2025.09.24 青少年新闻速递
Have you ever wondered what happens when animals from different continents meet? Scientists have been tracking a group of penguins that have traveled from Antarctica all the way to South Africa! That’s a journey of about 4,800 kilometers, which is like walking the distance of 80,000 football fields! These brave penguins have been swimming for months, and researchers think they may have been following ocean currents that changed due to global warming.
Imagine you’re standing on a rocky beach in Cape Town, South Africa. You feel the cool ocean breeze on your face, and suddenly you see a group of penguins waddling toward you! That’s exactly what surprised tourists and scientists last week when they spotted these Antarctic travelers on African shores. The penguins looked a bit different from the local African penguins—they were larger and had brighter feathers on their chests.
Scientists have been studying these penguins using special trackers attached to their backs. They’ve discovered that these birds are excellent swimmers, with some reaching speeds of up to 36 kilometers per hour in the water! That’s almost as fast as a car on a city street. The journey has been dangerous, with sharks and whales threatening the penguins along the way.
What do you think would happen if these Antarctic penguins decided to stay in Africa? How would they adapt to the warmer climate and new environment?
In other amazing animal news, kids in Japan are helping robots learn how to communicate with sea turtles! Marine biologists at Tokyo Ocean Institute have built special underwater robots that can swim alongside turtles and collect information about their health and habits. The best part? Students from several elementary schools have been invited to help design robot “conversations” with the turtles.
The robots look like small, friendly fish and can move quietly through the water. They’re equipped with cameras and sensors that can measure a turtle’s heart rate, body temperature, and even count the number of barnacles on its shell. The data is then sent to computers where scientists and students work together to understand what it means.
Imagine you’re putting on a special diving mask and joining a robot as it follows a giant sea turtle through colorful coral reefs. You see the robot making gentle movements to communicate with the turtle, almost like it’s saying hello! The students have been creating different signals and sounds that the robots can use to Turtle-talk. These signals range from gentle flashing lights to soft hums that don’t scare the turtles away.
One group of students discovered that turtles respond best when the robots approach them from the side rather than from above or below. They’ve also found that turtles are curious about objects that move in a zigzag pattern rather than in straight lines.
If you could design your own underwater robot to talk to sea animals, what features would it have? How would you make sure it doesn’t disturb the animals in their natural home?
Finally, for those who love hands-on activities, why not try creating your own ocean animal art? Scientists at the Marine Art Center in Australia have developed an easy way for kids to learn about sea life while making beautiful pictures. All you need is some blue paper, white chalk, and a sprinkle of salt!
The technique is simple: draw ocean waves with the white chalk on the blue paper, then lightly spray water on your drawing and sprinkle salt over the wet parts. Let it dry, and when you brush off the salt, you’ll see amazing patterns that look just like ocean foam and bubbles. You can then add your favorite sea animals using colored pencils or markers.
This art project helps us understand how salt and water interact, just like in the real ocean. Some students have even created entire underwater scenes showing the penguins’ journey from Antarctica to Africa or the robots meeting sea turtles in Japan.
What other creative ways can you think of to learn about animals from different continents? Maybe you could make a map showing their migration routes or write a diary from the perspective of a traveling penguin!
中文版本 新闻探索时间！今天我们要疾驰到大自然，看看跨越南极洲和非洲的神奇企鹅冒险！砰！啪！哇！
你有没有想过，来自不同大洲的动物相遇会发生什么？科学家们一直在追踪一群从南极洲一直游到南非的企鹅！这可是一段大约4800公里的旅程，相当于走了8万个足球场的距离！这些勇敢的企鹅已经游了好几个月，研究人员认为它们可能是沿着因全球变暖而改变的海流前进。
想象一下，你正站在南非开普敦的一处岩石海滩上。你能感受到脸上吹来的凉爽海风，突然，你看到一群企鹅摇摇晃晃地向你走来！这就是上周游客和科学家们看到的令人惊讶的场景，他们发现了这些来自南极洲的"旅行者"出现在非洲海岸上。这些企鹅看起来与当地的非洲企鹅有些不同——它们体型更大，胸前羽毛更鲜艳。
科学家们一直在使用装在企鹅背上的特殊追踪器来研究它们。他们发现这些鸟儿是出色的游泳健将，有些在水中的速度甚至能达到每小时36公里！这几乎和城市街道上的汽车一样快。这段旅程充满危险，一路上鲨鱼和鲸鱼都在威胁着这些企鹅。
你认为如果这些南极企鹅决定留在非洲会发生什么？它们将如何适应更温暖的气候和新环境？
另一个令人惊叹的动物新闻是，日本的孩子们正在帮助机器人学习如何与海龟交流！东京海洋研究所的海洋生物学家们制造了特殊的水下机器人，它们可以和海龟一起游泳并收集有关它们健康和习性的信息。最棒的部分是什么？几所小学的学生被邀请来帮助设计机器人与海龟的"对话"。
这些机器人看起来像小型、友好的鱼，能够在水中安静地移动。它们配备了摄像头和传感器，可以测量海龟的心率、体温，甚至计算它们壳上的藤壶数量。然后数据被传输到电脑上，科学家和学生们一起合作解读这些信息的含义。
想象一下，你戴上一个特殊的潜水面罩，跟着一个机器人在色彩斑斓的珊瑚礁中追踪一只巨大的海龟。你看到机器人做出轻柔的动作与海龟"交流"，就像在说你好一样！学生们一直在创造不同的信号和声音，让机器人用来"海龟语"。这些信号从闪烁的灯光到轻柔的嗡嗡声，都不会吓跑海龟。
一组学生发现，当机器人从侧面而不是从上方或下方接近海龟时，海龟反应最好。他们还发现海龟对以之字形移动的物体比直线移动的物体更感兴趣。
如果你能设计自己的水下机器人与海洋动物交流，它会有什么特点？你会如何确保它不会打扰动物们的自然环境？
最后，对于喜欢动手实践的同学，为什么不尝试创造你自己的海洋动物艺术呢？澳大利亚海洋艺术中心的科学家们开发了一种简单的方法，让孩子们在制作美丽图画的同时学习海洋生物知识。你只需要一些蓝色纸、白色粉笔和少许盐！
这个技巧很简单：用白粉笔在蓝色纸上画出海浪，然后轻轻地在画上喷水，撒上少许盐。让它干燥，当你刷掉盐粒时，你会看到看起来像海洋泡沫和气泡的惊人图案。然后你可以用彩色铅笔或记号笔添加你最喜欢的海洋动物。
这个艺术项目帮助我们理解盐和水如何相互作用，就像在真实的海洋中一样。一些学生甚至创作了完整的海底场景，展示了企鹅从南极洲到非洲的旅程，或者机器人在日本与海龟相遇的情景。
你能想到哪些其他有创意的方法来了解来自不同大洲的动物？也许你可以制作一张显示它们迁徙路线的地图，或者以一只旅行企鹅的视角写一篇日记？