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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Murchison Meteorite1's Chemical Bonanza2
The 1969 Murchison meteorite was known to harbor complex organic compounds, but a new analysis in Proceedings3 of the National Academy of Sciences finds that it may also contain millions of chemicals and shed light on the timeline of the kinds of chemistry that went on in a much earlier universe. Adam Hinterthuer reports
The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969. Researchers then discovered that the space rock contained many organic chemicals, including amino acids—the building blocks of proteins. But a new study says that by focusing on the organic molecules4 by which life on earth might have been jumpstarted, those scientists missed possibly millions of other cosmic compounds.
Using high-resolution structural5 spectroscopy, a European research team [led by Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin of the Institute for Ecological6 Chemistry in Munich, Germany] has probed the errant rock further and found more than 14,000 basic combinations of molecules. They estimate that those compounds indicate that millions of different chemicals are present in the meteorite. And that suggests an extraterrestrial diversity of molecules far greater than the chemical makeup7 of Earth. The report is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to the study, the Murchison meteorite is possibly older than our sun and picked up its chemical hitchhikers in the solar system’s infancy8 as it passed through primordial9 clouds. By further analyzing10 the meteorite, researchers hope to understand its chemical evolution and create a timeline of the chemistry of our universe.
1 meteorite | |
n.陨石;流星 | |
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2 bonanza | |
n.富矿带,幸运,带来好运的事 | |
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3 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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4 molecules | |
分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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5 structural | |
adj.构造的,组织的,建筑(用)的 | |
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6 ecological | |
adj.生态的,生态学的 | |
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7 makeup | |
n.组织;性格;化装品 | |
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8 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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9 primordial | |
adj.原始的;最初的 | |
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10 analyzing | |
v.分析;分析( analyze的现在分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析n.分析 | |
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