时差N小时 大自然中的基因交易(上)（在线收听）

Wouldn’t it be great if we could trade genes with other species?

如果我们能和其他物种交换基因该有多好？

For example, suppose you could trade the family cat your genes for intelligence for its genes for physical coordination!

例如，假设你可以把自己的智力基因与家猫的灵敏基因作交换！

Well, okay, that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. But DNA trading really does happen in nature!

当然，短期内这个目标难以实现。但是，DNA交易却真实存在于大自然中！

The real DNA traders are bacteria.

真正进行DNA交易是细菌。

Unlike more complex organisms, most bacteria reproduce asexually–that is, they just copy their own DNA, and then split in half, leaving one copy of the DNA in each half.

与较复杂的生物体不同，大部分细菌可以进行无性繁殖——也就是说，它们只是复制自身的DNA，再分裂成两半，每一半都保留着一份DNA。

Asexual reproduction can be a big advantage, since one bacterium doesn’t need another one around to reproduce.

无性繁殖是一种很大的优势，因为一个细菌体无需另一个细菌就可以繁殖。

But, on the other hand, the bacterium doesn’t get the benefit of genetic diversity.

不过，另一方面，细菌也无法获得基因多样化带来的好处。