Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Brody Halverson.

Today's stories…

Troublesome macaques, and the next step to living in space.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…

We all know dogs have an amazing sense of smell. But have you noticed which side of their nose they use? Find out what it all means, at the end of the episode!

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驅趕猴子照網上瘋傳

Macaques Give Restaurant Owner a Headache

Is a picture really worth a thousand words?

Recently, a photo of an elderly woman went viral online.

The Kaohsiung woman was holding a gun.

Many people commented on the photo.

Some even said maybe she was a retired spy.

Others were worried about safety in the city.

The police looked into the matter.

They found out that it was a misunderstanding (誤會).

The woman in the photo was the owner of a breakfast store.

Her restaurant is at the foot of Shoushan (壽山) in Gushan district (鼓山區).

Shoushan is famous for Formosan Rock Macaques (台灣獼猴).

Many of the macaques live on the mountain.

The monkeys have been notorious (惡名昭彰) in the area for decades.

They grab food and water from hikers, and will also steal from nearby stores.

They have also been making trouble at National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學) , which is on the other side of Shoushan.

The monkeys would break into students' rooms and make a mess.

They even stole food from convenience stores.

The elderly woman in the picture says the monkeys are always going into her store.

That's because her store is near the foot of Shoushan.

The monkeys invade her store for food.

They have damaged the window to the bathroom and often bring garbage inside her shop.

So every morning, she would use her BB gun to scare away the monkeys.

According to the police, the BB gun was not loaded.

They also added that the macaques are not protected animals.

So the restaurant owner did not break the law.

The police say hikers and tourists who visit Shoushan should take precautions (預防).

They should try not to show their food, or make noise with plastic bags.

And they should avoid direct eye contact with the monkeys.

Police are reminding everyone to keep a safe distance, and not to feed the macaques.

警察呼籲遊客要盡量做到「食物不外露」、「不發出塑膠袋聲響」、與獼猴保持距離，維護生態及自身安全。

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太空中培育老鼠胚胎

Mouse Embryos Grown in Space for the First Time

Exploring space has always been a goal for scientists.

And a recent study showed that we might be getting closer to this goal.

A Japanese research team has successfully grown mouse embryos (胚胎) on the International Space Station (ISS).

The scientists say this means humans may soon be able to have children in space.

In August 2021, the team sent frozen mouse embryos on a rocket to the ISS.

In orbit, astronauts thawed (解凍) these early-stage embryos.

Then they grew the embryos for 4 days.

They found out that the embryos developed normally into blastocysts (囊胚).

Blastocysts are cells that will develop into a fetus (胎兒) and placenta (胎盤).

The researchers looked closely at the blastocysts after they were sent back to Earth.

They found that the blastocysts were about the same as ones that grew on Earth.

They couldn't find any difference in the DNA and genes (基因).

The scientists say "this is the first ever study that shows mammals maybe able to thrive in space."

These findings also show that mammals may be able to reproduce (繁殖) in microgravity (微重力) environments.

However, this is only the first step.

The next step would be to put these embryos into mice to see if mice can give birth.

This would be very important for future space exploration and colonization (殖民) missions.

The success of this experiment would be important for NASA's Artemis program.

Artemis scientists want to understand how humans can reproduce and thrive in space.

They plan to send humans to live long-term on the moon by the end of the 2030s.

Artemis may also have a part in future Mars missions.

If all goes well, there may soon be people living in space!

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So, in today's News Bites…

Recently, a photo of an elderly woman holding a gun went viral online.

The woman in the photo was trying to scare away macaques.

According to the police, the BB gun was not loaded.

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And,

A Japanese research team has successfully grown mouse embryos on the International Space Station.

The scientists say this means humans may soon be able to have children in space.

These findings also show that mammals may be able to reproduce in microgravity environments.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

Dogs and their incredible noses…they get all kinds of information through their sense of smell. But did you know that dogs sniff good smells with their left nostril?

Scientists say dogs start by smelling with their right nostril. And if it's a smell they like, such as dog food, they will switch to smelling with their left nostril. But if it's a smell the dog doesn't like so much, such as the smell of its veterinarian, the dog will keep smelling with its right nostril.

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 [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!

Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!