基因真能开启智慧之门么？
英语课
许多人都希望自己能变成更聪明。这也是各种健脑、补脑药品和营养品大行其道的原因。普林斯顿的一位神经生物学家Joseph Z. Tsien则宣称找到了开启智慧之门的钥匙——基因。
Many people dream of having a smarter brain. Princeton neurobiologist Joseph Z. Tsien found the key. In September he announced that he’d built a better mouse by altering a gene 1 that affects learning and memory. A similar process of gene manipulation might conceivably be used one day to boost intelligence in humans.
The secret lies in a feature of brain cells called the nmda receptor, which Tsien likens to a cylindrical 2 tube or window that mediates 3 the flow of information. When the window is open, chemicals called neurotransmitters flow through easily and memory is registered and stored. But as organisms mature, the window begins to close. (This may explain why children lose their facility for learning new languages when they reach sexual maturity 4 and why some people suffer memory loss as they age.)
Tsien noticed that the receptor worked more efficiently 5 when teamed with the gene NR2B, so he introduced extra NR2B genes 6 into a batch 7 of fertilized 8 mouse eggs. In a normal mouse, the memory window is open for just 150-thousandths of a second. In Tsien’s specially 9 engineered mice, the window opens for 250-thousandths of a second, long enough to make a remarkable 10 difference in memory retention 11. When he pitted his mice against common mice, they won paws down. Ordinary mice could recognize a Lego block for 12 hours, but smart mice could remember the block for up to three days. "That’s a profound enhancement," Tsien says.
Can it be done with humans? Maybe, but genetic 12 engineering will have to make some extraordinary advances first. And some thorny 13 ethical 14 issues will have to be resolved. Meanwhile, Tsien promises to keep his furry 15 little geniuses locked up in a lab, far from your larder 16. "Otherwise," he says, "you might need a smart cat or a smart mousetrap to catch them."
n.遗传因子，基因
- A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
- The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的第三人称单数 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生
- We therefore investigated whether hypercoagulability mediates a beneficial effect during denovo atherogenesis. 因此我们研究了高凝在原位动脉粥样硬化形成中是否介导了有益的作用。
- Not happy when the mood that how mediates oneself? 不开心的时候怎样调解自己的情绪？
n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期
- These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
- This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。
adv.高效率地，有能力地
- The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
- Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
- You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量
- The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
- I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。
v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )
- The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
- Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。
adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地
- They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
- The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
- She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
- These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力
- They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
- His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。
adj.遗传的，遗传学的
- It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
- Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
adj.多刺的，棘手的
- The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
- The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。
adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的
- It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
- It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的
- This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
- Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。
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智慧