新奇事件簿 科学家将利用DNA寻找尼斯湖水怪

There is a legendary¹ monster that people say lives in the deep Loch Ness lake in the north of Scotland. It is called the Loch Ness Monster, or "Nessie" for short. It looks kind of like a dinosaur², with a small head on a long neck and humps on its back. People first spotted³ Nessie in 1933. Since then, there have been many sightings and a few photographs. Now, scientists from New Zealand will use a special technique to see if there really is a Loch Ness Monster. A research team, led by Professor Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago, will use a technique called eDNA sampling to try and find some of Nessie's DNA⁴. Professor Gemmell says this will show if the monster really exists or not.

人们一直流传着一个关于怪物的传说，传说它们住在苏格兰北部的尼斯湖深处。它们被称为尼斯湖水怪或简称“Nessie”。它们看起来就像是某种恐龙，小小的头长长的脖子，背部还有驼峰。人们于1933年首次发现了这种怪物。自那时起，一直有很多目击者和一些相关照片。现在，来自新西兰的科学家们将利用一种特殊技术弄清楚是否真的有尼斯湖水怪。由奥塔格大学，尼尔.格摩尔教授带领的一支研究团队将领用一种被称为eDNA样本的技术尝试寻找尼斯湖水怪的DNA。格摩尔教授表示这将证明这种怪物是否真的存在。

Sightings of the Loch Ness Monster are often in the newspapers. Loch Ness is in the Scottish Highlands. The word "loch" is the Scots word for "lake". Many scientists have tried to find the monster before. They have even sent sonar equipment to the bottom of the loch, which is 230 metres deep. All of the photographs that people have taken of Nessie over the years are blurred⁵. Some people say they are just car tyres floating in the water. Gemmell says he will test water from the loch. He said there should be DNA from the monster's skin, urine and other things. He will check all DNA found and make sure it is not from other marine⁶ animals. If he finds DNA not known to scientists, that could belong to Nessie.

看见尼斯湖水怪的消息经常出现在报纸上。尼斯湖位于苏格兰高地。“Loch”一词是苏格兰语“湖”的意思。之前也有很多科学家试图寻找这种怪物。他们甚至将声呐设备放入湖底，该湖深度为230米。多年来，人们所拍摄的尼斯湖水怪的所有照片都是模糊不清的。一些人表示所谓水怪只不过是漂浮在湖面的汽车轮胎而已。格摩尔称他将对湖水进行检测。他表示湖水中应该有来自怪物皮肤、尿液和其他物质中的DNA。他将检测所有发现的DNA并确定这些DNA是否来自其他海中动物。如果他发现科学家未知的DNA，那么该DNA可能属于尼斯湖水怪。

 

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 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。

5 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。