经济学人:下一个前沿地带(2)

 As our Technology Quarterly in this issue explains, the pace of research into BCIs and the scale of its ambition are increasing. 正如本期的《科技季刊》所诠释的那样，对BCI的研究步伐及其雄心壮志的规模正在加快和扩大。

Both America's armed forces and Silicon¹ Valley are starting to focus on the brain. 美国军方和硅谷都正在开始聚焦人脑。

Facebook dreams of thought-to-text typing. 脸书梦想着思维转化为文字的打字技术。

Kernel², a startup, has $100m to spend on neurotechnology. 创业公司Kernel有1000万美元要花在神经技术上面。

Elon Musk³ has formed a firm called Neuralink; he thinks that, if humanity is to survive the advent⁵ of artificial intelligence, it needs an upgrade. 马斯克组建了一家名为Neuralink的公司。他认为，在人工智能降临之后，如果人类想生存下去，需要一次升级。

Entrepreneurs envisage⁶ a world in which people can communicate telepathically, with each other and with machines,  创业者们描绘了一个身在其中的人们能够相互或是与机器之间进行心灵感应式的沟通交流、

or acquire superhuman abilities, such as hearing at very high frequencies. 或是获得诸如以甚高频听声辨音这样的超人能力的世界。

These powers, if they ever materialise, are decades away. 如果想让它们成为看得见摸得着的东西，这些力量尚有数十年之遥。

But well before then, BCIs could open the door to remarkable⁷ new applications. 但是，在那之前，BCI可能对全新的应用敞开大门。

Imagine stimulating⁸ the visual cortex to help the blind, forging new neural⁴ connections in stroke victims or monitoring the brain for signs of depression. 设想一下刺激视觉皮层以帮助盲人、在中风患者身上再造新的神经连接，或者是为了抑郁迹象而监视大脑等诸如此类的应用前景吧。

By turning the firing of neurons into a resource to be harnessed, BCIs may change the idea of what it means to be human. 把神经元的燃烧转化为一种可资利用的资源，借此，BCI或许就能改变做人意义何在的思想。

Sceptics scoff⁹. 怀疑论者不屑一顾。

Taking medical BCIs out of the lab into clinical practice has proved very difficult. 让医用脑机接口走出实验室进入临床实践，已经被证明是非常困难的。

The BrainGate system used by Mr Kochevar was developed more than ten years ago, but only a handful of people have tried it out. 被科其瓦使用的BrainGate系统早在十多年前就被开发出来了。但是，只有屈指可数的几个人试用过这种系统。

Turning implants¹⁰ into consumer products is even harder to imagine. 让植入物变成消费品甚至更难想象。

The path to the mainstream¹¹ is blocked by three formidable barriers—technological, scientific and commercial. 通向主流的道路被三大的障碍——技术的、科学的和商业的——给堵住了。

 

1 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

2 kernel   

n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心

参考例句：

• The kernel of his problem is lack of money.他的问题的核心是缺钱。
• The nutshell includes the kernel.果壳裹住果仁。

3 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

4 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

5 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

6 envisage   

v.想象，设想，展望，正视

参考例句：

• Nobody can envisage the consequences of total nuclear war.没有人能够想像全面核战争的后果。
• When do you envisage being able to pay me back?你看你什么时候能还我钱？

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• 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。

8 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

9 scoff   

n.嘲笑，笑柄，愚弄；v.嘲笑，嘲弄，愚弄，狼吞虎咽

参考例句：

• You are not supposed to scoff at religion.你不该嘲弄宗教。
• He was the scoff of the town.他成为全城的笑柄。

10 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

11 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。