Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.

In today's news:

Mud explosions, bright bacteria, and Earth Day for Snoopy.

All that and more, coming up next.

________________________________

萬丹泥火山再次噴發

Mud Volcano Erupts in Pingtung

A volcano has erupted in Pingtung County!

But it's not exactly what you're thinking.

The volcano in Wandan Township is a mud volcano (泥火山).

Mud volcanoes do not have lava.

Mud, hot water, and gas mixes under the ground.

And they explode out when the mud volcano erupts.

地下水和氣體經過泥岩地層混合成泥漿、到達地表後噴出。

The eruption happened early in the morning, close to a temple (寺廟).

And the mud exploded up so high that it went up to the second floor of the temple.

The mud covered the temple's first floor.

There are also lots of rice fields nearby (在附近).

People did not want the hot mud to get into the rice fields.

So they used excavators (挖土機) to push the mud away from the fields.

This mud volcano erupted in October of last year too.

Experts say mud volcanoes in the area will erupt one to three times a year.

And about 90 minutes after the mud volcano erupted, there was an earthquake!

The earthquake was magnitude 5.6.

And some people wondered if the mud volcano eruption and earthquake were connected (有關聯).

But experts say they are not.

They say mud volcano eruptions and earthquakes are caused by different things.

But still, that sounds like quite a crazy day!

________________________________

細菌點亮法國小鎮

Bacteria Lights Up French Town

A town in France has a new way of keeping the lights on…

It's not electricity.

And it's not solar power, or wind power.

It's… bacteria power!

Bacteria (細菌) are tiny living things.

They are everywhere in our water, soil, and even in our bodies.

Some bacteria are good for us.

Some can make us sick.

And now one type of bacteria is helping us make light.

This is the French town of Rambouillet.

In some places in Rambouillet, the lights are a bright blue-green color.

That's because this light comes from a bacteria called Aliivibrio fischeri.

This bacteria comes from the sea.

And it glows (發光) a blue-green color.

When living things make light, it's called "bioluminescence" (生物發光).

Many things in nature are bioluminescent.

Fireflies, some fungi (菌類), and even some fish glow.

We see this in Taiwan too.

We're in the middle of firefly season right now.

And Matsu is famous for its "Blue Tears", when algae in the ocean give off a blue light.

馬祖的"藍眼淚"是指夜光蟲(渦鞭毛藻)在晚上發出淡藍色螢光的現象。

And a company in France wants to use bioluminescence to make lights for people.

Glowee is trying out this idea in the town of Rambouillet.

Right now, the bacteria lights are being used in a COVID-19 vaccination center (COVID-19疫苗接種站).

And soon, the glowing bacteria lights will be used for street lights, shops, and even the Rambouillet Town Hall (鎮公所).

Glowee says the bacteria are held in see-through tubes (透明管子).

The tubes are filled with saltwater (鹹水).

There are things in the saltwater for the bacteria to eat.

And air is pushed into the tubes to help the bacteria grow.

Some scientists think bioluminescence could help us make light without using too much electricity and making pollution.

________________________________

史努比慶祝世界地球日

Special Snoopy Show for Earth Day

Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all their friends have a special show for Earth Day.

史努比、查理布朗、和他們所有的好朋友要來慶祝世界地球日了。

The new short movie is called "It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown".

In this new story, Charlie Brown wants to win a baseball game.

But his little sister Sally finds a dandelion growing on the baseball field.

And she wants to protect the little yellow flower.

Soon, everyone starts helping to clean up the field.

The movie is one of the ways that the Peanuts characters are celebrating Earth Day.

The Peanuts company hopes the movie helps everyone remember that small things can make a difference (小事情可以造就大不同).

________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A mud volcano has erupted in Pingtung County.

The eruption happened early in the morning, close to a temple.

This mud volcano erupted in October of last year, too.

________________________________

A town in France is using bacteria in lights.

When living things make light, it's called "bioluminescence".

Some scientists think bioluminescence could help us make light, without using too much electricity and making pollution.

________________________________

And,

Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all their friends have a special show for Earth Day.

The new short movie is called "It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown".

The Peanuts company hopes the movie helps everyone remember that small things can make a difference.

________________________________

And that's today's episode of News Bites!