VOA慢速英语2014 进行大脑研究的三位科学家获得诺贝尔奖

 

Three Scientists Win Nobel Prize for Brain Research 进行大脑研究的三位科学家获得诺贝尔奖

From VOA Learning English, this is Science in the News.

American-born British Scientist John O'Keefe and Norwegians May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser won the Nobel Prize in medicine. They discovered how the brain knows the body’s location.

The Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute announced the prize on Monday. According to the assembly, the prize winners answered an important question about the brain: how does it draw a kind of map of the space we are in? This map helps us move through our environment.

Professor John O'Keefe is the director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Center in Neural¹ Circuits and Behavior at University College London. He discovered the mapping ability in 1971. He noticed that certain nerve cells started working in a rat's brain when it was in one part of a room. When the rat was in a different part of the room, other nerve cells were activated³ in another part of the brain.

The other winners, Edvard and May-Britt Moser, are married to each other. They have worked together since they were college students. They found another nerve cell in a rat's brain that creates a grid⁴ system. This grid connects with the mapping cells to make up the brain's positioning system. 

Other research suggests that humans have the same kinds of brain cells.

The Nobel panel⁵ says the discoveries have opened new ways to understand other mental activities. The work of the award winners helps us to understand more about memory, thinking and planning.

The award comes with a $1.1 million prize. Half goes to Professor O'Keefe. May-Britt and Edvard Moser will divide the other half.

On Tuesday, the Nobel Prize in physics will be awarded, followed by the chemistry prize on Wednesday, literature on Thursday and the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in this Story

activate² – v. to cause (a chemical reaction or natural process) to begin

environment – n. all surrounding things, conditions and

influences that affect life

grid -  n. a pattern of lines that cross each other to form squares on a piece of paper, a map, etc.

nerve – n. a thin piece of tissue that sends information through the body to and from the brain

position – n. a place; the way of holding the body; the way

a thing is set or placed

positioning – adj. providing information on the location of something

1 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。

2 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

3 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

4 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

5 panel   

n.面，板，专门小组，控制板，仪表盘

参考例句：

• The unusual control panel on the walls caught our attention.墙上不同寻常的控制板引起了我们的注意。
• The panel of judges included several well-known writers.评判小组中包括几位知名作家。