地球上最致命的生物——噬菌體：英語精讀講義

A war has been raging for billions of years, 文法

一場戰爭已經肆虐了數十億年，

killing trillions every single day while we don't even notice.

每天有數兆生命被抹殺，而我們甚至毫不知情。

The war is fought by the single deadliest entity on our planet,

這場戰爭的主角是我們星球上最致命的存在——

the bacteriophage or phage for short. 片語搭配

噬菌體，簡稱噬菌。

A phage is a virus,

噬菌體是一種病毒，

not quite alive, not quite dead. 表達脈絡

介於生與死之間。

Also, they look as if someone made them up. 講解

而且，它們看起來就像是被憑空捏造出來的一樣。

Their head is an icosahedron,

它們的頭部是一個二十面體，

a sort of dice with 20 faces and 30 edges. 片語搭配

就像一種有20個面和30條邊的骰子。

It contains the genetic material of the virus

裡面裝有病毒的遺傳物質，

and often sits on a long tail that has leg-like fibers.

通常坐落在一個長長的尾巴上，尾巴上還有像腿一樣的纖維。

There are more phages on Earth than every other organism combined, 文法

地球上的噬菌體數量比其他所有生物加起來還要多，

including bacteria.

包括細菌。

And they are probably everywhere living things exist.

它們可能存在於所有有生命的地方。

Billions are on your hands,

你的手上有數十億，

in your intestines,

腸道裡有，

and your eyelids right now.

甚至現在的眼皮上也有。

Which might make you nervous

這也許會讓你感到緊張，

since phages are responsible for the majority of deaths on Earth.

因為地球上大多數的死亡都是噬菌體造成的。

But you're lucky.

但你很幸運。

While they do commit genocide for breakfast, 慣用語

雖然它們把種族滅絕當成家常便飯，

they only kill bacteria.

但它們只殺細菌。

Up to 40% of all bacteria in the oceans 片語搭配

海洋中多達40%的細菌

are killed by them every single day.

每天都會被它們殺死。

But phages also have major flaws.

但噬菌體也有很大的缺陷。

Like any other virus,

像其他任何病毒一樣，

phages need a host to survive and reproduce. 用詞

噬菌體需要宿主才能生存和繁殖。

They're not much more than genetic material in a hull, 片語搭配

它們不過是裝在殼裡的遺傳物質，

and they specialize.

並且非常專一。

Usually, a phage has chosen one specific bacteria

通常，噬菌體會選擇一種特定的細菌，

or maybe some of its very close relatives.

或者一些與之非常親近的近親。

These are its prey.

這些就是它的獵物。

Imagine a phage as like a cruise missile

把噬菌體想像成一枚巡弋飛彈，

that only hunts and kills members of one very unlucky family.

只追捕並獵殺一個非常倒楣的家族成員。

When a phage finds its victim,

當噬菌體找到受害者時，

it connects its tail fibers with receptors

它會將尾部纖維與受體連接起來，

and uses a sort of syringe to puncture the surface.

並用類似注射器的東西刺穿表面。

In a weird motion,

透過一個奇怪的動作，

the phage squeezes its tail and injects its genetic information.

噬菌體擠壓尾巴並注入其遺傳資訊。

Within minutes,

幾分鐘之內，

the bacteria is taken over. 片語動詞

細菌就被接管了。

It's now forced to manufacture all the parts of new phages. 文法

它現在被迫製造新噬菌體的所有部件。

They only stop when the bacteria is filled up with brand new phages.

直到細菌內部充滿了全新的噬菌體，它們才會停止。

In the final step,

在最後一步，

they produce endolysin,

它們會產生內溶素，

a powerful enzyme that punches a hole in the bacteria.

這是一種在細菌上打孔的強大酶。

The pressure is so high 文法

壓力如此之大，

that the bacteria sort of vomits out all of its insides and dies.

以至於細菌像是吐出了所有內臟然後死去。

New phages are released and begin the cycle anew.

新的噬菌體被釋放出來，重新開始循環。

In the last few years,

在過去的幾年裡，

bacteriophages have enjoyed the attention of the second deadliest beings on Earth, 片語搭配

噬菌體引起了地球上第二致命生物的注意——

humans.

也就是人類。

Recently,

最近，

we've started looking into injecting millions of them into our bodies 片語動詞

我們開始研究將數以百萬計的噬菌體注射到我們體內，

because we're sort of getting desperate. 語氣意圖

因為我們已經有些走投無路了。

We screwed up. 片語動詞

我們搞砸了。

In the past,

在過去，

a single cut or a sip from the wrong puddle could kill you.

一個小傷口或喝錯一口泥潭水都能要了你的命。

Bacteria were our phages,

細菌曾是我們的噬菌體，

tiny monsters that hunted us mercilessly.

那些無情獵殺我們的微小怪物。

But then,

但是後來，

about 100 years ago,

大約在100年前，

we found a solution in nature.

我們在自然界找到了解決方案。

By accident, 片語搭配

偶然間，

we found fungi that produced a compound that killed bacteria,

我們發現了能產生殺死細菌的化合物的真菌，

antibiotics.

那就是抗生素。

Suddenly,

突然之間，

we had a powerful super weapon.

我們擁有了強大的超級武器。

Antibiotics were so effective

抗生素非常有效，

that we stopped thinking of bacteria as monsters.

以至於我們不再把細菌當成怪物。

Only the old and the weakest among us were killed by them.

只有我們當中年老和最虛弱的人才會被它們殺死。

We used antibiotics more and more 文法

我們越來越多地使用抗生素，

for less and less serious causes.

用在越來越不嚴重的病症上。

We lost respect for the monsters

我們失去了對怪物的敬畏，

and the weapon.

也失去了對武器的敬畏。

But bacteria are living things that evolve,

但細菌是會進化的生物，

and one by one,

它們一個接一個地，

they started to become immune against our weapons. 用詞

開始對我們的武器免疫。

This continued

這種情況一直持續，

until we had created what are called superbugs. 文法

直到我們製造出了所謂的「超級細菌」。

Bacteria immune to almost everything we have.

這些細菌對我們幾乎所有的武器都免疫。

This immunity is spreading across the world as we speak. 慣用語

就在我們說話的時候，這種免疫力正在全世界蔓延。

By 2050,

到2050年，

superbugs could kill more humans a year than cancer.

超級細菌每年殺死的人數可能比癌症還要多。

The days when a cut or bladder infection

傷口、膀胱感染

or a cough could kill you or your loved ones

或咳嗽就能奪走你或你所愛之人生命的歲月

are coming back.

正在捲土重來。

In the US alone,

僅在美國，

more than 23,000 people die from resistant bacteria each year.

每年就有超過23,000人死於抗藥細菌。

But it turns out that phages, 片語搭配

但事實證明，噬菌體，

our tiny killer virus robots,

這些我們微小的殺手病毒機器人，

could save us.

可能會拯救我們。

We could inject them into our bodies to help cure infections.

我們可以將它們注射到體內來幫助治癒感染。

Hold on. 語氣意圖

等一下。

How can injecting millions of viruses into an infection 語氣意圖

把數以百萬計的病毒注射到感染部位，

be a good idea?

怎麼會是個好主意呢？

Phages are very,

噬菌體是非常、

very specialized killers of bacteria.

非常專業的細菌殺手。

So specialized,

如此專業，

in fact,

事實上，

that humans are completely immune to them.

以至於人類對它們完全免疫。

We are too different. 文法

我們的差異太大了。

We encounter billions of phages every day

我們每天都會遇到數十億噬菌體，

and we just politely ignore each other. 慣用語

而我們只是禮貌地互相無視。

Antibiotics are like carpet bombing, 表達脈絡

抗生素就像地毯式轟炸，

killing everything,

殺光一切，

even the good bacteria in our intestines

甚至是我們腸道裡的有益細菌，

that we don't want to harm.

那些我們不想傷害的細菌。

Phages are like guided missiles

而噬菌體就像導引飛彈，

that only attack what they're supposed to. 文法

只攻擊它們應該攻擊的目標。

Wait a minute.

等一下。

If we use phages to kill bacteria,

如果我們用噬菌體殺死細菌，

won't bacteria develop ways of defending themselves?

難道細菌就不會進化出防禦的方法嗎？

Well,

嗯，

it's more complex than that. 片語搭配

事情遠比這複雜。

Phages evolve too.

噬菌體也會進化。

There has been an arms race between them and bacteria 慣用語

它們與細菌之間的軍備競賽

for billions of years,

已經持續了數十億年，

and so far,

到目前為止，

they're doing great.

它們做得很好。

This makes phages smart weapons

這讓噬菌體成為了智慧武器，

that are constantly getting better at killing. 片語搭配

能夠不斷提升殺戮技巧。

But even if bacteria were to become immune against our phage, 文法

但即使細菌真的對我們的噬菌體免疫了，

we still might be able to win.

我們依然可能獲勝。

It turns out that in order to become resistant

事實證明，為了產生抗藥性，

to even just a few species of phages,

即便是對少數幾種噬菌體產生抗藥性，

bacteria have to give up their resistance to antibiotics. 片語動詞

細菌也不得不放棄對抗生素的抗藥性。

We might be able to trap them in a catch-22. 慣用語

我們也許能將它們困在兩難的境地。

This has already been successfully tested with a patient

這已經在一個患者身上得到了成功測試，

who had no other hope left.

他本來已經沒有其他希望了。

The bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 文化背景

綠膿桿菌，

one of the most feared bacteria,

最令人恐懼的細菌之一，

infected the man's chest cavity.

感染了這名男子的胸腔。

They are naturally resistant to most antibiotics 用詞

它們天生對大多數抗生素具有抗藥性，

and can even survive in alcoholic hand gel.

甚至能在含酒精的洗手液中存活。

After years of suffering,

在遭受了多年的痛苦之後，

a few thousand phages were directly inserted into his chest cavity,

幾千個噬菌體被直接注入了他的胸腔，

together with antibiotics the bacteria were immune to.

連同細菌免疫的抗生素一起。

After a few weeks,

幾週後，

the infections had completely disappeared. 文法

感染徹底消失了。

Unfortunately,

不幸的是，

this treatment is still experimental

這種療法仍處於實驗階段，

and pharma companies are still reluctant to invest the necessary billions 片語搭配

製藥公司仍然不願投入所需的數十億美元，

in a treatment that has no official approval yet. 用詞

去開發這種尚未獲得官方批准的療法。

But things are finally changing.

但情況終於在發生變化。

In 2016,

2016年，

the largest phage clinical trial to date began, 片語搭配

迄今為止最大規模的噬菌體臨床試驗開始了，

and phages are getting more and more attention.

噬菌體正受到越來越多的關注。

And we better get used to it 文法

我們最好習慣這一點，

because the era in which antibiotics have been our super weapon

因為抗生素作為我們超級武器的時代

is drawing to a close. 慣用語

正在接近尾聲。

It might be a weird concept,

這個概念可能聽起來很怪異，

but injecting the deadliest being on planet Earth

但將地球上最致命的生物

directly into our bodies

直接注射到我們體內，

could save millions of lives.

可能會拯救數百萬人的生命。

This video was made possible

本影片得以製作，

by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

要感謝比爾及梅琳達·蓋茲基金會的資助。

If you'd like to support Kurzgesagt,

如果你想支持 Kurzgesagt，

you can do so on patreon.com/kurzgesagt

你可以在 patreon.com/kurzgesagt 上進行，

and get fancy things in return.

並獲得精美的回報。