时间:2018-12-07 作者:英语课 分类:60秒科学


英语课

人类的许多药材资源都来自于植物,而根据种种事例显示,人类并非植物药材的唯一受益物种,许多动物也会寻找特定的植物来治疗自身伤病。


Infected monarch 1 butterflies will lay their eggs on plants that contain a chemical that can protect the butterflies' offspring. Cynthia Graber reports


Many of our medicines originate in plants. But we’re not the only ones who tap into nature. There’s increasing evidence that some animals seek out specific plants for their medicinal qualities. A new study shows that monarch butterflies may be among them.


Monarch butterflies—famous for their U.S.–Mexico migration—feed on dozens of species of milkweed. Some milkweeds have a higher concentration of chemicals called cardenolides, which make the butterflies toxic 2 to predators 3. Research had focused on whether the monarch’s chose different milkweeds to hurt their enemies.


But Emory University’s Jaap de Roode wondered if the choice might be related to a parasite 4 that’s passed from mother to offspring, with fatal results: “What we do find is that the monarchs 5 prefer to lay their eggs on the medicinal species when they are infected. However, when they are not infected with the parasite, they do not prefer this species over this one, they lay their eggs equally between these two species.


So somehow they know that they’re infected and they know what to do about it.” The research was published in the journal Ecology Letters. [Thierry Lefèvre et al., "Evidence for trans-generational medication in nature"]


Co-author Mark Hunter notes that watching animal choices could offer clues about what plants might contain potential medicines for us.


—Cynthia Graber

 



1 monarch
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者
  • The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
  • I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。
2 toxic
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的
  • The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
  • There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。
3 predators
n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 );奴役他人者(尤指在财务或性关系方面)
  • birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
  • The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 parasite
n.寄生虫;寄生菌;食客
  • The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
  • I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫,我要自己养活自己。
5 monarchs
君主,帝王( monarch的名词复数 )
  • Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
  • Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务,也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分
学英语单词
(Robaxin)Methocarbamol
a. ophthalmica
aitcs
angular dispersion
antique-dealer
aureolarias
Banteay Chey
be mounted
bichats
bumper jar
butt-chin
cardiac disease in toxemia of pregnancy
cercis likiangensis chun
certificate of beneficial interest
Chang Kuo
changeless
chion-
colega
collie eye anomaly
component truss
comprehensive confirming house shipment policy
congenital retinal fold
contact insertion and withdrawal force
contractualises
deblending
design proposal
desklamps
desksize computer
diffuse choroidal sclerosis
disappear to
downward storke
dynamic discovery
earning related benefit
ensta
entergy
Erypin
essential enzyme
flat-topped ridge
flow dichroism
follower stud
four-legged friends
gailliard
gas seep
goes down the drain
golfdom
heavy tail
high pressure adjusting spring
hollow-point
home reservation
humariaceous
indicating potentiometer
ironless armature
isopia
jet channelling
kirchoff's law
metallocarboxypeptidase
micro-fiche
milky tea
mistaker
moity wool
multiplication of determimants
navigation system
NAVMEDATASERVCEN
neoprene sponge
nine-tracks
nodi lymphatici cervicales anteriores
oftmentioned
on maturity
on roder
osteohalisteresis
outer iteration
output of column
Pahārikhera
paramyoclonus multiplex
pda-based
perrutenate
personal supremacy
photoconductive thermal-plastic polymer material
phyllosticta amorphophalli
picoeukaryotes
plavacridin
polar positioning system
pterolophia lineatipennis
Putnam, Rufus
radioactive pericarditis
reckon sth up
Rhododendron noriakianum
ripeful
scintillatio albescens
self-ionization spectroscopy
stwe
Sulzbach an der Murr
swallow
Taitzehoia
technomic
trophic linkage
vascular glands
Viterbi decoder
vitriate
waltz turn
warns
wide-sense stationary random process