New Fungus that Eats Plastic

Hello students, English learners and people all over Japan!  We sincerely hope that everybody is okay after the typhoon.  Some areas were hit very hard, and our thoughts are with anybody that was affected.  Typhoons seem to be getting stronger and more unpredictable while summers feel like they are lasting longer and hotter than ever.  

Today's topic is related to our climate, and it is a bit of hope for our future.  Recently, scientists in Europe have discovered a fungus in the ocean that eats polyurethane, a material commonly found in plastics.  Parengyodontium album is the name of this newly-found fungus, and researchers are hopeful that it can be utilized in some way to help humans dispose of plastic waste around the world. 

So far, humans have discovered around 18 different strains of fungus that are cabpable of breaking down plastic.  However, only 4 of these, including Parengyodontium album, are "hungry" enough to be used in helping our plastic waste problem on Earth.  Scientists will continue to explore ways to use these natural helpers in the years to come.  Please watch this YouTube video below for more details about this amazing discovery!

- YouTube

If you liked this post, please click below.

にほんブログ村

Olympic Stories: Simone Biles

Hello everybody!  This is Joey again, and today, I want to talk about the Olympics!  

It is very exciting to watch so many great athletes from around the world compete.  Japan has been performing well in Paris with 18 medals so far including 8 gold medals.  China, France, Australia, and the United States are the strongest countries this year at the Olympics, and personally, I was happy to see that gymnast Simone Biles from the United States won a gold medal in women's all-around gymnastics.  

Simone is only 27 years old, but she is already a legend in the gymnastics world.  She has won 6 gold medals in her career and continues to surprise everybody with her unbelievable skills.  In the Tokyo Olympics, however, she decided to withdraw from the competition due to mental health issues.  Some people criticized her for the decision because Olympic athletes usually never give up.  Yet, Simone did, and by doing so, she showed great strength.  She decided to put her own physical and mental health first before the competition.  

There is an extraordinary amount of pressure on Olympic athletes to succeed.  This pressure is actually dangerous and can lead to some serious problems.  Thanks to brave athletes like Simone, people are now starting to strongly consider the mental health of athletes.  Hopefully, as a global society, we will take greater care of these beloved people to ensure they don't experience anything that might traumatize or permanently injure them.  

Simone was able to show everybody in Paris that her choice to stop competing in the Tokyo Olympics was the right one.  She came to Paris this year and performed better than she ever has in her career.  Taking good care of your mental health can have wonderful benefits, which for Simone includes another gold medal!  

Keep watching the Olympics for more inspirational stories. Thanks for reading. 

If you liked this post, please click below.

にほんブログ村

Meet Kamala Harris

Hello everybody!  We hope you are doing well.  This summer is unbeliavably hot, so please be careful and stay cool. 

Today, we wanted to introduce a person that you might not know much about now.  However, you will see her a lot in the news for the next few months.  Her name is Kamala Harris, and she is now the Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the November election.  Recently, the current President, Joe Biden, withdrew from the election, so Harris has stepped in to replace him.  She now has the full support of powerful politicians like Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill & Hillary Clinton.  

Harris was born in California, but she moved to many different states as a kid because her mother was a professor and scientist who worked for many prestigious universities.  Both of Kamala's parents were immigrants to the United States, but her mother divorced her father when Kamala was young.  Therefore, Kamala was primarly raised by a single mother with a great level of intelligence.  Originally, Kamala's mother moved from India to the United States to study medicine and stayed in America to continue many kinds of research, including breast cancer treatment.  Unfortunately, she passed away in 2009, but Kamala says that she will never forget her mother and that she is the most inspirational person in her life.  

Kamala studied law during university while attending both Howard University and the University of California.  After graduating, she began her law career in California where she eventually became the District Attorney in San Francisco.  From there, she earned the highest law position in California, the Attornery General, and then, she transitioned to politics.  Harris started as a U.S. Senator, and after trying to run for President in 2020, Joe Biden chose her to be his Vice President when he was elected.  

Kamala must now battle Donald Trump in the Presidential race.  Currently, she is quite popular in America, but anything could happen before or during the election.  Keep watching the news and talking to your teachers about this interesting political event in 2024.  Thanks for reading!

If you liked this post, please click below.

にほんブログ村