2021年经济学人 2021诺贝尔奖(3)

The idea that there are five senses goes back at least as far as Aristotle. But it is not quite true.

人有五种感官的想法至少可以追溯到亚里士多德。但这样说也并不完全准确。

Four of the senses are obvious, if only because each is associated with a particular organ: sight with the eyes, hearing with the ears, taste with the tongue and smell with the nose.

有四种感官是显而易见的，因为每一种感官都与特定的器官相关：用眼睛看，用耳朵听，用舌头尝，用鼻子闻。

But the fifth classical sense, touch, is distributed over the whole surface of the body, albeit¹ that it is concentrated in the fingertips.

但是第五种经典感觉，触觉，分布在整个身体表面，集中在指尖。

Touch, moreover, is only one such distributed sense. Others perceived consciously include pain, heat and cold.

此外，触觉只是一种分布式感觉。其他有意识的感觉还包括疼痛、热和冷。

And modern science has shown there are also unconsciously perceived senses, known collectively as proprioception. These keep track of the position and movement of the body and its parts.

现代科学表明，还有一些无意识的感知器官，统称为本体感觉。这些器官跟踪身体及各部分的位置和运动。

This year’s Nobel prize for physiology² or medicine went to the discoverers of the molecular³ mechanisms⁴ of two of these distributed senses—temperature and mechanical stimulation⁵.

今年的诺贝尔生理学或医学奖授予了温度和机械刺激这两种分布式感官的分子机制的发现者。

The winners were David Julius of the University of California, San Francisco and Ardem Patapoutian of Scripps Research, a biomedical institute in San Diego.

获奖者是加州大学旧金山分校的戴维·朱利叶斯（David Julius）和圣地亚哥斯克里普斯生物医学研究所的阿代姆·帕塔博蒂安（Ardem Patapoutian）。

Dr Julius did the pioneering work on temperature. He and Dr Patapoutian, acting⁶ independently, then advanced this work. After that, Dr Patapoutian moved on to look at mechanical stimulation.

朱利叶斯博士在温度方面做了开创性的工作。他和帕塔博蒂安博士各自独立地推进了这项工作。 在那之后，帕塔博蒂安博士继续研究机械刺激方面的内容。

Dr Julius’s chosen tool for his investigation⁷, which he began in the late 1990s, was capsaicin. This is the active ingredient of chilli peppers.

朱利叶斯博士20世纪90年代末开始了他的研究，他选择的工具是辣椒素，是存在于辣椒内的活性成分。

By a chemical coincidence (as was then assumed and is now known) capsaicin reacts with, and thus stimulates⁸, one of the body’s heat-receptor proteins.

由于化学上的巧合（当时是假设，现在已经知道了），辣椒素与人体的一种热感受器蛋白发生反应，从而刺激人体。

Dr Julius set out to discover what this protein was. To do so he made millions of fragments of genetic⁹ material for proteins known to be active in heat-receptor cells.

朱利叶斯博士开始着手研究这种蛋白质是什么。为了做到这一点，他制造了数以百万计的遗传物质片段，用于已知的热感受器细胞中活跃的蛋白质。

He then introduced these fragments into other cells, to encourage them to manufacture the relevant protein fragments. That done, he tested the modified cells for sensitivity to capsaicin.

然后，他将这些片段引入其他细胞，以刺激它们制造相关的蛋白质片段。完成后，他测试了转基因细胞对辣椒素的敏感性。

The fragments which induced capsaicin sensitivity turned out to be parts of a protein now called TRPV1. This belongs to a class of proteins called ion channels, which do many jobs in the body.

引起辣椒素敏感性的片段原来是一种叫做TRPV1的蛋白质的一部分。这属于一种叫做离子通道的蛋白质，它在体内有很多作用。

As predicted, TRPV1 turned out to be heat sensitive. When the temperature rises above 43°C, the channel through it opens, permitting ions of calcium¹⁰ and sodium¹¹ to pass.

正如预测的那样，TRPV1是热敏的。当温度上升到43°C以上时，通道打开，允许钙离子和钠离子通过。

That chemical signal stimulates a nerve impulse which tells the brain about the temperature change.

这种化学信号会刺激神经冲动，从而告诉大脑温度的变化。

TRPV1 turned out to be one of several temperature-sensitive ion channels, some of which register heat, and some cold. It was one of the cold-sensitive varieties, TRPM8, which was discovered simultaneously¹² by Dr Julius and Dr Patapoutian.

TRPV1是几种对温度敏感的离子通道之一，其中一些记录热量，一些记录寒冷。它是一种对冷敏感的变种，由TRPM8变化得来的，这些是由朱利叶斯和帕塔博蒂安博士同时发现的。

Dr Patapoutian then went on to look at the sensation of touch.

帕塔博蒂安博士接着研究了触觉。

Molecular biology having advanced in the interim¹³, he was able to work with whole proteins—or, rather, the genes¹⁴ for whole proteins.

在此期间，分子生物学取得了进展，他能够研究全蛋白，或者更确切地说，全蛋白基因。

He identified 72 proteins, expressed in a mechanically sensitive cell line, that looked like potential touch-sensitive ion channels.

他鉴定了72种蛋白质在机械敏感的细胞系中表达，看起来像潜在的接触敏感离子通道。

He tested them one at a time, by silencing the genes that encode them and poking¹⁵ the resulting cells. The first 71 silencings had no effect. But the 72nd proved to be of the protein he was looking for. He called that protein PIEZO1.

他通过沉默编码它们的基因并戳出产生的细胞，一次测试一个。前71次沉默没有任何效果。 但第72颗被证明是他在寻找的蛋白质。他称这种蛋白质为PIEZO1蛋白。

In nature, PIEZO1 is found not in sensory¹⁶ neurons, but rather in organs like the bladder where pressure sensitivity is important. But Dr Patapoutian discovered a similar channel, PIEZO2, which is, indeed, found in nerve endings. It is this that is responsible for touch and proprioception.

在自然界中，PIEZO1并不存在于感觉神经元中，而是存在于像膀胱这样的重要器官中。但帕塔博蒂安博士发现了一个类似的通道，PIEZO2，它确实存在于神经末梢。这就是触觉和本体感觉的来源。

Fascinating work, then. And important. It is through the senses, and the senses alone, that people are able to perceive the world. But to some the award came as a surprise.

有趣的工作和重要的事，通过感官，而且只能通过感官，人们才能感知世界。 但对一些人来说，这个奖项是出乎意料的。

In a year of covid, they had been expecting the honours to go elsewhere—perhaps to the inventors of mRNA-vaccine technology.

在新冠肺炎爆发的一年，他们一直期待着这个荣誉会落到其他地方——也许会落到mRNA疫苗技术的发明者身上。

Like God, however, the various Nobel-prize committees work in mysterious ways their wonders to perform.

然而，就像上帝一样，各个诺贝尔奖委员会以神秘的方式创造了他们的奇迹。

1 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

2 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

3 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

4 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

10 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

11 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

12 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

13 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

14 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

15 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

16 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。