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What prehistoric¹ genius first discovered how to transform milk into delicious cheese? We may never find out, but we now know that humans were purposefully making cheese as early as 7,500 years ago. The finding is in the journal Nature.

To make cheese, you first force milk to coagulate into curds². Then you strain off the liquid, called whey.

Modern cheese strainers bear a strong resemblance to the remains³ of 34 clay vessels⁴ recovered from Polish archaeological sites. But researchers did not know if the vessels might have also have served other purposes. The new study analyzed⁵ the residues⁶ on these unglazed pottery⁷ shards⁸ and found the remains of milk fat. Which proves that these containers were part of the cheese-making process more than 7,000 years ago.

Cheese was more than a tasty treat. These prehistoric humans were likely lactose intolerant, and had trouble digesting unprocessed milk. By straining out the lactose-rich whey and transforming the milk solids into cheese, dairy farmers gained nutrition from cows without slaughtering⁹ their food source. And finally discovered what to put on crackers¹⁰.

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1 prehistoric
adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的
参考例句：
They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。 It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

2 curds
n.凝乳( curd的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Little miss muffet sat on a tuffet eating some curds and whey. 小玛菲特小姐坐在垫子上，吃着凝乳和乳清。来自互联网 The curds contain casein, fat and minerals. 凝乳中有酪蛋白、脂肪、矿物质。来自互联网

3 remains
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。 The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 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
参考例句：
The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。来自《简明英汉词典》 All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 analyzed
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析
参考例句：
The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。来自《简明英汉词典》 The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。来自《简明英汉词典》

6 residues
n.剩余，余渣( residue的名词复数 )；剩余财产；剩数
参考例句：
pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables 残留在水果和蔬菜中的杀虫剂 All organic and metallic residues on the wafers must be removed. 片子上所有的有机和金属残留物均必须清除。来自辞典例句

7 pottery
n.陶器，陶器场
参考例句：
My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。 The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

8 shards
n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Eyewitnesses spoke of rocks and shards of glass flying in the air. 目击者称空中石块和玻璃碎片四溅。来自辞典例句 Ward, Josh Billings, and a host of others have survived only in scattered shards of humour. 沃德、比林斯和许多别的作家能够留传下来的只是些幽默的残章断简。来自辞典例句

9 slaughtering
v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。来自英汉非文学 - 历史 \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

10 crackers
adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘
参考例句：
That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。 We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。来自《简明英汉词典》