Lycopene
helps reduce the risk of developing cancer in the digestive system, which processes
food.
The dark green vegetable spinach contains folic acid that prevents problems in
developing fetuses. It also lowers blood levels of homocysteine. High homocysteine
levels have been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Another vegetable, broccoli, can help protect against cancers
of the breast, colon and stomach.
VOICE TWO:
Oats help lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease. They also may improve the levels of sugar in
the blood. This reduces the chance of developing the disease diabetes.
Fish that contain omega three fatty acids help prevent blockages in the arteries. Omega three also lowers bad
cholesterol and may protect brain cells from diseases like Alzheimer's. Fish that provide a lot of omega three
acids are salmon, herring, mackerel and bluefish.
VOICE ONE:
Garlic may help protect the heart by reducing cholesterol and making the blood less sticky. Health experts also
suggest cooking with olive oil because it has been shown to help prevent cancer and heart disease.
Studies show that drinking green tea may help prevent cancer of the liver and stomach. Blueberries have been
shown to help protect against heart disease and cancer. Experts say the skins of red grapes contain substances that
increase the good kind of cholesterol in the blood. To get this protection, you can drink red wine... but not more
than a few glasses a week. Drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
The Coca-Cola Company is developing a new healthy drink for people in developing
*
countries. The new drink is called Vitango. It tastes like orange drink. Vitango is a mix of fine
,PDJH
particles that becomes a liquid when water is added. It contains twelve vitamins and minerals
that are lacking in the diets of people in developing countries.
Vitango is designed to help prevent blood problems, blindness and other common sicknesses in
developing countries, especially in Africa and South America. Coca -Cola tested the drink by
giving it to students at two schools in Botswana last year. At the end of eight weeks, test
results showed that levels of iron and zinc in the students’
blood had increased.
VOICE ONE:
Vitango is still being developed. However, officials believe it will be on the market by the end of this year. The
Coca-Cola Company will offer it first in at least one country in Africa and South America. In time, the company
hopes to sell it throughout the world at as low a cost as possible.
Vitango would compete with a similar vitamin drink already on the market called Nutristar. The Procter and
Gamble Company began selling Nutristar in Venezuela last October after several years of research. Nutristar
contains eight vitamins and five minerals. U-N experts say these drinks are an effective way to help meet the
health needs of people in developing countries.
((THEME))
VOICE TWO:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Jerilyn Watson, Nancy Steinbach and Jill Moss. It was
produced by George Grow. This is Bob Doughty.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Sarah Long. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of
America.
UDSKLF
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