Astronaut Lands Back on Earth

On this week’s news update…

New Virus

Scientists fight a new virus outbreak…

Astronaut Returns

A record-breaking astronaut returns to Earth…

Noisy Drivers

And traffic lights punish noisy drivers!

First up…

Scientists are studying an outbreak of a virus called a coronavirus.

coronavirus

A virus is a tiny particle that can infect living things and make them sick.

This new coronavirus, named Covid-19, was discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, and has now spread to other countries.

Wuhan, China

The virus can spread when people cough or sneeze.

It affects the lungs, and can cause breathing problems and fever.

Most people who catch it will make a full recovery, but some people, such as the elderly, can become very sick.

These scientists at Imperial College London are developing a powerful medicine, called a vaccine, that will protect people against this coronavirus.

vaccine

In the meantime, doctors say that good hygiene—such as regularly washing your hands—can help stop the disease from spreading.

Next up…

Astronaut Christina Koch has waved goodbye to the International Space Station, or ISS, and returned to Earth!

Christina Koch, Astronaut

She made the journey in a spacecraft with two colleagues from Italy and Russia.

Christina spent 328 days in space—longer than any other female astronaut.

During her time on the ISS, she took part in six spacewalks, and helped with hundreds of scientific studies.

One study is exploring how the human body copes with being in space for such a long time.

This research will help scientists plan future long-distance space missions to the Moon and Mars!

And finally...

The city of Mumbai, in India, is home to over 18 million people.

Mumbai, India

The roads here get VERY busy, and when impatient drivers honk their horns at a red light it can get VERY noisy!

When loud noises cause health problems—such as stress or hearing loss—it’s called noise pollution.

noise pollution

Now, the Mumbai police force is testing a creative solution.

They installed decibel meters, which are devices that measure loudness.

decibel meters

The meters are connected to traffic lights, that count down from 90 to zero.

If the drivers get too loud then the countdown resets, and the light stays red for another 90 seconds!

The rule is simple—honk more, wait more.

The police hope these traffic lights will encourage drivers to be patient, and reduce noise pollution, so everyone can continue their journey in peace!

That’s all for this week. We’ll see you next time.