【英语时差8,16】靠基因修复牙齿珐琅质

Don: Time to go again to the A Moment of Science mailbox. A listener writers:

Dear Don and Yaël, 

I've had a problem with cavities all my life, so I'm wondering if there are any new dental techniques or discoveries that can help me prevent tooth decay?

Yaël: Good question. The answer is that the best way to prevent cavities is regular flossing and brushing, and regular trips to the dentist.

D: Right. But dental researchers do have investigations¹ in the works that could usher² in a new era of treating and preventing cavities. For example, scientists at Oregon State  have identified the gene³ that controls how our bodies grow tooth enamel⁴--the super hard coating that gives our teeth their strength and chewing power. It's a cool discovery because it could lead to techniques that allow dentists to repair damaged enamel and maybe even re-grow damaged teeth.

Y: Right, but let's give a little context, Don. The researchers studied the gene, called C-tip 2, by turning it off in embryonic⁵ mice. They found that the developing mouse embryos⁶' teeth lacked enamel. So the gene is necessary for producing enamel.

D: The important thing is that knowing the genetic⁷ basis of tooth enamel could lead to new dental treatments. For example, most cavities are due to holes in enamel that  allow decay to happen.

 So scientists could one day be able to use teeth stem cells to grow new enamel. This could be especially useful for people whose enamel has been worn away due to diet or other factors.

Y: Stem cell enamel replacement⁸ is a long way off, but discovering an enamel gene is a pretty good first step in that direction.  

1 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

2 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

3 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

4 enamel   

n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质

参考例句：

• I chipped the enamel on my front tooth when I fell over.我跌倒时门牙的珐琅质碰碎了。
• He collected coloured enamel bowls from Yugoslavia.他藏有来自南斯拉夫的彩色搪瓷碗。

5 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

6 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。