2023年经济学人 人工智能彻底改变科学(2)

 

    Then, starting in the late 19th century, the establishment of research laboratories, which brought together ideas, people and materials on an industrial scale, gave rise to further innovations such as artificial fertiliser, pharmaceuticals¹ and the transistor², the building block of the computer.

    然后，从19世纪末开始，科研实验室的建立，将思想、人员和材料以工业规模汇集在一起，催生了人工肥料、药品和晶体管(计算机的基本组成部分)等进一步的创新。

    From the mid-20th century, computers in turn enabled new forms of science based on simulation and modelling, from the design of weapons and aircraft to more accurate weather forecasting.

    从20世纪中期开始，计算机反过来使基于模拟和建模的新形式科学成为了现实，从武器和飞机的设计到更准确的天气预报。

    And the computer revolution may not be finished yet.

    计算机革命可能还没有结束。

    As we report in a special Science section, AI tools and techniques are now being applied³ in almost every field of science, though the degree of adoption⁴ varies widely:

    正如我们在科学专题部分所报道的那样，人工智能工具和技术几乎被应用于当今每个科学领域，尽管采用的程度差异很大:

    7.2% of physics and astronomy papers published in 2022 involved AI, for example, compared with 1.4% in veterinary science.

    例如，2022年发表的物理学和天文学论文中，有7.2%涉及人工智能，而兽医科学中这一比例为1.4%。

    AI is being employed in many ways.

    人工智能在很多方面都有应用。

    It can identify promising⁵ candidates for analysis, such as molecules⁶ with particular properties in drug discovery, or materials with the characteristics needed in batteries or solar cells.

    它可以识别有潜力的候选物进行分析，比如在药物发现中具有特殊性质的分子，或者具有电池或太阳能电池所需特性的材料。

    It can sift⁷ through piles of data such as those produced by particle colliders or robotic telescopes, looking for patterns.

    它可以筛选大量的数据，比如粒子对撞机或机器人望远镜产生的数据，寻找固定模式。

    And AI can model and analyse even more complex systems, such as the folding of proteins and the formation of galaxies⁸.

    人工智能还可以模拟和分析更复杂的系统，比如蛋白质的折叠和星系的形成。

    AI tools have been used to identify new antibiotics⁹, reveal the Higgs boson and spot regional accents in wolves, among other things.

    人工智能工具已被用于识别新的抗生素，揭示希格斯玻色子，发现狼群地区口音等。

    All this is to be welcomed.

    所有这些都是广受欢迎的。

    But the journal and the laboratory went further still: they altered scientific practice itself and unlocked more powerful means of making discoveries, by allowing people and ideas to mingle¹⁰ in new ways and on a larger scale.

    但该杂志和实验室走得更远:他们改变了科学实践本身，并通过允许人和思想以新的方式和更大的规模融合，开启了更有力的手段来做出发现。

    AI, too, has the potential to set off such a transformation¹¹.

    人工智能也有可能引发这样的转变。

1 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 transistor   

n.晶体管，晶体管收音机

参考例句：

• This make of transistor radio is small and beautifully designed.这半导体收音机小巧玲珑。
• Every transistor has at least three electrodes.每个晶体管至少有三个电极。

3 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

4 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

6 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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。

7 sift   

v.筛撒，纷落，详察

参考例句：

• Sift out the wheat from the chaff.把小麦的壳筛出来。
• Sift sugar on top of the cake.在蛋糕上面撒上糖。

8 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。

9 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

10 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

11 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。