Scientists in Australia want to build what they describe as a “downward looking telescope” to look for mineral wealth under the Earth’s surface.
The “telescope” is really a project aimed at increasing understanding of the geology, or physical structure, of Australia.
Scientists want to combine different kinds of geological information and create a three-dimensional (3-D) map of the Earth’s interior. Their hope is to show details of rocks and minerals to a depth of at least 300 kilometers under the surface.
The Australian Academy of Sciences released details of the project earlier this month. It is part of a 10-year plan for increasing geological science research.  
The Academy said in its report that geoscience is very important for Australia’s education system and economy.
The plan recognizes the importance of mobile technology, renewable energy and other technologies, like those needed for electric vehicles. Researchers say development of these technologies will lead to a huge increase in demand for some minerals. They include copper, cobalt, gold and what are called rare-earth elements.
Many other important minerals are also believed to exist, hidden beneath Australia.
Sue O’Reilly is with the Australian Academy of Sciences. She described the mapping project this way.
“We can map the geology of the interior of the Earth just like we currently map the surface of the Earth by walking over it and physically looking at the rocks that we see.”
O’Reilly said the map will be put together virtually by using powerful computers. When completed, she believes it will help scientists predict where to look for geological formations and mineral resources. O’Reilly said 90 percent of the work will be done with computers and computer modelling of geological processes.
The project would bring together very different kinds of information about the Earth. It would include measurements of seismic waves made by earthquakes. Scientists also would use information about the electrical and magnetic qualities of rocks deep underground. Other sources would include samples from volcanoes and satellite imaging data.
All this information would then be combined with computer and experimental models.
Minerals needed for future industry
Australian scientists believe that by 2030, worldwide demand for the mineral cobalt will be almost 50 times greater than it was in 2016. They are concerned that if Australia cannot produce enough of the metal for its own industries, the country will face shortages, delays and very high prices.
Cobalt is important to the production of long-lasting batteries that power electronic cars and other devices. It is estimated that about 300 companies around the world are searching for new supplies of cobalt.
O’Reilly said that future demand for Australia’s mineral resources requires an increased knowledge of geoscience.
The plan provides evidence of the weakness of geoscience studies in Australia’s education system, and the need to develop a new generation of scientists.
The Academy also noted the need to “expand Australia’s national computing capability” so that the country can continue to develop its geological computer models.
I’m Mario Ritter.
 
Phil Mercer wrote this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted his story for Learning English with additional information from the Australian Academy of Science report. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
 
dimensional – adj. of or related to a measurement in any one direction  
interior – n. an inner part or area
mobile – adj. being moved; changeable in purpose
virtually – adv. existing or occurring on computers or the internet
seismic – adj. of, relating to, or caused by earthquakes
battery – n. something that produces electric current
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An unusual scientific experiment ended 25 years ago when eight people walked out of a miniature Earth called Biosphere 2.
Biosphere 2 is a collection of large, connected buildings in the American state of Arizona. The buildings are made mainly of steel and glass.
The experiment began in September 1991 when the eight individuals entered Biosphere 2. A crowd watched as the four men and four women were secured inside. The event received a lot of media attention in the United States and across the world.
Biosphere 2 was designed to test whether human beings could survive in a closed environment, one that aimed to create conditions similar to those found in nature. The miniature Earth had a man-made rain forest, desert, grasslands and even a small ocean.
Technology provided air flow, water and temperature controls. Water supplies and air were cleaned and reused. The eight people grew vegetables, rice and other foods they needed to survive. Farm animals were used to provide meat, eggs and milk.
The eight test subjects, called “Biospherians,” faced a few unexpected problems during the experiment. Low oxygen levels were discovered and began to affect the group’s health. A decision was made to pump in additional oxygen. The group was also not able to produce as much food as expected.  
But all of them were able to complete the survivability test, which ended in September 1993. By then, the Biospherians had divided into two opposing groups. They had split under the pressures of sharing a small space and disagreements over the direction of the project.
The decision to provide oxygen from the outside world led to criticism of the $150 million project. Some members of the scientific community called the experiment a failure because the closed environment was supposed to be self-sustaining.
In 1994, another experiment was launched with a new group of subjects after improvements were made to Biosphere 2. But it had to be stopped six months later because of disputes over administration and financing issues. The ownership of Biosphere 2 then changed several times over the years.
Today, the University of Arizona operates the buildings as a scientific research center for controlled studies. Researchers from around the world can now use the facility to carry out experiments.
Joaquin Ruiz is a geologist with the University of Arizona and director of Biosphere 2. He told the Associated Press the controlled settings can help researchers to complete experiments in a more predictable environment.
Among the users of Biosphere 2 have been researchers from the Global Institute for Water Security at Canada’s University of Saskatchewan. They studied how plants in the small rainforest deal with water intake without risking harm to the environment.
Scientists from the University of Hawaii have carried out experiments on a miniature coral reef without hurting real corals in the Pacific Ocean.
Christopher Field is the director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. He told the AP he thinks Biosphere 2 has developed into a valuable, modern scientific tool. 
“You have to separate it from what it was originally to see its worth today,” Field said. He added that Biosphere 2’s controlled environment provides “a powerful way to help us understand the way the world works.”
Jane Poynter was a member of the first Biosphere 2 group. She told the AP she thinks the current operators of the project “have been doing a really great job” at developing “strong foundations” for science. She added: “Twenty-five years after we came out, it’s still very forward-looking.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
 
The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
 
miniature – adj. very small
self-sustaining – adj. able to survive without outside help
reef – n. a line of rocks or sand at or near the surface of the sea
originally – adv. in the beginning; when something first existed
foundation – n. an underlying basis or principle for something
 (2018/10/22 06:57)

 
Americans’ favorite activity has long been said to be baseball. But a new study by the U.S. government suggests that is not true. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says Americans seem to enjoy watching television more than anything else.
Researchers examined how Americans age 15 and older spent their free time during the years 2013 to 2017. They learned that Americans spend almost three hours every day watching TV.
The activity includes watching movies, recorded programs, and live broadcasts.
So who watches television the most? People over the age of 65, researchers found. Older people clock in at more than four and a half hours of television every day.
Parents with small children spent the least amount of time in front of the tube, as TV is sometimes called.
Researchers discovered something else, too: Men watch about 30 minutes more television than women each day.
I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.
 
Kelly Jean Kelly adapted this story for Learning English from VOA’s All About Amierca Blog. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
clock in – expression to record or document time spent doing something(2018/10/22 06:55)

 
Close to 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities by the year 2050. That prediction comes from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
U.N. officials predict that another 2.5 billion people could be living in the world’s cities by the middle of the century. Experts warn that population growth will worsen housing crises in some areas.
Large cities around the world, from Los Angeles to Mumbai, already struggle with housing issues. In some neighborhoods, rising housing prices have forced the very poor from their homes. Many poor people now live in simple, temporary shelters or on the street.
Kevin Klowden directs the Center for Regional Economics and California Center at the Milken Institute. He notes that people are moving to large cities not just for high paying jobs. He said that many are also looking for the chance to live and work with other people, career advancement and access to better resources.
Some countries have built new capital cities to help ease overcrowding. Nigeria, Myanmar, Kazakhstan and Tanzania have all moved their administrative centers in recent years. Egypt is building a new capital east of Cairo. Klowden says these efforts help, but do not solve the problem.
A U.N. report released in May noted that 37 million people live in Tokyo, the world’s largest city by population. New Delhi follows with 29 million, and Shanghai with 26 million. Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka are each home to about 20 million people.
The report predicted that by 2030, the world will have 43 very large cities, each with more than 10 million people. The reports adds that some smaller cities will also have major population growth. By 2020, Tokyo's population is expected to begin to decrease. India, China and Nigeria will be responsible for one-third of the world's predicted urban expansion by 2050.
Eric Heikkila directs the Office of Global Engagement at the University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy. He says that in many cases, population growth takes place before there are plans to deal with that growth. He added that land use rules sometimes are outdated.
People may be displaced by conflict, lack documents proving ownership of their land or have no lenders willing to help them buy a home. The World Bank says only 30 percent of land use rights are registered or recorded worldwide.
Tjada McKenna is chief operating officer for the aid group Habitat for Humanity International. She says that the ability to own a home in many countries is often difficult, especially for women and minority groups.
Private organizations, like Habitat for Humanity, are helping. It asks volunteers to build homes. The group has provided housing for more than 13 million people since its creation in 1976.
Habitat for Humanity also has loan programs for people living outside the United States. McKenna said,  “We’re allowing families to make their homes livable. With those (loans), people are installing toilets or cook stoves or other things.” 
Eric Heikkila noted that every city is different in dealing with development issues. Each one has its own economic forces at work, its own institutions at play and its own history, he said.
Experts say that answers to the housing crisis and other issues must be developed city by city.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
 
Mike Sullivan reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
 
advancement - n.  the act or result of making something better, more successful, etc.​; the act of being raised to a higher rank or position​
access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone​
resources - n.  a supply of something, such as money, that someone has and can use when it is needed​
urban - adj. of or relating to cities and the people who live in them​
toilet - n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed with water​
institution - n. a custom, practice, or law that is accepted and used by many people​(2018/10/22 06:55)

 
Concerns about money owed to China for its Belt and Road Initiative are increasing in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The initiative, a huge infrastructure project, is a Chinese effort to improve transportation and increase trade across the area.
In recent weeks, more than $30 billion in infrastructure projects have been canceled. Officials are reconsidering some loans and investments.
Governments from Vietnam to Zambia are seeing public opposition to Chinese investments as well as fear of what has been called “debt diplomacy.”
In August, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad canceled more than $20 billion in Belt and Road projects for railroads and pipelines. Pakistan cut another $2 billion off plans for a railway. Last year, Pakistan canceled a $14 billion dam project because of financial concerns. Last month, Nepal canceled another dam project, and Sierra Leone announced last week that it was dropping an airport project over debt concerns.
In some countries, such as Vietnam, it is just the idea of Chinese investment that has led to push back.
Following public protests, Vietnam recently decided to postpone plans for several special economic areas.
Several Belt and Road projects have been canceled or delayed in countries where elections led to a change of power. Economist Christopher Balding told VOA that the newly elected leaders appeared worried about taking on large amounts of debt.
"The people in these countries are very worried about the level of debt that these countries are taking on in regard to China, and I think that is very important to note," Balding said.
"It's not just anti-China people that are driving this,” he added.
China says there are no political conditions connected to its investments and loans. The government argues it is providing loans in places others will not. But Beijing's takeover of a port in Sri Lanka late last year did little to ease those concerns.
String of ports
The New York Times reported that China agreed to forgive Sri Lanka's debt in exchange for a 99-year lease on the port of Hambanthota and 6,000 hectares of land around it.
The Sri Lankan government denies it gave land to a Chinese company. Yet, the deal has persuaded some people that China is setting up debt traps. They believe the Chinese will take control of the roads and other infrastructure that Chinese state-operated companies build.
Hambanthota is one of 42 ports where China has been part of the building and operations.
In 2021, China will accept responsibility for operating one of Israel's largest ports in Haifa. Iran is considering China as a building partner for its port in Chabahar, near the Iranian border with Pakistan.
But the Chabahar port project is on hold because of United States restrictions against Iran. And that is not the only problem, notes David Kelly, research director at the Beijing-based group China Policy.
"It's in the driest…part of Iran," Kelly said. "It looks like a real loser commercially, unless it (has) a lot of oil."
Some observers say the Middle East, with its oil money, is less at risk for debt traps.
However, the port that is most like the one in Sri Lanka is Djibouti in East Africa. That is where China recently set up its first overseas military base.
Djibouti owes more than 88 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). China owns $1.4 billion of that debt. That kind of indebtedness might lead to agreements similar to Sri Lanka’s, experts say.
Debt traps
The Center for Global Development says 23 of the 68 countries where China is investing for Belt and Road projects are at high risk of debt problems. Another eight, including Djibouti, may have debt problems linked to future projects. The Washington, D.C.-based group published the information in a report released earlier this year.
China argues that its investments are aimed at increasing trade and helping developing countries.
Cancellations continue
Oh Ei Sun is a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. He told VOA that all of the cancellations and changes are what he calls Belt and Road indigestion.
Concerns about debt traps and debt diplomacy will not have an effect on China in the future, he says, but stops, starts and cancellations will continue.
Oh says China's model of development is build infrastructure and the economy will grow. This worked in China, but it may not work in other countries.
I’m Susan Shand.
 
VOA’s Bill Ide reported this story. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
 
infrastructure – n. the equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a countryor area
commercial – adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services
strategic - adj. of or relating to a general plan that is created to meet a goal in war or politics, usually over a long period of time
indigestion – n. an unpleasant feeling (such as pain or a burning sensation) in your stomach or chest that is caused by difficulty in breaking down food
lease – n. an agreement by which one provides land, property or equipment in exchange for payments over a set period(2018/10/22 06:54)