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Volcano Ontake Eruption in Japan; India`s Mars Mission; Students Protests in Hong Kong; University Studying Donated Brain to Find Cure for the Neurological Diseases; Chip Paillex Helping Inner City People to Have Healthy Diet
Aired September 29, 2014 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of our viewers worldwide. And that includes the cougars of Northwest Ranking in Flowood, Mississippi. We are
spinning the globe first up today, taking you across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. Mount Ontake, a volcano and popular hiking destination west of
Tokyo suddenly erupted on Saturday. It was its first significant eruption since 1979. A cloud of ash rolled up into the sky and down the side of the
mountain toward an estimated 200-250 climbers who were nearby. Most of them reportedly made it down in time. You can see them moving away from
the summit in this video. But as of last night, at least 31 people were presumed dead and about ten were seriously injured. Some were still
missing. Hundreds of police, firefighters and military troops climbed two separate parts of the mountain yesterday in search of survivors.
The Japan meteorological agency says another big eruption could happen over the next week. There`ve been some smaller ones already and the ash has
impacted airline traffic over Japan.
Last week we told you about NASA`s five current missions to Mars including the latest orbiter called Maven that recently arrived there.
The U.S. isn`t the only country interested in the red planet. India has gotten involved with its own Mars mission, but they`ve done it for a
fraction, just 11 percent of the Maven missions, $671 million cost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight minus ten, nine .
RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, chances are you`ve heard of NASA. But have you heard of ISRO? That`s India space agency, which recently
burst on to the scene, by sending an orbiter to Mars.
It`s a major engineering fit that puts India into an exclusive (INAUDIBLE). It`s now one of five space agencies including the U.S. to send a mission to
research the red planet.
What might be more impressive, though, is that India made this high tech achievement at a relatively low cost. How low? About $74 million, and
that puts India at $43 million below Russia, which didn`t even work.
So, how did India do it? And is that a fair comparison?
According to the bureau of labor statistics, the mean annual income of an aeronautical engineer in the U.S. is just under $104,000. In a country
where the average per capita income is around $1400, India`s engineers in the program are reportedly making significantly less, and the spacecraft
itself? Well, it`s an orbiter, meaning it won`t land, so it`s less complex.
India made a Mars orbiter that costs less than it took to make the movie "Gravity." Sounds like a big deal, and it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Destiny had been created today.
CRANE: But India`s mission is more of a proof concept, showing that they can get there, and that they are leaders in low cost innovation.
So is there a new space race and does it include India? It`s not clear yet. India`s triumph reminds the world that space isn`t just for the
wealthy industrial countries to explore. And for science, that`s a good thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Head it east from India to Hong Kong. This has been a special administrative region of China since 1997. What does that mean? Hong Kong
used to be part of the British Empire. It was returned to China in 1997. China is a communist country, but it promised it would allow Hong Kong to
keep its civil liberties, and that it would not impose control over Hong Kong`s free market economy.
However, a major protest was organized after many students said China was breaking that promise. Here`s the issue: Hong Kong is gearing up to elect
a new chief executive. It`s the city`s top civil position.
China`s government has allowed only candidates it had checked out to run in that election. Protesters say that`s an intrusion in the Hong Kong self-
governance. College and high school students held boycotts and demonstrations, some of them violent. They occupied some buildings in Hong
Kong`s business district. Police used tear gas against them. Dozens were arrested, dozens of others were injured.
The city`s current chief executive calls the protesters` concerns unfounded and says the demonstrators should go home, but many students are staying
put.
Time for "The Shoutout." Which type of doctor would be most concerned with the functions of the brain? If you think you know it, shout it out. Is it
a neurologist? A nephrologist? A hematologist or a pathologist? You`ve got three seconds, go!
A neurologist specializes in the science of the nervous system, which includes the brain. That`s your answer and that`s your Shoutout.
AZUZ: The University of Miami is looking for a few good brains. And not just to study there. It has a lab that holds about 2,000 human brains that
will actually be studied. The organ nicknamed gray matter is actually one of the most complicated and mysterious objects in the known universe.
Researchers hope the study of donated brains will unlock some of those mysteries.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have over 2,000 human brains that are donated for medical research. In this room, we have tissues from over 600 donors
approximately, that have suffered with different disorders like Alzheimer`s or Parkinson`s or schizophrenia. This brain has recently been donated for
research from a person who suffered with Alzheimer`s disease. You can tell by looking at the external surface of the brain, and you can see that there
are large parts of the brain where this all side look wide and open. That`s because the brain is degenerating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you get to the point where you have a brain here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People learn about us, and they can make a decision to donate the brain after death. We have about 650 donors right now that
are signed up. We need 10,000 donors to sign up.
One brain can provide tissue to hundreds of qualified scientists, and it`s also going to offer up the discoveries that are going to let us bring about
the cures for Alzheimer`s, for Parkinson`s, for ALS schizophrenia. All of the diseases that affect the human brain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Chicago isn`t the capital of Illinois, but is by far the largest city in the state and it`s where we are kicking off the roll call with the
Jaguars of Pritzker College Prep. Thank you all for watching.
Memphis isn`t the capital of Tennessee, but it is the largest city in the state where the Kodiak bears of Kate Bond Middle School are watching. And
Corona, California, rounds out our role - we`ve got the sharks circling at Santiago High School.
Food desert, it`s not necessarily a place with no food, just a place where you are not easily able to find healthy and affordable food.
The U.S. government estimates that about seven percent of Americans live in a food desert, and maybe a rural town or an inner city neighborhood, with
only fast food restaurants or convenient stores. It`s a kind of place where Chip Paillex is helping meet a hunger for something fresh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a working class neighborhood. It`s difficult for a lot of us to afford fresh produce. We just have - stores, basically.
And they don`t have a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
CHIP PAILLEX, CNN HERO: These are awesome, aren`t they?
I started to farm with my daughter. In the first year, we were able to get 120 pounds of produce. With all the extra produce we brought it down to
the local food pantry. I realized that people are hungry for fresh foods and vegetables.
We grow, we clean and we give.
When we first started the program, it was basically my family. Now, we are around 4,000 volunteers.
Excellent.
It`s not just feeding people. Our goal is really to educate folks who receive the produce.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Are you guys ready for some corn?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Yeah!
PAILLEX: When kids come out for the first time from the inner city, they immediately are struck by the fact that food grows out of the ground.
There you go.
For them to be able to actually harvest it and then bring it home to their families - that`s huge.
Who`s the first time eat corn right off the stock? Look at that!
We are also going to inner city areas, and we set up a free farm market.
How are we doing?
Thank you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have diabetes and high blood pressure, something that I need for my diet a lot of times I can`t afford.
PAILLEX: You like those corn .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
PAILLEX: Yeah, this is good stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since I`ve been going to the farmer`s market, I have lost some weight, my sugar is better controlled. And the food is
delicious.
PAILLEX: I believe that everyone deserves to be able to eat healthy. There`s no greater reward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: The world record for the human running long jump is 29 feet four inches, for dogs it`s over 30 feet. Shouldn`t have their own Olympics?
They do. They were held this weekend. Some dogs compete in agility, some jump for joy in flying disks, some soar of a dock and splash down. It`s a
chance for canine athletes to show what they are made off, and thanks to the wonders of technology we are able to get a dog`s eye view of what it`s
like to jump through hoops. We`d love to name the events, though, calibal (ph), boxering (ph), pugby, skitzu (ph), bassetball, houndball, shep
hurdling. The parallel barks, Chihuahua water polo. You know the events like this show have gone to the dogs.
I`m Carl Azuz. CNN STUDENT NEWS retrieves more news for you tomorrow.
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