Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Jacob Ingram.

In today's stories, pet psychics and space travel.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…

Counting just took a scary turn. Find out why at the end of the episode!

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農業部長談寵物溝通師行業

The Job of a Pet Psychic

Can humans communicate with animals?

Pet psychics (寵物靈媒) say they can.

A pet psychic is a person who claims to be able to communicate with animals, either living or dead.

Some pet owners worry that something is wrong with their pet.

And they ask a pet psychic for help.

Maybe the pet is not eating.

Or the pet is in low spirits (精神低落).

Sometimes the vet can't figure out why.

Some pet owners claim that seeing a pet psychic helped their pets a lot.

Others go to pet psychics because they wanted to communicate with their pets that have passed away.

This profession is growing fast in North America.

Some animal experts believe that this is happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the lockdown around the world, many people wanted deeper connections with their pets.

It is also a trending topic online.

The Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) commented on the topic.

During the meeting, a legislator (立法委員) pointed out that there are many pet psychics who claimed that they are professionally licensed (專業執照).

He then asked if the ministry plans to have laws for pet psychics.

Chen said there is no scientific evidence that proves pet psychics can communicate with pets.

He says the ministry does not recognize such a profession.

Chen says the ministry could offer guidelines for businesses working with pets.

許多獸醫建議，飼主能透過寵物的行為來了解寵物當下的需求。

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太空旅行如何影響人體

Space Travel and the Human Body

Over the last century, space travel went from a dream to reality (現實).

Now, more and more humans are traveling to space.

In 2021, several spacecraft took civilians (平民) on tourist flights.

Many countries hope that they can be the first to set foot on Mars.

Space technology is advancing quickly.

So scientists want to know more about the effects that space travel has on our bodies.

Researchers created a database called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA).

SOMA is the largest collection of data on aerospace medicine (航太醫學) and space biology (太空生物學) ever put together.

It has a lot of information on how going to space affects the human body.

Experts say SOMA will help us prepare better for future space missions.

Going to space is no walk in the park.

There are actually quite a number of health risks.

On Earth, we are shielded (保護) from space radiation (輻射) by the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field (磁場).

But out in space, this radiation can increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.

That's why astronauts need to wear protective gear (裝備).

There is also no gravity (地心引力) in space.

This can cause problems with our vision, or give us headaches.

Our muscles may also get weak, and we may lose bone density.

This is why astronauts who spend a long time in space have to exercise regularly.

The data also suggests that women may recover faster than men from space travel.

When astronauts came back to Earth, the men's immune system (免疫系統) took longer to return to normal.

雖然會有風險，但科學家表示沒有資料明確顯示人類不應該探索太空。

With all this data and more to come in the future, researchers can work on avoiding the risk.

They can create better protection for the astronauts out there.

Who knows, the date of setting foot on Mars might be earlier than expected.

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So in today's News Bites:

A pet psychic is a person who claims to be able to communicate with animals, either living or dead.

Some pet owners worry that something is wrong with their pet.

And they ask a pet psychic for help.

Some pet owners claim that seeing a pet psychic helped their pets a lot.

The Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) says there is no scientific evidence that proves pet psychics can communicate with pets.

He says the ministry does not recognize such a profession.

Chen says the ministry could offer guidelines for businesses working with pets.

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And…

Researchers created a database called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA).

SOMA is the largest collection of data on aerospace medicine and space biology ever put together.

It has a lot of information on how going to space affects the human body.

Experts say SOMA will help us prepare better for future space missions.

With all this data and more to come in the future, researchers can work on avoiding the risk.

They can create better protection for the astronauts out there.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

In today's Tasty Tidbit….

Why did the two fours skip a meal?

Because they already eight (ate)!

And now, 12-year-old Sandy Lin from Wang Liau Elementary School in Chiayi County has another one!

*****

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

If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at [email protected].

You might hear it at the end of an episode!

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