[Music]
foreign
[Applause]
happy Friday Eve it's Thursday May 18th
let's keep it going strong we're almost
at the end of the week and let's make
this a random thought Thursday shall we
what word actually becomes shorter when
you add two letters to it now if you
know the answer keep it to yourself if
not think about it ruminating debate and
I'll give you the answer at the end of
the show I'm koi weyer this is CNN 10
and we begin overseas where we're seeing
heavy flooding in Italy officials say at
least five people have been killed and
over 5 000 residents have been forced to
be evacuated from their homes after
Extreme flooding and mudslides hit the
northern Italian region of Emilia
romagna this region actually was
suffering a prolonged drought but it's
under Red Alert meaning it's the highest
level warning or state of emergency for
life-threatening weather events the
situation is getting dire as more rain
is expect did a total of 600
firefighters have been deployed from all
over the country to assist with
evacuation efforts in the region after
one of its rivers burst its banks
officials they're advising residents
there to take the utmost caution formula
one has even announced the cancellation
of this weekend's Grand Prix event there
because of heavy flooding in the region
citing safety concerns Italian Prime
Minister Giorgio Maloney tweeted on
Tuesday evening extending her total
sympathy to those affected by the
flooding adding that the government
stands quote ready to intervene with the
necessary Aid unquote CNN's barbia
Nadeau has more for us from Italy
roads turn to Rivers as rain many hoped
would alleviate drought conditions now a
serious threat in the central Italian
region of Amelia romagna
there are already victims and Rescuers
are searching for the missing
hundreds of people were rescued from
flooded homes many brought to safety and
rubber dinghies on flooded streets
more than 5 000 people are under
evacuation according to the Civil
protection the region had been
undergoing severe drought in 2022 low
rainfall and extreme heat depleted the
river Poe a crucial Waterway for
transport and irrigation a winter with
very little snow did little to help and
as bad as these floods are there are
only a drop in the bucket for what is
needed to reverse the drought
earlier this month the downpours swelled
the poe by five feet this Deluge of
water will raise it even more but it is
still well below average
weather events are threatening other
Italian regions from Venice where the
mosave floodgates have been raised to
protect the city from high water to
Sicily where heavy storms down trees and
flooded homes Barbie latinado CNN Rome
10 second trivia Carl's Darwin's theory
of evolution was inspired by a trip to
what group of islands Hawaiian Islands
British Isles Galapagos Islands or the
Florida Keys
and Ecuadorian archipelago the Galapagos
Islands inspired the theory of evolution
following Darwin's trip there in 1835.
the Galapagos Islands are known for
their Rich biodiversity and stunning
Wildlife with endangered species but
many of the species on the islands are
now in need of protection our Linda
Kincaid reports on how Ecuador has
started a new program called debt for
nature to help fund conservation efforts
Darwin's flycatcher a creature that
helped Inspire Darwin's theory on
Evolution
188 years ago sits perched on the edge
of Extinction the small bird species
native to Ecuador's Galapagos Island
chain is dwindling in number
on the island of Santa Cruz just 15
adult pairs remain yet scientists see a
glimmer of hope in the past year 12 new
chicks were hatched a sign that the
species will live on to fight another
day for now this tiny comeback is
helping to Spur efforts to protect the
rich biodiversity of the Galapagos
Islands these islands are at a perilous
Crossroads according to researchers a
million plants and animals worldwide are
at risk of Extinction from habitat
destruction Rising carbon emissions and
overfishing as biodiversity declines
worldwide the Galapagos Islands are a
litmus test to protect this precious
ecosystem Ecuador announced a
record-setting deal to Convert 1.6
billion dollars of its debt into a loan
it says will Channel at least 12 million
dollars a year to conserving the
Galapagos
not only will it allow us to protect
2500 marine species of which 38 are
migratory but it will also allow us to
move towards a sustainable fishery it is
one of the largest debt for conservation
swaps in history over the next two
decades Ecuador hopes to channel over
450 million dollars towards protecting
one of the most incredible ecosystems on
the planet
the move that some say is crucial not
just for the environment but for
Ecuador's survival
it seems to me that we must help
maintain the flora and fauna and thus
attract tourism which is what keeps the
country alive
in late 2022 nearly 190 Nations signed
on to take measures to combat
biodiversity loss passing a U.N
agreement that pledges to preserve 30
percent of the world's land and seas by
2030.
ambitious measures that conservation
groups say do not go far enough
meanwhile some environmentalists hope
Ecuador's debt for conservation model
gains momentum in other parts of the
world as a win-win for both economies
and for conservation efforts Linda
Kincaid CNN
now this next story is going to make you
think twice the next time you see a
plant did you know that plants actually
make sounds that are undetectable to the
human ear that's right and according to
a new study our seemingly silent green
friends actually make noises when
they're thirsty or when they're under
some kind of stress where do you hear
this
those everyday houseplants sitting on
your windowsill are more like us than we
thought new research shows they even get
stressed in our vocal about it listen to
this
foreign
popping sounds come from a stressed
tomato plant to record this scientists
use ultrasonic microphones that detect
frequencies human ears can't the audio
is then sped up and edited so we can
hear it researchers are unsure why
plants make these sounds but we do know
that plants can detect certain sounds as
well plants have been reported to
respond to the sounds of these to
produce a sweeter nectar and also
chewing sounds of caterpillars feeding
on their leaves for example watch this
mustard plant react to a cabbage
caterpillar chewing on its leaves by
releasing an internal wave of calcium
some of these electrical responses are
not too dissimilar to the electrical
responses that occur in nerve cells of
animals plants then become more
resistant or less preferred by insects
scientists say that these defenses are
passed down to plants Offspring through
their seeds
and it's not just their progeny plans
can even recognize and help other family
members we don't know how this works but
when plants encounter the roots of their
relatives as opposed to the roots of
strangers they have been found to grow
less and as a result to compete less for
resources like water and soil nutrients
all these abilities are tied to plants
fight for survival but contrary to what
some plant lovers may think a plant
survival doesn't appear to be affected
by talking to or playing it music my
guess is that if you care enough to talk
to your planet you're probably paying
attention to how it's doing what kinds
of conditions it's experiencing and
that's probably a good thing
[Applause]
now if you don't have any qualms about
walking past storm drains along the
sidewalk this next story getting a 10
out of 10 might make you think twice a
mysterious creature is lurking in the
pipes underground seen by stormwater
crews in Oviedo Florida with a robotic
camera at first they think it's a
salamander or a frog but then
that's a gator dude and we're talking
about a five foot long Gator the robot
could only follow the prehistoric
looking Beast for about 340 feet before
the bot got stuck and it was see you
later alligator I wonder where that
thing is all right so many great your
word Wednesday submissions yesterday and
the winner is Mary from Saint Isidore
School in Quakertown Pennsylvania for
qualm a noun that's an uneasy feeling of
Doubt worry or fear especially about
one's own conduct well done and as for
that random thought Thursday what word
actually it becomes shorter when you add
two letters to it the word is short it
becomes short ER when you add two
letters our special shout out is going
to Southern Utah today Parowan High
School in Parowan we see you rise up
everyone and make it an awesome day I'm
koi weyer and we are CNN 10. foreign
[Music]