[00:00.00]51VOA.COM [00:14.41]This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS [00:16.72]in VOA Special English. [00:19.27]I'm Barbara Klein. [00:21.22]And I'm Bob Doughty. [00:22.69]On our show this week, [00:24.38]we will tell about what is being called [00:26.97]the world's largest tornado experiment. [00:30.25]We also will tell how a job loss [00:33.42]can affect your health. [00:34.92]And,we tell about a simple way to save lives. [00:39.55](MUSIC) [00:48.99]Tornadoes are one of the most [00:51.01]violent weather events on Earth. [00:53.98]Each year,the severe winds of tornadoes [00:58.08]kill many people. [01:00.19]The storms have been known to carry homes, [01:03.90]cars and trees from one plane to another. [01:08.53]And they can also destroy anything [01:12.08]in their path. [01:13.79]A tornado is a violently turning tube [01:17.55]of air suspended from a thick cloud. [01:20.43]It extends from a thunderstorm [01:23.35]in the sky down to the ground. [01:26.15]The shape is like a funnel: [01:29.18]wide at the top, [01:31.02]narrower at the bottom. [01:33.42]Tornadoes form when winds blowing [01:36.83]in different directions meet in the cloud [01:39.98]and begin to turn in circles. [01:42.58]Warm air rising from below [01:45.76]causes the wind tube [01:47.86]to reach toward the ground. [01:50.40]Because of their circular movement, [01:52.85]these severe windstorms [01:55.21]are also known as twisters. [01:57.58]Tornadoes have been observed [02:00.68]on every continent except Antarctica. [02:04.73]But weather experts say [02:07.33]they are most common is the United States. [02:11.03]Each year, [02:12.63]the United States has more than [02:15.12]one thousand tornadoes. [02:17.80]These storms can happen any time of the year. [02:22.57]But most happen from late winter [02:26.56]to the middle of summer. [02:28.33]There is a second high season in November. [02:32.73]During spring, [02:35.16]warm air moves north [02:38.05]and mixes with cold air remaining from winter. [02:42.20]In November, [02:44.62]the opposite happens. [02:46.07]Cold weather moves south and combines [02:50.11]with the last of the warm air from summer. [02:53.37]Tornadoes can strike with little or no warning. [02:58.16]Weather experts operate warning systems [03:01.61]to tell people about possible tornadoes. [03:04.97]But the storms often move too fast [03:08.16]for people to flee. [03:09.98]Last year, [03:11.58]tornadoes killed more than [03:13.94]one hundred people in the United States. [03:17.75]Most injuries happen [03:19.92]when flying objects hit people. [03:22.36]Experts say the best place to be [03:25.86]is in a small room, [03:27.86]without windows, [03:29.25]in the middle of the lowest part of a building. [03:32.39]Last month, [03:34.58]American scientists began work on a project [03:38.43]aimed at improving the ability [03:41.29]to predict tornadoes. [03:43.69]The project is said to be [03:45.88]the largest tornado study in history. [03:49.50]It is called Verification [03:53.04]of the Origins of Rotation [03:55.48]in Tornadoes Experiment Two. [03:58.49]The shorter name is VORTEX2. [04:03.18]The project covers an area [04:06.24]of nearly one thousand five hundred kilometers [04:10.50]in the central United States. [04:12.94]This area, [04:15.01]from west Texas to southwest Minnesota, [04:18.72]is where the most violent tornadoes [04:22.08]usually happen. [04:23.77]It is known as "Tornado Alley." [04:27.69]VORTEX2 involves a team [04:31.53]of nearly one hundred people, [04:33.69]many of them scientists. [04:37.00]They are using radars and other equipment [04:40.88]to learn more about how, [04:42.80]why and where tornadoes form. [04:46.52]The team is using forty cars and trucks [04:50.82]to chase tornadoes, [04:52.76]dropping measuring instruments in their paths. [04:56.13]In addition, [04:57.41]unmanned aircraft are collecting information [05:01.02]from inside storms. [05:03.08]The project costs more than [05:05.94]eleven million dollars. [05:07.81]Most of the money is coming [05:10.26]from America's National Science Foundation. [05:13.92]The first Vortex project took place [05:18.31]in nineteen ninety-four [05:20.41]and nineteen ninety-five. [05:22.49]The results helped scientists [05:25.69]better understand supercells. [05:28.56]They are the severe thunderstorms [05:31.87]that produce the most deadly [05:34.11]and destructive tornadoes. [05:36.37]This time,scientists hope to learn more [05:40.34]about the formation, [05:41.93]wind speed and shape of tornadoes. [05:45.74]The study is to continue [05:48.54]through June thirteenth. [05:50.87]A second part of the study is planned [05:54.04]for early next year. [05:55.80]You can follow reports from scientists [05:59.91]on the project [06:01.01]at tornadoscientists.blogspot.com. [06:15.08](MUSIC) [06:28.63]You are listening to the VOA [06:30.67]Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS. [06:34.59]With Barbara Klein, [06:36.18]I'm Bob Doughty in Washington. [06:38.44](MUSIC) [06:40.93]Millions of Americans have lost their jobs [06:43.97]as a result of the current recession. [06:46.61]A new study shows that losing your job [06:50.33]can increase your risk [06:52.16]of developing health problems. [06:54.48]These include heart disease, [06:57.40]heart attack,stroke,diabetes [07:00.41]and high blood pressure. [07:02.06]Earlier studies have shown a link [07:05.23]between job loss and worsened health. [07:09.01]However it was unclear to researchers [07:12.69]whether unemployment caused poor health, [07:16.19]or whether poor health led to job loss. [07:20.01]The new study sought [07:22.20]to discover the answer to this. [07:24.65]Kate Strully carried out the study [07:28.34]while she was [07:29.32]at the Harvard School of Public Health. [07:32.04]Currently,Miz Strully is a sociologist [07:36.20]at State University of New York. [07:39.16]She examined information [07:41.86]from the United States Panel [07:44.82]of Study of Income Dynamics. [07:47.73]This study asks people [07:50.60]across the country each year [07:52.86]about their health and employment. [07:56.38]Miz Strully examined information [07:59.91]about more than eight thousand people. [08:02.74]They were questioned in nineteen ninety-nine, [08:06.81]two thousand one and two thousand three. [08:10.71]Miz Strully noted [08:12.98]whether the subjects were employed [08:15.48]and then looked at their health [08:17.86]eighteen months later. [08:19.86]The sociologist says [08:22.68]she was looking for individuals [08:25.03]who reported becoming jobless [08:27.42]for reasons out of their control, [08:29.82]such as a factory closing. [08:32.34]She found that such individuals [08:35.18]who did not have health problems [08:37.24]were eighty percent more likely [08:39.70]to report a new health problem [08:42.38]after losing their job. [08:44.64]The most common problems [08:47.25]were high blood pressure [08:48.78]or other conditions linked to heart disease. [08:52.78]Among all workers, [08:55.03]the possibility of someone [08:57.18]reporting fair or poor health [09:00.01]rose forty-four percent after job loss [09:03.84]and workplace closure. [09:05.57]The study's findings were reported [09:09.02]in the publication Demography. [09:11.62](MUSIC) [09:31.51]If a person's heart stops, [09:33.62]would you know how to perform CPR? [09:37.38]CPR,or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, [09:42.55]can save a life [09:44.27]and reduce the risk of brain damage [09:47.38]from loss of oxygen. [09:49.02]With traditional CPR, [09:52.30]you give two breathes [09:54.51]to force air into the lungs. [09:57.21]Then you push hard on the chest thirty times. [10:02.85]You repeat these two steps [10:05.80]until the victim wakes up [10:08.29]or medical help arrives. [10:10.82]But people may worry about getting sick [10:15.20]from blowing into a stranger's mouth. [10:18.53]Also,the training is easy to forget, [10:22.78]especially during an emergency. [10:25.52]And those without training [10:28.51]may not do anything for fear [10:31.33]that they will do something wrong. [10:33.50]Last year, [10:35.52]the American Heart Association [10:38.15]reformed its guidelines for CPR. [10:41.29]The group now calls for hands-only CPR [10:46.23]for adults who suddenly collapse. [10:49.13]Here is how it works. [10:51.65]A person has collapsed unconscious [10:55.15]on the ground. [10:56.31]The victim has lost color in the face [10:59.92]and does not appear to be breathing. [11:02.75]These are signs of cardiac arrest. [11:06.06]This is the time to begin CPR. [11:10.14]Place your hands, [11:12.53]one on top of the other, [11:14.48]on the center of the chest. [11:17.06]Push hard and fast. [11:19.60]Aim for a rate of about [11:22.35]one hundred compressions each minute. [11:25.23]Chest compressions keep the blood [11:28.95]flowing to the brain, [11:30.27]heart and other organs. [11:32.66]Guidelines from two thousand five said [11:37.12]only untrained people [11:39.11]should use hands-only CPR. [11:42.52]Those with training were told [11:45.28]to use traditional CPR. [11:47.66]But now the heart association says [11:51.42]everyone should use hands-only CPR [11:54.08]unless they feel strong [11:57.48]about their ability to do rescue breathing. [12:01.05]The rules were reformed [12:03.62]after three studies showed [12:06.05]that the hands-only method [12:08.42]was just as effective as traditional CPR. [12:12.75]Scientists say enough oxygen remains [12:17.31]in a person's system for several minutes [12:20.39]after breathing stops. [12:22.61]But the experts say [12:25.21]you should still use traditional CPR [12:28.96]with a combination of breaths [12:31.09]and compressions on babies and children. [12:34.67]Traditional CPR should also be used [12:38.92]for adults found already unconscious [12:42.19]and not breathing normally. [12:44.21]And traditional CPR should be used [12:47.98]for any victims of drowning or collapse [12:51.37]from breathing problems. [12:53.00]These are all examples where CPR [12:57.19]with mouth-to-mouth breathing [12:59.32]may be more helpful that hands-only CPR. [13:03.98]Because there are many of these cases, [13:07.45]people should still learn CPR [13:10.64]with mouth-to-mouth. [13:12.21](MUSIC) [13:34.25]This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written [13:36.35]by Caty Weaver and Brianna Blake, [13:39.47]who was also our producer. [13:41.74]I'm Barbara Klein. [13:43.44]And I'm Bob Doughty. [13:45.20]Read and listen to our programs [13:47.88]at www.51voa.com. [13:51.74]Listen again next week for more news [13:55.88]about science in Special English [13:58.90]on the Voice of America.