科学美国人60秒 SSS 3D打印珊瑚能保护珊瑚礁

This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Annie Sneed.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列，我是安妮·斯尼德。

Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems¹ in the world.

珊瑚礁是世界上生产力最强的生态系统之一。

They're also in serious danger—climate change and other threats are killing² them off.

但珊瑚礁也处于严重危险之中——气候变化和其他威胁可能会使其灭绝。

But researchers have come up with an invention they think could help the reefs: 3-D-printed corals.

但是研究人员想出了他们认为可以帮助珊瑚礁的发明：3D打印珊瑚。

At the heart of reef ecosystems lies a symbiosis³ between corals and algae⁴.

珊瑚礁生态系统的核心是珊瑚虫和藻类的共生关系。

"Corals use light, they're photosynthesizing, so they have microscopic⁵ algae inside their tissues.

“珊瑚虫利用光进行光合作用，因此微型藻类会进入它们的组织内。

And these use light to generate energy, and that energy is then transferred to the coral animal host.

这些藻类用光产生能量，之后能量被转移到珊瑚虫宿主身上。

And that animal host, in return, transfers certain by-products to the algae, so they have a symbiosis going on."

珊瑚虫宿主又反过来将某些副产品转移给藻类，这样它们就形成了共生关系。”

Daniel Wangpraseurt, a coral reef scientist at the University of Cambridge.

剑桥大学的珊瑚礁科学家丹尼尔·旺普拉修特说到。

This tight-knit bond between algae and corals is what makes reefs so incredibly productive.

藻类和珊瑚虫之间的这种紧密联系，就是珊瑚礁生产力如此惊人的原因所在。

And because of this symbiosis, corals have evolved sophisticated skeletal and tissue structures for collecting sunlight.

由于这种共生关系，珊瑚进化出复杂的骨架和组织结构来收集阳光。

"So usually, you would have this rapid light attenuation⁶.

“通常情况下，这种光会迅速衰减。

But through the skeleton, light is pumped and guided into deeper, otherwise shaded areas.

但通过珊瑚骨架后，光会被抽送并引导到更深的阴暗区域。

So there's a lot of tricks that corals use. And in our work, we copied some of them."

珊瑚用了很多技巧。我们的研究工作借用了其中一些。”

Wangpraseurt and his colleagues imaged corals to analyze⁷ their skeletal and tissue makeup⁸.

旺普拉修特为同事为珊瑚成像，分析它们的骨架和组织结构。

They then used a 3-D bioprinter to build an intricate structure that mimics⁹ real corals.

他们随后用3D生物打印机打造了一个复杂结构，模仿真实的珊瑚。

The printed corals were made of biomaterials like cellulose and had algae embedded¹⁰ in them.

打印珊瑚由纤维素等生物材料制成，有藻类植入其中。

And because the researchers were able replicate¹¹ coral structure so well, the algae grew tremendously—

由于研究人员能够很好地复制珊瑚结构，使得藻类疯狂生长，

up to 100 times more densely¹² than they normally grow in the lab.

其生长密度大大超过了实验室正常情况的100倍。

Wangpraseurt says their 3-D-printed creation could be used as a medium to grow algae to produce bioenergy

旺普拉修特表示，他们的3D打印产物可用作媒介，来种植产生生物能源的藻类，

and also as a tool for studying the coral-algae symbiosis.

也可以作为研究珊瑚-藻类共生关系的工具。

"At the same time, of course, there are many other ways this technology can be further scaled and improved to create something like artificial corals in the future.

“当然，与此同时，有许多其他方法可以进一步测量和改进这项技术，以便在未来创造出类似人工珊瑚的东西。

So this is just the first step, where we created the animal host, but we're now continuing to further replicate this animal-algal symbiosis.

因此这只是我们创造动物宿主的第一步，但我们会继续进一步复制这种动物-藻类共生关系。

And we're developing model systems. And eventually, of course, it would be nice that this can have direct applications in coral reef restoration."

我们计划开发模型系统。当然，最终，这项技术能够直接应用于珊瑚礁的修复就更好了。”

Thanks for listening for Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Annie Sneed.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是安妮·斯尼德。

1 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 symbiosis   

n.共生（关系），共栖

参考例句：

• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing.他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。
• The symbiosis between social values and political structure has produced extraordinary achievement.社会价值观念和政治结构的共生现象带来了非凡的成就。

4 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

5 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

6 attenuation   

n.变薄；弄细；稀薄化；减少

参考例句：

• The attenuation distance and transmittance are connected together, they influence each other. 衰减距离attenuation)和能见度(transmittance)是联系在一起的，并相互影响。 来自互联网
• Attenuation of light is in the form of absorption. 光是以吸收的形式衰减。 来自辞典例句

7 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

8 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

9 mimics   

n.模仿名人言行的娱乐演员，滑稽剧演员( mimic的名词复数 )；善于模仿的人或物v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的第三人称单数 )；酷似

参考例句：

• Methods:Models were generate by CT scan,Mimics software and Abaqus software. 方法：采用CT扫描，Mimics软件和Abaqus软件的CAD进行三维有限元模型的创建。 来自互联网
• Relaxing the mind and body mimics the effect that some blood-pressure pills would have. 放松身心会产生某些降压药才能产生的效果。 来自辞典例句

10 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

11 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

12 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。