小气泡把水变成有效的清洁工具（在线收听）

Tiny Bubbles Turn Water Into Effective Cleaning Tool 小气泡把水变成有效的清洁工具

While a stream of ordinary cold water may clean some dirt it is not considered an effective cleaning agent.  But when two inventors at the University of Southampton added a little ultrasound the water became highly effective for removing germs from tiny cracks and crevices.

Under ultraviolet light greasy residue on human hands becomes visible, but trying to rinse it off with ordinary cold water is next to impossible.

在紫外线的照射下，光油油的残留在我们的手上清晰可见，但要想用凉水将它洗掉几乎不可能。

Infusing the water stream with a bit of ultrasound turns it into an effective scrubber that quickly and harmlessly rinses the skin to spotless clean.

在水中加入超声波将能够有效地将残留物清除，并能够迅速将皮肤上的污渍去除，并且对皮肤无害。

The simplicity of ‘Starstream,’ invented by two researchers from the University of Southampton, England, promises to change the way we clean our bodies as well as objects we use, from kitchen tools to medical instruments.

来自英格兰南安普顿大学的两名研究人员发明了这种名叫“Starstream”的物质，从厨房用品到医疗器具，它不仅能够改变我们使用的方式，还能够改变我们清洁的方式。

“We wanted to build some kind of micro-scrubber that can clean without bleach and detergents, and can get into the crevices and the cracks.  And so what we did, what we found is the bubble," said Tom Leighton from the University of Southampton.

我们希望发明一种“微型清洁用具”，它不需要用漂白剂，也不需要用洗涤剂，范围扩大到我们的边边角角。我们所发明的就是这种“气泡”。

Normally, bubbles of gas contained in ordinary water have smooth surfaces.  But the infusion of ultrasound makes their surfaces ripple, almost like the surface of sand paper.  Flowing with water over contaminated surfaces the bubbles effectively take dirt away.

通常情况下，气泡是一种表面光滑，并富含水的水泡。但是通过加入超声波，它的表面会像砂纸一样出现波浪。将带有污渍的表面放入水中，这种气泡能够有效清除污渍。

“One of the key factors of Starstream is that it takes any liquid that you are using and makes it several thousand times more effective.  So if you are using soapy water or bleach, something like that, it will make it more effective," said Leighton.

“Starstream”最主要的一点就是它能够接收任何液体，并使其变得更加有效。如果你使的是肥皂水，或是漂白剂，它将会让其变得更加耐用。

Starstream is especially effective for removing bacteria where it hides, like in this piece of glass smeared with lipstick and mascara, or for cleaning rust spots from kitchen sinks.

“Starstream”特别能够清除残存的细菌，就像这个带有口红和睫毛膏的杯子，或是清理洗涤槽中的锈迹。

Researchers say their invention could easily replace the recommended 20-seconds washing of hands with soap and warm water, with only a six-second wash with water infused with ultrasound.   

研究人员表示称，比起人们推荐的20秒肥皂温水洗手法，他们的发明能够轻而易举地将其替代，用带有超声波的水，6秒就能搞定。