VOA常速英语2015--试管狗崽挽救濒危品种

试管狗崽挽救濒危品种

These playful puppies are part of litter of seven, born July 10, out of 19 embryos² implanted in the same female dog. Five are beagles and two are beagle-cocker spaniel mixes.

7月10日，一窝狗崽出生，研究人员将19个胚胎移植到同一母体体内，并孕育了7只幼崽。5只毕格尔猎犬，2只毕格尔和可卡犬混血。

Other animals, as well as humans, have been successfully bred through artificial insemination, but perfecting the process in dogs took decades because of the critical timing³ in fertilization of the female dog's eggs.

对于其它物种以及人类来说，人工受精已经非常成熟，但对于狗来说，由于对卵细胞的受精时间有着非常高的要求，所以对于狗的人工受精研究持续了数十年的时间。

Previously⁴, only one dog was born from a frozen embryo¹, in 2012, at the same Cornell University lab.

2012年，同样在康奈尔大学实验室，“冷冻胚胎狗”孕育而成。

Scientists say the new success opens the door to saving endangered species of dogs.

科学家认为新研究成果让拯救濒危品种成为了可能。

Like the African painted dog who we want to breed them in captivity⁵ and we collect, say, their eggs and sperm⁶, we have to be able to do IVF to create new members of that species.

比如非洲野犬，我们提取了它们的卵子和精子，通过人工受精孕育新生命。

Successfully fertilizing⁷ eggs in the lab could also help eliminate many of the disease traits in dogs.

成功受精的卵子有助于消除疾病。

It opens up the possibility that we could identify certain genes⁹ that cause disease and then fix those, replace them with a good copy of the gene⁸, before those dogs are even born. So instead of trying to cure disease, we can help prevent it from happening in the first place.

通过这种方法，我们能够在狗崽出生之前寻找治病基因，用优良基因代替。与其说治病，不如防患于未然。

 

Cornell scientists say that the complete understanding of in vitro fertilization of dogs will also help unveil the genetic¹⁰ basis of some of the more than 350 disorders¹¹ that humans share with dogs.

康奈尔大学的科学家认为，如果我们能够对狗人工受精有着全面了解，那么我们就能够在350多种人狗同患疾病中寻找基因学基础。

1 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。

2 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

3 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

6 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

7 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网

8 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

9 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

10 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。

11 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》