为什么一位科学家要把350万年前的细菌注入自己体内？：英语精读讲义

Why would a man of sound mind and body 用詞

为什么一个身心健康的人

decide to inject himself with a 3 and 1/2 million year old virus

会决定给自己注射一种有350万年历史的病毒，

that he found in the Siberian mountains?

那是他在西伯利亚山脉中发现的？

Not any man,

他不是一个普通人，

but a man of science and understanding.

而是一个懂得科学知识的人。

One day,

有一天，

this insane academic decided

这位疯狂的学者决定

to load up a syringe of the ancient bacteria

装满一注射器的古老细菌

and inject himself with it.

并将其注射进自己体内。

Why?

为什么？

What would compel such a person to do such a thing?

是什么驱使这样一个人做出这种事情？

Well,

嗯，

the scientist in question, 短語搭配

这位当事科学家，

Anatoli Bruskhov,

阿纳托利·布鲁什科夫，

figured that whatever had kept those bacteria alive 語法

认为无论是什么力量让这些细菌存活了

for 3 and 1/2 million years

350万年，

might also keep human life alive just as long.

或许也能让人类的生命延续同样长的时间。

And since 2009,

自从2009年以来，

his plan has succeeded.

他的计划已经奏效了。

And what's more, 表達脈絡

而且更重要的是，

Bruskhov has been in the best health he has ever been in. 語法

布鲁什科夫的健康状况达到了前所未有的最佳状态。

Today,

今天，

we look deep into the science behind that old virus 短語搭配

我们将深入探讨那种古老病毒背后的科学，

in order to find out exactly what is going on. 語法

以查明究竟发生了什么。

In this episode of the Infographics Show,

在本期信息图解节目中，

why would a scientist inject himself

为什么科学家要给自己注射

with a 3 and 1/2 million year old bacteria?

一种350万年前的细菌？

Anatoli Bruskhov,

阿纳托利·布鲁什科夫，

head of the Geocryology Department

冻土学系主任，

at Moscow State University,

任职于莫斯科国立大学，

discovered the bacteria in 2009.

在2009年发现了这种细菌。

The virus was embedded in an ancient permafrost

该病毒嵌在一处名为

site called Mammoth Mountain in the Sakha Republic,

萨哈共和国猛犸山的古老永久冻土地带，

otherwise known as the Yakutia region in Siberia. 短語搭配

该地也被称为西伯利亚的雅库特地区。

A similar bacterium was found by scientist Vladimir Repin

科学家弗拉基米尔·列宾

in the brain of an ice-preserved woolly mammoth.

在一只冰封保存的猛犸象大脑中也发现了类似细菌。

Although the virus was trapped in the ice, 語法

尽管该病毒被困在冰中，

it was still alive after all those years.

但在经历了漫长岁月后，它依然活着。

And this is of interest to many scientists. 短語搭配

这引起了许多科学家的兴趣。

What has kept it alive for so long?

是什么让它存活了这么久？

Bruskhov and his team were determined to find out. 短語搭配

布鲁什科夫和他的团队决心查明原因。

Experiments began.

实验开始了。

Mice injected with Bacillus F

被注射了芽孢杆菌F的小鼠

were able to reproduce at an age older than regular mice typically reproduce,

能够在比普通小鼠通常繁殖年龄更大的时候进行繁殖，

suggesting that Bacillus F may have potential as a longevity serum. 短語搭配

这表明芽孢杆菌F可能具有作为长寿血清的潜力。

But the experiments didn't stop with pregnant granny rodents. 表達脈絡

但实验并未止步于怀孕的老年啮齿动物身上。

Oh no.

哦不。

Bruskhov also experimented with fruit flies

布鲁什科夫还在果蝇身上进行了实验，

with positive results.

并取得了积极的结果。

Even plants exposed to the bacteria

就连暴露在细菌下的植物

thrived for an unusually long length of time.

也能够茁壮成长出乎意料的长久时间。

Bruskhov confirmed in an interview for Russian TV

布鲁什科夫在接受俄罗斯电视采访时证实，

that he needed to extend the experiment to human subjects,

他需要将实验对象扩展到人类身上，

namely himself. 表達脈絡

也就是他自己。

Since injecting himself with the virus, 語法

自从注射了这种病毒后，

his general health and well-being have improved dramatically.

他的整体健康状况和幸福感得到了显著提升。

"I've started to work longer,"

"我开始能工作更长的时间，"

he said.

他说。

"I haven't had the flu for the last 2 years." 語法

"在过去两年里我都没有得过流感。"

"After successful experiments on mice and fruit flies,

"在对小鼠和果蝇成功进行了实验之后，

I thought it would be interesting to try the inactivated bacterial culture," 語氣意圖

我觉得尝试这种灭活的细菌培养物会很有趣，"

the scientist continued.

这位科学家继续说道。

"The permafrost is thawing,

"永久冻土正在融化，

and I guess these bacteria get into the environment,

我猜这些细菌进入了自然环境，

into the water,

进入了水中，

so the local population,

因此当地居民，

the Yakut people in fact,

实际上就是雅库特人，

for a long time,

长期以来，

are getting these cells with water

一直通过饮水摄入这些细胞，

and even seem to live longer than some other nations.

而且似乎甚至比其他一些民族活得更长。

So there was no danger for me.

所以这对我来说没有危险。

But we do not know how it works.

但我们不知道它的工作原理。

In fact,

事实上，

we do not know exactly how aspirin works,

我们并不完全了解阿司匹林的作用机制，

for example,

举个例子，

but it does.

但它确实有效。

The same is true here. 表達脈絡

在这里情况也是一样的。

We cannot understand the mechanism,

我们无法理解机制，

but we see the impact.

但我们看到了效果。

Perhaps there were some side effects,

也许会有一些副作用，

but there should be some special medical equipment to spot them.

但这需要通过专门的医疗设备来发现它们。

Of course,

当然，

such experiments need to be conducted in a clinic 語法

这类实验需要在诊所内进行，

with special equipment and statistics.

配备专门的设备和统计数据。

Then we could say clearly about all the effects.

然后我们才能明确地说出所有的效果。

If we find how the bacteria stay alive,

如果我们弄清楚了细菌是如何存活的，

we probably would be able to find a tool

我们可能就能找到一种工具

to extend our own lives."

来延长我们自己的寿命。"

Yakut epidemiologist Dr. Viktor Cernyavsky added,

雅库特流行病学家维克多·切尔尼亚夫斯基博士补充道，

"The bacteria gives out biologically active substances throughout its life, 短語動詞

"这种细菌在其一生中释放出具有生物活性的物质，

which activates the immune status of experimental animals.

从而激活了实验动物的免疫系统状态。

If the same substance were to be given to people, 語法

如果给人类服用同样的物质，

it could cause a significant improvement in their health,

可能会导致他们健康状况的显著改善，

leading to the discovery of an elixir of life." 講解

从而发现长生不老药。"

So by making himself the human guinea pig in this experiment, 習語

因此，通过在这次实验中把自己当成人类小白鼠，

Bruskhov hopes to find out more about longevity.

布鲁什科夫希望能发现更多关于长寿的秘密。

And who knows,

谁知道呢，

in the process, 短語搭配

在这个过程中，

he may end up becoming one of the oldest scientists himself. 短語動詞

他自己最终可能成为最长寿的科学家之一。

Three different strains of bacteria exist in the permafrost,

永久冻土中存在着三种不同的细菌菌株，

and Bruskhov is determined to find out

而布鲁什科夫决心要弄清楚

how the bacteria protect themselves against cell damage. 短語搭配

细菌是如何保护自己免受细胞损伤的。

Bruskhov speculates that immortal bacteria

布鲁什科夫推测，不朽的细菌

probably exists somewhere in the world

可能就存在于世界上的某个角落，

and that such bacteria protect themselves from dying.

且这种细菌懂得如何保护自己免于死亡。

Somewhere within the virus,

在这个病毒深处的某个地方，

he feels,

他觉得，

the secret must be hidden.

秘密肯定就藏在其中。

His team has completed deciphering the Bacillus F DNA,

他的团队已经完成了对芽孢杆菌F的DNA破译工作，

but now faces the complicated task 短語搭配

但现在面临着一项复杂的任务，

of figuring out which genes are responsible for the longevity of the virus. 短語搭配

那就是要找出究竟是哪些基因赋予了这种病毒长寿的特性。

The isolation of this gene would be the key to unlocking the puzzle, 習語

分离出这个基因将是解开谜团的关键，

perhaps to an eternal life.

或许也是通向永生的钥匙。

But even if he doesn't find the secret of everlasting life, 語法

不过即便他没有找到永生的秘密，

Bruskhov has stumbled into a remarkable new field. 短語動詞

布鲁什科夫也已经偶然涉足了一个非凡的新领域。

Discovering the mechanism behind the vitality of the virus

揭开该病毒生命力背后的机制

could have significant health implications for humankind. 短語搭配

可能对人类健康产生重大意义。

"If we can find how the bacteria stays alive,

"如果我们能发现细菌是如何保持存活的，

then we will be able to find the cure to prolong our own life,"

那我们就能找到延长自身寿命的治疗方法，"

Bruskhov concluded.

布鲁什科夫总结道。

Bruskhov isn't the only scientist

布鲁什科夫并非唯一一个

experimenting with ancient bacteria.

用古老细菌进行实验的科学家。

For years,

多年来，

scientists have been examining the bacteria

科学家们一直在研究这种细菌

from the Siberian mountains and beyond.

从西伯利亚山脉到更远的地区。

There's still much to learn about viruses and the hundreds of protein-encoding genes.

关于病毒及其数百个编码蛋白质的基因，仍有很多需要了解的地方。

Scientists are always looking to nature for clues as to how to improve human health. 短語搭配

科学家们总是在自然界中寻找改善人类健康的线索。

In February 2018,

在2018年2月，

an article published by the New Atlas Magazine looked at the mole rat.

《新阿特拉斯杂志》上发表的一篇文章将目光投向了裸鼹鼠。

This mammal lives well into its 30s 短語搭配

这种哺乳动物可以活到三十多岁，

and it's pretty much immune to all types of cancer 用詞

并且对几乎所有类型的癌症免疫，

and can do without oxygen for long lengths of time. 短語動詞

还能在没有氧气的情况下存活很长时间。

Perhaps if scientists can pull apart the cell structure of this mammal, 短語動詞

也许如果科学家能解开这种哺乳动物的细胞结构，

a secret to its longevity may be unraveled. 習語

它长寿的秘密就能被揭开。

There are bound to be, 語法

必定存在，

as Bruskhov suggests,

正如布鲁什科夫所暗示的那样，

many more secrets out there in nature.

大自然中还有更多的秘密。

These secrets may lead to humankind 語法

这些秘密可能引领人类

living a much longer and healthier life.

过上更长寿、更健康的生活。

So,

那么，

what's the strangest and most unlikely cure

你听过的最奇怪、最不可能的疗法

that you have heard of?

是什么呢？

Are there alternative treatments for cancer

是否有抗击癌症的替代疗法

that actually work?

是切实有效的？

Does the secret to longevity exist in a frozen virus

长寿的秘密究竟存在于冷冻的病毒中

or in a ground-dwelling rodent?

还是存在于生活在地下的啮齿类动物身上呢？

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

请在评论区告诉我们你的想法。

Also,

另外，

be sure to watch our other video called Horrible Things That Will Happen in 2019.

一定要看看我们的另一部视频，叫做《2019年将会发生的恐怖事情》。

Thanks for watching,

感谢观看，

and as always,

一如既往，

don't forget to like,

不要忘记点赞、

share,

分享，

and subscribe.

以及订阅。

See you next time.

我们下期再见。