SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Top stories of 2001

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS -January 8, 2002: Top stories of 2001

By Nancy Steinbach
VOICE ONE:
This is Bob Doughty¹.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Doug Johnson with the Special English program SCIENCE IN THE NEWS. Today, we tell about

some major science stories of the year two-thousand-one. We tell about stem cell research, anthrax bacteria and
the disease AIDS.
((THEME)
)

VOICE ONE:
Last year, President Bush approved limited federal government support of research on special human cells. The
research involves stem cells taken from fertilized² human eggs called embryos⁴.

Scientists believe stem cells may be highly useful in the treatment and possible cure of many diseases. The most

useful are stem cells from embryos. They are able to develop into all the kinds of tissues of the body.
Embryonic⁵ stem cells are taken from embryos created in laboratories to help women become pregnant. Scientists
use embryonic stem cells from embryos that are four or five days old.

 

During those first days, the cells in the embryo³ divide quickly. For a short period of time, each
of the embryo’s cells is able to become any one of more than two-hundred different kinds of
cells in the body.

The great value of embryonic stem cells appears to be their ability to reproduce in large
numbers in the laboratory before they become specialized⁶ cells. Researchers believe that
embryonic stem cells may be used to help diseased organs develop healthy cells again.

They hope these stem cells can be used to treat diseases of the brain, heart, liver, pancreas and kidneys. These
include diabetes⁷, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

VOICE TWO:

However, the Bush Administration has only permitted research on about sixty groups of existing stem cells.
Medical researchers have noted⁸ that these groups of stem cells are not useful for treating disease.

Also, treatments developed from existing stem cells might be rejected by the bodies of possible patients. This is
because the genetic⁹ material is different.

Some scientists say the best way to make stem cells for treatment is to grow them from embryos that are exact
copies of patients.

Late last year, scientists working for the company Advanced Cell Technology announced that they had made the
first genetic copies of human embryos. The process of making genetic copies is called cloning.

Cloning involves the creation of an embryo from a single adult cell. Genetic material from the adult cell is joined
with an egg cell whose genetic material has been removed. Scientists have used cloning to create animals.

Scientists from Advanced Cell Technology performed the experiments in an effort to create cloned human
embryonic stem cells. However, the experiments did not produce stem cells because the embryos did not live


long enough.

Company officials said the research on human embryos is designed only to produce embryonic stem cells to treat
disease. They have strongly stated that the company has no interest in cloning human beings.

VOICE ONE:

American lawmakers have been preparing legislation that could ban or limit cloning. President Bush said he
strongly opposes human cloning. He said it is wrong to use embryos for cloning. The Catholic Church opposes
all kinds of stem cell research.

Many other religious groups also oppose all embryonic stem cell research. They consider it the same as taking a
human life. Other religious groups accept the research with several restrictions¹⁰ because it may lead to cures for
some diseases.

Experts say the debate about embryonic stem cell research is complex and will continue for some time.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

Another major scientific story of Two -Thousand -One involved the disease anthrax. The deadly bacterium¹¹ that
causes the disease was found in letters mailed within the United States.

These letters were sent to several places, including major news organizations and congressional offices. This led
to the closing of several government buildings and mail centers. Federal investigators¹² say the anthrax was sent
through the mail in an organized act of biological terrorism.

Several people died as a result of breathing the anthrax bacteria into their lungs.
Many other people are still taking medicines to protect against the disease if anthrax
was found in buildings where they work.

Most recently, federal health officials have offered anthrax vaccine¹³ and more
medicine to thousands of affected¹⁴ people. The fear is that the anthrax bacteria may
still be present in their lungs even after taking antibiotic¹⁵ medicines for sixty days.
The vaccine treatment is designed to prevent the disease. It is considered
experimental because it has not been approved for use by people who already have
breathed the anthrax bacteria.

VOICE ONE:

These incidents have spread fear and confusion across the country. They are also leading scientists to learn more
about anthrax.Until the recent attacks, American scientists believed that particles of anthrax bacteria settled on a
surface and did not move about in the air again.

But results from tests inside some affected buildings found that a number of particles entered the air again when
investigators re-entered the buildings. And a test of mail-handling equipment found that even a machine that was
partly cleaned still released anthrax into the air.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control want to test different drugs for the disease. Other agencies are
planning still more investigations¹⁶. They want to learn how many particles it takes to infect a person with anthrax.
They want to learn what health conditions make a person more likely than others to develop the disease.

They also want to know what drugs are the most effective treatments. And they want to know what would happen
if the bacteria were released in an area where there are many people instead of through the mail.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

Letter to Senator Tom
Daschle

AIDS victims in Burundi
Another major science story of last year was the continued struggle against the H-I-V virus and the disease it
causes, AIDS. The United Nations says about forty-million people are living with H -I-V and AIDS around the
world. That is an increase of about four-million from the year before. Officials say about three-million people
died from the disease last year.

African countries have been most seriously affected. About seventy percent of all people infected with the
disease live in Africa. More than three-million people in Africa were infected last year. Were it not for AIDS, life
expectancy¹⁷ among Africans would be about sixty-two years instead of forty-seven.

The United Nations recently reported that AIDS is now spreading fastest in eastern
Europe, especially Ukraine. The number of infections in Russia also has greatly
increased. AIDS rates also have risen in Asia and the Middle East. An increase in
dangerous sexual activities is leading to higher infection rates in some industrial
countries.

However, some nations have reduced their number of AIDS cases. For example,
Thailand, Brazil and Uganda have led successful treatment and prevention
campaigns. These efforts also have reduced the number of babies born with the virus.

VOICE ONE:

The U-N General Assembly held it first conference about AIDS last year. More than three -thousand government
leaders, health experts, activists¹⁸ and patients took part. At the meeting, the U -N established an international
program to finance treatment and prevention efforts. Countries have promised about two-thousand-million dollars
so far. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the program needs at least seven-thousand-million dollars.

Some of the world’s largest drug companies have sharply reduced the prices of powerful AIDS drugs for
developing countries. But AIDS experts say this will have a limited effect until other problems are solved. For
example, may Africans are not tested for the disease.

Many African countries do not have the necessary medical equipment to carry out needed blood tests. And few
doctors know how to give AIDS drugs and supervise their use. But other experts say enough medical centers do
exist to support AIDS drug programs in Africa. They say these problems can be solved.

((THEME))

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Cynthia Kirk, Mario Ritter and Nancy Steinbach. It was
produced by Caty Weaver¹⁹. This is Doug Johnson.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice
of America.

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1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 Fertilized   

v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
• Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。

3 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

4 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

5 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

6 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

10 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

11 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

12 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

15 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

16 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

17 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

18 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。