-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute.
It may look like just another animal. But one kind of lowly sea slug actually has the solar power abilities of a plant. Bizarre but true, the sea slug carries out photosynthesis1. This finding was published in the Proceedings2 of the National Academy of Sciences.
Usually, plants perform photosynthesis by way of tiny organelles called plastids. Plastids convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into usable nutrients3. Then animals eat the plants. But the sea slug goes about it slightly differently.
It has at least one gene4 necessary for photosynthesis—so far it’s the only animal known with this ability. But it needs some help, the gene itself isn’t enough. So sea slugs eat algae5. They slit6 open the organisms and suck out the cytoplasm. The slugs digest most of the algae, but those plastids remain whole and undigested. And then the plastids keep on doing what they do, which is convert sunlight to usable energy. Once the sea slug has eaten enough algae, and gained enough plastids, it can live off just sunlight for up to nine months. When it comes to energy, this slug needs no plug.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber.
1 photosynthesis | |
n.光合作用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 nutrients | |
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 gene | |
n.遗传因子,基因 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 algae | |
n.水藻,海藻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 slit | |
n.狭长的切口;裂缝;vt.切开,撕裂 | |
参考例句: |
|
|