News update

On this week’s news update…

Robot Spiders

Robot spiders head to the Moon...

Carbon Emissions Drop

… carbon emissions drop…

Golden Lion Tamarins

… and golden lion tamarins get a helping hand.

First up:

Like planet Earth today, the Moon was once home to active volcanoes.

Millions of years ago, volcanic eruptions helped shape the lunar surface, contributing to the Moon’s eye-catching landscape.

Scientists have used research vehicles to explore the surface of the Moon, but a new type of vehicle will now explore the Moon’s craters and caves—robot spiders!

A rocket carrying the robots will blast off to the Moon later this year.

Once released onto the Moon’s surface, the high-tech spiders will use their mechanical legs to access locations that vehicles with wheels can’t reach, such as old volcanic craters, and underground tunnels created by lava flows.

Making 3-D scans of these mysterious landscapes, the robot spiders will map out previously unexplored areas of the Moon, enabling scientists to prepare for future human missions!

Up next:

Last year, people all over the world were asked to stay at home in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As a result, planes were grounded, roads emptied, and less fossil fuels were burned to power factories and businesses.

Whilst lockdowns have been a difficult experience for many people, and caused lots of disruption to daily life, there has been one benefit to COVID shutdowns—carbon dioxide emissions have dropped dramatically!

Scientists estimate that last year global carbon emissions decreased by about 7%—or 2.4 billion tonnes!

Now, there’s hope we can continue to reduce our emissions even after lockdowns are lifted, by altering our behaviour in certain ways, like using more renewable energy, taking holidays closer to home, and making our neighbourhoods more environmentally friendly.

And finally:

Animal Watch

It’s Animal Watch!

Zookeepers at Auckland Zoo in New Zealand have had a busy few months, looking after two tiny twins.

golden lion tamarins

Golden lion tamarins are a species of monkey normally found in South America, but with less than three thousand left in the wild, zoos around the world have stepped in to provide a safe home.

When the twins’ Mum wasn’t able to provide enough milk, keepers decided to help out with parenting duties.

After a few weeks of bottle feeding, cleaning them, and keeping them comfy, the team then introduced the twins to solid food.

Growing stronger by the day, the twins were finally reintroduced to their parents, and let loose to monkey around in the great outdoors!

Thanks for watching, we’ll see you next time!