Hey there! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

Today's stories…

Taiwan's place in a global air pollution report, a dolphin fossil in Peru, and who holds the record for the longest time to complete a marathon?

Let's check it out.

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台灣空氣品質在全球排名第45

Taiwan's Air is 45th Most Polluted in the World

Taiwan's air is cleaner than some places but could still get better.

That's according to a big study on air around the world.

The 2023 World Air Quality Report looked at tiny particles in the air (空氣中的微小粒子) that are too small to see but can make us sick.

These particles are called PM2.5, and they come from cars, factories, and other places.

In 2023, Taiwan ranked 45th in air pollution comparing it with 134 other places.

台灣去年在134個地區中，空氣汙染排名第45。

It had less air pollution (空氣汙染) than countries like China and Mongolia…

…but was a bit more polluted than South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.

The cleanest countries included places like Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland.

And the most polluted countries were Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.

In Taiwan, the air is different depending on where you look.

Some areas have more pollution.

The government is working hard to make the air cleaner, especially in central and southern Taiwan.

They're asking power plants and factories to pollute less.

政府要求發電廠和工廠減少汙染。

But, figuring out air quality isn't simple.

It changes with the weather and where you are.

空氣品質會隨著天氣和地點變化。

For example, dust from a river can affect the air in one place, while in another part, the type of wind can change what kind of air pollution there is.

例如，河流的塵土可以影響某地的空氣，而在另一個地方，風的類型可以改變空氣汙染的情況。

The government also mentioned that the study might not have all the right numbers.

They have their own measurements (測量數據) and say the air is getting a bit cleaner than the study suggests.

So, Taiwan is trying to make the air cleaner for everyone.

It's important because clean air means healthier people.

And even though we're doing okay, there's still work to be done to make our air even better.

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秘魯發現1600萬年前的河豚化石

16-Million-Year-Old River Dolphin Fossil Found in Peru

Let's travel back in time, way, way back to when the Earth looked very different.

Imagine a time with huge animals and very big dolphins (河豚) in the rivers!

We can learn about this old world through fossils (化石).

Fossils are like clues from a long time ago, left by animals that aren't here anymore.

They help us understand what the world used to be like.

A long time ago, a big dolphin swam in rivers that are now part of the Amazon rainforest.

This dolphin was bigger than any dolphin we see today in South America.

很久以前，一隻比南美洲今天見到的任何河豚都要大的河豚，在亞馬遜雨林的河流裡游泳。

Scientists found its fossilized skull (化石頭骨) in Peru and learned it was about as long as a small car!

They estimate the fossil is around 16 million years old.

他們估計這個化石大約有1600萬年歷史。

This ancient dolphin was called Pebanista yacuruna.

It's named after a mythological creature (神話裡的動物) from stories in Peru, the Yacuruna, known for living in deep waters.

The dolphin from Peru is like a distant cousin (遠親) of the river dolphins found in India today.

Both types of dolphins used to live in the sea a very, very long time ago before they moved to rivers.

This discovery in Peru was made by scientists with the help of the National Geographic Society.

They found the dolphin's skull near the Napo River.

Even though the giant dolphins from the past are gone, the Amazon River is still home to a unique type of dolphin.

即使過去的巨大河豚已經消失，亞馬遜河仍然是一種獨特的河豚的家。

It's known as the Amazon river dolphin or the pink river dolphin.

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So, in today's News Bites…

The 2023 World Air Quality Report says Taiwan ranked 45th in air pollution comparing it with 134 other places.

They studied particles in each country's air called PM2.5.

The countries with the cleanest air included places like Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland.

And the most polluted countries were Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.

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And,

Scientists found the fossilized skull of a big dolphin in Peru that's around 16 million years old.

This ancient dolphin was called Pebanista yacuruna, after a mythological creature from stories in Peru, the Yacuruna, known for living in deep waters.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

The record for the longest time to complete a marathon is 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.

It's held by runner Shizo Kanakuri from Japan.

He went to Sweden in 1912 to run a long race in the Olympics…but got very tired and stopped to rest.

He never finished the race and went back to Japan quietly.

50 years later, Sweden offered Mr. Kanakuri a chance to finish the race, and he agreed!

He says, "It was a long trip. Along the way, [he] got married, had six children and 10 grandchildren."

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!

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