TED演讲:我们如何研究生活在肠道中的微生物(2)

 　　My lab got our first indication of this when actually we were studying non-human primates². 我的实验室在研究非人类--灵长类动物时，第一次发现了这个征兆。

　　We wanted to find out what happens to a monkey's microbiome when they move from the jungle to a zoo. 我们想了解当猴子由丛林搬到动物园后，它们体内的微生物群会发生什么变化。

　　Does their microbiome change? Do they pick up new bugs³? 它们体内的微生物群改变了吗？是否增加了新微生物？

　　Do they lose some? Does it get better or worse? 失去一些微生物吗？微生物群是在变好，还是变糟呢？

　　We tracked two different species in the jungle, one in Vietnam, one in Costa Rica, and then we sequenced the DNA⁴ from their stool. 我们分别对丛林中（生活的）两个不同物种进行了追踪研究，一个物种在越南，一个在哥斯达黎加，我们用它们的粪便进行了DNA测序。

　　This is how we study the microbiome in my research lab. 这就是我们实验室对微生物进行研究的方法。

　　And what we found in the DNA is that in the wild, these two species had totally different sets of microbes. 通过DNA比对，我们发现野外的这两个物种体内，微生物群截然不同。

　　It was like a fingerprint⁵ for the species. 微生物群就像物种的指纹一样。

　　But in the zoo, they had lost most of that diversity and had acquired some other set of microbes. 但在动物园里，它们的微生物群却失去了大部分的多样性，并获得了一些其它的微生物。

　　And...So this was very curious. We've got these two different microbiomes. 这种现象非常奇怪。我们有两个不同的微生物群。

　　In the wild, picture a lush tropical rainforest living the guts⁶ of these monkeys. 野外动物体内的微生物群，它就像郁郁葱葱的热带雨林活在这些猴子的肠道内。

　　That's the kind of diversity that we're talking about. 也就是我们说的多样性。

　　Then in the zoo, they've lost diversity. 然而在动物园里，微生物群却失去了多样性。

　　Picture a rainforest that's been burned to the ground and taken over by a few invasive species. 就好像一些入侵物种接管了烧光的雨林。

　　That's more like the microbiome in a captive primate¹. 因此它们更像圈养灵长类动物体内的微生物群。

　　Now, in the meantime, many of the animals in the zoo are not doing so well. 与此同时，在动物园里，许多动物身体状况都不太好。

　　They have issues with obesity⁷, wasting, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, bloating, and some of them were barely holding onto their lives. 它们有肥胖、消瘦、肠胃炎、腹泻、腹胀等问题，有些动物几乎活不下去了。

1 primate   

n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的

参考例句：

• 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
• The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。

2 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

3 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

5 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

6 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。