您现在的位置: Language Tips> Easy English> Odd Question  
 





 
基因技术会使人更聪明?
[ 2007-09-28 18:29 ]

许多人都希望自己能变成更聪明。这也是各种健脑、补脑药品和营养品大行其道的原因。普林斯顿的一位神经生物学家Joseph Z. Tsien则宣称找到了开启智慧之门的钥匙——基因。

Many people dream of having a smarter brain. Princeton neurobiologist Joseph Z. Tsien found the key. In September he announced that he’d built a better mouse by altering a gene that affects learning and memory. A similar process of gene manipulation might conceivably be used one day to boost intelligence in humans.

The secret lies in a feature of brain cells called the nmda receptor, which Tsien likens to a cylindrical tube or window that mediates the flow of information. When the window is open, chemicals called neurotransmitters flow through easily and memory is registered and stored. But as organisms mature, the window begins to close. (This may explain why children lose their facility for learning new languages when they reach sexual maturity and why some people suffer memory loss as they age.)

Tsien noticed that the receptor worked more efficiently when teamed with the gene NR2B, so he introduced extra NR2B genes into a batch of fertilized mouse eggs. In a normal mouse, the memory window is open for just 150-thousandths of a second. In Tsien’s specially engineered mice, the window opens for 250-thousandths of a second, long enough to make a remarkable difference in memory retention. When he pitted his mice against common mice, they won paws down. Ordinary mice could recognize a Lego block for 12 hours, but smart mice could remember the block for up to three days. "That’s a profound enhancement," Tsien says.

Can it be done with humans? Maybe, but genetic engineering will have to make some extraordinary advances first. And some thorny ethical issues will have to be resolved. Meanwhile, Tsien promises to keep his furry little geniuses locked up in a lab, far from your larder. "Otherwise," he says, "you might need a smart cat or a smart mousetrap to catch them."

liken: 把……比作

(来源:洪恩在线 英语点津 Annabel 编辑)

我想了解更多趣味百科知识

 
 
相关文章 Related Stories
 
 
 

本频道最新推荐

     
  为什么下雪时天气暖
  You are the smartest fish I've ever seen!
  Dog burger
  为什么老了脾气好
  飞蛾为什么扑火

论坛热贴

     
  开个题目大家扯:hotel & restaurant
  追求某人
  请教工商年检如何翻译
  How to translate “中国老字号”into English?
  "港股直通车"怎么翻译?
  两免一补怎么说?