Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Allie Highsmith.

In today's episode: TikTok and poisonous spiders!

And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The coldest big city on Earth!

Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________

五分之一的台灣成年人使用抖音
One-Fifth of Taiwanese Adults Use TikTok

TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in the world.

Maybe you've wondered how many people in Taiwan use TikTok?

A new report from the government gives us some interesting numbers!

Let's take a look.

According to the report, more than one-fifth (五分之一) of Taiwanese adults
used TikTok (抖音) at least once between March and June last year.

That's about 21% of people!

And guess what? ... Almost half of them used these apps every day!

However, TikTok is not the most popular social media platform in Taiwan.

In fact, 44% of respondents (受訪者) said Facebook was the app they used the
most, while 21% preferred Instagram.

TikTok came in third place with just 2.5% of people saying this used this app
the most.

So, who is using TikTok the most?

The report found that younger people are more likely (更可能) to use TikTok.

In the 18 to 29 age group of people in the report, 34% said they used this
app.
在18到29歲的年齡層中，有34趴的人使用過這個應用程式。

As people get older (年紀較大), the number goes down.

For example, the report found that only around 15% of people in their 60s use
TikTok.
60多歲的人只有大約15趴用抖音。

But a professor who helped with the report said some people might not have
been entirely truthful about their TikTok use.

There are various reasons why people might be hesitant (猶豫不決) to share
information about their online activity (線上活動).

This can sometimes affect the accuracy (準確性) of reports like this one.

TikTok is definitely making waves in Taiwan.

But it is still facing stiff competition from other social media platforms.
________________________________

發現極度危險的蜘蛛新種
Very Dangerous New Species of Spider Found

Do you like spiders (蜘蛛)?

Some people think spiders look scary (可怕).

Some spiders are harmless (無害).

But there are dangerous (危險的) spiders too.

One of these is the Brazilian Wandering Spider (巴西流浪蜘蛛) from South
America (南美洲).

Its venom (毒液) can cause serious health problems, and even make it hard to
breathe (甚至讓人難以呼吸).

Then there's the Sydney funnel-web spider (雪梨漏斗網蜘蛛).

It lives in and around Sydney, Australia (澳洲).

These spiders are large (體型巨大) and have powerful venom (強效毒液) which
can be life-threatening (危及生命).

Australian scientists have confirmed a new species of funnel-web spider,
after years of research.
澳洲科學家經過多年研究，確認了一種新的漏斗網蜘蛛品種。

This new species is bigger (更大), and more venomous (毒性更強) than its
infamous cousin (臭名昭彰的近親).

It has been dubbed "Big Boy".
被稱為「大男孩」。

It can grow up to 9 centimeters (公分) long.

Normal Sydney funnel-web spiders usually only grow to about 5 centimeters.

Not only that, the venom glands (毒腺) of the new species are larger (更大),
and its fangs longer (毒牙更長).

But don't worry.

Fatalities (死亡案例) from Sydney funnel-web bites are rare thanks to
anti-venom (抗毒血清).
由於有抗毒血清，雪梨漏斗網蜘蛛咬傷致死的案例十分罕見。

The same anti-venom that works on the regular Sydney funnel-web also works
against "Big Boy".
針對普通雪梨漏斗網蜘蛛有效的同種抗毒血清，對「Big Boy」也有效。

"Big Boy" was first discovered near Newcastle, about 170 kilometers (公里)
north of Sydney.

They've been known to wander into garages (車庫) and bedrooms (臥室).

Remember, not all spiders are harmful (有害的).

Spiders are important for the ecosystem (生態系統).
________________________________

So in today's News Bites:

Over 21% of Taiwanese adults used TikTok last year.

Facebook remains the most popular social media platform in Taiwan.

TikTok is most popular among younger Taiwanese adults.

But TikTok's actual popularity in Taiwan might be underestimated.
________________________________

And...

Australian scientists discovered a new giant funnel-web spider species.

"Big Boy" is larger and more venomous than the Sydney funnel-web.

The existing anti-venom is effective against "Big Boy".

"Big Boy" was found near Newcastle, Australia.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit

And in today's Tasty Tidbit:

Yakutsk, in Russia, is known as the coldest big city on Earth.

Temperatures there can fall below -50 degrees Celsius (零下50攝氏度以下)!

That is dangerously cold.

People in Yakutsk wear incredibly warm fur coats and hats.

Even though it's so cold, there's a bustling city life.

The Lena River flows nearby, and in summer, people enjoy boating.

There's even a mammoth museum (猛?象博物館)!

These giant creatures used to roam the area.

Yakutsk has unique food too.

Think hearty meat dishes, frozen fish ... and pancakes.

It's a place of extremes.
這是一個極端氣候的地方。

But people have adapted (適應) to the harsh climate and created a vibrant
culture.
________________________________

If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share
with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to
newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!