【967-968】黑洞照片背后的女人&越来越多的美国宠物在吃新鲜食品
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Katie Bouman wrote on Facebook, “Watching in disbelief as the first image I ever made of a black hole was in the process of being reconstructed.”
Trying to capture an image of a black hole is like trying to take a picture of an orange sitting on the surface of the moon from Earth-- with your smartphone.
That is what Dr. Katie Bouman said two years ago during her TED talk called “How to take a picture of a black hole.”
Bouman is 29 years old. She received her doctoral degrees in computer science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She later became a postdoctoral researcher with the international Event Horizon Telescope, or EHT, project. The project’s scientists produced a black hole image from data collected from a series of telescopes around the world. Together, they formed an Earth-sized “virtual” telescope -- one powerful enough to do what had once seemed impossible.
This week, the team of scientists, led by Sheperd S. Doeleman of Harvard University, released to the public the first-ever image of a black hole.
Soon after, another image was spreading over social media and the news. It showed a smiling Bouman with the black hole image on her computer screen. She wrote on Facebook, “Watching in disbelief as the first image I ever made of a black hole was in the process of being reconstructed.”
Bouman led a team that helped create an algorithm, or set of computer processes that turned the huge amount of telescopic data into one image.
Bouman quickly became a symbol for women in science.
One especially popular Twitter post showed a side-by-side picture of Bouman with hard drives of black hole image data next to another woman scientist: Margaret Hamilton. In 1969, Hamilton helped write on-board computer code for NASA’s Apollo space program.
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Twitter user Tammy Emma Pepin wrote of Bouman, “Here’s to more women in science -- getting their credit and being remembered in history.”
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And Twitter user Pooja Chandraskekar, who recently completed her studies in engineering at Harvard, wrote, “So many young girls will see Dr. Katie Bouman as an inspiration and go on to make their own discoveries in space, physics, and computer science. A historic moment not just for science, but for women in science.”
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But Bouman herself quickly noted that she was not the only one responsible for the image of the black hole. She posted on Facebook, “No one algorithm or person made this image, it required the amazing talent of a team of scientists from around the globe and years of hard work…”
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After the press event Wednesday, Bouman spoke with members of the media. She said she is looking forward to developing more algorithms and methods that will help lead to an even better, sharper image of a black hole.
Bouman will begin her teaching career at the California Institute of Technology later this year.
I'm Ashley Thompson.
Ashley Thompson wrote this article for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
virtual - adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet
symbol - n. an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality — often + of
inspiration - n. something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone
amazing - adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement
talent - n. a special ability that allows someone to do something well
globe - n. an object that is shaped like a large ball with a map of the world on it
AS IT IS
More American Pets Are Eating Fresh Food
April 12, 2019
FILE - A Labrador retriever named Jack dines at a pet restaurant in San Juan, Manila, Philippines, Sept. 6, 2014.
Americans are increasingly feeding their dogs and cats fresh foods.
Most Americans feed their pets with kibble – a kind of food ground into small pieces. But, more American pets are eating fresh food, like chicken, sweet potatoes and spinach.
Sales of fresh pet food in grocery stores and pet stores grew to about $546 million in 2018. That is an increase of about 70 percent from 2015. That information comes from Nielsen, a company that researches what the public buys and uses.
Even with the big increase, fresh food sales still make up a small part of the $25 billion that Americans spend on pet food each year.
Supporters of fresh food diets for pets say these foods keep their nutrients better than canned or dried foods. They also say fresh food diets are similar to the pets' ancestral diets and improve their health.
In America, pet food trends have followed human ones. When gravy, a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat, was popular in the 1950s, Gravy Train dog food appeared. In the 1980s, Fancy Feast cat food showed a growing consumer interest in gourmet food.
Mintel is a company that advises businesses. It said young buyers are fueling the sales increase. They are more likely to choose pet foods that they consider to be safer and more natural.
Amy Zalneraitis is the part-owner of We Feed Raw, a raw food meal plan service for pets based in the northeastern state of Maine.
She said, “Just as people have become skeptical of highly processed foods for themselves, they’re looking critically at their pets’ foods as well.” She added: “They think: How could something with a shelf life of over [a] year be better than real, fresh food?”
But some animal health experts question this way of thinking. They say established pet food companies, like Royal Canin, have researched their food for many years.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that raw pet food has a high risk of bacterial contamination. The agency is also investigating a link between grain-free diets that contain peas, lentils and potatoes and elevated levels of heart disease in dogs.
Lindsey Bullen is a pet nutrition specialist with the Veterinary Specialist Hospital of the Carolinas in Durham, North Carolina.
She said pets need many kinds of important nutrients. If those levels of needed nutrients "are too high or too low," she added, "it can cause significant problems for that pet that the client might not see for months or years to come.”
Seven years ago, Deb Colgan saw that her husband was feeding raw meat to their two dogs. At first, she did not like the idea, but changed her mind after researching it.
She and her husband started buying raw meat and bones from the grocery store. She also talked with a veterinarian and added supplements like vitamin E, salmon oil and probiotics, among others.
One of her dogs stopped vomiting regularly and gained weight. The other stopped getting ear and urinary tract infections. Those dogs eventually died, but the Colgans have continued the diet with two new dogs.
“It’s very much a relief they are so healthy, and we do believe it’s because how they eat,” said Colgan. “I can’t imagine us ever going back to commercial [dog food].”
I'm John Russell.
Dee-Ann Durbin reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
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Words in This Story
gourmet – adj. food of very high quality
skeptical – adj. having or expressing doubt about something (such as a claim or statement)
shelf life – n. the length of time that food may be stored and still be good to eat — usually singular
contamination – n. the process of making something dangerous, dirty, or impure by adding something harmful or undesirable to it
trend –n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common
significant –adj. very important
client –n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services
vomit –v. to have the food, liquid, etc., that is in your stomach come out through your mouth because you are sick
commercial – adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services
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