VOA慢速英语2021 两位美国人因身体感官研究成果获得诺贝尔医学奖

Two American scientists have won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology¹ or Medicine for their discoveries of how the body senses temperature and touch.

两位美国科学家因发现人体如何感知温度和触觉获得了2021年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。

The Nobel Committee in Stockholm, Sweden announced the winners – David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian – on Monday.

瑞典斯德哥尔摩的诺贝尔委员会于周一宣布获奖者为戴维·朱利叶斯（David Julius）和阿尔登·帕塔波提安。

In a statement, the committee said findings by the two scientists are being used “to develop new treatments for a wide range of disease conditions, including chronic² pain.”

该委员会在一份声明中表示，这两位科学家的研究发现正被用于开发包括慢性疼痛在内的各种疾病的治疗方法。

Julius and Patapoutian separately identified receptors in the skin as part of their work in the field of somatosensation. The field explores the ability of specialized³ organs – such as eyes, ears and skin – to see, hear and feel.

朱利叶斯和帕塔波提安分别在他们的体感工作领域中识别出了皮肤中的感受器。该领域专门探索眼睛、耳朵和皮肤等专门器官的视觉、听觉和感受能力。

Julius used capsaicin, the active substance in chili⁴ peppers, to help identify nerve sensors⁵ that react to heat. Patapoutian discovered pressure-sensitive parts of cells that react to mechanical force on our skin.

朱利叶斯使用辣椒中的活性物质辣椒素来帮助识别对热有反应的神经传感器。帕塔波提安发现了细胞的压力敏感部分，它可以对皮肤受到的机械压力做出反应。

In announcing the winners, Nobel Committee Secretary-General Thomas Perlmann said, “This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature.” He added: “It’s actually something that is crucial for our survival.”

诺贝尔委员会秘书长托马斯·铂尔曼在宣布获奖时表示：“这确实解开了大自然的秘密之一。”他还表示：“这实际上对我们的生存至关重要。”

Julius is a 65-year-old professor and chair of the Department of Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Patapoutian was born in 1967 to Armenian parents in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles in his youth. He is a currently a professor at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.

朱利叶斯是加州大学旧金山分校生理学系一位65岁的教授。帕塔波提安于1967年在黎巴嫩出生，父母是亚美尼亚人。他年轻时搬到了洛杉矶。他目前是加州拉霍亚的斯克里普斯研究中心的教授。

Julius said he hopes his work will lead to the development of new pain drugs. He explained that in his case, the study of biology behind everyday activities led to the important discovery. “We eat chili peppers and menthol, but often times, you don’t think about how that works,” Julius said.

朱利叶斯表示，希望他的成果能够导致新止疼药的开发。他解释说在他的案例中，对日常活动背后生物学的研究导致了这一重要发现。朱利叶斯表示：“我们吃辣椒和薄荷醇，但是很多时候你不会思考它们是如何工作的。”

Oscar Marin is the director of the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders⁶ at King’s College London. He told the Associated Press the choice of winners demonstrates how little scientists know about how our bodies react to outside forces.

奥斯卡·马林是伦敦国王学院MRC神经发育障碍中心的主任。他对美联社表示，获奖者的选择表明科学家们对我们的身体如何对外力作出反应知之甚少。

“While we understood the physiology of the senses, what we didn't understand was how we sensed differences in temperature or pressure,” Marin said. “Knowing how our body senses these changes is fundamental because once we know those molecules⁷, they can be targeted."

马林表示：“虽然我们了解感官生理，但是我们不了解如何感知温度或压力的差异。了解我们的身体如何感受这些变化是至关重要的，因为一旦我们了解这些分子，它们就可以成为目标。”

Marin said the discoveries opened a whole new field in drug research. He noted⁸ that scientists are already working to develop medicines to target the receptors the two prize-winners identified. He predicted that new treatments for pain would likely come first. But he added that knowing how the body identifies changes in pressure could also one day lead to new drugs for heart disease.

马林表示，这些发现为药物研究开辟了一个全新领域。他指出，科学家已经在努力开发针对两位诺奖获得者识别的感受器的药物。他预测，治疗疼痛的新疗法可能会首先出现。但他还表示，了解身体如何识别压力变化也可能有朝一日导致开发出治疗心脏病的新药。

The two winners will each receive an equal share of the $1.1 million in prize money. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is the first to be awarded this year. Other prizes are given for work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics.

两位获奖者将平分110万美元的奖金。诺贝尔生理学或医学奖是今年首个颁发的奖项。其它奖项将被颁给物理、化学、文学、和平和经济学领域的成果。

Some scientists had suggested this year’s prize for medicine might be awarded to those involved in the development of coronavirus vaccines⁹. But others said such a choice was likely too soon.

一些科学家曾表明，今年的医学奖可能会颁发给那些参与开发新冠病毒疫苗的人士。但是也有人表示，这样的选择可能尚为时过早。

The mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna and by Pfizer-BioNTech have revolutionized the fight against the coronavirus. They are produced quickly and have proven to be highly effective.

莫德纳和辉瑞-生物新科技开发的信使核糖核酸疫苗彻底改变了对抗新冠病毒的斗争。它们很快被生产出来并被证明非常有效。

"This technique will get the prize sooner or later, of that I am sure," said Ali Mirazami. He is a professor at the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. He added: "The question is when."

阿里·米拉扎米表示：“这项技术迟早会获奖，我相信这点。”他是瑞典卡罗琳斯卡研究所检验医学系的教授。他补充表示：“问题是什么时候获奖。”

1 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

2 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。

3 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

4 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

5 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

6 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》

7 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。