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This is Scientific American’s 60-second Science. I'm Adam Hinterthuer. Got a minute?
The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard1 and a fearsome predator2. It has long been thought that some of its hunting prowess was due to a mouth teeming3 with bacteria. An attack that didn't immediately kill the dragon’s victim, often a deer but sometimes a person, would cause fatal bacterial4 infections. But a report released May 18th by the Proceedings5 of the National Academy of Sciences finds a more likely cause of death. The animal has evolved a “sophisticated combined arsenal6 killing7 apparatus”.
First, the animal has razor-sharp serrated teeth, perfect for tearing flesh and causing massive wounds, but wait, there’s more. When the researchers performed an MRI of the dragon, they found in its jaws8 what they called the most structurally9 complex reptile10 venom11 gland12 known. The gland has openings between the lizard’s teeth and releases chemicals that both dilate13 blood vessels14 and prevent blood clotting15. The inevitable16 result is massive blood loss. This new information does help to clean up the foul-mouthed reputation of the Komodo dragon, but it is little solace17 for its unfortunate prey18.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Adam Hinterthuer.
"Would you tell us a little bit more about the Komodo dragon, Doctor?"
"Happy to. The Komodo dragon is the world's largest living lizard. It's a ferocious19 kind of ora, found on the steep-sloped Island of Komodo, in the Lesser20 Sunda chain of the Indonesian Archipelago and the nearby islands of Rinca, Padar and Floras21."
“Where do they come from?"
1 lizard | |
n.蜥蜴,壁虎 | |
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2 predator | |
n.捕食其它动物的动物;捕食者 | |
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3 teeming | |
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注 | |
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4 bacterial | |
a.细菌的 | |
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5 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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6 arsenal | |
n.兵工厂,军械库 | |
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7 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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8 jaws | |
n.口部;嘴 | |
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9 structurally | |
在结构上 | |
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10 reptile | |
n.爬行动物;两栖动物 | |
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11 venom | |
n.毒液,恶毒,痛恨 | |
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12 gland | |
n.腺体,(机)密封压盖,填料盖 | |
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13 dilate | |
vt.使膨胀,使扩大 | |
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14 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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15 clotting | |
v.凝固( clot的现在分词 );烧结 | |
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16 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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17 solace | |
n.安慰;v.使快乐;vt.安慰(物),缓和 | |
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18 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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19 ferocious | |
adj.凶猛的,残暴的,极度的,十分强烈的 | |
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20 lesser | |
adj.次要的,较小的;adv.较小地,较少地 | |
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21 floras | |
n.(某地区或某时期的)植物群,植物区系,植物志( flora的名词复数 ) | |
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