SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - New Genetic Map Called a Powerful Tool

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - New Genetic² Map Called a Powerful Tool for Medical Science
By Jerilyn Watson and Caty Weaver³

Broadcast: Tuesday, November 15, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty⁴.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Pat Bodnar. This week -- news about a genetic map that is being called a powerful new tool for medical research ...

VOICE ONE:

Then, a report on an ancient Christian⁶ church found under an Israeli prison ...

VOICE TWO:

And Angola says a recent outbreak of Marburg virus is over.

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VOICE ONE:

Small genetic differences make one person different from another. Now medical researchers have a new map to help them find these differences. More than two hundred scientists from six nations developed the HapMap. The name comes from the word haplotype.

 
 
A haplotype is a group of differences that are likely to collect close together, in a block. These blocks appear to pass from parent to child. The HapMap scientists hope to identify up to six million DNA⁵ differences before they finish.

VOICE TWO:

The scientists say the findings may lead to identifying genes⁷ that cause common diseases like diabetes⁸ and heart disease. Linking diseases to genes could lead to new treatments. People could also learn if they have an increased risk of a disease because of their genes.

In some cases, such knowledge might lead to preventive action. For example, people whose genes show a possibility of developing diabetes could take steps like trying to control their weight. But for a condition like Alzheimer's disease, nothing known today could prevent it.

The scientists have published their work in Nature magazine and on the Internet at hapmap dot o-r-g (hapmap.org).

An organization called the International HapMap Consortium organized the study. The work involves researchers from Britain, Canada, China, Japan, Nigeria and the United States.

VOICE ONE:

The new map is based on DNA from two hundred sixty-nine people. They represent four ethnic⁹ groups: European, Japanese, Chinese and Yoruba.

Project leader David Altshuler works at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He also directs medical and population genetics at the Broad Institute in Massachusetts. Another project director, Peter Donnelly, is from Oxford¹⁰ University in England.

Doctor Altshuler calls the HapMap a powerful new tool to explore the root causes of common diseases. It is more difficult for scientists to find genes linked to common diseases than to rare ones.

For example, one single gene¹ may be responsible for a rare genetic disease within the same family over the years. But several genes may cause a person to be more likely than others to get some kinds of cancer.

VOICE TWO:

The HapMap Project developed from information provided by the Human Genome Project. That project was completed in two thousand three. It identified all the chemical pieces in DNA, the genetic material in cells.

DNA has more than three thousand million building blocks. A series of these building blocks forms a gene. For any two people, the building blocks are almost all the same. But extremely small differences can mean that one person has a higher risk of disease.

One kind of difference is called a SNP [pronounced snip]. There are millions of places where SNPs can happen. The HapMap Project is identifying common places where they are found.

VOICE ONE:

Studying haplotype blocks will make it easier to find the genes suspected of causing a disease. The researchers may be able to investigate which blocks of DNA are common among people with the same disease. The process would be much faster than examining every piece of DNA.

Stacey Gabriel of the Broad Institute says mapping just one SNP used to cost almost a dollar per patient. Today, she says, it often costs less than one cent. In the past, it was possible to test only one hundred genotypes in a day. But now, she says, it is possible to perform millions of tests in a day.

In the past, some scientists have questioned whether using haplotypes is the best way to find genetic information. Some still express concerns about the effectiveness of this method. But several studies already have been published using the new information.

For example, scientists at Yale University in New Haven¹¹, Connecticut, used the HapMap to connect a gene to macular degeneration. That is a leading cause of blindness in older people.

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VOICE TWO:

You are listening to SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, from Washington.

Palestinians in a prison in Israel have found the ruins of an ancient Christian place of worship. Some archaeologists say it could be the oldest church ever found in the homeland of Jesus. But other experts say it is unlikely the church is as old as suggested.

 
Israeli prisoners Ramil Razilo, top, and Meimon Biton clean a part of a Christian mosaic¹² floor at the Megiddo prison in northern Israel
The prison is in Megiddo. Israeli officials had ordered a dig to search for ancient objects before a planned addition to the prison. The government often orders such digs before building in historically important areas. Megiddo is where the battle of Armageddon takes place in the Bible.

VOICE ONE:

The Israeli Antiquities¹³ Authority began the dig months ago with about sixty prisoners for labor¹⁴. On October thirtieth, one of them discovered the floor of the ancient building. Archeologist Yotam Tepper, the leader of the dig, called it "the find of a lifetime."

The floor is about six meters by nine meters. It is formed by two mosaics¹⁵ made from stones of different colors and shapes. One of the mosaics represents a traditional Christian symbol, a fish.

The mosaic also includes several messages. The Israeli Antiquities Authority says one appears to be from a Roman soldier. The message says he paid for the mosaic to seek honor. It also names the maker¹⁶ of the mosaic. Researchers say another message lists the names of four women as a remembrance.

VOICE TWO:

Archeologists say they also found what may have served as a base for a structure from which to lead religious services. Nearby is a third message, believed to say: "The God-loving Aketous has offered this table to the God Jesus Christ, as a memorial.?nbsp;

Pieces of cooking tools and containers for wine were also found on the floor of the structure. Mister Tepper says the pottery¹⁷ dates to the third century. He says the kind of Greek writing used in the messages also represents that time period.

And Mister Tepper says the design of the structure is simpler than those of churches that came after the third century.

VOICE ONE:

Experts in the history of Christianity generally believe that churches did not exist until the fourth century. Christianity was banned until Emperor Constantine of Rome made the religion legal in the year three-thirteen. Experts argue that it was too dangerous before then for Christians¹⁸ to worship in public, so they did so in secret.

As a result, one expert questions if a Roman soldier in the third century would have taken the risk to place a message on a mosaic in a church. He says such a violation¹⁹ of law, if discovered, would have meant the end of the man's service. It might have meant the end of the soldier, too.

One theory is that the church may have been established later than the Roman building that housed it.

The mystery of the ancient church should be settled in time. Archeologists say only about ten percent of the area has been uncovered so far. Israeli officials now have to decide how to deal with a valuable archeological site on the grounds of a prison.

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VOICE TWO:

The government of Angola says the recent outbreak of Marburg fever there has ended. Health Minister Sebastao Veloso said last week that there have been no recorded cases of the disease since July.

 
 
The Marburg virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids. It can cause high body temperature, organ failure and severe bleeding. There is no cure.

The outbreak in Angola began last year in the northern province of Uige. The health minister says there were two hundred fifty-two cases. He says only twenty-five people, or ten percent, survived.

The World Health Organization had earlier estimates of more than three hundred deaths. Still, this was the worst outbreak recorded since laboratories first identified the Marburg virus in nineteen sixty-seven.

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VOICE ONE:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Jerilyn Watson and Caty Weaver. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Pat Bodnar. Internet users can read and listen to our programs at www.tingroom.com. Join us next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 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。

2 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。

3 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

4 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。

5 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。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 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

8 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

11 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

12 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

13 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

14 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

15 mosaics   

n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 )；镶嵌；镶嵌工艺；镶嵌图案

参考例句：

• The panel shows marked similarities with mosaics found elsewhere. 这块嵌板和在其他地方找到的镶嵌图案有明显的相似之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The unsullied and shining floor was paved with white mosaics. 干净明亮的地上镶嵌着白色图案。 来自辞典例句

16 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

17 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

18 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

19 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。