【英语时差8,16】智齿干细胞（上）

Wisdom teeth can be a nuisance. They may have once served a purpose way back in human prehistory…but today many people simply get rid of them. According to one study, though, wisdom teeth may be more useful than we realize at least when it comes to stem cell research. Stems cells are blank slate¹ like cells that under certain conditions can morph into any number of different cell types found in the body. In theory, stem cells may be useful as a way to treat some diseases. But for reasons both political and technical, human stem cells are not always easy to come by. In 2006, scientists discovered that manipulating genes² in regular adult cells can turn them into something resembling stem cells. The process is not simple, however, and doesn’t work well with skin cells, which are the most readily available.

1 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

2 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