科学美国人60秒 SSS 提高光合作用能使作物增加产量
时间：2019-02-14 作者：英语课 分类：2018年科学美国人4月
Rev 1 Up Photosynthesis 2 To Boost Crop Yields
“Photosynthesis is surprisingly inefficient 3, only of the order of one to two percent. And one of the main culprits is an enzyme 4 called RuBisCo.”
“光合作用效率低得惊人，只有1%到2%左右。而其中一个主要罪魁祸首是一种名为RuBisCo的酶。”
Laura Barter 5, a biological chemist at Imperial College, London. Scientific American editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina recorded these comments when they chatted at the recent World Economic Forum 6 in Davos.
伦敦帝国理工学院的生物化学家Laura Barter，在最近的达沃斯世界经济论坛上聊天时，科学美国人总编Mariette DiChristina记录了这些评论。
That enzyme RuBisCo? Because it’s vital for the first major step in photosynthesis, it’s probably the most abundant enzyme on the planet. And it’s worked fine for a very long time. But for our needs, we humans want it to work better.
这种酶RuBisCo?因为它对光合作用的第一个重要步骤至关重要，因此这可能是地球上最丰富的酶。而且它在很长一段时间内运行良好。但为了我们的需要，我们人类希望它能更好地工作。
“And I’m very interested in trying to improve upon this enzyme because it’s both slow and it also suffers from a lack of specificity. And it can catalyze 7 a reaction with carbon dioxide that you want, but also a competing reaction with oxygen. And, so we’re looking at ways that we can enhance the local concentration of carbon dioxide around RuBisCo to increase its efficiency—and ultimately increase crop yield.”
“我对改善这种酶非常感兴趣，因为它既缓慢又缺乏特异性。它可以催化你想要的二氧化碳反应，但也可以与氧气竞争反应。因此，我们正在寻找能够通过提高RuBisCo，来提高当地二氧化碳浓度，从而提高提高效率并最终提高作物产量。”
Barter explained how she’s trying to do that at a talk she gave at the Forum:
“There are a suite 8 of enzymes 9 that are involved in the capture and release of carbon dioxide and we’re synthesizing some molecules 10 that can mimic 11 this behavior.
Barter解释了她如何在论坛上发表的演讲中这样做：“有一套酶参与二氧化碳的捕获和释放，我们正在合成一些可以模拟这种行为的分子。
With the hope that they can be sprayed on crops much in the same way as a fertilizer. And will be taken up by the plant and will increase the concentration of carbon dioxide around RuBisCo inside the plant and increase its activity and photosynthetic 12 yields. Now, we have already synthesized this suite of molecules and have shown that they can capture and release carbon dioxide and we’re testing their effect on RuBisCo that’s been extracted from plants and seeing really, really, exciting results.”
希望它们可以像肥料一样喷洒在农作物上。并且将被植物吸收，并增加植物体内RuBisCo，以提高二氧化碳浓度并提高其活性和光合作用。现在，我们已经合成了这套分子，并表明它们可以捕获和释放二氧化碳，我们正在测试它们，对从植物中提取的RuBisCo的影响，并看到真正令人兴奋的结果。“
- It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
- Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。
- In apple trees photosynthesis occurs almost exclusively in the leaves.苹果树的光合作用几乎只发生在叶内。
- Chloroplasts are the structures in which photosynthesis happens.叶绿体就是光合作用发生的地方。
- The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
- Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。
- Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度，酶分子将会展开。
- An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。
- Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
- They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。
- They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
- The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。
- They are highly specific for the reactions that they catalyze.它们对被它们催化的反应有很强的专一性。
- They are highly specific for the reactions that they catalyze.它们对被它们催化的反应有很强的专一性。
- She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
- That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
- It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
- Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。
- The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
- Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。
- A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
- He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。
- In some plants photosynthetic products are stored in the form polyfructosans. 在有些植物中，光合作用产物是以多聚果糖的形式储藏。
- Chlorotic or necrotic lesions were evidence of decreased photosynthetic tissues. 缺绿的或坏死的侵蚀斑便是减少了光合组织的证据。