万物简史 第544期:令人惊叹的细胞(8)

 Leeuwenhoek himself occasionally got carried away with his enthusiasms. 列文虎克自己偶尔也沉湎于个人兴趣。

In one of his least successful experiments he tried to study the explosive properties of gunpowder¹ by observing a small blast at close range; 在他的一次最不成功的实验中，他试图通过近距离观察一次小型爆炸来研究火药的爆炸特性，

he nearly blinded himself in the process. 结果他的眼睛差一点被炸瞎了。

In 1683 Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria, 1683年列文虎克发现了细菌，

but that was about as far as progress could get for the next century and a half because of the limitations of microscope technology. 可是由于显微镜技术的限制，在此后的一个半世纪里，一直停留在那个水平。

Not until 1831 would anyone first see the nucleus² of a cell—it was found by the Scottish botanist³ Robert Brown, 直到1831年，才有人第一次看到细胞核——它是由苏格兰人罗伯特·布朗发现的。布朗是一位植物学家，

that frequent but always shadowy visitor to the history of science. 经常对科学史怀有兴趣，虽然始终不为人所知。

Brown, who lived from 1773 to 1858, called it nucleus from the Latin nucula, meaning little nut or kernel⁴. 他生活的年代从l773-1858年。他根据拉丁语nucula，意思是小坚果，将他的发现取名为细胞核。

Not until 1839, however, did anyone realize that all living matter is cellular⁵. 到了1839年，才有人真正认识到细胞是一切生命的基质。

It was Theodor Schwann, a German, who had this insight, 他就是具有这种洞察力的德国人索多·施旺。就科学洞察力而言，

and it was not only comparatively late, as scientific insights go, but not widely embraced at first. 这一发现不仅相对较晚，而且一开始也没有被广泛接受。

It wasn't until the 1860s, and some landmark⁶ work by Louis Pasteur in France, 直到19世纪60年代，由于法国人路易·巴斯德完成的具有里程碑意义的工作，

that it was shown conclusively⁷ that life cannot arise spontaneously but must come from preexisting cells. 才彻底地证明了生命不能自发地产生，而必须来自一个事先存在的细胞。

The belief became known as the "cell theory," and it is the basis of all modern biology. 这一理论被称为“细胞学说”，它是整个现代生物学的基础。

 

1 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

2 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

3 botanist   

n.植物学家

参考例句：

• The botanist introduced a new species of plant to the region.那位植物学家向该地区引入了一种新植物。
• I had never talked with a botanist before,and I found him fascinating.我从没有接触过植物学那一类的学者，我觉得他说话极有吸引力。

4 kernel   

n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心

参考例句：

• The kernel of his problem is lack of money.他的问题的核心是缺钱。
• The nutshell includes the kernel.果壳裹住果仁。

5 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

7 conclusively   

adv.令人信服地，确凿地

参考例句：

• All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》