TED演讲：细菌是怎样交流的(6)

 　　Why this is interesting is because in the past decade we have found that this is not just some anomaly of this ridiculous, 这个发现之所以有趣，是因为在过去十年间，我们发现这种现象不只局限在这种古怪的、

　　glow-in-the-dark bacterium¹ that lives in the ocean -- all bacteria have systems like this. 住在大海中、会在黑暗中发光的细菌，而是所有的细菌都有类似的系统。

　　So now what we understand is that all bacteria can talk to each other. 由此，我们发现所有细菌都是可以彼此交谈的。

　　They make chemical words, they recognize those words, 它们制造化学文字，同时也能够辨认这些文字，

　　and they turn on group behaviors that are only successful when all of the cells participate in unison². 然后表现只有当所有细胞齐心协力才能成功的集体行为。

　　We have a fancy name for this: we call it quorum³ sensing. 我们为这种行为取了一个新潮的名字，称作：聚量感应。

　　They vote with these chemical votes, the vote gets counted, and then everybody responds to the vote. 就象用化学物质投票，再对票量加以统计，然后所有细胞都要服从最后的投票结果。

　　And what's important for today's talk is that we know that there are hundreds of behaviors that bacteria carry out in these collective fashions. 今天演讲最重要的一点是，我们已经知道细菌有数百种以上的这种集体行为。

　　But the one that's probably the most important to you is virulence⁴. 其中对大家来说，最关心的应该还是细菌的致病性。

　　So it's not like a couple bacteria get in you and they start secreting⁵ some toxins⁶ -- you're enormous, that would have no effect on you. You're huge. 并不是说少量细菌进入你体内后就马上开始分泌毒素。相对它们来说，你是个庞然大物，少量细菌对你不会有任何的影响。

　　What they do, we now understand, is they get in you, they wait, they start growing, they count themselves with these little molecules⁷, 我们发现，它们是先进入你的体内，然后等待，开始不断复制增长，它们由统计小分子的数目来估计自身的实力，

　　and they recognize when they have the right cell number that if all of the bacteria launch their virulence attack together, 当确定有足够的细胞数后，所有细菌一起发动致病攻击，

　　they are going to be successful at overcoming an enormous host. 这样它们就能成功攻陷巨大的宿主。

　　So bacteria always control pathogenicity with quorum sensing. And so that's how it works. 细菌总是以聚量感应来控制其致病性。这就是它们运作的原理。

1 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

2 unison   

n.步调一致，行动一致

参考例句：

• The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
• My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

3 quorum   

n.法定人数

参考例句：

• The meeting is adjourned since there is no quorum.因为没有法定人数会议休会。
• Three members shall constitute a quorum.三名成员可组成法定人数。

4 virulence   

n.毒力，毒性；病毒性；致病力

参考例句：

• The virulence of the café owner's anger had appalled her.咖啡店老板怒气冲天，充满敌意，把她吓坏了。
• Medical authorities were baffled,both as to its causes and its virulence.医疗当局对其病因及有多致命都还不甚了解。

5 secreting   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的现在分词 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• It is also an endocrine gland secreting at least two important hormones. 它也是一种内分泌腺，至少分泌二种重要的激素。 来自辞典例句
• And some calcite-secreting organisms also add magnesium to the mix. 有些分泌方解石的生物，会在分泌物中加入镁。 来自互联网

6 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。