4億年前陸地上最大的生物體，科學家至今無法解釋

Recently CNN.com reported the following:

The largest life-form on land 400 million years ago was one that scientists can’t explain

CNN - By Katie Hunt

Updated Feb 5, 2026

Some 400 million years ago, long before dinosaurs or even trees had evolved, an enigmatic organism towered over the landscape like a prehistoric monolith.

Now, new research makes the case that the ancient life form is not a plant, animal or fungi and instead may be a completely unknown form of multicellular life.

“What we can say, based on all of those new analyses, is that it’s so different from any modern group we have,” said Corentin Loron, a palaeontologist at Edinburgh University and a co-lead author of the research, which published in the journal Science Advances last month.

First identified 160 years ago, the fossils — known as Prototaxites — measure up to 30 feet (around 9 meters) tall and have long defied easy classification.

In the 19th century, scientists initially thought Prototaxites was the rotten trunk of a conifer. Subsequent study, however, revealed it was composed of interwoven tubes, rather than the block-like cells that make up plant tissue.

Other scientists argued that it was a lichen-like mass, a symbiotic association between a fungus and algae. In recent years, some researchers thought the organism more closely resembled a fungus, in part because it didn’t appear to produce energy through photosynthesis.

The new research focused on three Prototaxites fossils unearthed in the Rhynie chert, a prehistoric land ecosystem near Aberdeen, Scotland. The Rhynie chert is home to the best-preserved examples of the earliest plants, fungi and fauna that colonized land 400 million years ago, during a period known as the early Devonian. The site was once an ancient hot spring like Yellowstone.

The exceptional preservation of the fossils embedded in the rock at the Rhynie chert allows scientists, with the right tools, to detect the chemical signatures of long-vanished molecules, known as fossilization products.

“We are able to still have signatures that inform us about the original composition of those fossils, meaning it’s not overcooked, it’s not overly transformed by the geology,” Loron explained.

Unanswered questions

The new analysis by Loron and his colleagues suggests that the biomarkers in Prototaxites fossils were chemically distinct from those of fossilized fungi found at the site and preserved in similar conditions. Fungi fossils preserved in the chert contained compounds from the breakdown of chitin and glucan, key structural molecules in fungi. Prototaxites, however, lacked these biomarkers.

“If Prototaxites was fungi, we would have expected it to follow the same trend as the fungi because they are next to each other in the same burial conditions,” Loron said.

Other structural features — such as a complex branching pattern within dark spherical spots in the fossil that could have carried out a gas, nutrient, water, or served another exchange function — were distinct from all known fungi, whether living or extinct, the researchers noted in the study. Based on these results, it is too early to shoehorn Prototaxites into a specific category, according to the team.

Different species of Prototaxites might have varied in size, but the largest would have really towered over the landscape at a time when plants were less than 1 meter tall, said Kevin Boyce, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Stanford University. His work on Prototaxites fossils has shown that the ancient organisms didn’t use photosynthesis to produce energy from light like plants, but likely consumed carbon sources in the environment — just as some living fungi live off decomposing organic matter.

“People have compared it to specific fungi or algae in the past, and they were doing their best with the information they had at the time, but we now have a much better handle on the overall tree of life and Prototaxites is too old for those comparisons to be valid,” Boyce, who wasn’t involved in the study, said in an email.

“You can compare it to mushrooms, but mushrooms just aren’t that old,” he added. “That doesn’t mean Prototaxites is or isn’t a fungus (or anything else), just that its form would have evolved independently from the mushrooms and other complex multicellular examples amongst fungi that we have now.”

Marc-André Selosse, a professor at the Natural History Museum in Paris, said the authors of the new study conducted “wonderful analyses” but noted the research only examined one of 25 known species of Prototaxites. Selosse, who also didn’t take part in the work, said he thought it was still possible that the organism functioned in a lichen-like way.

“The sampling is not encompassing the diversity of Prototaxites species,” Selosse said. “So for me, it doesn’t make it as a finished story.”

Loron said there is still much that is unknown about Prototaxites. For example, it’s not clear how Prototaxites were anchored to the ground or whether the organism, which is thought to have grown slowly, was upright for its whole lifespan. His team is planning follow-up studies on fossilized tubular organisms similar to Prototaxites to further the research.

“Sometimes it’s scary to not know what something is, but it’s also scientifically exciting,” Loron said.

Translation

4億年前陸地上最大的生物體，科學家至今無法解釋

大約4億年前，遠在恐龍甚至樹木出現之前，一種神秘的生物體如同史前巨石般聳立於大地之上。

如今，一項新的研究表明，這種古代生物體並非植物、動物或真菌，可能是一種完全未知的多細胞生物。

愛丁堡大學古生物學家、該研究的共同第一作者Corentin Loron說道:「基於所有這些新的分析，我們可以說，它與我們已知的任何現代生物類群都截然不同」。這項研究已於上月發表在《科學進展》（Science Advances）雜誌上。

這些化石－被稱為原杉菌（Prototaxites）- 在160年前首次被發現，它們高達30英尺（約9公尺），長期以來一直難以被歸類。

19世紀，科學家最初認為原杉菌（Prototaxites）是針葉樹腐爛的樹幹。然而，隨後的研究表明，它是由交織的管子組成，而不是構成植物組織的塊狀細胞。

另一些科學家則認為它是一種類似地衣的團塊，是真菌和藻類之間的共生體。近年來，一些研究人員認為這種生物更接近真菌，部分原因是它似乎不會透過光合作用產生能量。

這項新研究聚焦於蘇格蘭Aberdeen附近, 稱為瑞尼燧石層（Rhynie chert）的近史前陸地生態系中出土的三塊原杉菌化石。瑞尼燧石層保存著4億年前稱為Devonian（泥盆紀）最早期興盛的植物、真菌和動物群的最佳化石標本。該遺址曾像黃石公園一樣，是個古老的溫泉。

瑞尼燧石層中化石保存得異常完好，這使得科學家能夠借助合適的工具，探測到早已消失的分子（即化石化產物）的化學特徵。

Loron解釋道: 「我們仍然能夠獲得這些特徵，它們可以告訴我們這些化石的原始成分，這意味著它們沒有被過度熱化，也沒有被地質作用過度改變」。

未解之謎

Loron及其同事的最新分析表明，原杉菌化石中的生物標記與在同一地點發現的、保存條件相似的真菌化石的生物標記在化學成分上截然不同。保存在燧石中的真菌化石含有甲殼質和葡聚糖分解產生的化合物，而甲殼質和葡聚糖是真菌的關鍵結構分子。然而，原杉菌化石卻缺乏這些生物標記。

Loron說: 「如果原杉菌是真菌，我們原本預期它會與真菌的生物標記呈現相同的趨勢，因為它們彼此相鄰，且處於相同的埋藏條件下」。

研究人員在研究中指出，其他結構特徵 - 例如化石中深色球狀斑點內複雜的枝狀結構，這些結構可能負責氣體、營養物質、水分的輸送，或發揮其他交換功能 - 與所有已知的真菌（無論現存或已滅絕）都截然不同。研究團隊認為，基於這些結果，現在就將原杉菌（Prototaxites）歸入某個特定類別還為時過早。

史丹佛大學地球與行星科學教授Kevin Boyce表示，不同種類的原杉菌體型可能有所差異，但最大的原杉菌出現在一般植物高度不足1米的時代，無疑會成為地貌上的龐然大物。他對原杉菌化石造出的研究表明，這些遠古生物不像植物那樣利用光合作用從光中獲取能量，而是可能像某些現存真菌以分解有機物為生一樣，從環境中吸收碳源為生。

並未參與這項研究的Boyce 在一封電子郵件中寫道:「過去人們曾將它與特定的真菌或藻類進行比較，他們當時也只是盡力利用已有的信息進行分析。但現在我們對整個生命之樹有了更深入的了解，而原杉菌的出現時間太早了，當時的比較已經不再有效了」。

他補充道:“你可以把它和蘑菇比較，但蘑菇的出現時間並沒有那麼早”，“這並不意味著原杉菌是或不是真菌（或其他任何生物），只是說它們與我們現在所知的蘑菇和其他複雜的多細胞真菌是獨立地去演化的產物。”

巴黎自然歷史博物館的教授Marc-André Selosse表示，這項新研究的作者進行了“精彩的分析”，但他指出，這項研究只考察了已知的25種原杉菌中的一種。Selosse也未參與這項研究，但他表示，他認為這種生物體仍然有可能以類似地衣的方式運作。

Selosse說: “目前的採樣並未涵蓋原杉菌物種的全部” ， “所以對我來說，這還不足以說已寫出了一個完整的故事。”

Loron表示，關於原杉菌，我們仍然有很多未知之處。例如，目前尚不清楚原杉菌是如何固定在地面上的，也不清楚這種被認為生長緩慢的生物是否終生保持直立。他的團隊計劃對與原杉菌類似的管狀化石生物進行後續研究，以推進相關調查。

Loron說: 「有時候，不知道某些東西是什麼會讓人感到害怕，但從科學角度來說，這也令人興奮的」。

So, some 400 million years ago, long before dinosaurs or even trees had evolved, an enigmatic organism called Prototaxites towered over the landscape like a prehistoric monolith. Now, new research makes the case that this ancient life form is not a plant, animal or fungi and instead may be a completely unknown form of multicellular life. There is still much that is unknown about Prototaxites. Apparently, further the research is needed in order to know more about this organism.

Note:

1.Prototaxites (原杉菌) is an extinct genus of large macroscopic eukaryote dating from the Late Silurian until the Late Devonian periods. Prototaxites formed large trunk-like structures up to 1 metre (3 ft) wide, reaching 8 metres (26 ft) in height, made up of tiny interwoven tubules around 50 micrometres (0.0020 in) in diameter, making it by far the largest land-dwelling organism of its time. The taxonomy of Prototaxites has long been the subject of debate. (Wikipedia)

2. Rhynie chert (瑞尼燧石層) refers to a type of fossil-rich silica rock that originates from the Early Devonian period. It is significant in paleontology for preserving some of the oldest known land plants and their associated organisms. (ChatGPT)

3. The Devonian (泥盆紀) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era during the Phanerozoic eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian period at 419.62 million years ago, to the beginning of the succeeding Carboniferous period. It is named after Devon, South West England, where rocks from this period were first studied. (Wikipedia)

長壽的秘訣？科學家稱，或許就藏在基因裡

Recently The Guardian has reported the following:

The secret to long life? It could be in the genes after all, say scientists

New study into ‘heritability’ shows that 50% of the variation in human lifespan could be down to genetics

The Guardian - Nicola Davis Science correspondent

Thu 29 Jan 2026 19.00 GMT

Some people who live to a great age put it down to an evening tot of whisky, others to staying out of trouble. Now scientists think they may have unlocked a key secret to long life – quite simply, genetics.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers described how previous studies that had attempted to unpick the genetic component of human lifespan had not taken into account that some lives were cut short by accidents, murders, infectious diseases or other factors arising outside the body. Such “extrinsic mortality” increases with age, as people often become more frail.

Prof Uri Alon and colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel say the true genetic contribution to the variation in human lifespan has been masked.

The team looked at “heritability”, the proportion of change in a characteristic such as height, body weight or lifespan within a population that can be attributed to genetics rather than environmental factors. Previous studies for human lifespan have thrown up a wide range of values – with heritability ranging from 6% of the variation to 33%.

But Alon, who co-authored the research, and his colleagues said such figures were underestimates. “I hope this will inspire researchers to make a deep search for the genes that impact lifespan,” Alon said. “These genes will tell us the mechanisms that govern our internal clocks.

“These can one day be turned into therapy to slow down the rate of ageing and in that way slow down all age-related disease at once.”

The team created a mathematical model that takes into account extrinsic mortality and the impact of biological ageing, and calibrated it using correlations of lifespan from historical datasets of thousands of pairs of twins in Denmark and Sweden.

They removed the impact of extrinsic mortality to reveal the signal from biological ageing, which is caused by genetics. The results suggest about 50% of the variation in human lifespan is due to genetics – a figure the researchers said was on a par with that seen in wild mice in the laboratory.

The other 50% of variation in human lifespan, they said, was probably explained by factors such as random biological effects and environmental influences.

“That’s where we would expect to find all the usual suspects – lifestyle, diet, exercise, social relations, environment, and more,” said Ben Shenhar, who co-authored the research, adding that lifestyle and environment were likely to become more important as we age.

The team tested their results using data from a US study of siblings of centenarians, and found a heritability of lifespan of about 50%.

Further testing using another Swedish dataset revealed that as extrinsic mortality fell from the start of the 20th century – likely due to factors such as improvements in public health – the estimated genetic contribution to lifespan rose, supporting the idea that extrinsic mortality was a key factor when looking at heritability. The team also found the heritability of lifespan varied depending on the cause of death, such as cancer or dementia, and age.

Shenhar added that day-to-day experience showed genetics played an important role in longevity. “Around 20% of centenarians, for example, reach age 100 without any serious debilitating illnesses,” he said, adding that could suggest their genes had a protective effect. “Studies have been conducted to identify these protective genes, and many have been found, but surely there are many still left to discover,” he said.

While the new study does not take into account the influence that genes can have on the immune system, Prof Richard Faragher of the University of Brighton said the research suggested humans did not seem to be an outlier when it came to the heritability of lifespan.

“And that’s useful because it means humans look quite like a species that we study ageing in, [and] gives you a certain amount of confidence that interventions that will work in mice will carry over into humans,” he said.

Translation

長壽的秘訣？科學家稱，或許就藏在基因裡

一項關於「遺傳性」的新研究表明，人類壽命差異的50%可能源自於基因

有些長壽者將長壽歸功於睡前小酌一杯威士忌，有些人則認為長壽的秘訣在於遠離麻煩。如今，科學家認為他們可能已經揭開了長壽的關鍵秘密 - 其實很簡單，就是基因。

研究人員在《科學》雜誌上撰文指出，以往試圖揭示人類壽命遺傳因素的研究忽略了這樣一個事實：有些人因意外事故、謀殺、傳染病或其他體外因素而英年早逝。這種「外在死亡率」會隨著年齡的增長而增加，因為人們往往會趨向更加脆弱。

以色列Weizmann科學研究所的Uri Alon教授及其同事表示，真正的遺傳因素對人類壽命差異的貢獻一直被掩蓋。

該團隊研究了“遺傳性”，即在人群中，身高、體重或壽命等特徵變化中可歸咎於遺傳而非環境因素的比例。以往關於人類壽命的研究得出了各種各樣的數值 - 遺傳性佔變異因素的比例從6%到33%不等。

但作為研究的共同作者之一，Alon教授及其同事表示，這些數字被低估了。 Alon教授說: 「我希望這項研究能激勵研究人員深入探索影響壽命的基因」; 「這些基因將揭示控制我們生理時鐘的機制」。

“這些機制或許有一天能夠轉化為治療方法，從而減緩衰老速度，進而減緩所有與年齡相關的疾病。”

研究團隊創建了一個數學模型，該模型考慮了外在死亡和生物老化的影響，並使用來自丹麥和瑞典數千對雙胞胎的歷史數據, 利用期相關性對其進行校準。

他們剔除了外在死亡的影響，從而揭示了由遺傳因素導致的生物老化訊號。結果表明，人類壽命差異的約50%是由遺傳因素造成的 - 研究人員表示，這一比例與實驗室中觀察野生小鼠的結果一致。

他們表示，人類壽命差異的另外50%可能由隨機生物效應和環境影響等因素解釋。

該研究的合著者Ben Shenhar說道:「我們預計會在這裡找到所有常見的可疑因素 - 生活方式、飲食、運動、社會關係、環境等等」，並補充說，隨著年齡的增長，生活方式和環境可能會變得更加重要。

研究團隊利用美國一項針對百歲老人兄弟姊妹的研究數據檢驗了他們的結果，發現因遺傳而長壽約為佔 50%。

使用另一個瑞典數據集進行的進一步測試顯示，自 20 世紀初以來，外在死亡率有所下降。（這很可能是由於公共衛生水平的提高等因素），遺傳因素對壽命的貢獻估計值上升，這支持了外源性死亡率是影響遺傳因素的關鍵。研究團隊也發現，壽命的遺傳性會因死亡原因（如癌症或失智症）和年齡而異。

Shenhar補充說，日常經驗表明，遺傳在長壽中扮演著重要角色。 他說道:「例如，大約20%的百歲老人活到100歲時沒有任何嚴重的衰弱性疾病」，並補充說這可能表明他們的基因具有保護作用。他又說: 「一些研究來識別這些保護性基因已經開展，並且已經發現了很多，但肯定還有許多基因有待發現」。

雖然這項新研究沒有考慮基因對免疫系統的影響，布萊頓大學的Richard Faragher教授表示，這項研究表明，就壽命的遺傳性而言，人類似乎並非特例。

他說:「這很有用，因為它意味著人類與我們研究衰老的物種非常相似，[並且]讓我們有理由相信，在小鼠身上有效的干預措施也能在人類身上得到應用」。

So, now scientists think that a key secret to long life is genetics. Researchers described how previous studies that attempted to unpick the genetic component of human lifespan had not taken into account that some lives were cut short by accidents, murders, infectious diseases or other factors arising outside the body and thus underestimated the impact of heritability. Apparently, this is an interesting finding that may help our research to extend our lifespan in the future.

Mandatory allergy labeling: "Cashew nuts" to be newly added

 Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

アレルギーの表示義務 新たに「カシューナッツ」追加へ

2026年2月6日午後4時30分

消費者庁

アレルギーを引き起こすおそれのある食品として、表示を義務づける特定原材料に新たに「カシューナッツ」を追加する案が、国の消費者委員会の専門部会で了承されました。4月から「カシューナッツ」を使用した加工食品は、表示が義務化される見通しです。

国の食品表示制度では、アレルギーを引き起こすおそれのある食品について、現在卵や小麦など8品目が特定原材料として表示を義務づけられ、大豆やいくらなど20品目が表示を推奨されています。

このうちカシューナッツは表示が推奨されている20品目のうちの一つですが、消費者庁が2023年に行った食物アレルギーの健康被害の実態調査で、症例数が279件にのぼり、大幅に増加していることが明らかになったということです。

中には「意識がなくなる」などの重い症例も37件報告されています。

このため消費者庁は、カシューナッツの表示を義務化する食品表示基準の改正案をまとめ、6日開かれた国の消費者委員会の食品表示部会で了承されました。

あわせて「ピスタチオ」についても、表示を推奨する品目に新たに追加するとしています。

消費者庁では今後、消費者委員会の正式な答申を経て基準の改正を行うことにしていて、ことし4月から「カシューナッツ」を使用した加工食品は、原材料への表示が義務づけられる見通しです。

Translation

Mandatory allergy labeling: "Cashew nuts" to be newly added

Consumer Affairs Agency

A proposal to add "cashew nuts" to the list of specified ingredients that might cause allergies and require labeling had been approved by a specialist committee of the National Consumer Affairs Commission. Starting from April, for processed foods containing cashew nuts labeling would become mandatory.

Under the national food labeling system, eight items, including eggs and wheat, were currently required to be labeled as specified ingredients for foods that might cause allergies, and 20 items, including soybeans and salmon roe, were recommended for labeling.

Cashew nuts were one of the 20 recommended items, and a 2023 survey on food allergy health damage conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency revealed a significant increase in the number of cases that had reached 279.

Among them, 37 severe cases including loss of consciousness, had been reported.

In response to this, the Consumer Affairs Agency compiled a proposed revision to the food labeling standards, which would mandate the labeling of cashew nuts, and it was approved at a meeting of the Food Labeling Committee of the Consumer Commission held on the 6th.

Pistachios could also be added to the list of items for which labeling was recommended.

The Consumer Affairs Agency would revise the standards following a formal report from the Consumer Affairs Commission. From April of this year, it was expected that processed foods using cashew nuts could be required to label their ingredients.

So, a proposal to add "cashew nuts" to the list of specified ingredients that may cause allergies and require labeling has been approved. Meanwhile, Pistachios will also be added to the list of items for which labeling is recommended. Apparently, Japan is more careful about food allergies than many other countries.

中國將於2027年起禁止汽車使用隱藏式門把手

Recently the Google News on-line picked up the following:

China to ban hidden door handles on cars starting 2027

By The Associated Press - Chan Ho-him, The Associated Press

Published: February 03, 2026 at 7:24AM EST

HONG KONG — China will ban hidden door handles on cars, commonly used on Tesla’s electric vehicles and many other EV models, starting next year.

All car doors must include a mechanical release function for handles, except for the tailgate, according to details released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday.

Officials said the policy aims to address safety concerns after fatal EV accidents where electronic doors reportedly failed to operate and trapped passengers inside vehicles.

The new requirement will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. For car models that were already approved, carmakers will have until Jan. 1, 2029, to make design changes to match the regulations.

Vehicles including Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3, BMW’s iX3, and other models by many Chinese brands feature retractable car door handles that could be subject to the new rules.

Chris Liu, a Shanghai-based senior analyst at technology research and advisory group Omdia, said the global impact of China’s new rules could be substantial and other jurisdictions may follow suit on retractable door handles. Carmakers will be facing potentially costly redesigns or retrofits.

“China is the first major automotive market to explicitly ban electrical pop-out and press-to-release hidden door handles,” he said. “While other regions have flagged safety concerns, China is the first to formalize this into a national safety standard.”

It’s likely that regulators in Europe and elsewhere will reference or align with China’s approach, Liu said. The new requirements would impact premium EVs more as retractable door handles “are treated as a design and aerodynamic statement,” he added.

A draft of the proposed rules was published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in September for public comment.

Last year, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into cases where Tesla’s electronic door handles reportedly failed to work.

Translation

中國將於2027年起禁止汽車使用隱藏式門把手

香港 — 中國將於明年起禁止汽車使用隱藏式門把手，這種門把手常見於特斯拉電動車和其他許多電動車車型。

根據中國工業和資訊化部周一公佈的細節，除後行李箱門外，所有車門都必須配備機械式開啟裝置。

官員表示，這項政策旨在解決先前發生的電動車致命事故引發的安全隱患，據報道，這些事故中，電子門失靈導致乘客被困在車內。

新規將於2027年1月1日生效。對於已核准的車型，汽車製造商可在2029年1月1日前進行設計修改，以符合新規。

包括特斯拉Model Y和Model 3、BMWiX3以及眾多中國品牌車型在內的多款汽車都配備了可伸縮門把手，這些門把手可能受到新規的約束。

上海科技研究顧問公司Omdia的高級分析師Chris Liu表示，中國新規的全球影響可能相當巨大，其他地區也可能效仿，對可伸縮門把手進行限制。汽車製造商將面臨成本高昂的重新設計或改裝。

他表示：“中國是首個明確禁止電動彈出式和按壓式隱藏門把手的主要汽車市場”; “雖然其他地區也曾提出過安全隱患，但中國是第一個將其正式納入國家安全標準的國家。”

Liu認為，歐洲和其他地區的監管機構很可能會參考或效法中國的做法。他還補充道，由於可伸縮門把手 “被視為設計和空氣動力學的陳述展示” ，因此新規對高端電動車的影響更大。

中國工業和資訊化部於9月發佈了擬議規則的草案，徵求公眾意見。

去年，美國國家公路交通安全管理局對特斯拉電子門把手據稱失靈的案件展開了調查。

So, China will ban hidden door handles on cars that is commonly used on electric vehicles starting next year. It’s likely that regulators in Europe and elsewhere will align with China’s approach. Apparently, for safety reasons, all electric cars should do this.

    

關稅的影響：特朗普的貿易實驗一年後（2/2）

Recently the New York Times reported the following:

The Effects of Tariffs, One Year Into Trump’s Trade Experiment (2/2)

Five charts show the impact on the economy after a year of sweeping trade changes by the Trump administration.

By Ana Swanson - Ana Swanson covers international trade and reports from Washington.

Feb. 2, 2026

Updated 11:34 a.m. ET

(continue)

Mixed results for the factory sector

One goal Mr. Trump hasn’t accomplished is helping factory workers. Despite the tariffs, the manufacturing sector continued to shed jobs last year.

Many of Mr. Trump’s supporters argue that it will take time for factories to be built and this trend to be reversed. They have pointed to recent gains in industrial production and capital expenditure to suggest that the country is on the verge of a manufacturing boom because of tariffs.

But there are reasons to be skeptical. Much of the upturn in industrial production is attributable to growth in the aerospace and electronics sectors, which are among the least burdened by tariffs. For makers of cars and car parts, which have been subject to hefty tariffs, production fell last year. Some manufactures say tariffs are harming them by increasing the cost of the metal and machinery they need to run their factories.

And while spending on the construction of new factories is much higher than before the pandemic, it’s down from the end of the Biden administration, when grants to semiconductor and battery factories were encouraging construction.

There are forces other than tariffs that may be helping industries, like a boom in A.I. data center construction and new tax policies that allow companies to write off the cost of new equipment.

Tariffs have pushed up prices

Unsurprisingly, tariffs pushed up the prices of imported goods last year. Economic tracking shows that prices began climbing particularly after Mr. Trump announced sweeping global tariffs in April, reversing a trend of falling prices in previous months.

The price effects from tariffs have, however, been somewhat smaller than many originally anticipated, partly because companies have been hesitant to raise prices for fear of losing customers.

The picture for U.S. inflation has also improved, partly because of a gradual cool-down for inflation in services. But economists say it would look better without tariffs: By one estimate, the Consumer Price Index in August, which was 2.9 percent, would have been 2.2 percent without tariffs.

Beyond the economic data, many Americans remain concerned about high prices, and they have turned more skeptical of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy, which has traditionally been a strength for him.

A poll from The New York Times and Siena University in January found that 54 percent of voters oppose Mr. Trump’s tariffs, and 51 percent said the president’s policies had made life less affordable for them.

Translation

關稅的影響：特朗普的貿易實驗一年後（2/2）

（繼續）

製造業喜憂參半

特朗普先生未能實現的目標之一是幫助工廠工人。儘管徵收了關稅，製造業去年仍在持續裁員。

特朗普先生的許多支持者認為，工廠的建設和這種趨勢的扭轉需要時間。他們指出，近期工業生產和資本支出的成長表明，由於關稅，美國即將迎來製造業繁榮。

但我們有理由對此持懷疑態度。工業生產的成長主要歸功於航空航太和電子產業的蓬勃發展，這兩個產業受關稅影響最小。而汽車及零件製造商由於受到高關稅的影響，去年的產量有所下降。一些製造商表示，關稅推高了工廠運作所需的金屬和機械設備的成本，損害了他們的利益。

雖然新廠的建設支出遠高於疫情前水平，但仍低於拜登政府末期的水平。當時，政府對半導體和電池工廠的補貼政策刺激了工廠建設。

除了關稅之外，還有其他因素可能也在推動產業發展，例如人工智能數據庫建設的蓬勃發展以及允許企業抵消新設備成本的新稅收政策。

關稅推高了價格

不出所料，關稅推高了去年進口商品的價格。經濟追蹤數據顯示，尤其是在特朗普總統4月宣佈在全球全面徵收關稅之後，價格開始攀升，扭轉了此前幾個月價格下跌的趨勢。

然而，關稅對價格的影響比許多人最初預期的要小一些，部分原因是企業擔心失去客戶而遲遲不願漲價。

美國通膨情勢也有所改善，部分原因是服務業通膨逐漸降溫。但經濟學家表示，如果沒有關稅，情況會更好：據估計，8月的消費者物價指數為2.9%，如果沒有關稅，則應為2.2%。

除了經濟數據之外，許多美國人仍然對高物價感到擔憂，並且對特朗普先生的經濟政策越來越持懷疑態度，而經濟政策歷來是他的強項。

《紐約時報》和錫耶納(Siena)大學1月的一項民調顯示，54%的選民反對特朗普先生的關稅政策，51%的選民表示總統的政策讓他們的生活更加難以負擔。

So, over the past year, President Trump carried out what was essentially a grand experiment with the U.S. economy by raising tariffs. The new surcharges have had a significant impact. They have caused businesses to speed up, delay and cancel purchases, or find new countries to source products from. They have raised a significant amount of revenue for the government, much of it from American businesses. And they have caused the U.S. trade deficit to shrink and prices of American goods to rise. At this moment, many Americans remain concerned about high prices and they are still skeptical of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy.

關稅的影響：特朗普的貿易實驗一年後（1/2）

Recently the New York Times reported the following:

The Effects of Tariffs, One Year Into Trump’s Trade Experiment (1/2)

Five charts show the impact on the economy after a year of sweeping trade changes by the Trump administration.

By Ana Swanson - Ana Swanson covers international trade and reports from Washington.

Feb. 2, 2026

Updated 11:34 a.m. ET

Over the past year, President Trump carried out what was essentially a grand experiment with the U.S. economy, by raising tariffs to levels not seen in a century. It was an exercise that pitted Mr. Trump, a longtime proponent of tariffs, against business owners who paid the levies and mainstream economists who criticized the plan.

America imports trillions of dollars of foreign goods each year, and tariffs are a tax on those purchases. Over the past year, Mr. Trump raised average U.S. tariffs to about 17 percent, the highest level since 1932, in the wake of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. Mr. Trump’s stated aim was to reinvigorate American industry and bring jobs back to the United States.

These new surcharges have had a significant impact. They have caused businesses to speed up, delay and cancel purchases, or find new countries to source products from. They have raised a significant amount of revenue for the government, much of it from American businesses. And they have caused the U.S. trade deficit to shrink and prices of American goods to rise. At the same time, they have not yet been the panacea for the factory sector that Mr. Trump had promised.

Here are some of the effects.

Skyrocketing revenue

One of the most tangible effects of Mr. Trump’s trade policy has been a drastic increase in the revenue the government takes in from tariffs. The United States collected an estimated $287 billion in customs duties, taxes and fees last year, nearly triple the amount in 2024.

This amount is still small compared with the more than $2 trillion earned annually from income taxes, but it gives the government a significant new source of money for its spending, whether that’s funding the military or Social Security, or paying interest on the U.S. debt.

There’s an important caveat, however. This money was paid to the government by so-called “importers of record,” most of which are American companies.

While the Trump administration has said that foreign firms will end up paying the tariffs, most economists believe that American businesses and consumers bear most of the burden.

A shrinking trade deficit

Mr. Trump has also sought to decrease the trade deficit, which is the gap between what the United States buys versus what it sells overseas. In recent months, he has succeeded. The trade deficit has fallen significantly, hitting its lowest level since 2009 in October, though it rebounded in November.

The president and his supporters see the trade deficit as a sign of economic weakness, though not all economists agree. While the trade deficit has fallen a lot in recent months, it had surged earlier in the year as Mr. Trump came into office and businesses rushed to bring goods into the country ahead of the tariffs. From January to November, the trade deficit is still up 4.1 percent from the previous year. The question now for economists is where the trade deficit will go from here.

(to be continued)

Translation

關稅的影響：特朗普的貿易實驗一年後（1/2）

五張圖表展示了特朗普政府推行全面貿易改革一年後對經濟的影響

過去一年，特朗普總統對美國經濟進行了一項堪稱「大實驗」的舉措，將關稅提高到百年未見的水平。這項舉措使長期以來支持關稅的特朗普與繳納關稅的企業擁有者, 以及批評該計劃的主流經濟學家之間產生了衝突。

美國每年進口數兆美元的外國商品，而關稅正是對這些商品徵收的一種稅。過去一年，特朗普先生將美國平均關稅提高至約17%，這是自1932年以來的最高水平，而1932年的關稅水平, 是1930年《斯穆特-霍利關稅法》(Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act) 頒佈之後出台。特朗普先生公開表示，他的目標是重振美國產業，並將就業機會帶回美國。

這些新的附加稅產生了顯著影響。它們迫使企業加快採購速度、延遲採購、取消採購，或尋找新的產品來源國。它們為政府帶來了可觀的收入，其中大部分來自美國企業。它們也導至美國貿易逆差縮小，美國商品價格上漲。同時，它們亦未像特朗普先生承諾那樣成為對製造業的靈丹妙藥。

以下是一些影響：

收入飆升

特朗普先生貿易政策最顯著的影響之一是政府從關稅中獲得的收入大幅增加。去年，美國徵收的關稅、稅金和費用估計為2,870億美元，幾乎是2024年金額的三倍。

這筆金額相比每年超過2兆美元的薪俸稅收入仍然很小，但它為政府提供了一筆可觀的新資金來源，用於各種支出，無論是軍事費用、社會保障，還是支付美國國債利息。

然而，需要注意的是，這筆錢是由所謂在「登記冊的進口商」支付給政府的，其中大部分是美國公司。

儘管特朗普政府聲稱最終將由外國公司承擔關稅，但大多數經濟學家認為，美國企業和消費者才是主要負擔。

貿易逆差縮小

特朗普先生也致力於縮小貿易逆差，也就是美國進口額與出口額之間的差額。近幾個月來，他取得了成功。貿易逆差顯著下降，10月份達到2009年以來的最低水平，儘管11月份有所反彈。

總統及其支持者將貿易逆差視為經濟疲軟的標誌，但並非所有經濟學家都認同這一觀點。儘管貿易逆差在近幾個月來大幅下降，但今年早些時候，隨著特朗普上任，企業爭相在關稅生效前將商品運入美國，貿易逆差曾大幅飆升。 1月至11月，貿易逆差仍較上年同期成長4.1%。現在經濟學家面臨的問題是，貿易逆差的未來走向是如何。

（待續）

巴拿馬廢除香港公司的運河港口營運合約 (2/2)

Recently Google News on-line picked up the following:

Panama voids Hong Kong-based firm's canal port contracts (2/2)

BBC - By Amy Walker and Suranjana Tewari, Asia business correspondent

31 Jan 2026

(continue)

In response, PPC said the new ruling lacks legal basis, and "jeopardises not only PPC and its contract, but also the well-being and stability of thousands of Panamanian families who depend directly and indirectly on port activity".

Its statement added that it had invested more than $1.8bn (£1.3bn) in infrastructure and technology since it began operating the ports in 1997.

Mulino said ports in the country will continue to operate without disruption despite the ruling.

APM Terminals Panama, a subsidiary of Danish shipping company Maersk, will temporarily manage the Balbao and Cristóbal sites.

The company told the BBC in a statement that it "aims to mitigate any risks that could impact essential services for regional and global trade".

On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that the country would take "all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies".

Hong Kong's government also said it firmly rejected the ruling.

The Panamanian court's decision could disrupt plans by CK Hutchison to sell its interests in ports worldwide to a consortium led by US investment firm BlackRock and shipping group MSC under a deal worth $22.8bn.

Both firms have been contacted for comment by the BBC.

The sale was widely seen as an attempt by CK Hutchison to reduce political risk in sensitive locations while raising money from valuable assets.

Trump had previously hailed the plans, which would place key assets under majority US ownership, while the Chinese government had criticised them for not being in the national interest.

Markets reacted quickly to the court decision.

CK Hutchison's shares fell 4.6% in Hong Kong trading, pushing down the Hang Seng Index down by more than 2% - a sign of both the company's importance to the market and growing investor concern about political risk.

Up to 14,000 ships use the 51-mile (82km) Panama Canal each year as a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific.

The waterway, which handles about 5% of global maritime trade volume, is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government.

From October 2023 to September 2024, China accounted for 21.4% of the cargo volume transiting the canal, making it the second-largest user after the US.

Translation

巴拿馬廢除香港公司的運河港口營運合約(2/2)

（繼續）

 PPC 回應稱新裁決缺乏法律依據，「不僅危及 PPC 及其合同，也危及數千個直接或間接依賴港口活動的巴拿馬家庭的福祉和穩定」。

該公司在聲明中補充說，自 1997 年開始運營這些港口以來，已在基礎設施和技術方面投資超過 18 億美元（13 億英鎊）。

Mulino表示，儘管有此裁決，巴拿馬的港口仍將繼續正常運營，不會受到影響。

丹麥航運公司馬士基的子公司 APM Terminals Panama 將暫時管理Balbao港和Cristóbal港。

該公司在給 BBC 的聲明中表示，「這旨在降低任何可能影響區域和全球貿易基本服務的風險」。

週五，中國外交部發言人郭家琨表示，中國將採取「一切必要措施，堅決維護中國企業的合法權益」。

香港特區政府也表示堅決反對這項裁決。

巴拿馬法院的裁決可能會擾亂長江和記實業有限公司（CK Hutchison）將其在全球港口的權益出售給由美國投資公司貝萊德（BlackRock）和航運集團MSC牽頭的財團的計劃，該交易價值228億美元。

BBC已聯繫這兩家公司徵求評論。

此次出售被廣泛視為長江和記實業有限公司試圖降低敏感地區的政治風險，同時從其寶貴資產中籌集資金。

特朗普先前曾對該計劃表示讚賞，該計劃將使關鍵資產由美國控股，而中國政府則批評該計劃不符合其國家利益。

市場對法院的裁決迅速做出反應。

長江和記實業的股票在香港交易中下跌4.6%，拖累恆生指數下跌超過2%，這不僅顯示該公司對市場的重要性，也反映出投資人對政治風險日益增長的擔憂。

每年有多達14,000艘船舶使用全長82公里（51英里）的巴拿馬運河作為連接大西洋和太平洋的捷徑。

這條水道承擔著全球約5%的海運貿易量，由巴拿馬運河管理局運營，該機構是巴拿馬政府的下屬機構。

從2023年10月到2024年9月，中國佔巴拿馬運河貨運量的21.4%，是僅次於美國的第二大用戶。

So, after China interferes with a Hong Kong company the CK Hutchison’s decision to sell its interests in ports on the Panama Canal, Panama's Supreme Court annuls CK Hutchison’s contract signed years ago that allows this company to operate container ports. The Chinese government criticizes this court’s decision. Apparently, Beijing's tighter political control over Hong Kong in recent years and its potential involvements in the operation of private companies have changed how Hong Kong companies are perceived internationally: business transactions become more political.