The Ghost In Your Genes - 1 基因外遗传现象

We are on the brink¹ of uncovering a hidden world, a world that connects past and future generations in ways we never imagined possible.

What this means is an environmental exposure that your grandmother had could cause a disease in you even though you've never been exposed to the toxin². And you are gonna pass it onto your great-grand kids.

These extraordinary discoveries have the potential to affect every aspect of our lives.

It's not just the genes³, but also the environment in the early life of your ancestors. It's not so much you're what you eat as something you are what your mother ate, and maybe you are what your grandmother ate. And if you take our data, you're what's stress your grandmother or grandfather had.

It would change the way we think about our relationship with every generation.

(it) Makes me feel closer to my children. What I experienced, in terms of environment will have some type of legacy⁴ in my children and my grandchildren.
The science of inheritance is being turned on its head.
We're changing the view of what inheritance is.

This small Swedish town may hold the evidence to launch a medical revolution. Överkalix lies huddled⁵ on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Inaccessible⁶ and remote, it was cut off from the rest of the world for most of its history. Marcus Pembrey has traveled here to meet his colleague, Olov Bygren. They believe that the story lying buried in these graveyards⁷ may hold the proof to their radical⁸ ideas.

Here we have at least 2 generations.
In the same grave.
In the same ...
This group of people could contribute to really a sea change in the way we think about inheritance.

They have come to this churchyard to find grandmothers and granddaughters, grandfathers and grandsons, connecting people who lived almost a hundred years apart in entirely⁹ new ways, uncovering links that confound scientific thinking.

Up to now, inheritance is just the genes, the DNA¹⁰ sequence. I suspect that we're gonna be able to demonstrate that the inheritance is more than that.

This is a grandson, as it were, in our study.
It is the culmination¹¹ of more than twenty years' work and for the first time, Pembrey is confronting the magnitude of their discovery.
It really has come alive for me, coming here more than I had expected. It's really quite so, I'm, sure about it, wonderful.

words and expressions

on the brink of:濒于

toxin:毒素

sea change :A marked transformation:巨变, 突变，突发性彻底转变

culmination:巅峰；最高点

magnitude:重要，重要性

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 toxin   

n.毒素，毒质

参考例句：

• Experts have linked this condition to a build-up of toxins in the body.专家已把这一病症与体内毒素的积累联系起来。
• Tests showed increased levels of toxin in shellfish.检验表明水生有壳动物的毒素水平提高了。

3 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

4 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

5 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

6 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

7 graveyards   

墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所

参考例句：

• He takes a macabre interest in graveyards. 他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
• "And northward there lie, in five graveyards, Calm forever under dewy green grass," 五陵北原上，万古青蒙蒙。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

11 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。