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HarveyFineberg_2011-_我们准备好了要“新进化”吗_
How would you like to be better than you are? 如果你可以比现在的你更好,你希望是怎样？
Suppose I said that, with just a few changes in your genes , you could get a better memory -- more precise , more accurate and quicker. 比如说, 你的基因可以有一些改动, 使得你有更好的记忆力, 更精确, 更准且更快。
Suppose:v.推断:假定:假设:设想: genes:n.基因;(gene的复数) precise:adj.准确的;确切的;精确的;明确的; accurate:adj.精确的;
Or maybe you'd like to be more fit, stronger, with more stamina . 或者你想变得更健康,更强壮, 更多的精力。
stamina:n.毅力;精力;活力;持久力;
Would you like to be more attractive and self-confident ? 你想变得更具吸引力,更加自信？
attractive:adj.吸引人的;有魅力的;引人注目的; self-confident:adj.自信的;
How about living longer with good health? 能健康地活很久,这怎么样？
Or perhaps you're one of those who's always yearned for more creativity. 或者,你是 想要有更多的创造力。
yearned:vi.渴望,向往;思念,想念;怀念;同情,怜悯;
Which one would you like the most? 你最想要什么呢？
Which would you like, if you could have just one? 如果你只能有一样,你想要什么？
(Audience Member: Creativity.) （听众:创造力。）
Creativity. 创造力。
How many people would choose creativity? 有多少人要选创造力？
Raise your hands. Let me see. 举起您的手,让我看看。
A few. Probably about as many as there are creative people here. 有一些。或许和我们这里有创造力的人数一样多。
creative:adj.创造性的;
(Laughter) That's very good. 那非常好。
How many would opt for memory? 有多少想要记忆力？
opt:vi.选择;
Quite a few more. 多一些了。
Quite a few:不少,相当多;
How about fitness ? 健康呢？
fitness:n.健康;适当;适合性;
A few less. 少一些。
What about longevity ? 长寿呢？
longevity:n.长寿,长命;寿命;
Ah, the majority . That makes me feel very good as a doctor. 啊,大多数。我是医生,看到这里我很高兴。
majority:n.大部分:大多数:多数票:成年人:
If you could have any one of these, it would be a very different world. 如果你能有这其中之一的改变, 世界将会非常不同。
Is it just imaginary ? 这只是想象吗？
imaginary:adj.虚构的,假想的;想像的;虚数的;
Or, is it, perhaps, possible? 或是说,这或许可能发生？
Evolution has been a perennial topic here at the TED Conference , but I want to give you today one doctor's take on the subject. 进化是个永久的话题了, 在TED的论坛上。 但是今天我要告诉你们 关于这个话题的一个医生的看法。
Evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进; perennial:adj.多年生的;常年的;四季不断的;常在的;反复的;n.多年生植物; Conference:n.会议;研讨会;商讨会;体育协会(或联合会)
The great 20th-century geneticist , 20世纪著名的遗传学家,
geneticist:n.遗传学者;
T.G. Dobzhansky, who was also a communicant in the Russian Orthodox Church , once wrote an essay that he titled "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense T.杜布尚斯基（T.G. Dobzhansky）, 同时他也是受圣餐的教徒, 在俄罗斯东正教教堂里。 他曾写过一篇文章,名为: “生物学的一切很难说通,
Orthodox Church:n.东正教会; Biology:n.(一个地区全部的)生物;生物学;
Except in the Light of Evolution." 除非用进化的思想来思考。”
in the Light of:根据,按照;当作;
Now if you are one of those who does not accept the evidence for biological evolution, this would be a very good time to turn off your hearing aid , take out your personal communications device -- 现在,如果你是 不相信生物进化证据的 现在你可以关掉你的助听器的时候了, 拿出你的个人通讯设备了 --
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; biological:adj.生物学的;生物的;与生命过程有关的;加酶的;n.[药]生物制品; hearing aid:n.助听器; personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词; device:n.装置;策略;图案;
I give you permission -- and perhaps take another look at Kathryn Schultz's book on being wrong, because nothing in the rest of this talk is going to make any sense whatsoever to you. 你得到允许了 -- 或者再看一次卡瑟林·舒尔茨（Kathryn Schulz)那本关于犯错的书。 因为接下来的演讲 你将感觉到没有任何意义。
whatsoever:pron.无论什么;
(Laughter) （笑声）
But if you do accept biological evolution, consider this: is it just about the past, or is it about the future? 可如果你相信 生物进化论, 想想一下这个: 那是关于过去的, 还是关于将来的？
Does it apply to others, or does it apply to us? 那是发生在其他生物身上的, 还是我们也会发生？
apply:v.申请;涂,敷;应用;适用;请求;
This is another look at the tree of life. 这是一张生命树的图。
In this picture, 在这张图片里,
I've put a bush with a center branching out in all directions, because if you look at the edges of the tree of life, every existing species at the tips of those branches has succeeded in evolutionary terms: it has survived; it has demonstrated a fitness to its environment. 我让树状从中心向各个方向展开分支, 因为如果看生命树的 边角部分, 每个现有的物种 在那些分支尖端的, 用进化术语来说,都是成功的, 存活了。 这表明了一种适合度 对它的环境。
bush:n.灌木; v.以灌木装饰; adj.如灌木般长得低矮的; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; tips:n.尖端; v.(使)倾斜,翻覆; (tip的第三人称单数和复数) evolutionary:adj.进化的;发展的;渐进的; demonstrated:v.证明;证实;论证;说明;表达;(demonstrate的过去分词和过去式)
The human part of this branch, way out on one end, is, of course, the one that we are most interested in. 人类的部分,在这个分支里, 在一个边角的末端, 当然是我们最感兴趣的。
We branch off of a common ancestor to modern chimpanzees about six or eight million years ago. 我们从一个共同祖先分支出来 和现代黑猩猩分开 大概是600万或800万年前。
chimpanzees:n.[脊椎]黑猩猩(chimpanzee的复数);
In the interval , there have been perhaps 20 or 25 different species of hominids . 在这期间, 大概有20到25个 类人的物种。
interval:n.间歇;音程;休息时间;(其他事情)穿插出现的间隙; hominids:n.人种;人科(hominid的复数);
Some have come and gone. 有些来过又走了。
We have been here for about 130,000 years. 我们在这里生存了13万年。
It may seem like we're quite remote from other parts of this tree of life, but actually, for the most part , the basic machinery of our cells is pretty much the same. 看起来,我们似乎 和这生命树的其他物种离得很远。 但事实上,在很多层面上, 组成我们细胞的基本的基本的构造 是几乎一样的。
remote:adj.偏远的;偏僻的;遥远的;久远的; for the most part:adv.在极大程度上,多半; machinery:n.机械;机器;机构;机械装置;
Do you realize that we can take advantage and commandeer the machinery of a common bacterium to produce the protein of human insulin used to treat diabetics ? 你知道吗？我们可以利用 和应用一个普通细菌的构造 来制造人类胰岛素的蛋白质 而用来治疗糖尿病？
advantage:n.有利条件:优势:优点: commandeer:vt.征用;霸占,没收;强取; bacterium:n.[微]细菌;杆菌属; protein:n.蛋白质; insulin:n.[生化][药]胰岛素; treat:v.治疗;处理;招待;款待;n.款待;乐事;乐趣; diabetics:n.糖尿病,糖尿病患者;
This is not like human insulin; this is the same protein that is chemically indistinguishable from what comes out of your pancreas . 这并非人类的胰岛素; 这是一样的蛋白质 在生化角度上 和我们胰腺生成的很难区分。
chemically:adv.用化学;以化学方法; indistinguishable:adj.不能区别的,不能辨别的;不易察觉的; pancreas:n.[解剖]胰腺;
And speaking of bacteria , do you realize that each of us carries in our gut more bacteria than there are cells in the rest of our body? 说到细菌, 你知道我们每人肚子里的细菌 多于 我们身体里的细胞？
bacteria:n.[微]细菌; gut:n.勇气;肠道;内脏;v.损毁内部;取出…的内脏;adj.非理性的;本能的
Maybe 10 times more. 也许有10倍还要多。
I mean think of it, when Antonio Damasio asks about your self-image , do you think about the bacteria? 大家想想, 当安东尼奥·达马西奥（Antonio R Damasio）问你个人自我形象时, 你会想到细菌吗？
self-image:n.自我形象;
Our gut is a wonderfully hospitable environment for those bacteria. 我们的肠子是一个很适宜的环境, 对那些细菌来说。
wonderfully:adv.精彩地;惊人地;极好地; hospitable:adj.热情友好的;(环境)舒适的;
It's warm, it's dark, it's moist , it's very cozy . 温暖,黑暗,潮湿, 相当舒适。
moist:adj.潮湿的;多雨的;含泪的;n.潮湿; cozy:n.保温罩;v.蒙骗;抚慰;adj.舒适的;安逸的;
And you're going to provide all the nutrition that they could possibly want with no effort on their part. 而且,我们还会提供给它们需要的几乎所有的养分 它们不费任何力气。
nutrition:n.营养,营养学;营养品;
It's really like an Easy Street for bacteria, with the occasional interruption of the unintended forced rush to the exit. 对细菌来说,这真是逍遥自在, 虽然有偶尔的打扰 被不情愿地排放出去。
Easy Street:顺境;安乐富足; occasional:adj.偶然的;临时的;特殊场合的; interruption:n.阻断物;中断时间;打扰;插嘴; unintended:adj.无意识的;非计划中的;
But otherwise, you are a wonderful environment for those bacteria, just as they are essential to your life. 但仍然, 对细菌来说,你是一个极好的生活环境, 而且他们对你的生活也是必需的。
essential:n.要点;要素;实质;必需品;adj.完全必要的;必不可少的;极其重要的;本质的;
They help in the digestion of essential nutrients , and they protect you against certain diseases . 他们帮助消化你所需的养分。 而且他们还保护你抵抗一些疾病。
digestion:n.消化;领悟; nutrients:营养盐;[食品]营养素; diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类;
But what will come in the future? 不过未来会是怎样呢？
Are we at some kind of evolutionary equipoise as a species? 我们是否已经处于进化上的平衡, 作为一个物种？
equipoise:n.平衡;均势;
Or, are we destined to become something different -- something, perhaps, even better adapted to the environment? 或者,我们的命运是 会变成其他不同的物种 —— 其他或许能更好地适应 环境？
destined:adj.注定的;命定的;去往…的;v.注定;(destine的过去式和过去分词) adapted:adj.适于…的; v.使适应,使适合; (adapt的过去分词和过去式)
Now let's take a step back in time to the Big Bang , 14 billion years ago -- the Earth, the solar system , about four and a half billion years -- the first signs of proto-life, maybe three to four billion years ago on Earth -- the first multi-celled organisms , perhaps as much as 800 or a billion years ago -- and then the human species, finally emerging in the last 130,000 years. 现在让我们回到 宇宙大爆炸的时候,140亿年前 — 地球,太阳系, 大概是45亿年前 — 原始生命的最初跡象, 可能三、四十亿年前的地球 — 第一个多细胞有机体, 大概是在 8亿或者10亿年前 — 然后是人类这一物种 终于出现在 最后的13万年。
Bang:n.猛敲; v.猛敲; v.正好; solar system:[天]太阳系; organisms:n.[生物]生物体(organism的复数);[生物]有机体; finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; emerging:adj.新兴的;v.出现,浮现,露出;暴露;(emerge的现在分词)
In this vast unfinished symphony of the universe, life on Earth is like a brief measure; the animal kingdom, like a single measure; and human life, a small grace note . 在这宇宙的庞大的未完成的交响曲中, 地球上的生命就如一个简单的乐谱; 动物, 是单一的小节 而人类, 是一个装饰音。
symphony:n.交响乐;谐声,和声; grace note:n.装饰音;
That was us. 那就是我们。
That also constitutes the entertainment portion of this talk, so I hope you enjoyed it. 那也是这次演讲的有趣的部分, 我希望你们喜欢。
constitutes:v.被算作;组成;构成;(合法或正式地)成立,设立;(constitute的第三人称单数) portion:n.部分;(食物的)一份;分担的责任;v.把…分成若干份(或部分);
(Laughter) （笑声）
Now when I was a freshman in college, 在我还是大学新生的时候,
I took my first biology class. 我上了我第一节生物学课。
I was fascinated by the elegance and beauty of biology. 我很震惊, 生物学是优雅且美丽的。
elegance:n.典雅;高雅;
I became enamored of the power of evolution, and I realized something very fundamental : in most of the existence of life in single-celled organisms, each cell simply divides, and all of the genetic energy of that cell is carried on in both daughter cells. 我为进化的力量而着迷, 并意识到一个很基本的东西: 在大部分生命存在的形式中, 在单细胞生物体中, 每一个细胞的简单构造, 和所有该细胞的基因能量, 都被子细胞继承。
enamored:adj.迷恋的;倾心的;v.迷住,使迷恋(enamor的过去分词形式); fundamental:n.基础; adj.十分重大的;
But at the time multi-celled organisms come online, things start to change. 不过在多细胞生物体出来的时候, 情况开始变化。
Sexual reproduction enters the picture. 有性生殖开始进入画面。
Sexual:adj.性的;性别的;有性的; reproduction:n.繁殖,生殖;复制;复制品;
And very importantly, with the introduction of sexual reproduction that passes on the genome , the rest of the body becomes expendable . 而且非常重要的是, 采用有性生殖的方式 而传递的基因, 而其他部分 变得可消耗。
genome:n.基因组;染色体组; expendable:adj.可消费的;排出的;不重复使用的;可牺牲的;n.消耗品;
In fact, you could say that the inevitability of the death of our bodies enters in evolutionary time at the same moment as sexual reproduction. 实际上,你可以说 我们部分的死亡的必然性 出现在进化里 和有性繁殖 同时发生
inevitability:n.必然性;不可逃避;
Now I have to confess , when I was a college undergraduate , 如今我得说 当我还是大学生的时候
confess:v.承认;坦白;忏悔;供认; undergraduate:n.本科生;
I thought, okay, sex/death, sex/death, death for sex -- it seemed pretty reasonable at the time, but with each passing year, 我当时想,好吧,性/死亡,性/死亡,为性而亡— 那时候听起来还是挺合理的, 但一年一年过去
reasonable:adj.合理的,公道的;通情达理的;
I've come to have increasing doubts. 我开始产生很多疑问。
I've come to understand the sentiments of George Burns, who was performing still in Las Vegas well into his 90s. 我开始理解乔治伯恩斯（George Burns）, 他之前一直在拉斯维加斯表演 直到他90岁。
sentiments:n.观点,看法;情绪;伤感,柔情,哀伤;(sentiment的复数) performing:adj.表演的;演奏的;v.做;执行;演出;运转(perform的现在分词)
And one night, there's a knock at his hotel room door. 有一天晚上,有人敲他住的酒店的门。
He answers the door. 他开了门。
Standing before him is a gorgeous , scantily clad showgirl . 出现在他面前的是一个漂亮的穿得很少舞女。
gorgeous:adj.华丽的,灿烂的;极好的; scantily:adv.缺乏地;吝啬地;不充足地; clad:adj.穿衣的; vt.在金属外覆以另一种金属; v.穿衣(clothe的过去式和过去分词); showgirl:n.广告女郎;歌舞女郎;
She looks at him and says, "I'm here for super sex." 她看着他说, “我来这里是想要做个大爱。”
'"That's fine," says George, "I'll take the soup." “好的,”乔治说,“那我就喝汤吧。” (Soup 发音接近Super.)
(Laughter) （笑声）
I came to realize, as a physician , that I was working toward a goal which was different from the goal of evolution -- not necessarily contradictory , just different. 我开始意识到 作为一个医生 一直以来我努力的方向 是一个不同于进化方向的方向 — 并不是绝对的矛盾,只是不同。
physician:n.[医]医师;内科医师; necessarily:adv.必要地;必定地,必然地; contradictory:adj.矛盾的;反对的;反驳的;抗辩的;n.对立物;矛盾因素;
I was trying to preserve the body. 我一直是在努力去保持
preserve:vt.保存;保护;维持;腌;禁猎;n.保护区;禁猎地;加工成的食品;
I wanted to keep us healthy. 想要使得我们健康。
I wanted to restore health from disease. 想要使得我们从疾病中恢复。
restore:v.恢复;修复;恢复(某种情况或感受);使复原;
I wanted us to live long and healthy lives. 想要我们活得更长久更健康。
Evolution is all about passing on the genome to the next generation, adapting and surviving through generation after generation. 进化,却是传递基因 给下一代 适应和存活 从上一代到下一代。
adapting:v.使适应,使适合;适应;改编;改写;(adapt的现在分词)
From an evolutionary point of view , you and I are like the booster rockets designed to send the genetic payload into the next level of orbit and then drop off into the sea. 从进化论的观点来看, 我们就像是火箭助推器 被设计成发送“基因”载荷 到下一层轨道 然后再跌落大海。
point of view:观点;见地;立场; booster:n.升压机;支持者;扩爆器; payload:n.(导弹,火箭等的)有效载荷,有效负荷; (工厂,企业等)工资负担; orbit:n.轨道;眼眶;势力范围;生活常规;vi.盘旋;绕轨道运行;vt.绕…轨道而行;
I think we would all understand the sentiment that Woody Allen expressed when he said, "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. 我想我们都应该理解伍迪·艾伦（Woody Allen）所说的, 他说,“我不想通过我的工作而不朽,
Woody:adj.木质的;多树木的;木头似的; expressed:v.表示;表达;显而易见;不言自明;(express的过去分词和过去式) immortality:n.不朽;不朽的声名;不灭;
I want to achieve it through not dying." “我想通过不死而不朽。”
(Laughter) （笑声）
Evolution does not necessarily favor the longest-lived. 进化,不是一定 是要活得更长久。
It doesn't necessarily favor the biggest or the strongest or the fastest, and not even the smartest. 它不一定看中那些个头最大的 或者最强壮的,或者速度最快的 而且甚至不是最聪明的。
Evolution favors those creatures best adapted to their environment. 进化想要的 是那些能最好适应 它们环境的生物。
creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数)
That is the sole test of survival and success. 这是一个单一的 成功存活的测试。
sole:n.鞋底; adj.仅有的; v.给(鞋)换底; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
At the bottom of the ocean, bacteria that are thermophilic and can survive at the steam vent heat that would otherwise produce, if fish were there, sous-vide cooked fish, nevertheless , have managed to make that a hospitable environment for them. 在大海深处, 细菌都是耐热的 它们能在热蒸汽中生存 不然地话,如果那里有鱼,就会有 苏斯维特煮鱼, 不过,它们却可以 让自己生活在一个舒服的环境里。
thermophilic:adj.嗜热性的; vent:n.(感情的)发泄; vt.发泄感情; vi.放出; (通过排泄等)减轻压力; nevertheless:adv.然而,不过;虽然如此;conj.然而,不过;
So what does this mean, as we look back at what has happened in evolution, and as we think about the place again of humans in evolution, and particularly as we look ahead to the next phase , 所以,这意味着什么, 当我们回头看进化过程中发生的事情, 以及我们再想想 进化中的人类, 特别是我们向上看 到下一个阶段的时候
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; look ahead:预测未来,计划未来; phase:n.阶段;时期;月相;(月亮的)盈亏;v.分阶段进行;逐步做;
I would say that there are a number of possibilities. 我只能说 有很多的可能性。
The first is that we will not evolve . 第一种可能,我们不会进化了。
evolve:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;
We have reached a kind of equipoise. 我们已经达到了 某个平衡点。
And the reasoning behind that would be, first, we have, through medicine, managed to preserve a lot of genes that would otherwise be selected out and be removed from the population. 这背后的原因可能是, 首先,我们通过药物, 可以保留很多基因 那些本会被淘汰 和从大多数人中移除的基因。
And secondly, we as a species have so configured our environment that we have managed to make it adapt to us as well as we adapt to it. 其次,我们是一个 能够配置我们的环境的物种 使得环境来适应我们 以及我们来适应环境。
configured:adj.配置; v.使…成形; as well as:也;和…一样;不但…而且;
And by the way , we immigrate and circulate and intermix so much that you can't any longer have the isolation that is necessary for evolution to take place . 另外,我们移民,流通 而且混杂在一起 这使得你不在 处于隔离状态,而这个状态又正是 进化发生的必要条件。
by the way:顺便说一下; immigrate:vi.移入;vt.使移居入境; circulate:v.循环;传播;流传;传阅; intermix:vt.使…混杂;使…混合;vi.混杂;混和; take place:发生;举行;
A second possibility is that there will be evolution of the traditional kind, natural, imposed by the forces of nature. 第二种可能, 就还是传统的进化形式, 自然的,由自然界力量推动的。
traditional:传统的,惯例的, imposed:adj.强加的;施加的;应用的;v.欺骗(impose的过去分词);把…强加于;
And the argument here would be that the wheels of evolution grind slowly, but they are inexorable . 在此争议的就是 进化的轮盘转得缓慢, 是不能阻挡。
grind:v.磨碎;磨快;n.磨;苦工作; inexorable:adj.无情的;不屈不挠的;不可阻挡的;无法改变的;
And as far as isolation goes, when we as a species do colonize distant planets, there will be the isolation and the environmental changes that could produce evolution in the natural way. 只有孤立现象存在, 而我们作为一个物种 统治着遥远的星球 那就会有孤立的现象,环境的改变 会导致的进化 自然界方式的进化。
as far as:至于…; colonize:vt.将…开拓为殖民地; vi.开拓殖民地; distant:adj.遥远的;远处的;久远的;
But there's a third possibility, an enticing , intriguing and frightening possibility. 但是有第三种可能, 一种诱人的,有趣且骇人的可能性。
enticing:adj.诱人的;有吸引力的;v.诱使;引诱;(entice的现在分词) intriguing:adj.有趣的;迷人的;v.引起…的兴趣;策划阴谋;私通;(intrigue的现在分词) frightening:adj.可怕的;骇人的;引起恐惧的;v.使惊吓;使惊恐(frighten的现在分词)
I call it neo-evolution -- the new evolution that is not simply natural, but guided and chosen by us as individuals in the choices that we will make. 我把它叫做:新进化 — 一种新的进化方式 不是简单的自然界方式, 是有指导和选择的方式 由我们作为个体来 进行选择而促成的方式。
individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数);
Now how could this come about? 现在,这要怎么发生呢？
How could it be possible that we would do this? 我们如何可能让这发生呢？
Consider, first, the reality that people today, in some cultures, are making choices about their offspring . 先来考虑现实 现在,一些文化中的人们, 他们对他们的后代做的一些选择。
offspring:n.后代,子孙;产物;
They're, in some cultures, choosing to have more males than females. 其中在一些文化中,他们 选择更多的男生多余女生。
It's not necessarily good for the society, but it's what the individual and the family are choosing. 对整个社会来说,这必定不是好事, 但是这确是一个个体和家庭做出的一个选择。
Think also, if it were possible ever for you to choose, not simply to choose the sex of your child, but for you in your body to make the genetic adjustments that would cure or prevent diseases. 再来想想, 如果你可以 去选择,不是简单的选择你的子女的性别, 而是选择在你身体里 去做一些基因的调整 可以治愈或者防治疾病的调整。
adjustments:n.调整;调节;调整,适应;(adjustment的复数)
What if you could make the genetic changes to eliminate diabetes or Alzheimer's or reduce the risk of cancer or eliminate stroke ? 如果你真能做一些基因的调整 去消除糖尿病或者阿尔茨海默氏症 或者减少癌症的发病率 或者消除中风？
What if:如果…怎么办? eliminate:v.消除;排除; diabetes:n.糖尿病;多尿症; cancer:n.癌症;恶性肿瘤; stroke:n.中风;笔画;钟声;抚摩;v.抚摩(动物的毛皮);轻抚;轻挪;轻触;
Wouldn't you want to make those changes in your genes? 难道你不想 对你的基因做 那些改变？
If we look ahead, these kind of changes are going to be increasingly possible. 如果我们向前看, 这些改变 将会是非常有可能的。
increasingly:adv.越来越多地;渐增地;
The Human Genome Project started in 1990, and it took 13 years. 人类基因组计划 从1990年开始, 并用了13年时间。
It cost 2.7 billion dollars. 它花费了27亿美元。
The year after it was finished in 2004, you could do the same job for 20 million dollars in three to four months. 在计划完成之后的2004年, 你能做同样的事情 两千万美元,三到四个月。
Today, you can have a complete sequence of the three billion base pairs in the human genome at a cost of about 20,000 dollars and in the space of about a week. 今天你就能得到一个完整的基因序列 包含了人体基因的30亿个碱基对 花费大概是2万美元 大概是一个星期之内。
sequence:n.顺序; v.按顺序排列;
It won't be very long before the reality will be the 1,000-dollar human genome, and it will be increasingly available for everyone. 不会太久 就能实现 一千美元的人类基因组, 而且越来越多人都可以做。
Just a week ago, the National Academy of Engineering awarded its Draper Prize to Francis Arnold and Willem Stemmer, two scientists who independently developed techniques 就在一周前, 国家工程院（美国） 授予了“德雷珀奖” 给弗朗西斯·阿诺德（Francis Arnold）和威廉·思特梅尔（Willem Stemmer） 两位科学家独立开发了技术
Academy:n.学院;研究院;学会;专科院校; Engineering:n.工程;工程学;v.密谋策划;设计制造;改变…的基因;(engineer的现在分词) Draper:n.布商;服装商; independently:adv.独立地;自立地; techniques:n.技巧;技艺;工艺;技术;(technique的复数)
to encourage the natural process of evolution to work faster and to lead to desirable proteins in a more efficient way -- what Frances Arnold calls "directed evolution." 能使得自然进化过程更快 且更多可取蛋白质 能够更有效地产生。 弗朗西斯·阿诺德（Francis Arnold）称之为“定向进化”。
process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的; desirable:adj.令人满意的;值得要的;n.合意的人或事物; proteins:n.[生化]蛋白质(protein复数); efficient:adj.有效率的;有能力的;生效的;
A couple of years ago, the Lasker Prize was awarded to the scientist Shinya Yamanaka for his research in which he took an adult skin cell, a fibroblast, and by manipulating just four genes, he induced that cell to revert to a pluripotential stem cell -- a cell potentially capable of becoming any cell in your body. 多年前,拉斯克奖(Albert Lasker Prize) 授予了科学家山中伸弥（Shinya Yamanaka） 他的研究 是他取用成一个成熟的皮肤细胞, 一个纤维组织母细胞 并通过操控仅仅四个基因, 他引导该细胞 还原成一个多能干细胞 — 一个有可能 成为我们身体中任何细胞的细胞。
manipulating:v.(暗中)控制,操纵,影响;正骨;治疗脱臼;(manipulate的现在分词) induced:adj.感应的;诱发型;v.引诱;说服(induce的过去分词); revert:vi.回复;重提;返祖遗传;归还;vt.使回复原状;n.恢复原状者; stem cell:干细胞; potentially:adv.可能地,潜在地; capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的;
These changes are coming. 这些改变正在进行中。
The same technology that has produced the human insulin in bacteria can make viruses that will not only protect you against themselves, but induce immunity against other viruses. 同样的技术 就是能从产生病毒的细菌中 生成人体胰岛素 这将不仅仅是保护你抵抗它们, 还会产生对其他病毒的免疫力。
technology:n.技术;工艺;术语; immunity:n.免疫力;豁免权;免除;
Believe it or not, there's an experimental trial going on with vaccine against influenza that has been grown in the cells of a tobacco plant. 你是否相信, 有一个实验在研究 预防流感的疫苗 是从一种烟草植物细胞中培育的。
experimental:adj.实验的;根据实验的;试验性的; vaccine:n.疫苗;牛痘苗;adj.疫苗的;牛痘的; influenza:n.[内科]流行性感冒(简写flu);家畜流行性感冒;
Can you imagine something good coming out of tobacco? 你能想象烟草中也能有有益的东西吗？
These are all reality today, and [in] the future, will be evermore possible. 这些在今天都是现实, 而且在未来,会有更多的可能。
evermore:adv.永远,始终;今后;
Imagine then just two other little changes. 届时想想 另外两个小的变化。
You can change the cells in your body, but what if you could change the cells in your offspring? 你能改变自己身体中的细胞, 那如果你能改变你后代的细胞呢？
What if you could change the sperm and the ova, or change the newly fertilized egg, and give your offspring a better chance at a healthier life -- eliminate the diabetes, eliminate the hemophilia , reduce the risk of cancer? 如果你能改变精子和卵子, 或者是改变新的受精卵, 能给你的后代更好的机会 更健康的生活— 消除了糖尿病,消除了血友病, 减少了癌症的机率？
sperm:n.精子;精液;鲸蜡油; fertilized:v.使受精;使受粉;使受胎;使受孕;施肥于;(fertilize的过去分词和过去式) hemophilia:n.[内科]血友病(等于haemophilia);
Who doesn't want healthier children? 谁不想要更健康的儿女呢？
And then, that same analytic technology, that same engine of science that can produce the changes to prevent disease, will also enable us to adopt super-attributes, hyper-capacities -- that better memory. 到时候,同样的解析技术, 同样的科学技术 能够产生 防御疾病的改变, 也会使得我们 能集成一些超级的属性, 高级别的能力 — 更好的记忆力。
analytic:adj.分析的;解析的;善于分析的; enable:v.使能够;使有机会;使成为可能;使可行; adopt:v.采取;接受;收养;正式通过;
Why not have the quick wit of a Ken Jennings, especially if you can augment it with the next generation of the Watson machine? 为什么不要 肯·詹宁斯（Ken Jenniings）的机智 特别是你能有 和下一代沃森电脑系统一样的机智？
wit:n.智力;风趣;才思;头脑;v.(wist)[古语]知道; Ken:n.视野范围,见地,知识范围; especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; augment:vi.增加;增大;vt.增加;增大;n.增加;增大;
Why not have the quick twitch muscle that will enable you to run faster and longer? 为什么不要快速的收缩肌肉 能让我们跑得更快更持久？
twitch:n.抽搐;抽动;痉挛;阵痛;vi.抽搐;抽动;阵痛;vt.使抽动;攫取;猛拉; muscle:n.肌肉;力量;v.加强;使劲搬动;使劲挤出;
Why not live longer? 为什么不活得更长久？
These will be irresistible . 这些都会不可抗拒。
irresistible:adj.不可抵抗的;不能压制的;极为诱人的;
And when we are at a position where we can pass it on to the next generation, and we can adopt the attributes we want, we will have converted old-style evolution into neo-evolution. 而且当我们处在一个位置 我们可以传给下一代, 我们可以集成我们想要的能力, 我们就会改变 旧模式的进化 为新进化。
attributes:v.把…归因于; n.属性; (attribute的第三人称单数和复数) converted:adj.修改的;改变信仰的;v.转变;改变信仰(convert的过去式和过去分词形式); old-style:adj.旧式的;老派的;
We'll take a process that normally might require 100,000 years, and we can compress it down to a thousand years -- and maybe even in the next 100 years. 我们将有这样的过程 一般或许需要10万年, 但我们能压缩到一千年 — 或许甚至在下一个100年。
normally:adv.正常地;通常地,一般地; compress:vi.受压缩小;vt.压缩,压紧;精简;
These are choices that your grandchildren, or their grandchildren, are going to have before them. 这些改变 我们的孙辈 或者他们的孙辈 将会拥有的。
Will we use these choices to make a society that is better, that is more successful, that is kinder? 他们会使用这些选择吗？ 去创建一个更好的社会？ 更成功的,更友善的社会？
Or, will we selectively choose different attributes that we want for some of us and not for others of us? 或者我们会有选择性地选择不同的能力 改变我们其中的一些人 而不是另外的一些人？
selectively:adv.有选择地;
Will we make a society that is more boring and more uniform , or more robust and more versatile ? 我们是否会创建一个社会 更为无聊和统一？ 或者更为健全和更多样？
boring:adj.无聊的;令人厌烦的;n.钻孔;v.使厌烦;钻孔;(bore的现在分词) uniform:adj.统一的;一致的;相同的;始终如一的;n.制服;v.使穿制服;使成一样; robust:adj.强健的;健康的;粗野的;粗鲁的; versatile:adj.多才多艺的;通用的,万能的;多面手的;
These are the kinds of questions that we will have to face. 这是所有的问题 是要让我们面对的。
And most profoundly of all, will we ever be able to develop the wisdom , and to inherit the wisdom , that we'll need to make these choices wisely? 而最重要的, 我们能否推进智力, 或者是继承智力, 让我们更明智地来做这些选择？
profoundly:adv.深刻地;深深地;极度地; wisdom:n.智慧;明智;才智;学问; inherit:v.继承;接替(责任等);继任;
For better or worse, and sooner than you may think, these choices will be up to us. 或好或坏地, 比你想象地还要快地 我们将会面临这些选择。
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）