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基因编辑产生的音乐植物(上)
- Authors
人们知道植物可以相互交谈已经有段时间了。
双语精读
Gene-editing has created a generation of musical crops
基因编辑创造了一代音乐作物
It has been known for some time that plants can talk to one another.
人们知道植物可以相互交谈已经有段时间了。
Many communicate chemically, both through the air and via their roots--warning each other, for example, of the arrival of herbivorous insects in order to co-ordinate their responses to these pests.
许多植物通过空气和树根进行化学交流----例如，相互警告食草昆虫的到来，以便协调它们对这些害虫的反应。
Those responses are also often a form of communication, namely a further release of chemicals that recruit predators and parasites of said herbivores. These then solve their summoners' problems by having lunch.
这些反应通常也是一种交流形式，即进一步释放化学物质，以"招募"这些食草昆虫的捕食者和寄生虫。然后，这些捕食者和寄生虫就能通过一顿午餐来解决召唤者的问题了。
Plants' interactions with sound are less well understood, though it is known that flowers such as evening primroses can detect the buzzing of bees and respond by producing sweeter nectar.
植物与声音的相互作用还不太清楚，尽管人们知道，像月见草这样的花可以探测到蜜蜂的嗡嗡声，并通过产生更甜的花蜜来回应。
Moreover, a paper published in this week's Cell, by Lilach Hadany of Tel-Aviv University and her colleagues, describes how plants make noises when they are stressed by drought or physical damage.
此外，特拉维夫大学的利拉赫·韩达尼和她的同事在本周的《细胞》杂志上发表了一篇论文，描述了植物在承受干旱或物理损伤的压力时是如何发出声音的。
Dr Hadany and her team do not yet know whether other plants are listening, but suspect that they might be.
韩达尼博士和她的团队还不知道其他植物是否在倾听，但怀疑它们可能会倾听。
None of this is news, however, to Paolo Fril, CEO and chief scientist of the Gene Duplication Corporation (GeneDupe), a biotechnology firm in San Melito, California.
然而，对于基因复制公司的首席执行官兼首席科学家保罗·弗里尔来说，这些都不是新闻，这家生物技术公司位于加州圣梅利托。
Observing that gardeners and greenhouse owners, from Britain's new king, Charles III, downwards, often talk to their charges, and sometimes even play them music, he and his team have been investigating plants' aural and oral activities for several years, and are now tweaking them using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.
他观察到，从英国新国王查尔斯三世的园丁和温室所有者到全体英国人经常与他们的种植物交谈，有时甚至给它们播放音乐，他和他的团队几年来一直在研究植物的听觉和发声活动，现在正在使用CRISPR-Cas9基因编辑技术对它们进行调整。
The plan is to create a range of products which Dr Fril hopes will please his firm's shareholders--which he needs to do after an awkward run-in the company had a few years ago with some animal-rights activists over its previous product, Print-a-pet.
该计划是创造一系列的产品，弗里尔博士希望这些产品能取悦他公司的股东----在几年前该公司与一些动物权利保护者就其之前的产品"宠物打印"发生了尴尬的冲突之后，他需要这样做。
Fortunately for Dr Fril, the plant-welfare lobby is not nearly as large and noisy as its animal counterpart.
对弗里尔博士来说，幸运的是，植物权利游说团体远没有动物游说团体那么大，那么吵。
The obvious place for this new endeavour to start was with the ears of cereal crops. Though not ears in the conventional sense of the word, GeneDupe's biotechnologists realised that they could be turned into such.
这项新的尝试显然要从谷物的穗开始。虽然不是传统意义上的耳朵，但基因复制公司的生物技术专家意识到它们可以变成"耳朵"。
Each of the spikes attached to the seeds in an ear of barley, wheat or rye has a resonant frequency that depends, like the note plucked from a harp string, on its length.
在大麦、小麦或黑麦的穗中，每一个附着在种子上的穗状物都有一个共振频率，就像从竖琴弦上拨动的音符一样，取决于穗状物的长度。
If those lengths can be varied precisely from seed to seed by appropriate gene editing, such an "ear" can be made into a real ear, with every spike responding to its own, unique, resonant frequency in a manner similar to the hair cells in the mammalian version of that organ.
如果可以通过适当的基因编辑准确地改变种子与种子之间的长度，这样的"穗"就可以被变成真正的耳朵，每一个穗状物都可以对自己独特的共振频率做出反应，就像哺乳动物的毛发细胞一样。
词汇预习
release [高考]
美[rɪˈliːs] | 英[rɪˈliːs]
n. 释放；让渡；发行 vt. 释放；让与；准予发表；发射
drought [高考]
美[draʊt] | 英[draʊt]
n. 干旱
greenhouse [高考]
美[ˈɡriːnhaʊs] | 英[ˈɡriːnhaʊs]
n. 温室；暖房
detect [高考]
美[dɪˈtekt] | 英[dɪˈtekt]
v. 发觉；察觉；探测
precisely [高考]
美[prɪˈsaɪsli] | 英[prɪˈsaɪsli]
adv. 精确地
gene [高考]
美[dʒiːn] | 英[dʒiːn]
n. 基因
frequency [高考]
美[ˈfriːkwənsi] | 英[ˈfriːkwənsi]
n. 频繁；频率
unique [高考]
美[juˈniːk] | 英[juˈniːk]
adj. 独特的；独一无二的；稀罕的
range [高考]
美[reɪndʒ] | 英[reɪndʒ]
n.范围; 射程; 类别; （山脉，房屋等的）排列 vi.搜索; 变化; 延伸; 漫游 vt.排列; （按一定位置或顺序）排序; 把…分类; 徘徊 adj.牧场的，放牧区的
generation [高考]
美[ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃn] | 英[ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃn]
n. 一代（人）；一代人的时间；（产品发展的）代；产生
respond [高考]
美[rɪˈspɑːnd] | 英[rɪˈspɒnd]
v. 回答；响应；反应；反应灵敏；反响 n. [建]壁联；[宗]应唱圣歌
previous [高考]
美[ˈpriːviəs] | 英[ˈpriːviəs]
adj. 以前的；先于；在 ... 之前
arrival [高考]
美[əˈraɪvl] | 英[əˈraɪvl]
n. 到达；达到；到达者；新生儿
obvious [高考]
美[ˈɑːbviəs] | 英[ˈɒbviəs]
adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;自明
length [高考]
美[leŋθ] | 英[leŋθ]
n. 长度；时间长短；距离；一段；距离的测量单位
suspect [高考]
美[səˈspekt] | 英[səˈspekt]
v. 怀疑；猜想 n. 嫌疑犯 adj. 可疑的；不可信的
appropriate [高考]
美[əˈproʊpriət , əˈproʊprieɪt] | 英[əˈprəʊpriət , əˈprəʊprieɪt]
adj. 适当的；相称的 vt. 占用；拨出(款项)
chief [高考]
美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
adj. 主要的；首要的 n. 首领
via [高考]
美[ˈviːə] | 英[ˈvaɪə]
prep. 经由；通过
awkward [高考]
美[ˈɔːkwərd] | 英[ˈɔːkwəd]
adj. 尴尬的；笨拙的；（设计）别扭的
welfare [高考]
美[ˈwelfer] | 英[ˈwelfeə(r)]
n. 福利；福利事业；幸福 adj. 福利的；接受社会救济的
oral [高考]
美[ˈɔːrəl] | 英[ˈɔːrəl]
adj. 口头的；口部的；口语的 n. 口试
conventional [高考]
美[kənˈvenʃənl] | 英[kənˈvenʃənl]
adj. 传统的；惯例的；常规的
organ [高考]
美[ˈɔːrɡən] | 英[ˈɔːɡən]
n. 器官；风琴；机构；喉舌；报刊
in order [高考]
美[ɪn 'ɔːrdər] | 英[ɪn 'ɔːdə]
整齐；秩序井然；按顺序
further [高考]
美[ˈfɜːrðər] | 英[ˈfɜːðə(r)]
adv. 更远地，再往前地；进一步；此外，而且 adj. 更多的，进一步的；（距离上）更远的，较远的 v. 促进，推进
warning [高考]
美[ˈwɔːrnɪŋ] | 英[ˈwɔːnɪŋ]
n. 警告；警报；预兆 adj. 警告的；告诫的
namely [四级]
美[ˈneɪmli] | 英[ˈneɪmli]
adv. 即；也就是
aural [四级]
美[ˈɔːrəl] | 英[ˈɔːrəl]
adj. 听觉的；耳的
recruit [四级]
美[rɪˈkruːt] | 英[rɪˈkruːt]
v. 吸收(新成员)；征兵；招聘 n. 新成员；新兵
lobby [四级]
美[ˈlɑːbi] | 英[ˈlɒbi]
n. 大厅；民众接待厅；游说议员者 v. 游说
barley [四级]
美[ˈbɑːrli] | 英[ˈbɑːli]
n. 大麦
cereal [四级]
美[ˈsɪriəl] | 英[ˈsɪəriəl]
n. 麦片粥；谷类食物 adj. 谷类的；谷物的
counterpart [四级]
美[ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt] | 英[ˈkaʊntəpɑːt]
n. 职务相当的人；对应物；相似之物；副本
biotechnology [四级]
美[ˌbaɪoʊtekˈnɑːlədʒi] | 英[ˌbaɪəʊtekˈnɒlədʒi]
n. 生物技术
attached to [四级]
美[əˈtætʃt tu] | 英[əˈtætʃt tu:]
附属于； 隶属于
known for [四级]
美[non fɔr] | 英[nəʊn fɔ:]
以 ... 著称
in the company [四级]
美 | 英
由……伴随着
not nearly [四级]
美[nɑt ˈnɪrli] | 英[nɔt ˈniəli]
adv. 远不及；完全不
endeavour [六级]
美[ɪnˈdevər] | 英[ɪnˈdevə(r)]
v. [英]尽力；努力 n. 奋力；尽力
harp [六级]
美[hɑːrp] | 英[hɑːp]
n. 竖琴 v. 反复诉说；唠叨
nectar [专八]
美[ˈnɛktɚ] | 英[ˈnektə(r)]
n. 花蜜；甜美的饮料；众神饮用的酒
herbivorous [托福]
美[ɜːrˈbɪvərəs] | 英[hɜːˈbɪvərəs]
adj. 食草的
rye [托福]
美[raɪ] | 英[raɪ]
n. 黑麦；黑麦威士忌酒；吉卜赛男人
mammalian [托福]
美[mæˈmeɪliən] | 英[mæˈmeɪliən]
n. 哺乳动物 adj. 哺乳动物的
varied [托福]
美[ˈverid] | 英[ˈveərid]
adj. 各种各样的
ordinate [托福]
美[ˈɔrdɪnət] | 英[ˈɔ:dɪnət]
n. 纵线；纵坐标 adj. 按行排列的
重点讲解
Gene-editing has created a generation of musical crops
基因编辑创造了一代音乐作物
crop n. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）庄稼；作物
【例】Sugar is an important crop on the island.
糖料作物是这个岛上的一种重要作物。
（2）（谷物、水果等一季的）收成，产量
【例】a fall in this year's coffee crop
今年咖啡产量的下降
（3）一群人；一些事情
【例】a crop of disasters
一连串的灾难
2. 作动词
（1）有收成；种地
【例】The potatoes cropped well this year.
今年马铃薯丰收。
（2）剪短（头发）
【例】closely cropped hair
剪得很短的头发
It has been known for some time that plants can talk to one another.
人们知道植物可以相互交谈已经有段时间了。
herbivorous a. 食草的
【例】herbivorous dinosaurs
食草恐龙
【拓展】herbivore n. 食草动物
【例】Cows and sheep are herbivores.
牛和羊是食草动物。
carnivore n. 食肉动物
【例】The herbivores are sometimes eaten by the carnivores.
食草动物有时被食肉动物吃掉。
coordinate v.& n.
1. 作动词
（1）使协调；使相配合
【例】They appointed a new manager to coordinate the work of the team.
为协调这个队的工作，他们任用了一位新经理。
（2）（使衣服、家具等）搭配，协调
【例】Don’t be afraid to mix colours, as long as they co-ordinate.
不要害怕混搭颜色，协调就行。
2. 作名词：坐标；配套物件
【例】the x, y coordinates of any point on a line
一条线上任意一点的 x、y 坐标
Many communicate chemically, both through the air and via their roots--warning each other, for example, of the arrival of herbivorous insects in order to co-ordinate their responses to these pests.
许多植物通过空气和树根进行化学交流----例如，相互警告食草昆虫的到来，以便协调它们对这些害虫的反应。
herbivorous a. 食草的
【例】herbivorous dinosaurs
食草恐龙
【拓展】herbivore n. 食草动物
【例】Cows and sheep are herbivores.
牛和羊是食草动物。
carnivore n. 食肉动物
【例】The herbivores are sometimes eaten by the carnivores.
食草动物有时被食肉动物吃掉。
coordinate v.& n.
1. 作动词
（1）使协调；使相配合
【例】They appointed a new manager to coordinate the work of the team.
为协调这个队的工作，他们任用了一位新经理。
（2）（使衣服、家具等）搭配，协调
【例】Don’t be afraid to mix colours, as long as they co-ordinate.
不要害怕混搭颜色，协调就行。
2. 作名词：坐标；配套物件
【例】the x, y coordinates of any point on a line
一条线上任意一点的 x、y 坐标
Those responses are also often a form of communication, namely a further release of chemicals that recruit predators and parasites of said herbivores. These then solve their summoners' problems by having lunch.
这些反应通常也是一种交流形式，即进一步释放化学物质，以"招募"这些食草昆虫的捕食者和寄生虫。然后，这些捕食者和寄生虫就能通过一顿午餐来解决召唤者的问题了。
predator n.
1. 捕食者；捕食性动物
【例】Some animals have no natural predators.
有些动物没有天敌。
2. 剥削者；掠夺者
【例】to protect the domestic industry from foreign predators
保护本国工业不受外来剥削
buzz v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）发出嗡嗡声、蜂鸣声
【例】The doorbell buzzed loudly.
门铃蜂鸣声大作。
（2）〔人群或某处〕闹哄哄，喧闹
【例】My head was still buzzing after the day's events.
一天的活动结束后，我头脑中还是闹哄哄的。
2. 作名词
（1）嗡嗡声；蜂鸣声；喧闹
【例】the buzz of bees
蜜蜂的嗡嗡声
（2）（愉快、兴奋或成就的）强烈情感
【例】She gets a buzz out of her work.
她从工作中得到了很大乐趣。
Plants' interactions with sound are less well understood, though it is known that flowers such as evening primroses can detect the buzzing of bees and respond by producing sweeter nectar.
植物与声音的相互作用还不太清楚，尽管人们知道，像月见草这样的花可以探测到蜜蜂的嗡嗡声，并通过产生更甜的花蜜来回应。
predator n.
1. 捕食者；捕食性动物
【例】Some animals have no natural predators.
有些动物没有天敌。
2. 剥削者；掠夺者
【例】to protect the domestic industry from foreign predators
保护本国工业不受外来剥削
buzz v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）发出嗡嗡声、蜂鸣声
【例】The doorbell buzzed loudly.
门铃蜂鸣声大作。
（2）〔人群或某处〕闹哄哄，喧闹
【例】My head was still buzzing after the day's events.
一天的活动结束后，我头脑中还是闹哄哄的。
2. 作名词
（1）嗡嗡声；蜂鸣声；喧闹
【例】the buzz of bees
蜜蜂的嗡嗡声
（2）（愉快、兴奋或成就的）强烈情感
【例】She gets a buzz out of her work.
她从工作中得到了很大乐趣。
Moreover, a paper published in this week's Cell, by Lilach Hadany of Tel-Aviv University and her colleagues, describes how plants make noises when they are stressed by drought or physical damage.
此外，特拉维夫大学的利拉赫·韩达尼和她的同事在本周的《细胞》杂志上发表了一篇论文，描述了植物在承受干旱或物理损伤的压力时是如何发出声音的。
tweak v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）扭；拧
【例】She tweaked his ear playfully.
她拧他的耳朵逗着玩儿。
（2）稍稍调整
【例】Maybe you should tweak a few sentences before you send in the report.
报告交上去之前，有几个句子你也许应该修改一下。
2. 作名词：扭；拧；稍微调整
【例】She gave his ear a tweak.
她拧了一下他的耳朵。
Dr Hadany and her team do not yet know whether other plants are listening, but suspect that they might be.
韩达尼博士和她的团队还不知道其他植物是否在倾听，但怀疑它们可能会倾听。
tweak v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）扭；拧
【例】She tweaked his ear playfully.
她拧他的耳朵逗着玩儿。
（2）稍稍调整
【例】Maybe you should tweak a few sentences before you send in the report.
报告交上去之前，有几个句子你也许应该修改一下。
2. 作名词：扭；拧；稍微调整
【例】She gave his ear a tweak.
她拧了一下他的耳朵。
None of this is news, however, to Paolo Fril, CEO and chief scientist of the Gene Duplication Corporation (GeneDupe), a biotechnology firm in San Melito, California.
然而，对于基因复制公司的首席执行官兼首席科学家保罗·弗里尔来说，这些都不是新闻，这家生物技术公司位于加州圣梅利托。
tweak v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）扭；拧
【例】She tweaked his ear playfully.
她拧他的耳朵逗着玩儿。
（2）稍稍调整
【例】Maybe you should tweak a few sentences before you send in the report.
报告交上去之前，有几个句子你也许应该修改一下。
2. 作名词：扭；拧；稍微调整
【例】She gave his ear a tweak.
她拧了一下他的耳朵。
Observing that gardeners and greenhouse owners, from Britain's new king, Charles III, downwards, often talk to their charges, and sometimes even play them music, he and his team have been investigating plants' aural and oral activities for several years, and are now tweaking them using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.
他观察到，从英国新国王查尔斯三世的园丁和温室所有者到全体英国人经常与他们的种植物交谈，有时甚至给它们播放音乐，他和他的团队几年来一直在研究植物的听觉和发声活动，现在正在使用CRISPR-Cas9基因编辑技术对它们进行调整。
tweak v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）扭；拧
【例】She tweaked his ear playfully.
她拧他的耳朵逗着玩儿。
（2）稍稍调整
【例】Maybe you should tweak a few sentences before you send in the report.
报告交上去之前，有几个句子你也许应该修改一下。
2. 作名词：扭；拧；稍微调整
【例】She gave his ear a tweak.
她拧了一下他的耳朵。
The plan is to create a range of products which Dr Fril hopes will please his firm's shareholders--which he needs to do after an awkward run-in the company had a few years ago with some animal-rights activists over its previous product, Print-a-pet.
该计划是创造一系列的产品，弗里尔博士希望这些产品能取悦他公司的股东----在几年前该公司与一些动物权利保护者就其之前的产品"宠物打印"发生了尴尬的冲突之后，他需要这样做。
please int. & v.
1. 作感叹词
（1）（用于客气地请求或吩咐）请
【例】Please sit down.
请坐。
（2）（认为对方说话荒唐时用）得了吧，算了吧
【例】Oh, please! You cannot be serious.
哦，得了吧！你准是在开玩笑。
2. 作动词
（1）使满意；使愉快
【例】You can't please everybody.
你无法让每个人都满意。
（2）选择，喜欢
【例】You may stay as long as you please.
你想待多久就待多久。
Fortunately for Dr Fril, the plant-welfare lobby is not nearly as large and noisy as its animal counterpart.
对弗里尔博士来说，幸运的是，植物权利游说团体远没有动物游说团体那么大，那么吵。
lobby n. & v.
1.作名词
（1）门厅，大厅
【例】a hotel lobby
旅馆大厅
（2）（就某议题企图影响从政者的）游说；游说团体
【例】The gun lobby is against any change in the law.
赞同拥有枪支的团体反对作任何法律上的修改。
2. 作动词：游说（从政者或政府）
【例】Farmers will lobby Congress for higher subsidies.
农民将游说国会提高对农业的补贴。
ear n.
1. 耳朵
【例】He put his hands over his ears.
他用双手捂住耳朵。
2. （谷类植物的）穗
【例】ears of corn 玉米穗
The obvious place for this new endeavour to start was with the ears of cereal crops. Though not ears in the conventional sense of the word, GeneDupe's biotechnologists realised that they could be turned into such.
这项新的尝试显然要从谷物的穗开始。虽然不是传统意义上的耳朵，但基因复制公司的生物技术专家意识到它们可以变成"耳朵"。
lobby n. & v.
1.作名词
（1）门厅，大厅
【例】a hotel lobby
旅馆大厅
（2）（就某议题企图影响从政者的）游说；游说团体
【例】The gun lobby is against any change in the law.
赞同拥有枪支的团体反对作任何法律上的修改。
2. 作动词：游说（从政者或政府）
【例】Farmers will lobby Congress for higher subsidies.
农民将游说国会提高对农业的补贴。
ear n.
1. 耳朵
【例】He put his hands over his ears.
他用双手捂住耳朵。
2. （谷类植物的）穗
【例】ears of corn 玉米穗
Each of the spikes attached to the seeds in an ear of barley, wheat or rye has a resonant frequency that depends, like the note plucked from a harp string, on its length.
在大麦、小麦或黑麦的穗中，每一个附着在种子上的穗状物都有一个共振频率，就像从竖琴弦上拨动的音符一样，取决于穗状物的长度。
resonant a.
1. 嘹亮的；响亮的
【例】a deep resonant voice 深沉而响亮的声音
2. 共振的；共鸣的
【例】resonant frequencies 谐振频率
cell n.
1. 细胞
【例】red blood cells 红细胞
2. 〔监狱或警察局里的〕牢房；小房间
【例】 He spent a night in the cells at the local police station.
他在当地警察局的小囚室里过了一晚上。
3. 电池
【例】 a car powered by electric fuel cells 以燃料电池为动力的汽车
If those lengths can be varied precisely from seed to seed by appropriate gene editing, such an "ear" can be made into a real ear, with every spike responding to its own, unique, resonant frequency in a manner similar to the hair cells in the mammalian version of that organ.
如果可以通过适当的基因编辑准确地改变种子与种子之间的长度，这样的"穗"就可以被变成真正的耳朵，每一个穗状物都可以对自己独特的共振频率做出反应，就像哺乳动物的毛发细胞一样。
resonant a.
1. 嘹亮的；响亮的
【例】a deep resonant voice 深沉而响亮的声音
2. 共振的；共鸣的
【例】resonant frequencies 谐振频率
cell n.
1. 细胞
【例】red blood cells 红细胞
2. 〔监狱或警察局里的〕牢房；小房间
【例】 He spent a night in the cells at the local police station.
他在当地警察局的小囚室里过了一晚上。
3. 电池
【例】 a car powered by electric fuel cells 以燃料电池为动力的汽车
课后练习
Plants communicate to each other in order to ____.
A. spread their seeds and multiply
B. warn against coming dangers
C. extend their roots further
D. release poison to predators
Plants’ interactions with sound are ____.
A. still in debate
B. unknown to scientists
C. being explored
D. well understood
What did Dr. Fril plan to do?
A. He planned to observe how gardeners talk to their plants.
B. He planned to upgrade some gene editing technologies.
C. He planned to create a new series of satisfying products.
D. He planned to collaborate with plant rights activists.
What did Fril’s team do with the ears of cereal crops?
A. They tried to produce more seeds in the ears.
B. They tried to change the lengths of the spikes.
C. They tried to grow hair cells in the crops.
D. They tried to transplant mammalian genes.