VOA慢速英语2009-SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Transgenic Monkeys Pro

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, a program in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty¹.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. This week, we will tell about a study involving monkeys and a gene² from jellyfish. We will tell about an agreement to ban nine dangerous chemicals. We will also report on problems linked to cigarette smoking and alcoholic³ drinks.

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VOICE ONE:
　
Transgenic baby marmosets in an image published with the study that appeared in the journal Nature

Scientists in Japan say they have produced monkeys with a gene that gives the skin of the animals an unusual look. The skin is said to look bright green under ultraviolet lighting⁴.

The scientists say the monkeys represent an important step in how researchers study human disease. These marmosets are the first fully⁵ transgenic primates⁶. Primates are the biological group of animals that includes monkeys and apes. An animal that has received foreign genetic⁷ material is considered transgenic.

VOICE TWO:

For almost thirty years, researchers have used transgenic mice to carry out biomedical research. To produce these animals, researchers inject fertilized⁸ mice eggs with foreign genes⁹, and then place them in the uterus of a female mouse. The specially¹⁰ chosen genes are then expressed in some of the mouse's babies.

Transgenic mice help researchers study the appearance and treatment of human diseases. But mice are not as helpful as primates are for studying the behavior of human diseases.

VOICE ONE:
　
The hands of one of the transgenic marmosets as seen under ultraviolet light.

Scientists at Japan's Central Institute for Experimental Animals led the study that made the transgenic marmosets. The scientists say they injected a green glowing protein found in jellyfish into fertilized marmoset eggs. They chose this gene because it is easy to see with a florescent light.

Four of the five marmosets born as part of the experiment carried the foreign gene in several kinds of tissue. The fifth only carried the green protein in its placenta tissue at birth. Two of the animals later showed the foreign gene in their reproductive cells. This means they would pass on the gene for the green protein to their young.

VOICE TWO:

Later, a male transgenic marmoset reproduced and passed on the green gene to a baby. This is the first time scientists have successfully passed on a foreign gene to a future generation. And, it means that transgenic marmosets can be produced from breeding instead of by the lengthy¹¹ process of injecting fertilized eggs.

The scientists say the marmosets could one day be easily produced for medical research. They could be used to study conditions like Parkinson's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease. A report about the experiment was published last month in Nature magazine.

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VOICE ONE:

Officials from more than one hundred sixty governments have agreed to ban production of nine of the world's most dangerous chemicals. The agreement was announced last month at a United Nations conference in Switzerland.

The chemicals are joining twelve other substances that are already banned under a treaty known as the Stockholm Convention. The treaty was signed in two thousand one.

VOICE TWO:
　
Donald Cooper speaks during a United Nations conference in Geneva, Switzerland in May

The Stockholm Convention governs some kinds of industrial chemicals and pesticides¹² -- products meant to kill insects. These substances can damage the human nervous system and natural defenses against disease. They have also been linked to cancer, reproductive disorders¹⁴ and interfere¹⁵ with normal child development. The substances can also kill people.

Donald Cooper is Executive Secretary of the Stockholm Convention. He says the substances are especially dangerous because they travel through the air and stay in the atmosphere, soil and water. It takes many years for them to weaken. Mister Cooper says the substances build up in the cells of plants, animals and human beings.

VOICE ONE:

One of the newly banned chemicals is perflurooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS. It is found in electrical parts and fire-fighting products. Another banned chemical is the pesticide¹³ Lindane. It is used in some areas as a treatment for head lice.

The governments at the U.N. conference also reached a decision on another pesticide, DDT. They said they want DDT banned, but recognize that some countries use it to protect people from diseases like malaria¹⁶. The governments said they will consider a plan that supports safer, effective choices to DDT. And, they hope to ban its use by two thousand ten.

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VOICE TWO:

Chronic¹⁷ obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as C.O.P.D., blocks airflow through the lungs. It makes breathing difficult. The leading cause is cigarette smoking. America's National Institutes of Health says the damage to the lungs cannot be repaired and there is no cure.

Dawn DeMeo is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts.

DAWN DeMEO: "By two thousand and twenty, C.O.P.D. will likely be the third leading cause of death across the world."

C.O.P.D. is a new name for emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These are the two most common forms of the disease. Many people with C.O.P.D. have both of them.

VOICE ONE:

Doctor DeMeo wrote about a study by a team from Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Bergen in Norway. The study adds to findings that women may be more at risk than men for the damaging effects of smoking.

The team examined results from a Norwegian study of more than nine hundred people with C.O.P.D. Inga-Cecilie Soerheim also wrote about the team's findings. She says they show that women suffered the same severity of C.O.P.D. as men. But, the female smokers¹⁸ were younger and had smoked a lot less.

VOICE TWO:

The team also looked at two groups among the people in the study. These were people under the age of sixty and those who had smoked for less than twenty years. In both cases, women had more severe C.O.P.D. and a greater loss of lung function than men.

The study was presented last month to the American Thoracic Society.

Doctor Soerheim says there are several possible explanations why women may be more at risk from the effects of cigarette smoke than men. Women have smaller airways¹⁹, she says, so each cigarette may do more harm. Also, there are differences between males and females in the way the body processes cigarette smoke. And, she says, genes and hormones²⁰ could also play an important part.

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VOICE ONE:
　
A wine-tasting near Beijing, China

Finally, a listener in Taiwan wrote to ask why his face turns red when he drinks alcohol. This effect called facial flushing is a common reaction to alcohol among East Asians. It affects an estimated thirty-six percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.

For many people, even a little alcohol can cause unpleasant effects. Most commonly, their face, neck and sometimes their whole body turns red. People might also feel sick to their stomach and lightheaded. They might experience a burning sensation, increased heart rate, shortness of breath and headaches.

The cause is a genetic difference that some people are born with. It prevents their bodies from processing alcohol the way other people do. But the effects might be more serious than just a red face. Researchers have warned of a link between this condition and an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus from drinking alcohol.

VOICE TWO:

A report about facial flushing appeared recently in PLoS Medicine, a publication of the Public Library of Science. The report says the more alcohol that persons with this deficiency drink, the greater their risk. It estimates that at least five hundred forty million people have the deficiency.

Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It can be treated when found early. But once it grows the chances of survival drop sharply.

VOICE ONE:

Philip Brooks²¹ is a researcher at America's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Doctor Brooks says it is important to educate people about the link between the alcohol flushing effect and esophageal cancer. He says doctors should ask East Asian patients about their experiences with facial flushing after drinking alcohol. Those with a history of it should be advised to limit their alcohol use. They should also be warned that cigarette smoking works with the alcohol in a way that further increases the risk of esophageal cancer.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Lawan Davis, Dana Demange and June Simms. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

4 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

7 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

8 Fertilized   

v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
• Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。

9 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

10 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

11 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

12 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

14 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

16 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

17 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

18 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

19 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

20 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

21 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》