SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Shirley Griffith.

MARIO RITTER: And I’m Mario Ritter. Today, we tell about an American study of heart attack survivors. We tell about a scientist recognized for his work in plate tectonics. And we tell how modern-day musicians rated some of the most famous instruments ever made.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Learning about the death of a loved one can be among life’s most stressful events. A recent study showed that the risk of heart attack increases in the days and hours after getting news of such a death. Researchers studied nearly two thousand heart attack survivors. The subjects were asked whether someone close to them had died in the six months before their heart attack.

Elizabeth Mostofsky is with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

ELIZABETH MOSTOFSKY: “We found that the risk of having a heart attack was twenty-one times higher in the day following the loss of a loved one, compared to other times. And that risk remained elevated in the subsequent days and weeks.”

MARIO RITTER: Elizabeth Mostofsky says earlier research explored the risk of dying from any cause over a year or more after the death of a husband, wife or child. The earlier research did not include the death of other close family members or friends.

Ms. Mostofsky and her team studied information from the days immediately after receiving the news. She says several things could explain why the intense feelings after the death of a loved one could lead to a heart attack.

ELIZABETH MOSTOFSKY: “Grief causes feeling of depression, anger, and anxiety, and several studies have shown that these emotions can cause increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, and blood clotting. And those in turn, can increase the chances of having a heart attack.”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Ms. Mostofsky says the family and friends of those mourning for a loved one should know about the increased risk of heart attack.

ELIZABETH MOSTOFSKY: “People should be making sure that the bereaved person is taking care of himself or herself, including taking regular medications, because they are at that heightened level of vulnerability at this time in their life.”

Her research paper was published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.

(MUSIC)

MARIO RITTER: A few weeks ago, we talked about the science of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics explains why the Earth’s surface moves. It also tells how those changes cause earthquakes and volcanic activity. Today, we tell about a scientist who helped prove the theory of continental drift. Walter C. Pitman, the third, is an adjunct professor of geophysics at Columbia University. Now in his eighties, he works at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: When Walter Pitman was a teenager, he enjoyed visiting his father’s workplace at Bell Labs research center. He remembers asking the researchers about their work.

WALTER PITMAN: “I worked there in the summertime sweeping floors but I was in amongst all these people. It was wonderful.”

Walter Pitman studied electrical engineering and physics in college. He then went to work for an electronics company. He was not excited about the work, until one project – doing research on submarines – fueled a love for oceanography.

Mister Pitman returned to school. For his doctoral studies, he went back to sea on a research vessel. He hoped to gather evidence that all the continents had once been joined. He thought they had been moving apart on large plates for hundreds of millions of years.

MARIO RITTER: Walter Pitman helped prove the idea that Earth’s continents move. He did this by recording and studying magnetic patterns at the bottom of the ocean.

WALTER PITMAN: “It was electrifying. I didn’t imagine ever being involved in anything so astonishing and so very, very important to the geologic sciences at such a young age in my career. I was very fortunate to be there when it all happened.”

The science of plate tectonics explains how the continents move around the oceans. It also explains how continents can strike each other and break apart, creating earthquakes and mountain chains.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Later, Mr. Pitman turned his attention to the surface of the ocean, and sea level changes. He and William Ryan, another Columbia University geophysicist, proposed what is known as the Black Sea Deluge Theory. They suggested that the Black Sea was once a landlocked freshwater lake. Then about seven thousand five hundred years ago, melting ice from glaciers raised water levels in the Mediterranean Sea.

WALTER PITMAN: “You’re talking about a huge mass of water coming in to fill a very small basin. And that water as it would come through the Bosporus is going to cut the Bosporus deeper. The deeper it cuts, the faster it flows. The faster it flows, the faster it cuts. There is a feedback mechanism. So soon you start with a trickle and within a very short period of time, it’s a roaring, raging flume of water and we’re very sure that’s what it [the biblical flood] was, you know.”

MARIO RITTER: Mr. Pitman and other researchers are currently studying the climate of the Arctic Ocean. And they are exploring its effects on water cycles over the past two million years. Their research could help scientists predict the effects of climate change, which is causing sea levels to rise.

WALTER PITMAN: “I’ve had an incredible, incredibly good time at this kind of endeavor. There are bad spots, of course there are bad spots. But the science is always fascinating. You might, you know, stop reading for the day or something like that and say, ‘Wow, that was so great. I learned something about how the Earth works.’ That is really pure pleasure.”

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is the sound of the greatest violin ever made.

Or maybe it is this one.

It could be a Stradivarius, or an Amati, or a Guarneri made hundreds of years ago. But it might also have been made just last year by someone whose name is not nearly so famous. And that leads us to ask the following. Can you tell, just by listening, which is the best violin? If so, what makes it great?

MARIO RITTER: It all began over three hundred years ago in the town of Cremona in northern Italy. If you wanted to buy a really good musical instrument, you probably visited Antonio Stradivari, Girolamo Amati, or Andrea Guarneri. Many people said they made the best violins that money could buy. Today, many still think of those violins as the greatest of all time. Those that still exist can sell for millions of dollars.

For years, scientists and musicians have sought to discover the secrets of the master violin makers. They know that most of the time, spruce, willow or maple wood was used. Some people have thought that chemicals like borax were added to the wooden parts. Others have said that honey, or even the white of an egg was painted on the parts before they were put together.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Still other researchers say that a special kind of glue was used to connect the parts. Some think the secret is in the varnish, the nearly clear liquid that was used as a final cover to protect the wood. Or maybe the wood was special because it grew at a time when the weather was colder than it is today. In the end, no one knows for sure.

And some people say we should not spend a lot of time thinking about the materials and processes used long ago. They instead think that some modern violins sound just as good and cost a lot less. Claudia Fritz at the University of Paris is one of those people. She led a study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

At a musical competition in Indiana, she asked twenty-one really good violin players to test six different instruments. She did not tell them that only three of the violins were very old and costly. Together, the three were worth about ten million dollars. The other three were made by modern luthiers, or instrument makers, and cost a hundred times less.

MARIO RITTER: Ms. Fritz asked each of the players to wear welders’ goggles, thick, dark eyeglasses, so they could not see the instruments very well while holding them. She thought that some people might be able to identify an old violin by its smell. So she put a little sweet-smelling perfume on the part of the instrument that fits under a player’s chin.

The test began in a hotel room. All the subjects in the experiment were permitted to play all six violins, and then say which one they would like to own. Then each player was given only two violins to test. One was very old. The other was modern. They were asked which of the two sounded better.  The results of the test led Ms. Fritz to believe that there is no secret to how the old, great violins were made.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Of the twenty-one players, only eight chose an old violin as the best. Even a recently made violin was judged to be much better sounding than the world famous Stradivarius. Ms. Fritz says the difference between the old and new instruments is only in the mind of the player. Modern luthiers were happy that she found what they believed.

But some professional musicians think the test had little value. One noted that violins are meant to be heard in a concert hall, not a hotel room.

MARIO RITTER:  Researchers have performed tests like this many times in the past.  But Ms. Fritz says those tests asked average listeners to try to predict which violin was made by a master. Her test was given to concert violinists who play at the highest level. They are the ones you would expect to have the best “ear” for great sound.

There is an old saying that, “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.” If that is true, then perhaps your opinion of how an instrument sounds to your ear is really what matters.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:  This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake and Jim Tedder. June Simms was our producer. I’m Shirley Griffith.

MARIO RITTER: And I’m Mario Ritter. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

2012-01-30

heart attack详细»
[内科] 心脏病发作

a scientist recognized
一个科学家公认的

in plate tectonics
块构造的

electrical engineering and physics
电气工程和物理

elevated ['elɪveɪtɪd] 详细»
n. 高架铁路

adj. 提高的；高尚的；严肃的；欢欣的

v. 提高；抬起；振奋；提拔（elevate的过去分词）

subsequent ['sʌbsɪkw(ə)nt] 详细»
adj. 后来的，随后的

explored [ɪk'splor] 详细»
v. 开发；探寻（explore的过去分词）；冒险

adj. 勘探过的

intense feelings详细»
网络释义┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
激烈的情感

词典 depression [dɪ'preʃ(ə)n] 详细»
n. 沮丧；洼地；不景气；忧愁

clotting ['klɔtiŋ] 详细»
n. 凝血；结块

v. 结快（clot的ing形式）

mourning ['mɔːnɪŋ] 详细»
n. 哀痛；服丧

v. 哀伤；为…哀悼（mourn的ing形式）

bereaved [bɪ'rivd] 详细»
n. 丧失亲人的人

adj. 丧失的；死了…的

vt. 使丧失（bereave的过去式和过去分词）

taking regular medications
服用常规药物

heightened详细»
v. 提高，升高（heighten的过去分词）

vulnerability [,vʌlnərə'biliti] 详细»
n. 易损性；弱点

circulation [sɜːkjʊ'leɪʃ(ə)n] 详细»
n. 流通，传播；循环；发行量

plate tectonics详细»
n. [地质] 板块构造论

volcanic activity详细»
[地质] 火山活动；[地质] 火山活动性

the theory of continental drift详细»
网络释义┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
大陆漂移学说

continental [kɒntɪ'nent(ə)l] 详细»
n. 欧洲人

adj. 大陆的；大陆性的

drift [drɪft] 详细»
n. 漂流，漂移；趋势；漂流物

vi. 漂流，漂移；漂泊

vt. 使…漂流；使…受风吹积

adjunct ['ædʒʌŋ(k)t] 详细»
n. 附属物；助手；修饰语

adj. 附属的

geophysics [,dʒiːə(ʊ)'fɪzɪks] 详细»
n. 地球物理；地球物理学

observatory [əb'zɜːvət(ə)rɪ] 详细»
n. 天文台；气象台；瞭望台

palisades [,pæli'seidz] 详细»
n. 栅栏（palisade的复数）；[地质] 岩壁

summertime ['sʌmətaɪm] 详细»
n. 夏季

submarines ['sʌbməri:nz] 详细»
n. 潜艇；潜水艇（submarine的复数）

fueled详细»
v. 加燃料（fuel的过去分词）

oceanography [,əʊʃə'nɒgrəfɪ] 详细»
n. 海洋学

vessel ['ves(ə)l] 详细»
n. 船，舰；[组织] 脉管，血管；容器，器皿

magnetic [mæg'netɪk] 详细»
adj. 地磁的；有磁性的；有吸引力的

magnetic patterns
磁模式

electrifying [i'lektrifaiiŋ] 详细»
adj. 令人振奋的；惊人的

n. 毛绒电光整理

v. 使充电；使激动（electrify的ing形式）

astonishing [ə'stɑnɪʃɪŋ] 详细»
adj. 惊人的；令人惊讶的

v. 使…惊讶；使…诧异（astonish的ing形式）

geologic [,dʒɪəʊ'lɒdʒɪk] 详细»
adj. 地质的；地质学上的

strike [straɪk] 详细»
n. 罢工；打击；殴打

vi. 打，打击；罢工；敲，敲击；抓；打动；穿透

vt. 打，击；罢工；撞击，冲击；侵袭；打动；到达

geophysicist [,dʒio'fɪzɪsɪst] 详细»
n. [地物] 地球物理学者

proposed [prəu'pəuzd] 详细»
v. 提议；计划（propose的过去式和过去分词）

adj. 被提议的；所推荐的

deluge ['deljuːdʒ] 详细»
n. 洪水；泛滥；暴雨

vt. 使泛滥；压倒

landlocked ['lændlɒkt] 详细»
adj. 为陆地所包围的

freshwater ['freʃwɔːtə] 详细»
n. 淡水；内河；湖水

adj. 淡水的；无经验的

melting ['meltiŋ] 详细»
adj. 融化的；溶解的；动人的；感伤的

v. 融化（melt的ing形式）

Mediterranean [,mɛdətə'renɪən] 详细»
n. 地中海

adj. 地中海的

basin ['beɪs(ə)n] 详细»
n. 水池；流域；盆地；盆

Bosporus ['bɔspərəs] 详细»
n. [地理] 博斯普鲁斯海峡；博斯普鲁斯

a feedback mechanism

mechanism ['mek(ə)nɪz(ə)m] 详细»
n. 机制；原理，途径；进程；机械装置；技巧

很短的时间内
a very short period of time

roaring ['rɔːrɪŋ] 详细»
n. 咆哮；怒吼；吼声

adj. 喧闹的；兴胜的；狂风暴雨的

v. 怒吼（uproar的现在分词）

raging ['redʒɪŋ] 详细»
adj. 愤怒的，狂暴的

v. 发怒，恼火（rage的现在分词）

flume [fluːm] 详细»
n. 水道；笕槽；引水槽

vt. 用引水槽输送；用引水槽引

climate ['klaɪmət] 详细»
n. 气候；风气；思潮；风土

the Arctic Ocean详细»
n. 北冰洋

predict [prɪ'dɪkt] 详细»
vi. 作出预言；作预料，作预报

vt. 预报，预言；预知

sea level详细»
[海洋] 海平面

incredible [ɪn'kredɪb(ə)l] 详细»
adj. 难以置信的，惊人的

endeavor [in'devə] 详细»
n. 努力；尽力（等于endeavour）

vi. 努力；尽力（等于endeavour）

vt. 努力；尽力（等于endeavour）

spots详细»
n. 斑点（spot的复数）；插播广告；花点布，点子花纹棉布；置球点

fascinating ['fæsɪnetɪŋ] 详细»
adj. 迷人的；吸引人的；使人神魂颠倒的

v. 使…着迷；使…陶醉（fascinate的ing形式）

Stradivarius [,strædə'vεəriəs] 详细»
n. 弦乐器（尤指斯特拉迪瓦里及其子制作的小提琴）

Amati [ə'mɑ:ti] 详细»
n. 阿玛蒂提琴

Guarneri详细»
网络释义┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
瓜奈里 瓜纳里 内里

Cremona in northern Italy

sought [sɔːt] 详细»
v. 寻找（seek的过去式和过去分词）

scientists and musicians have sought to discover the secrets of the master violin makers.

spruce [spruːs] 详细»
n. 云杉

vt. 打扮整齐

adj. 整洁的

vi. 打扮整齐；使显干净

willow ['wɪləʊ] 详细»
n. [林] 柳树；[木] 柳木制品

adj. 柳木制的

maple ['meɪp(ə)l] 详细»
n. 枫树；淡棕色

borax ['bɔːræks] 详细»
n. 硼砂

honey ['hʌnɪ] 详细»
n. 蜂蜜；宝贝；甜蜜

adj. 甘美的；蜂蜜似的

vt. 对…说甜言蜜语；加蜜使甜

vi. 奉承；说甜言蜜语

wooden ['wʊd(ə)n] 详细»
adj. 木制的；僵硬的，呆板的

varnish ['vɑːnɪʃ] 详细»
n. 亮光漆，清漆；虚饰；光泽面

vt. 装饰，粉饰；在…上涂清漆；使…有光泽

liquid ['lɪkwɪd] 详细»
n. 液体，流体；流音

adj. 液体的；清澈的；明亮的；易变的

led a study
领导的一个研究

proceedings [prə'si:diŋz] 详细»
n. 诉讼；行动（proceeding的复数形式）；会议记录；议程

competition [kɒmpɪ'tɪʃ(ə)n] 详细»
n. 竞争；比赛，竞赛

luthier ['luːtɪə] 详细»
n. 拨弦乐器制作匠

welders’ goggles
焊工的护目镜

goggles ['gɔglz] 详细»
n. [安全] 护目镜；防护眼镜；瞪视（goggle的复数）

v. 瞪大眼睛看；转动眼珠（goggle的三单形式）

eyeglasses ['aɪ,glæsɪz] 详细»
n. 眼镜（等于glasses）

identify [aɪ'dentɪfaɪ] 详细»
vi. 确定；认同；一致

vt. 确定；识别；使参与；把…看成一样

sweet-smelling详细»
网络释义┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
连接两个单词 散发香味的 气味好闻

perfume ['pɜːfjuːm] 详细»
n. 香水；香味

vt. 洒香水于…；使…带香味

vi. 散发香气

chin

chin [tʃɪn] 详细»
n. 下巴；聊天；引体向上动作

vt. 用下巴夹住；与…聊天；在单杠上作引体向上动作

vi. 闲谈；作引体向上动作

permitted详细»
v. 允许（permit的过去分词）

adj. 被允许的

The results of the test led Ms. Fritz to believe that there is no secret to how the old, great violins were made

was judged to be much better sounding than the world famous Stradivarius

performed详细»
v. 执行，表演（perform的过去分词形式）

performed tests
执行测试

predict [prɪ'dɪkt] 详细»
vi. 作出预言；作预料，作预报

vt. 预报，预言；预知

There is an old saying that, “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.”

beholder [bɪ'holdɚ] 详细»
n. 旁观者；观看者