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FloydERomesberg_2018-_人造_dna_的根本可能性_
All life, every living thing ever, has been built according to the information in DNA. 所有的生命, 史上所有的生物, 都是根据 DNA 中的资讯创造出来的。
according to:根据,据说;
What does that mean? 那是什么意思？
Well, it means that just as the English language is made up of alphabetic letters that, when combined into words, allow me to tell you the story I'm going to tell you today, 意思是,如同英语这门语言 是用字母组成的,把字母拼成字词之后, 我才能把今天要讲的故事 说给你们听。
made up of:由…组成,由…构成; alphabetic:adj.(属于)字母的;
DNA is made up of genetic letters that, when combined into genes , allow cells to produce proteins , strings of amino acids that fold up into complex structures DNA 是用基因字母组成的, 当它们拼成基因之后, 细胞就能够产出蛋白质, 这些蛋白质是一串串胺基酸 折迭而成的复杂结构,
genetic:adj.基因的;遗传学的; genes:n.基因;(gene的复数) proteins:n.[生化]蛋白质(protein复数); strings:一串,悬挂(string的第三人称单数和复数) amino:adj.氨基的;n.[化学]氨基; fold:v.折叠;包;可叠平(以便贮存或携带);裹;n.褶;褶层;折叠部分;褶痕; complex:adj.复杂的;合成的;n.复合体;综合设施; structures:n.结构; v.建造(structure的第三人称单数形式);
that perform the functions that allow a cell to do what it does, to tell its stories. 执行一些功能, 让细胞可以做它的工作, 说出它的故事。
perform:v.表演;执行;履行;演出;工作,运转(好/不好);
The English alphabet has 26 letters, and the genetic alphabet has four. 英文字母表有二十六个字母, 基因字母表则有四个字母。
They're pretty famous. Maybe you've heard of them. 它们很有名,你们可能听过,
They are often just referred to as G, C, A and T. 通常直接用 G、C、 A 和 T 来表示。
referred:v.提到;引用;认为;指示;涉及;(refer的过去式和过去分词)
But it's remarkable that all the diversity of life is the result of four genetic letters. 但,很惊人的是,各式各样的生命 都是由四个基因字母产生出来的。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; diversity:n.差异(性):多样性:多样化:
Imagine what it would be like if the English alphabet had four letters. 想像一下,如果英文字母表 只有四个字,会是怎样的状况？
What sort of stories would you be able to tell? 你能讲出什么样的故事？
What if the genetic alphabet had more letters? 如果基因字母表有更多字,会如何？
What if:如果…怎么办?
Would life with more letters be able to tell different stories, maybe even more interesting ones? 更多基因字母的生命 会能够说出不同的故事吗？ 可能会是更有趣的故事？
In 1999, my lab at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California started working on this question with the goal of creating living organisms with DNA made up of a six-letter genetic alphabet, the four natural letters plus two additional new man-made letters. 1999 年我在加州拉霍亚 斯克里普斯研究所的实验室 开始探究这个问题, 目标是要创造出活的有机体, 它们的 DNA 由六个基因字母组成, 包括四个天然的字母, 再加上两个人造的新字母。
Institute:v.开始(调查);制定;创立;提起(诉讼);n.学会,协会;学院; organisms:n.[生物]生物体(organism的复数);[生物]有机体; additional:adj.附加的,额外的; man-made:adj.人造的;人工的;合成的;
Such an organism would be the first radically altered form of life ever created. 这种有机体会是从根本上 做改变的生命形式,且史无前例。
radically:adv.根本上;彻底地;以激进的方式; altered:adj.改变了的:v.(使)改变,更改,改动:(alter的过去分词和过去式)
It would be a semisynthetic form of life that stores more information than life ever has before. 它会是半合成的生命形式, 至今没有任何生命 能像它储存那么多资讯。
semisynthetic:adj.[化]半合成的;
It would be able to make new proteins, proteins built from more than the 20 normal amino acids that are usually used to build proteins. 它能够制造出新蛋白质, 不单单只用那二十种常见胺基酸 而建立的蛋白质。
What sort of stories could that life tell? 那样的生命能说出什么样的故事？
With the power of synthetic chemistry and molecular biology and just under 20 years of work, we created bacteria with six-letter DNA. 靠着合成化学 和分子生物学的强大幫助, 只花了不到二十年, 我们就创造出 DNA 有六个字母的细菌。
molecular:adj.[化学]分子的;由分子组成的; biology:n.(一个地区全部的)生物;生物学; bacteria:n.[微]细菌;
Let me tell you how we did it. 让我说一下怎么做到的吧。
All you have to remember from your high school biology is that the four natural letters pair together to form two base pairs. 你只需要记住高中 生物学中的一样东西, 那就是:四个天然基因字母 配对形成两组基础配对。
G pairs with C and A pairs with T, so to create our new letters, we synthesized hundreds of new candidates, new candidate letters, and examined their abilities to selectively pair with each other. G 和 C 配对,A 和 T 配对, 所以,为了创造新字母, 我们合成了数百种新候选字母, 研究它们和彼此 做选择性配对的能力。
synthesized:adj.合成的;综合的;v.合成(synthesize的过去分词);综合; selectively:adv.有选择地;
And after about 15 years of work, we found two that paired together really well, at least in a test tube . 经过约十五年的努力, 我们发现两个字母 配对起来的状况非常好, 至少在试管中是如此。
test tube:adj.人工授精的;在试验管中作成的;n.试管;试验管;人工受精;
They have complicated names, but let's just call them X and Y. 它们的名字很复杂, 就姑且称它们为 X 和 Y。
complicated:adj.复杂的;难懂的;v.使复杂化;(complicate的过去分词和过去式)
The next thing we needed to do was find a way to get X and Y into cells, and eventually we found that a protein that does something similar in algae worked in our bacteria. 接着我们需要做的事, 是要想办法把 X 和 Y 放入细胞中, 终于,我们发现我们的细菌中 有一种蛋白质和 海藻的蛋白质性能类似,
eventually:adv.最后,终于; algae:n.[植]藻类;[植]海藻;
So the final thing that we needed to do was to show that with X and Y provided , cells could grow and divide and hold on to X and Y in their DNA. 所以,我们需要做的最后一件事, 就是要证明在有 X 和 Y 的前提下, 细胞仍然能够生长和分裂, 且它们的 DNA 中保有 X 和 Y。
provided:conj.假如; v.提供; (provide的过去分词和过去式) hold on to:坚持;紧握;克制;
Everything we had done up to then took longer than I had hoped -- 在那之前我们做的一切, 花的时间都比我期望的还长——
I am actually a really impatient person -- but this, the most important step, worked faster than I dreamed, basically immediately. 我其实是个很没耐心的人—— 但,这个最重要的步骤, 成功的速度比我梦想的还快, 基本上是立马成功。
impatient:adj.焦躁的;不耐心的; basically:adv.主要地,基本上;
On a weekend in 2014, a graduate student in my lab grew bacteria with six-letter DNA. 在 2014 的一个周末, 我实验室里的研究生培殖出了 DNA 有六个字母的细菌。
Let me take the opportunity to introduce you to them right now. 让我利用这个机会 把它们介绍给各位。
This is an actual picture of them. 这是它们的真实照片。
These are the first semisynthetic organisms. 这些是最早的半合成有机体。
So bacteria with six-letter DNA, that's really cool, right? DNA 有六个字母的细菌, 真的很酷,对吧？
Well, maybe some of you are still wondering why. 也许在座有些人 仍然很纳闷为什么。
So let me tell you a little bit more about some of our motivations , both conceptual and practical . 让我跟各位简略说明 我们的一部分动机, 包括概念上和实际上的动机。
motivations:n.动机(motivation的复数);表明动机; conceptual:adj.概念上的; practical:adj.实际的;真实的;客观存在的;n.实习课;实践课;
Conceptually , people have thought about life, what it is, what makes it different from things that are not alive, since people have had thoughts. 概念上,人们思考过生命是什么、 生命和非生命的差别在哪里, 从人会思考时就在想这些了。
Conceptually:adv.概念地;
Many have interpreted life as being perfect, and this was taken as evidence of a creator. 许多人对于生命的诠释就是完美, 这被视为是证明 有一个造物主存在的证据。
interpreted:v.诠释;说明;把…理解为;领会;口译;(interpret的过去式和过去分词) evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明;
Living things are different because a god breathed life into them. 生物之所以不同,是因为 有一个神赋予它们生命。
Others have sought a more scientific explanation, but I think it's fair to say that they still consider the molecules of life to be special. 其他人则用比较科学的解释, 但我认为,可以说他们仍然 认为生命的分子是特别的。
sought:v.seek(寻求、寻找)的过去式和过去分词形式; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; molecules:n.[化学]分子,微粒;[化学]摩尔(molecule的复数);
I mean, evolution has been optimizing them for billions of years, right? 数十亿年来,演化已经 把它们最优化了,对吧？
evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进; optimizing:n.[数]优化,最佳化;adj.最佳的;v.最佳化(optimize的现在分词);
Whatever perspective you take, it would seem pretty impossible for chemists to come in and build new parts that function within and alongside the natural molecules of life without somehow really screwing everything up. 不论你采用哪一种观点, 似乎化学家都不可能 建造出能在生命的自然分子中运作 或与之一起运作的新部分, 而且不以某种方式把一切搞砸。
perspective:n.观点;远景;透视图;adj.透视的; chemists:n.化学家(chemist的复数);药剂师; somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地; screwing:v.用螺丝固定(或拧牢);拧紧;拧上去;(screw的现在分词)
But just how perfectly created or evolved are we? 但,我们到底被 创造得／演化得多完美？
evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式)
Just how special are the molecules of life? 生命的分子到底有多特别？
These questions have been impossible to even ask, because we've had nothing to compare life to. 这些问题,连要问出来都不可能, 因为我们没有任何东西 可以拿来和生命做比较。
compare:v.比较;对比;n.比较;
Now for the first time, our work suggests that maybe the molecules of life aren't that special. 史上第一次,我们的研究指出 也许生命的分子并没有那么特别,
Maybe life as we know it isn't the only way it could be. 也许我们所知道的生命 并不是唯一的生命形式。
Maybe we're not the only solution , maybe not even the best solution , just a solution. 也许我们不是唯一的解决方案, 甚至不是最好的解决方案, 只是一种解决方案。
solution:n.解决方案;溶液;溶解;解答;
These questions address fundamental issues about life, but maybe they seem a little esoteric . 这些问题在谈的是生命的根本议题, 但它们看似有些深奥。
fundamental:n.基础; adj.十分重大的; issues:n.重要议题;争论的问题;v.宣布;公布;发出;(issue的第三人称单数和复数) esoteric:adj.秘传的;限于圈内人的;难懂的;
So what about practical motivations? 那,实际的动机呢？
Well, we want to explore what sort of new stories life with an expanded vocabulary could tell, and remember, stories here are the proteins that a cell produces and the functions they have. 嗯,我们想要探究, 字彙扩大之后的生命 能够讲述怎样的新故事, 且,别忘了,这里的故事 指的是细胞能产生的蛋白质 及它们的功能。
explore:v.探索:探测:探险: expanded:adj.扩充的;展开的;vt.扩大(expand的过去式);
So what sort of new proteins with new types of functions could our semisynthetic organisms make and maybe even use? 所以,我们的半合成有机体 能够制造甚至使用 怎样的拥有新功能的新蛋白质呢？
Well, we have a couple of things in mind. 我们有一些想法。
The first is to get the cells to make proteins for us, for our use. 首先是要让细胞为我们制造蛋白质,
Proteins are being used today for an increasingly broad range of different applications, from materials that protect soldiers from injury to devices that detect dangerous compounds , but at least to me, the most exciting application is protein drugs. 现今,蛋白质被用在 很广泛的应用领域中, 从保护士兵不受伤的材料, 到侦测危险化合物的装置, 但,至少对我来说, 最让人兴奋的应用是蛋白质药物。
increasingly:adv.越来越多地;渐增地; injury:n.伤害,损害;受伤处; devices:n.[机][计]设备;[机]装置;[电子]器件(device的复数); detect:vt.察觉;发现;探测; compounds:n.混合物,化合物;大院(compound的复数形式); application:n.应用;申请;应用程序;敷用;
Despite being relatively new, protein drugs have already revolutionized medicine, and, for example, insulin is a protein. 虽然相对比较新, 但蛋白质药物已经改革了医学, 比如,胰岛素是一种蛋白质。
Despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; relatively:adv.相当程度上;相当地;相对地; revolutionized:adj.革命化的;被彻底改革的;v.彻底改革(revolutionize的过去式); insulin:n.[生化][药]胰岛素;
You've probably heard of it, and it's manufactured as a drug that has completely changed how we treat diabetes . 你们可能听过它, 它被当作药物来制造, 完全改变了我们 对糖尿病的治疗方式。
manufactured:adj.制造的,已制成的;v.制造,加工(manufacture的过去式); treat:v.治疗;处理;招待;款待;n.款待;乐事;乐趣; diabetes:n.糖尿病;多尿症;
But the problem is that proteins are really hard to make and the only practical way to get them is to get cells to make them for you. 但,问题是,蛋白质很难制造, 取得蛋白质的唯一实际方式, 就是叫细胞为你制造。
So of course, with natural cells, you can only get them to make proteins with the natural amino acids, and so the properties those proteins can have, the applications they could be developed for, must be limited by the nature of those amino acids that the protein's built from. 所以,当然,你只能让自然细胞 用自然胺基酸制造出蛋白质, 所以那些蛋白质能拥有的特性、 用它们能开发出来的应用, 都会被那些用来制造蛋白质的 胺基酸的自然本质所限制。
limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式)
So here they are, the 20 normal amino acids that are strung together to make a protein, and I think you can see, they're not that different-looking. 这就是它们, 二十种常见胺基酸, 它们结合在一起制造出蛋白质, 我想,你们可以看到, 它们看起来没什么差别。
strung:v.捆扎,系上(string的过去式和过去分词);收紧;
They don't bring that many different functions. 它们并没有带来、 提供许多不同的功能。
They don't make that many different functions available.
Compare that with the small molecules that synthetic chemists make as drugs. 将它和合成化学家所制造的 药物的小分子来做比较。
Now, they're much simpler than proteins, but they're routinely built from a much broader range of diverse things. 这些小分子比蛋白质更简单许多, 但它们是由更多各式各样的 东西例行建造出来的。
routinely:adv.例行公事地;老一套地; diverse:adj.不同的;多种多样的;变化多的;
Don't worry about the molecular details, but I think you can see how different they are. 别担心分子的细节, 但我想你们能看出它们有多么不同。
And in fact, it's their differences that make them great drugs to treat different diseases . 事实上,正是它们的差异, 让它们成为很棒的药物, 治疗不同的疾病。
diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类;
So it's really provocative to wonder what sort of new protein drugs you could develop if you could build proteins from more diverse things. 所以,很刺激的地方在于, 不知道什么样的新蛋白质药物 可以用来自更多样化来源的 蛋白质开发出来。
provocative:adj.刺激的,挑拨的;气人的;n.刺激物,挑拨物;兴奋剂;
So can we get our semisynthetic organism to make proteins that include new and different amino acids, maybe amino acids selected to confer the protein with some desired property or function? 我们能否用我们的半合成有机体 来制造出蛋白质, 且包含不同的新胺基酸, 也许是精选的胺基酸, 来赋予蛋白质 某些我们想要的特性或功能？
confer:vt.授予;给予;vi.协商;
For example, many proteins just aren't stable when you inject them into people. 比如, 许多蛋白质在注射到 人体中时,就是不稳定。
stable:n.马厩;牛棚;adj.稳定的;牢固的;坚定的;vi.被关在马厩;赶入马房; inject:v.注入;注射;
They are rapidly degraded or eliminated , and this stops them from being drugs. 它们很快就会被降解或消除, 因此它们无法成为药物。
degraded:adj.退化的; v.分解; (degrade的过去分词和过去式) eliminated:v.排除;清除;消除;(比赛中)淘汰;消灭;(eliminate的过去式和过去分词)
What if we could make proteins with new amino acids with things attached to them that protect them from their environment, that protect them from being degraded or eliminated, so that they could be better drugs? 如果我们能用新的 胺基酸来做蛋白质, 在它们上面附加一些东西, 保护它们不受环境影响, 保护它们不被降解或消除, 让它们能成为更好的药物？
attached:adj.依恋;v.重视;把…固定;(attach的过去分词和过去式)
Could we make proteins with little fingers attached that specifically grab on to other molecules? 我们能不能在蛋白质上附加小手指, 用来定位紧抓其他的分子？
specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; grab:v.攫取;霸占;将…深深吸引;n.攫取;霸占;夺取之物;
Many small molecules failed during development as drugs because they just weren't specific enough to find their target in the complex environment of the human body. 也许用小分子来开发药物时会失败, 是因为它们不够明确定位,
So could we take those molecules and make them parts of new amino acids that, when incorporated into a protein, are guided by that protein to their target? 所以,我们能不能用这些分子 来当作新胺基酸的一些部分, 当把它们整合到蛋白质中时, 该蛋白质就会引导它们找到目标？
incorporated:adj.合并的; v.合并;
I started a biotech company called Synthorx. 我创立了一间生技公司, 叫做 Synthorx。
biotech:abbr.生物技术;生物科技(biotechnology);
Synthorx stands for synthetic organism with an X added at the end because that's what you do with biotech companies. Synthorx 代表「合成有机体」, 在最后加上「X」是因为 生技公司都会这样做。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Synthorx is working closely with my lab, and they're interested in a protein that recognizes a certain receptor on the surface of human cells. Synthorx 和我的实验室密切合作, 他们感兴趣的蛋白质,是要能够认得 人类细胞表面上的某种受体。
recognizes:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的第三人称单数) receptor:n.[生化]受体;接受器;感觉器官;
But the problem is that it also recognizes another receptor on the surface of those same cells, and that makes it toxic . 但,问题是,它也会认出 同样细胞表面上的另一种受体, 那会让它变成有毒的。
toxic:adj.有毒的;中毒的;
So could we produce a variant of that protein where the part that interacts with that second bad receptor is shielded , blocked by something like a big umbrella so that the protein only interacts with that first good receptor? 所以,我们能否制造出 那种蛋白质的变体, 把会和第二种不良受体 发生作用的那部分给掩盖起来, 用像大伞样的东西把它屏蔽掉, 让蛋白质只会和第一种 好的受体发生作用？
variant:adj.不同的;多样的;n.变体;转化; interacts:vi.互动;相互作用(interact的三单形式);交互; shielded:adj.隔离的;屏蔽了的;防护的;铠装的;
Doing that would be really difficult or impossible to do with the normal amino acids, but not with amino acids that are specifically designed for that purpose. 用常见的胺基酸会很难 或不可能做到这一点, 但若用专门为此目的而设计的 胺基酸就不用担心了。
So getting our semisynthetic cells to act as little factories to produce better protein drugs isn't the only potentially really interesting application, because remember, it's the proteins that allow cells to do what they do. 所以,让我们的半合成 细胞扮演小工厂 来制造比较好的蛋白质药物, 并非唯一有趣的应用, 因为,切记,是蛋白质 让细胞实现它们的功能。
potentially:adv.可能地,潜在地;
So if we have cells that make new proteins with new functions, could we get them to do things that natural cells can't do? 所以,如果有细胞能够制造出 具有新功能的新蛋白质, 我们是否能让它们做到 自然细胞无法做到的事？
For example, could we develop semisynthetic organisms that when injected into a person, seek out cancer cells and only when they find them, secrete a toxic protein that kills them? 比如,我们能否开发出 一种半合成有机体, 注射到人体中,去寻找癌细胞, 只有当找到癌细胞时, 才分泌有毒蛋白质来杀死癌细胞？
injected:v.(给…)注射(药物等); (inject的过去分词和过去式) seek:v.寻求;寻找;谋求; cancer:n.癌症;恶性肿瘤; secrete:v.分泌;隐藏,藏匿(小物件);
Could we create bacteria that eat different kinds of oil, maybe to clean up an oil spill ? 我们能否创造出一种细菌, 能吃掉不同类的油, 也许能用来清理漏油？
spill:v.溢出;涌出;蜂拥而出;n.跌落;洒出(量);泼出(量);溢出(量);
These are just a couple of the types of stories that we're going to see if life with an expanded vocabulary can tell. 上述这些,只是当字彙扩展时 生命能诉说的其中几种故事。
So, sounds great, right? 听起来很棒,对吧？
Injecting semisynthetic organisms into people, dumping millions and millions of gallons of our bacteria into the ocean or out on your favorite beach? 将半合成有机体注射到人体中, 将数百万加仑这种细菌倒入海洋中 或倒在你最爱的海滩上？
Injecting:v.(给…)注射(药物等);(给…)添加,增加(某品质);(inject的现在分词) dumping:n.倾倒,倾卸;v.丢弃,扔掉;抛弃;抛售;(dump的现在分词) gallons:n.加仑;大量(gallon的复数);一加仑的容器;
Oh, wait a minute, actually it sounds really scary. 喔,等等,这听起来其实挺吓人的。
This dinosaur is really scary. 这只恐龙挺吓人的。
But here's the catch: our semisynthetic organisms in order to survive, need to be fed the chemical precursors of X and Y. 但,有个困难之处: 我们的半合成有机体为了要生存, 会需要被喂食 X 和 Y 的化学前体。
chemical:n.化学制品,化学药品;adj.化学的; precursors:n.前体细胞(precursor的复数);先驱者(precursor的复数);
X and Y are completely different than anything that exists in nature. X 和 Y 和大自然中存在的 任何东西都完全不同。
different than:不同于;
Cells just don't have them or the ability to make them. 细胞没有它们, 也没有能力制造它们。
So when we prepare them, when we grow them up in the controlled environment of the lab, we can feed them lots of the unnatural food. 所以,当我们在实验室内 受控环境中制造出它们时, 我们可以喂食它们 很多非天然的食物。
unnatural:adj.不自然的;反常的;不近人情的;
Then, when we deploy them in a person or out on a beach where they no longer have access that special food, they can grow for a little bit, they can survive for a little, 接着,当我们把它们部署到 人体中或外面的海滩上, 在那些地方,它们无法 取得特别的食物, 它们可以成长一点点, 它们可以生存一会儿,
deploy:v.部署;利用;[军事]展开;(使)张开;
maybe just long enough to perform some intended function, but then they start to run out of the food. 也许还够长,足以执行 一些我们希望的功能, 但接着,它们就没有食物可吃了。
intended:adj.预定的;计划的;v.打算;计划;想要;(intend的过去分词和过去式) run out of:用完;
They start to starve. 它们会开始挨饿。
They starve to death and they just disappear . 它们会饿死,然后消失。
disappear:v.消失;失踪;不复存在;
So not only could we get life to tell new stories, we get to tell life when and where to tell those stories. 所以,我们不只能 让生命说新的故事, 我们也能控制生命 何时何地说新的故事。
At the beginning of this talk I told you that we reported in 2014 the creation of semisynthetic organisms that store more information, 在这场演说的一开始, 我告诉各位我们在 2014 年 创造出了半合成有机体, 能储存更多资讯,
At the beginning of:在…的开始; creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物;
X and Y, in their DNA. 将 X 和 Y 存在它们的 DNA 中。
But all the motivations that we just talked about require cells to use X and Y to make proteins, so we started working on that. 但我们刚刚谈到的所有动机, 都需要细胞能够使用 X 和 Y 来制造蛋白质, 所以我们开始处理这一点。
Within a couple years, we showed that the cells could take DNA with X and Y and copy it into RNA, the working copy of DNA. 在几年内,我们证明了 细胞能够把有 X 和 Y 的 DNA 复制到 RNA,
And late last year, we showed that they could then use X and Y to make proteins. 去年底, 我们证明了它们接着还可以 用 X 和 Y 来制造蛋白质。
Here they are, the stars of the show, the first fully-functional semisynthetic organisms. 这就是它们,今天节目的大明星, 史上最早能够完全 运作的半合成有机体。
fully-functional:异型魔方;
(Applause) （掌声）
These cells are green because they're making a protein that glows green. 这些细胞是绿色的,因为它们会 制造出一种发绿光的蛋白质。
glows:n.发光(glow的复数);v.发光(glow的第三人称单数形式);
It's a pretty famous protein, actually, from jellyfish that a lot of people use in its natural form because it's easy to see that you made it . 事实上,这种蛋白质很有名, 很多人会使用它的天然形式, 因为这样很容易可以 看出你制造出它了。
jellyfish:n.水母;[无脊椎]海蜇;软弱无能的人; you made it:你做到了;你成功了;
But within every one of these proteins, there's a new amino acid that natural life can't build proteins with. 但,在所有这些蛋白质中, 有一种新的胺基酸,
amino acid:n.氨基酸;
Every living cell, every living cell ever, has made every one of its proteins using a four-letter genetic alphabet. 所有的活细胞,史上所有的活细胞, 不论是制造哪一种蛋白质, 都是用四个基因字母来制造的。
four-letter:adj.下流的;庸俗的;使用四字母忌讳词的;
These cells are living and growing and making protein with a six-letter alphabet. 这些细胞是活的,会成长, 还会制造出六个字母的蛋白质。
These are a new form of life. 它们是新的生命形式。
This is a semisynthetic form of life. 这是一种半合成的生命形式。
So what about the future? 那,未来呢？
My lab is already working on expanding the genetic alphabet of other cells, including human cells, and we're getting ready to start working on more complex organisms. 我的实验室已经在努力扩展 其他细胞的基因字母, 包括人类细胞, 且我们已经准备好要开始 投入更复杂的有机体。
expanding:v.扩大,增加,增强细谈;详述;(expand的现在分词)
Think semisynthetic worms . 想想半合成的虫。
worms:n.蠕虫;寄生虫;幼虫;v.蠕动,曲折行进;(worm的第三人称单数和复数)
The last thing I want to say to you, the most important thing that I want to say to you, is that the time of semisynthetic life is here. 我想要告诉各位的最后一件事, 也是我想告诉各位的事 当中最重要的, 就是:半合成生命的 时代已经到来。
The last thing I want:我最不希望的就是;
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）
Chris Anderson: I mean, Floyd, this is so remarkable. 克里斯安德森:佛洛伊德, 这真是了不起。
I just wanted to ask you, what are the implications of your work for how we should think about the possibilities for life, like, in the universe, elsewhere ? 我只是想要问你, 你的研究有什么意涵？ 我们该如何看待生命的可能性, 比如,在宇宙中,其他地方？
implications:n.蕴涵式;暗指,暗示;含蓄,含意;卷入(implication的复数); elsewhere:adv.在别处;到别处;
It just seems like so much of life, or so much of our assumptions are based on the fact that of course, it's got to be DNA, but is the possibility space of self-replicating molecules much bigger than DNA, even just DNA with six letters? 感觉就是,生命有好大一部分, 或是说我们的假设有好大一部分 是立基在这个事实上: 它必须是 DNA, 但,自我复制分子的可能性空间 是否比 DNA 大很多, 甚至只是六个字母的 DNA？
assumptions:n.假定;假设;承担;获得;(assumption的复数) self-replicating:adj.自我复制的;自我复制;
Floyd Romesberg: Absolutely , I think that's right, and I think what our work has shown, as I mentioned, is that there's been always this prejudice that sort of we're perfect, we're optimal , God created us this way, evolution perfected us this way. 佛洛伊德:是的,我认为没错。 且我认为,我们的研究显示, 如我先前提过的, 一直以来都有一种偏见存在, 认为我们是完美的, 我们是最理想化的, 神把我们创造成这样, 演化把我们变成这么完美。
Absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地; prejudice:n.偏见;侵害;vt.损害;使有偏见; optimal:adj.最佳的;最理想的;
We've made molecules that work right alongside the natural ones, and I think that suggests that any molecules that obey the fundamental laws of chemistry and physics and you can optimize them could do the things that the natural molecules of life do. 我们做出的分子能够 和天然分子并存, 我认为那意味着任何分子 只要能遵守化学和物理的基本原理, 且能将它们最佳化, 那它们就能够做到生命的 天然分子能做到的事。
obey:v.遵守;服从;顺从; optimize:vt.使最优化,使完善;vi.优化;持乐观态度;
There's nothing magic there. 这不是什么魔法。
And I think that it suggests that life could evolve many different ways, maybe similar to us with other types of DNA, maybe things without DNA at all. 我认为,那意味着, 生命演化的方式有很多种, 也许类似于我们拥有 其他种 DNA 的人, 也许完全没有 DNA 的东西。
CA: I mean, in your mind, how big might that possibility space be? 克:在你心中, 那可能性空间有多大？
Do we even know? Are most things going to look something like a DNA molecule, or something radically different that can still self-reproduce and potentially create living organisms? 我们知道吗？大部分的东西 都会看起来像 DNA 分子？ 或是非常不同的东西 也能够自我繁殖, 且有可能创造出活的有机体？
self-reproduce:自我复制;
FR: My personal opinion is that if we found new life, we might not even recognize it. 佛:我个人的意见是, 如果我们找到新生命, 我们可能也不会认出它。
personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词;
CA: So this obsession with the search for Goldilocks planets in exactly the right place with water and whatever, that's a very parochial assumption, perhaps. 克:所以,这种对于 寻找适居带行星的迷恋, 一定要找到有水和其他东西的地方, 也许这样的假设太狭碍了。
obsession:n.痴迷;困扰;[内科][心理]强迫观念; Goldilocks:n.金发姑娘,金凤花; parochial:adj.教区的;狭小的;地方范围的;
FR: Well, if you want to find someone you can talk to, then maybe not, but I think that if you're just looking for any form of life, 佛:如果你想要找到能说话的人, 也许这假设不算狭碍, 但如果你是要找到任何形式的生命,
I think that's right, I think that you're looking for life under the light post. 那,没错,我想是太狭隘了, 你只想在容易找的地方找。
CA: Thank you for boggling all our minds. Thank so much, Floyd. 克:谢谢你带来这些惊喜。 非常谢谢,佛洛伊德。
boggling:vi.犹豫,退缩;惊恐;vt.搞糟,弄坏;使…惊奇;使…困惑;n.犹豫,退缩;惊奇;
(Applause) （掌声）