新闻周刊:癌症研究前沿领域:太空中的植物

From the Health Section

文章来源：健康板块

Cancer Research's Final Frontier: Do Plants'Ability to Withstand Stress in Space Enable Them to Fight Illness?

癌症研究的最终前沿：植物在太空承受压力的能力能使其对抗疾病吗？

By Jessica Wapner

作者：杰西卡·瓦普纳

Humans Aren't the only organisms with flexible genes¹.

人类并不是唯一拥有灵活基因的生物。

Anything that reproduces contains a blueprint² for making more of itself.

可繁殖的生物都有一个创造更多个体的蓝图。

And all DNA³ is susceptible⁴ to outside influence:

且所有的DNA都易受外界的影响：

The environment in which it lives can force dormant⁵ genes into action or new traits to appear.

所处的环境可使休眠基因发挥作用或者产生新的性状。

Stressful situations—changes in climate, temperature or predators⁶, for example—are particularly good at eliciting⁷ genetic⁸ change.

压力环境改变气候、温度，例如食肉动物尤其容易诱发基因变化。

The world of flora⁹ has long been a source of cancer-fighting therapies.

植物界一直是抗癌疗法的来源。

The breast, ovarian and lung cancer drug paclitaxel, the most well-known example, originally came from the Pacific yew¹⁰ tree.

举个最耳熟能详的例子，治疗乳腺癌、卵巢癌和肺癌的药物紫杉醇，最初萃取自太平洋紫杉树。

Drugs to treat testicular and some lung cancers are based on chemicals in the common mayapple.

治疗睾丸癌和一些肺癌的药物是基于常见的盾叶鬼臼中的化学物质。

A group of drugs known as the vinca alkaloids, commonly included in chemotherapy regimens, are derived¹¹ from Madagascar periwinkle.

常在化疗方案中看到的一种被称为长春花生物碱的药物，是从马达加斯加的长春花中提取的。

When it comes to using plants as medicine, the very traits that enable them to withstand environmental stress are often the ones that fight illness.

谈到用植物制药，那么就不得不提起植物能够承受环境压力的特质往往是与疾病作斗争的特质。

Joe Chappell, who researches natural products at the University of Kentucky, wondered whether exposing Madagascar periwinkle to a new threat would increase its anti-cancer properties by waking up inactive genes.

肯塔基大学研究天然产物的乔·查佩尔想知道，将马达加斯加的长春花暴露于一种新的威胁之下，是否会通过唤醒不活跃的基因来提高其抗癌特性。

To find out, he exposed the plant to a hazard it would never encounter on Earth: zero gravity.

为了找到答案，他将长春花置于在地球上永远不会遇到的危险之中：失重。

Last year, Chappell, with the help of Space Tango, a commercial company that provides support for research in microgravity, sent Madagascar periwinkle seedlings¹² to the International Space Station.

去年，查佩尔得到了为微重力研究提供支持的商业公司Space Tango的帮助，将马达加斯加长春花幼苗送往国际空间站。

He also sent seedlings of valerian, a plant with anti-anxiety properties.

一同送上太空的还有缬草（一种具抗焦虑特性的植物）幼苗。

In the coming months, Chappell will find out whether growing in orbit created changes in the plants'DNA.

接下来的几个月，查佩尔将会发现在太空轨道上生长是否会改变植物的DNA。

If so, those changes can be tested for their cancer- and anxiety-fighting attributes.

如果会改变DNA，那么这些变化可以用来测试它们的抗癌和抗焦虑特性。

1 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

2 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

3 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。

4 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

5 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

6 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 eliciting   

n. 诱发, 引出 动词elicit的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• He succeeded in eliciting the information he needed from her. 他从她那里问出了他所需要的信息。
• A criminal trial isn't a tribunal for eliciting the truth. 刑事审讯并非是一种要探明真相的审判。

8 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。

9 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

10 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

11 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》