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JanetIwasa_2019U-_通过动画探索奇妙的分子世界_-
I live in Utah , a place known for having some of the most awe-inspiring natural landscapes on this planet. 我在犹他州生活, 这里因拥有地球上最令人惊叹 的一些自然景观 而闻名遐迩。
Utah:n.美国犹他州; awe-inspiring:adj.使人敬畏的;令人惊叹的; landscapes:n.风景; v.从事庭园设计;
It's easy to be overwhelmed by these amazing views, and to be really fascinated by these sometimes alien-looking formations . 这些壮丽的景观 是那么震撼心魄, 这些时常犹如世外之物 的形态也令人深深着迷。
overwhelmed:v.受打击,压倒;淹没;(overwhelm的过去分词和过去式) formations:n.形成(formation的复数形式);形态;队形;
As a scientist, I love observing the natural world. 作为一名科学家, 我热爱观察自然世界。
observing:adj.观察的;注意的;观察力敏锐的;v.观察;遵守(observe的现在分词);
But as a cell biologist , 但作为一名细胞生物学家,
biologist:n.生物学家;
I'm much more interested in understanding the natural world at a much, much smaller scale . 我更感兴趣的是 在一个更加微小的尺度上 理解自然世界。
scale:n.规模;比例;鳞;刻度;天平;数值范围;v.衡量;攀登;剥落;生水垢;
I'm a molecular animator , and I work with other researchers to create visualizations of molecules that are so small, they're essentially invisible . 我是一名分子动画师, 我与其他研究者合作, 为小到看不见的分子 创作可视化影像。
molecular:adj.[化学]分子的;由分子组成的; animator:n.鼓舞者;赋与生气者;卡通片绘制者(等于animater); visualizations:n.[计]可视化(visualization的复数形式);直观化; molecules:n.[化学]分子,微粒;[化学]摩尔(molecule的复数); essentially:adv.本质上;本来; invisible:adj.看不见的;n.看不见的人或物;
These molecules are smaller than the wavelength of light, which means that we can never see them directly , even with the best light microscopes . 这些分子比光的波长还小, 也就是说,我们永远不可能 直接看见它们, 即使用最先进的 光学显微镜也做不到。
wavelength:n.[物]波长; directly:adv.直接地;立即;马上;正好地;坦率地;conj.一…就; microscopes:n.[光]显微镜(microscope的复数);
So how do I create visualizations of things that are so small we can't see them? 那么我是如何为 小到看不见的东西 创作视觉图像的呢？
Scientists, like my collaborators , can spend their entire professional careers working to understand one molecular process . 科学家们,例如我的合作伙伴, 往往会终其职业生涯 致力于理解一个分子过程。
collaborators:n.[劳经]合作者;投敌者(collaborator的复数); professional:adj.专业的;职业的;职业性的;n.专业人员;职业运动员; careers:n.职业(career的复数);事业;职业生涯;v.全速前进(career的三单形式); 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;
To do this, they carry out a series of experiments that each can tell us a small piece of the puzzle . 为此,他们进行了一系列实验, 每个实验能告诉我们 这块拼图的一小部分。
series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; puzzle:n.谜;疑问;智力游戏;不解之谜;v.迷惑;使困惑;
One kind of experiment can tell us about the protein shape, while another can tell us about what other proteins it might interact with, and another can tell us about where it can be found in a cell. 一种实验能告诉我们 蛋白质的形状, 另一种实验则能告诉我们 这个分子会和其他 哪些蛋白互动, 更有别的实验告诉我们 它在细胞里的什么地方。
proteins:n.[生化]蛋白质(protein复数); interact:v.互相影响;互相作用;n.幕间剧;幕间休息;
And all of these bits of information can be used to come up with a hypothesis , a story, essentially, of how a molecule might work. 所有这些信息的碎片整合在一起, 就能形成一个假设, 也就是一个关于分子 如何工作的故事。
come up with:提出;想出;赶上; hypothesis:n.假设;
My job is to take these ideas and turn them into an animation . 我的工作就是把这些概念 转换成动画。
animation:n.活泼,生气;激励;卡通片绘制;
This can be tricky , because it turns out that molecules can do some pretty crazy things. 这个工作可以很棘手, 因为事实上,分子的行为很难琢磨。
tricky:adj.难办的;难对付的;狡猾的;诡计多端的;
But these animations can be incredibly useful for researchers to communicate their ideas of how these molecules work. 但这些动画对研究者相当有用, 可以帮助他们沟通关于 分子工作原理的想法,
animations:n.[电影]动画片(animation的复数); incredibly:adv.难以置信地;非常地;
They can also allow us to see the molecular world through their eyes. 也能让我们通过它们的眼睛 看见分子世界。
I'd like to show you some animations, a brief tour of what I consider to be some of the natural wonders of the molecular world. 我想展示一些动画, 带领大家进行一场短途观光, 看看我心目中 分子世界的“自然奇观”。
First off, this is an immune cell. 第一个是免疫细胞。
immune:adj.免疫的;免于…的,免除的;n.免疫者;免除者;
These kinds of cells need to go crawling around in our bodies in order to find invaders like pathogenic bacteria . 这些细胞在我们身体里四处爬行, 以便发现诸如病菌 这样的入侵者。
crawling:v.爬行;匍匐行进;(crawl的现在分词) invaders:n.侵略者(invader的复数);侵入种; pathogenic:adj.致病的;病原的;发病的(等于pathogenetic); bacteria:n.[微]细菌;
This movement is powered by one of my favorite proteins called actin , which is part of what's known as the cytoskeleton . 它的动作由我 最喜欢的蛋白之一, 肌动蛋白驱动, 这种蛋白是所谓 “细胞骨架”的一部分。
actin:n.[生化]肌动蛋白; cytoskeleton:n.[细胞]细胞骨架,细胞支架;
Unlike our skeletons , actin filaments are constantly being built and taken apart. 和我们的骨架不同, 肌动蛋白纤维（微丝） 一直在不停的被组装和拆散。
skeletons:n.骷髅;[解剖]骨骼(skeleton的复数);流言(歌曲名); filaments:n.[植]花丝;细丝(filament的复数);[电子]灯丝;电加热丝; constantly:adv.不断地;时常地;
The actin cytoskeleton plays incredibly important roles in our cells. 肌动蛋白骨架在我们的细胞中 扮演着至关重要的角色。
They allow them to change shape, to move around , to adhere to surfaces and also to gobble up bacteria. 它们让细胞改变形状, 四处移动,附着于表面, 以及吞噬细菌。
move around:v.走来走去;绕着…来回转; adhere:vi.坚持;依附;粘着;追随;vt.使粘附; gobble:vi.贪食;咯咯叫;vt.狼吞虎咽;n.火鸡叫声;
Actin is also involved in a different kind of movement. 肌动蛋白还和另一种 不同的运动有关。
involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词)
In our muscle cells, actin structures form these regular filaments that look kind of like fabric . 在我们的肌肉细胞中, 肌动蛋白结构形成了这些 看起来像布料的规则纤维。
muscle:n.肌肉;力量;v.加强;使劲搬动;使劲挤出; structures:n.结构; v.建造(structure的第三人称单数形式); fabric:n.织物;布料;(社会,机构等的)结构;
When our muscles contract , these filaments are pulled together and they go back to their original position when our muscles relax . 当肌肉收缩时, 这些纤维就收紧, 当肌肉放松时, 它们又恢复到原来的位置。
muscles:n.肌肉(muscle的复数); contract:v.收缩;感染;订约;n.合同;婚约; original:n.原件;原作;原物;原型;adj.原始的;最初的;独创的;新颖的; relax:v.放松,休息;松懈,松弛;变从容;休养;
Other parts of the cytoskeleton, in this case microtubules , are responsible for long-range transportation . 细胞骨架的其它组成部分, 比如说微管, 则负责长途运输。
microtubules:n.[细胞]微管(microtubule的复数形式); responsible:adj.负责的,可靠的;有责任的; long-range:adj.(飞机,火箭等)远程的;长期的;远大的; transportation:n.运输;运输系统;运输工具;流放;
They can be thought of as basically cellular highways that are used to move things from one side of the cell to the other. 你可以把它们想象成 细胞的高速公路, 用来把东西从细胞一端 运送到另一端。
basically:adv.主要地,基本上; cellular:adj.细胞的;多孔的;由细胞组成的;n.移动电话;单元;
Unlike our roads, microtubules grow and shrink , appearing when they're needed and disappearing when their job is done. 和我们的公路不同, 微管能够生长、收缩, 在需要它们时出现, 完成任务后消失。
shrink:v.收缩;减少;退缩;畏缩;n.精神病学家;心理学家; disappearing:v.消失;不复存在;灭绝;丢失(disappear的现在分词)
The molecular version of semitrucks are proteins aptly named motor proteins, that can walk along microtubules, dragging sometimes huge cargoes , like organelles , behind them. 半挂式卡车的分子版本 则被贴切的称为“马达蛋白”, 它们能在微管上行走, 有时候在身后拖着大型“货物”, 比如说细胞器。
aptly:adv.适宜地;适当地; cargoes:货物; organelles:n.胞器;[细胞]细胞器(organelle的复数);
This particular motor protein is known as dynein , and its known to be able to work together in groups that almost look, at least to me, like a chariot of horses. 这种马达蛋白叫做动力蛋白, 能够以小组为单位工作, 至少在我看来, 几乎和战车的马匹一样。
dynein:n.动力蛋白; chariot:n.(古代用于战斗或比赛的)双轮敞篷马车;v.驾驭;
As you see, the cell is this incredibly changing, dynamic place, where things are constantly being built and disassembled . 如各位所见,细胞是一个 时刻变化、非常活跃的地方, 各种东西都在不停的 被修筑和拆解。
dynamic:n.动力; adj.充满活力的; disassembled:v.拆散(disassemble的过去式形式);adj.拆开的;分散的;
But some of these structures are harder to take apart than others, though. 但其中有些结构 却比别的更难拆散,
take apart:拆开;剖析;粗暴对待;
And special forces need to be brought in in order to make sure that structures are taken apart in a timely manner. 必须动用特殊的力量 以确保这些结构能被及时拆除。
timely:adj.及时的;适时的;adv.及时地;早;
That job is done in part by proteins like these. 这份工作的一部分 是由这些蛋白胜任的。
These donut-shaped proteins, of which there are many types in the cell, all seem to act to rip apart structures by basically pulling individual proteins through a central hole. 这些甜甜圈形状的蛋白 种类繁多,分布在细胞各处, 看上去全都能将单个蛋白 拖进中央孔洞, 从而把蛋白结构撕扯开来。
rip:v.撕破;突然拉开;割开;n.撕开的大口子;巨澜;清管器;废马; individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的;
When these kinds of proteins don't work properly, the types of proteins that are supposed to get taken apart can sometimes stick together and aggregate and that can give rise to terrible diseases , such as Alzheimer's. 当这种蛋白无法正常工作时, 本应被它们分解的那些蛋白 有时会黏在一起,聚集成块, 这有可能引起可怕的疾病, 比如阿茨海默症。
supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式) stick together:在一起;团结一致;互相支持; aggregate:vi.集合; vt.集合; n.合计; adj.聚合的; give rise to:使发生,引起; diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类;
And now let's take a look at the nucleus , which houses our genome in the form of DNA. 现在让我们看看细胞核, 其内部以 DNA 的形式 保管着我们的基因组。
take a look at:看一看;检查; nucleus:n.核,核心;原子核; genome:n.基因组;染色体组;
In all of our cells, our DNA is cared for and maintained by a diverse set of proteins. 在我们所有的细胞中, DNA 由一组功能各异 的蛋白照料和维护。
maintained:v.维持;维修;保养;固执己见;(maintain的过去式和过去分词) diverse:adj.不同的;多种多样的;变化多的;
DNA is wound around proteins called histones , which enable cells to pack large amounts of DNA into our nucleus. DNA 被缠绕在组蛋白上, 这样细胞就能把大量 DNA 塞进细胞核里。
wound:n.创伤,伤口;v.使受伤;受伤,伤害; histones:n.组蛋白,组织蛋白(histone复数); enable:v.使能够;使有机会;使成为可能;使可行;
These machines are called chromatin remodelers, and the way they work is that they basically scoot the DNA around these histones and they allow new pieces of DNA to become exposed . 这些“机器”被称为染色质重塑器, 它们载着 DNA 在组蛋白上移动, 让新的 DNA 片段暴露出来。
chromatin:n.核染色质;核染质; scoot:vi.疾行;匆匆离去 exposed:adj.无遮蔽的; v.暴露; (expose的过去分词和过去式)
This DNA can then be recognized by other machinery . 这段 DNA 随后能被 其它“机器”所识别。
recognized:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;(recognize的过去分词和过去式) machinery:n.机械;机器;机构;机械装置;
In this case, this large molecular machine is looking for a segment of DNA that tells it it's at the beginning of a gene . 在这个例子中, 这个大型分子机器 在寻找一段能告诉它 “这里是基因的起始位置” 的 DNA。
segment:n.段;部分;片;弓形;v.分割;划分; at the beginning of:在…的开始; gene:n.基因;遗传基因;遗传因子;
Once it finds a segment, it basically undergoes a series of shape changes which enables it to bring in other machinery that in turn allows a gene to get turned on or transcribed . 当它找到这个片段后, 它会进行一系列形状变化, 以结合其他的“装置”, 最终启动或转录基因。
undergoes:vt.经历,经受;忍受; enables:v.使得; (enable的第三人称单数) transcribed:转录;
This has to be a very tightly regulated process, because turning on the wrong gene at the wrong time can have disastrous consequences . 这个过程必须被非常严密的控制, 因为在错误的时间 启动错误的基因 将导致灾难性后果。
tightly:adv.紧紧地;坚固地; regulated:v.约束,控制,管理;(regulate的过去式和过去分词) disastrous:adj.灾难性的;损失惨重的;悲伤的; consequences:n.后果,结果;影响(consequence的复数);
Scientists are now able to use protein machines to edit genomes . 科学家们现在能够 利用蛋白机器 编辑基因组。
edit:v.编辑;剪辑;编纂;编选;n.编辑[校订]工作; genomes:n.[遗]基因组(genome复数);
I'm sure all of you have heard of CRISPR. 我相信大家都听说过 CRISPR。 [ 注:一种基因编辑技术]
CRISPR takes advantage of a protein known as Cas9, which can be engineered to recognize and cut a very specific sequence of DNA. CRISPR 技术利用一种 叫做 Cas9 的蛋白, 经过工程改造后, Cas9 能识别并剪切 DNA 上非常特定的序列。
advantage:n.有利条件:优势:优点: specific:adj.特殊的,特定的;明确的;详细的;[药]具有特效的;n.特性;细节;特效药;
In this example, two Cas9 proteins are being used to excise a problematic piece of DNA. 在这个例子里, 我们用两个 Cas9 蛋白 切除了一段有问题的 DNA,
excise:vt.切除;收税;n.消费税;货物税; problematic:adj.问题的;有疑问的;不确定的;
For example, a part of a gene that may give rise to a disease. 比如说,基因中一个 可能引起疾病的片段,
Cellular machinery is then used to basically glue two ends of the DNA back together. 然后利用细胞机器 把 DNA 的两个断点 重新“黏合”起来。
glue:n.胶;胶水;v.粘贴;
As a molecular animator, one of my biggest challenges is visualizing uncertainty . 作为一名分子动画师, 我面临的最大挑战之一 就是如何将不确定性具象化。
visualizing:v.使形象化;想象;构思;设想;(visualize的现在分词) uncertainty:n.不确定,不可靠;
All of the animations I've shown to you represent hypotheses , how my collaborators think a process works, based on the best information that they have. 我给各位展示的所有动画 代表的只是一些假设, 是我的合作者们基于 他们掌握的最佳信息, 对于一个分子过程的设想。
represent:v.代表;表现;描绘;回忆;再赠送; hypotheses:n.假定;臆测(hypothesis的复数);
But for a lot of molecular processes , we're still really at the early stages of understanding things, and there's a lot to learn. 但对于很多分子过程来说, 我们对它们的理解 仍处于初始阶段, 还有许多待研究之处。
processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式);
The truth is that these invisible molecular worlds are vast and largely unexplored . 事实是, 这些看不见的分子世界 幅员辽阔,大部分还未经勘探。
largely:adv.主要地;大部分;大量地; unexplored:adj.[地质]未勘查过的;
To me, these molecular landscapes are just as exciting to explore as a natural world that's visible all around us. 对我来说,这些分子景观 和我们身边看得见 的自然世界一样, 是那么引人入胜。
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）