23 April 2022 • The Week Junior 7
Tokyo, Japan
Robot trained to peel bananas
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have trained a robot
to peel a banana without squashing the fruit. To train it,
they demonstrated how to peel a banana hundreds of
times so that the robot could learn those actions. The robot
is only successful 57% of the time but it’s hoped that, with
more training, robots could master delicate tasks.Queensland, Australia
Fire ants spread to new areas
After recent bad weather in the Australian state of
Queensland, fire ants have spread. The ants, which eat
crops and can kill small animals, survive in rising waters by
locking their bodies together, often thousands at a time, to
form floating rafts. Ant expert Dr Ross Wylie said, “Rafting
is one of the ways fire ants can colonise new areas.”The Philippines
People rescued after Storm Megi
Rescue workers in the Philippines have been helping
people after Storm Megi flooded homes, caused power
cuts and destroyed roads. Crews managed to find and
rescue many people from flooded areas, carrying them to
safety or ferrying them to dry land. At least 167 people
have died because of the tropical storm.Mogadishu, Somalia
News project launched
The United Nations (a group of 193
countries that work together) has
supported the creation of an all-female
news team in Somalia. The team of
six will focus on women in politics and
business, as well as issues of sexism
(when women are treated unfairly).
The news team is called “Bilan”, which
means “bright and clear” in the Somali
language. It is based in the country’s
capital, Mogadishu.Anhui, China
Tea draws tourists
The mountain village of Wugongling,
in China’s Anhui province, has become
a tourist attraction because of its
terraced (stepped) tea garden.
Starting in the 1960s, villagers spent
13 years building steps into the
mountainside so they could grow tea
plants there. The village was once
poor but now attracts lots of tourists.
The garden has a viewing platform,
walkways and a visitor centre.Around the world
The Bilan
project.A pesky
fire ant.Rescuers lead
people to safety.A robot peels
a banana.
The terraced
tea garden.