返回首页

PaulRothemund_2007-_dna魔法_
There's an ancient and universal concept that words have power, that spells exist, and that if we could only pronounce the right words, then -- whooosh -- you know, an avalanche would come 自古以来,文字就普遍被认为具有一种魔力, 我们相信咒语的存在,只要我们能够正确的念出那些文字。 然后,哈！你知道的,排山倒海之势就会从天而降
universal:adj.普遍的;全体的;全世界的;共同的; pronounce:v.发音;读(音);正式宣布(或公布,授予等); avalanche:n.雪崩;vt.雪崩;vi.崩塌;
and wipe out the hobbits , right? So this is a very attractive idea because we're very lazy, like the sorcerer's apprentice , or the world's greatest computer programmer. 然后歼灭哈比人,是吧？这是一个非常有吸引力的想法 因为我们非常懒惰,有若巫士的学徒, 或是世界上最棒的软件工程师。
wipe:v.擦;抹;拭;消除;n.擦;拭;揩;(湿)抹布; hobbits:n.霍比特人; attractive:adj.吸引人的;有魅力的;引人注目的; apprentice:n.学徒;生手;vt.使…当学徒;vi.当学徒;
And so this idea has a lot of traction with us. 因此,这个想法对我们有极大的吸引力。
traction:n.牵引;[机][车辆]牵引力;
We love the idea that words, when pronounced -- they're just little more than pure information, but they evoke some physical action in the real world that helps us do work. 我们很喜欢这个想法是因为,当这些文字被念出来时, 他们不仅仅是单纯的传递讯息, 而且他们还能触发一些在真实世界中 能实质上帮助我们工作的行动。
evoke:vt.引起,唤起;博得; physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查;
And so, of course, with lots of programmable computers and robots around this is an easy thing to picture. 当然,因为我们周遭有大量可编程的电脑 以及机器人,这个概念并不难被理解。
programmable:adj.[计]可编程的;可设计的;
So how many of you know what I'm talking about? 你们当中有多少人知道我现在在讲什么的？
Raise your right hand. OK. How many of you don't know what I'm talking about? Raise your left hand. 请举起你们的右手。好。有多少人 不知道我在讲什么的？请举你们的左手。好。
So that's great. So that was too easy. 非常好。这太简单了。
You guys have very insecure computers, OK? 你们的「电脑」非常容易出错,对吧？
insecure:adj.不安全的;不稳定的;不牢靠的;
So now, the thing is that this is a different kind of spell. 我想要说的是,这是一种不同的「咒语」。
This is a computer program made of zeros and ones. 这是一个由一堆0与1所组成的电脑程序。
It can be pronounced on a computer. It does something like this. 它能够在电脑上被「念」出来。就像这样。
The important thing is we can write it in a high-level language. 关键是我们可以以高阶语言去写它。
high-level:adj.高级的;高阶层的;在高空的;
A computer magician can write this thing. 一个电脑魔术师可以写出这种东西。
It can be compiled into this -- into zeros and ones -- and pronounced by a computer. 它能被编译成这样-- 变成一堆0与1-- 然后被电脑念出来。
compiled:adj.编译的;v.编辑(compile的过去分词);
And that's what makes computers powerful: these high-level languages that can be compiled. 这就是让电脑、强大的东西: 这些能被编译的高阶语言。
And so, I'm here to tell you, you don't need a computer to actually have a spell. In fact, what you can do at the molecular level is that if you encode information -- you encode a spell or program as molecules -- 然而,我在这边还想告诉你,你并不需要一台电脑 就能够施咒。事实上,你能够做的是 如果你将资讯编码到分子层次上 -- 你使用分子来撰写「咒语」或是程式--
molecular:adj.[化学]分子的;由分子组成的; encode:vt.(将文字材料)译成密码;编码,编制成计算机语言; molecules:n.[化学]分子,微粒;[化学]摩尔(molecule的复数);
then physics can actually directly interpret that information and run a program. That's what happens in proteins . 那么这些信息可以直接透过物理作用来解译 并且执行一个程序。蛋白质分子们就是这样的。
directly:adv.直接地;立即;马上;正好地;坦率地;conj.一…就; interpret:v.诠释;说明;口译;把…理解为; proteins:n.[生化]蛋白质(protein复数);
When this amino acid sequence gets pronounced as atoms , these little letters are sticky for each other. 当这些胺基酸序列以原子的型态被「念」出来, 这些彼此之间紧密结合在一起的字母们
amino acid:n.氨基酸; sequence:n.顺序; v.按顺序排列; atoms:n.[物]原子(atom的复数); sticky:adj.粘的;粘性的;
It collapses into a three-dimensional shape that turns it into a nanomachine that actually cuts DNA. 堆叠成三维立体结构使之成为 一个能切割 DNA 的奈米机器。
collapses:v.(突然)倒塌,坍塌;昏倒;坐下;(collapse的第三人称单数) three-dimensional:adj.三维的;立体的;真实的; nanomachine:毫微计算机;
And the interesting thing is that if you change the sequence, you change the three-dimensional folding. 有趣的是,如果你改变序列, 你也同时改变了其三维折叠的方法
You get now a DNA stapler instead. These are the kind of molecular programs that we want to be able to write, but the problem is, we don't know the machine language of proteins. We don't have a compiler for proteins. 你现在得到的是一个 DNA 订书机。 这种就是我们希望能够撰写的分子程式, 问题在于,我们不知道蛋白质的程式语言; 我们没有蛋白质的编译器。
stapler:n.[轻]订书机;主要商品批发商;把羊毛分级的人; compiler:n.编译器;[计]编译程序;编辑者,汇编者;
So I've joined a growing band of people that try to make molecular spells using DNA. We use DNA because it's cheaper. 所以我加入了一个成员逐渐增长的组织, 我们 尝试使用 DNA 制造分子魔咒,因为使用 DNA比较便宜。
band:n.带;波段;频带;箍;v.加彩条(或嵌条等);(将价格、收入等)划分档次;
It's easier to handle . It's something that we understand really well. 它比较容易处理。我们对它的了解已经非常透彻了。
handle:n.[建]把手;柄;手感;口实;v.处理;操作;运用;买卖;触摸;
We understand it so well, in fact, that we think we can actually write programming languages for DNA and have molecular compilers . 我们对它的了解是如此地透彻,事实上,我们认为我们可以 写一个DNA 的程式语言并且拥有分子编译器。
compilers:n.编译器;编译程式;编译工具(compiler的复数形式);
So then, we think we can do that. And my first question doing this -- or one of my questions doing this -- was how can you make an arbitrary shape or pattern out of DNA? And I decided to use 既然我们认为我们可以做到。我的第一个问题是-- 或者应该说我一堆问题的其中一个是-- 你如何 用DNA来制造任意形状或图案? 我决定使用
arbitrary:adj.[数]任意的;武断的;专制的;
a type of DNA origami , where you take a long strand of DNA and fold it into whatever shape or pattern you might want. 一种类似折纸的DNA 折叠艺术,你可以将一股长条DNA 折叠成你想要的各种形状或图案。
origami:n.折纸手工;折纸手工品; strand:n.(线、绳、金属线、毛发等的)股; v.使滞留; 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;
So here's a shape. I actually spent about a year in my home, in my underwear, coding , like Linus [Torvalds], in that picture before. 这边是其中一种形状。事实上我在家中花了一年的时间, 只穿着内裤,编写程式,就如同之前照片中的李纳斯·托瓦兹(Linux之父)一般。
coding:n.译码;v.把…编码;(code的现在分词) Linus:n.莱纳斯;
And this program takes a shape, spits out 250 DNA sequences . 这个程式输入一个形状,列出二百五十个不同的DNA 序列。
sequences:n.[数][计]序列,顺序;继起的事(sequence的复数形式);
These short DNA sequences are what are going to fold the long strand into this shape that we want to make. So you send an e-mail with these sequences in it to a company, and what it does -- the company pronounces them on a DNA synthesizer . 这些短的DNA 序列就是接下来将一长股DNA 折叠成这种我们想要的形状时会派上用场的东西。 所以你发一封内含这些序列的电子邮件去一家公司, 由这家公司使用DNA 合成仪去制造出这些序
synthesizer:n.[电子]合成器;合成者;
It's a machine about the size of a photocopier . And what happens is, they take your e-mail and every letter in your e-mail, they replace with 30-atom cluster -- one for each letter, 合成仪的大小大概与影印机差不多。 然后,他们将你的电子邮件和内含序列的每一个字 变成约30个原子的群集,每一个单元就是一个字母,
photocopier:n.影印机;复印机; cluster:n.群;簇;丛;串;vi.群聚;丛生;vt.使聚集;聚集在某人的周围;
A, T, C, and G in DNA. They string them up in the right sequence, and then they send them back to you via FedEx . DNA 中的 A, T, C 和 G。他们被串成正确的序列, 然后他们使用 FedEx 寄还给你。
string:n.字符串; v.悬挂; adj.由弦乐器组成的; via:prep.通过;经由;n.道路;[医]管道; FedEx:n.联邦快递(等于theFederalExpress);
So you get 250 of these in the mail in little tubes. 这封信件中有一些小管子,管子里面就有着这二百五十种序列。
I mix them together, add a little bit of salt water , and then add this long strand I was telling you about, that I've stolen from a virus. And then what happens is, 我把他们混合在一起,加一点点盐水, 然后加入这个我一直跟你提到的东西, 我从病毒中借用的长股 DNA。然后,
salt water:海水的;
you heat this whole thing up to about boiling. You cool it down to room temperature , and as you do, what happens is those short strands , they do the following thing: 将其整个加热至接近沸腾。再待其冷却 至室温,就像你平常会做的事一般, 这些短股DNA 就会去做接下来的事情:
room temperature:室温; strands:n.线; v.搁浅;
each one of them binds that long strand in one place, and then has a second half that binds that long strand in a distant place, and brings those two parts of the long strand close together so that they stick together . 他们每一个都会与长股中的某处结合在一起, 然而他们的另外半段则会与长股中 一段距离外的某处结合,使这长股的两部份 互相靠近而黏在一起。
binds:v.约束;捆绑;系;装订;n.窘境;(binds是bind的第三人称单数) distant:adj.遥远的;远处的;久远的; stick together:在一起;团结一致;互相支持;
And so the net effect of all 250 of these strands is to fold the long strand into the shape that you're looking for. 所以这两百五十种短股的净效应 将把长股折叠成你想要的形状。
It'll approximate that shape. We do this for real in the test tube . 它大约就是那个形状。我们真的在试管中做这个实验。
approximate:v.近似;使…接近;粗略估计;接近于;adj.[数]近似的;大概的; 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;
In each little drop of water you get 50 billion of these guys. 每一小滴水中包含约五百亿个这些小东西。
You can look with a microscope and see them on a surface. 你可以用显微镜看到他们平躺在一个平面上。
microscope:n.显微镜;
And the neat thing is that if you change the sequence and change the spell, you just change the sequence of the staples . 最棒的是如果你更改序列 改变咒语,你只要更改这些「钉书针」（指短股DNA）的序列。
neat:adj.整洁的;整齐的;有序的;有条理的; staples:n.主要产物,主要原料(staple的复数);v.分类,选择(staple的第三人称单数);
You can make a molecule that looks like this, and, you know, he likes to hang out with his buddies , right. 你可以使一个分子看起来像这样, 你知道他喜欢跟朋友在一起,是吧?
hang out with:与…出去玩;与…闲逛; buddies:n.伙伴,好朋友;v.交朋友;(buddy的第三人称单数和复数)
And a lot of them are actually pretty good. 这些朋友聚在一起的确挺不错的。
If you change the spell again, you change the sequence again. 如果你改变咒语,就又改变了一次序列。
You get really nice 130 nanometer triangles . If you do it again, you can get arbitrary patterns. So on a rectangle you can paint patterns of North and South America , or the words, "DNA." 你会得到这些130奈米的三角形。你再做一次, 你能做出任何图案。所以在一个长方形上 你可以画出南北美洲的地图,或是排出「DNA」三个字母。
nanometer:n.[计量]毫微米(即十亿分之一米); triangles:n.[数]三角形,三角型态(triangle的复数形式); rectangle:n.矩形;长方形; South America:n.南美洲;
So that's DNA origami. That's one way. There are many ways of casting molecular spells using DNA. 这就是 DNA 折叠艺术。而这只是目前 可以使用DNA 施展分子魔咒的许多方法中的一种。
What we really want to do in the end is learn how to program self-assembly so that we can build anything, right? 我们真正想要做的是学习如何编辑 自我组合的程式,这样我们就可以建出任何东西了,对吧？
self-assembly:adj.自己组装的;n.自装配;
We want to be able to build technological artifacts that are maybe good for the world. We want to learn how to build biological artifacts, like people and whales and trees. 我们希望能够创造出对世界有益的科技产物 我们希望学习的是 如何制造生命,如人、鲸鱼或是树木。
technological:adj.技术[工程](上)的;因工艺技术高度发展而引起的; artifacts:n.史前古器物;人工产品; 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;
And if it's the case that we can reach that level of complexity , if our ability to program molecules gets to be that good, then that will truly be magic. Thank you very much. 如果我们真的能够建造出如此复杂的东西, 如果我们编写分子程式的能力真的如此强大 那就是真的创造奇迹了。非常谢谢你们。
complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势
(Applause) （掌声）