苹果DNA揭秘 Apple DNA unlocks Secrets
语音:英式发音 适合精听
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关键词:apple, DNA, secrets, cultivars
New Zealand researchers working with a team from four other countries have mapped the apple’s DNA and unlocked surprising secrets from 60 million years ago.
新西兰研究人员与一支由其他四国人员组成的研究小组联手破译出苹果的DNA序列,这一成果揭示了六千万年前的惊天秘密。
They say the same event that killed the 1)dinosaurs transformed the apple into the tasty fruit we know today.
研究人员称,导致恐龙灭绝的同一事件却把苹果变成了今天我们所熟悉的美味之果。
Andy Allen (Associate Professor of Plant Cell Biology): There’s twice as many 2)genes in there that we thought. Twice as many as the human has actually.
安迪·艾伦(植物细胞生物学副教授):苹果的基因数量是我们之前认为的数目的两倍。苹果的基因数量是人类基因数量的两倍。
What they’ve found is that the apple is a survivor.
他们的研究发现,苹果曾经逃过了一场灭顶之灾。
Roger Hellens (Plant & Food Geneticist): It seems to be linked to about the time the 3)meteor hit the earth, about the Cretaceous-Tertiary 4)boundary, when all the dinosaur 5)died out.
罗杰·海伦斯(植物和食物基因学家):那场灾难似乎与流星袭击地球——也就是白垩纪—第三纪交界恐龙灭绝的时间相近。
While dinosaurs and other species were being 6)wiped out, the apple rallied in western Asia. It needed to make itself more attractive to animals like bears to 7)disperse its seeds. So it doubled its genes which, in turn, made it much fleshier.
当恐龙和其他物种灭绝之时,苹果主要集中出现在今天的西亚地区。苹果需要吸引像大熊这样的动物,把其种子散播开来。因此,它们的基因数量翻倍,从而使其有更多肉质。
Now, 60 million years later, the evolutionary cycle of the apple is being guided by scientists—with tasty results.
六千万年后的今天,苹果的进化之路由于受到科学家的指引,苹果将变得更加鲜美。
Knowing the apple’s complete DNA 8)sequence does have a practical application, scientists can identify the genes for taste, 9)texture, colour and crispness.
译解苹果完整的基因序列确实有现实作用,科学家可以鉴别影响苹果味道、肉质、颜色以及爽脆程度的基因。
They can then screen thousands of apple seedlings and pick a variety that consumers like best—all without waiting 10 years for each tree to reach 10)maturity.
他们可以筛选大量苹果苗,挑选出消费者最喜爱的品种——整套流程不用等上苹果树成熟所需要的10年时间。
Allen: Having the knowledge of all the genes that are in apple is going to make breeding new varieties, understanding the varieties we have now and how to manage them. So it’s all about new 11)cultivars, innovation.
艾伦:了解了苹果的全部基因是为了培育新的品种,并且可以知道现时品种的特点以及懂得如何控制它们。所以,这一切都是为了栽培新品种,为了创新。
