2019年经济学人 数据存储(2)

 

The result was an object that contained, encoded throughout its structure, the blueprints¹ necessary to produce more copies of itself.结果得到了一个物体，其整个结构中都含有并编码了制造更多副本所必需的蓝图。By clipping a tiny fragment of plastic from the finished bunny's ear and running the DNA² within through a sequencer,通过从成品兔子耳朵上剪下一小块塑料碎片，并通过测序器对里面的DNA进行检测，the researchers were able to recover those blueprints and use them to make further generations of DNA-infused bunnies.研究人员能够复原这些蓝图，并利用它们制造出更多代的注入DNA的兔子。Satisfied with their proof of concept, they then repeated the trick by encoding a short video in DNA and fusing it in plexiglass, a transparent³ plastic.对他们的概念证明感到满意后，他们通过在DNA中编码一段短视频并将其融合在树脂玻璃（一种透明塑料）中，重复了这一把戏。They used the plexiglass to make a lens for a pair of spectacles.他们用这种树脂玻璃做了一副眼镜的镜片。Once again, clipping a tiny sliver⁴ from the lens and dissolving the plastic away was able to liberate⁵ the DNA, which could be used to recover the video.然后再从镜片中剪下一小块并且将它溶解，并释放出可以用来恢复这段视频DNA。The cost of both producing and reading DNA is falling precipitously.产生和读取DNA的成本都在急剧下降。The price of reading a million letters of the genetic⁶ alphabet has fallen roughly a million-fold since the start of the millennium⁷.自2000年以来，读取100万个基因字母的价格已经下降了大约100万倍。

For that reason, Drs Erlich and Grass hope their idea might one day have all sorts of uses.出于这个原因，Erlich和Grass博士希望他们的想法有一天能有各种各样的用途。One, they think, could be to embed⁸ relevant information into manufactured goods.其一，他们认为可以将相关信息嵌入到制成品中。They give the example of custom-fitted medical implants¹⁰ that contain a patient's medical records and the precise measurements needed to make another implant⁹.他们给出了定制医疗医学植入体的例子，这些植入体中包含病人的医疗记录，以及制作另一个植入体所需的精确测量数据。A second use, for the privacy-minded, could be steganography—第二个用途，对于注重隐私的人来说，可以是速记式加密—the art of concealing¹¹ information within something apparently¹² innocuous (this was the idea behind the DNA-infused spectacles).是一种将信息隐藏到看似无害的东西里的艺术（这就是注入DNA眼镜背后的想法）。Their most futuristic idea is an entire world full of objects which, like biological life,他们最具未来感的想法是一整个充满物体的世界，就像生物生命一样，contain all the information needed to make copies of themselves in every part of their structure.世界中包含在结构的各个部分复制自己所需的信息。Drs Erlich and Grass have dubbed¹³ their technology the "DNA of things", and it is certainly a clever idea.Erlich和Grass博士称他们的技术为“事物的DNA”，这确实是一个聪明的想法。But the next job might be to come up with a snappier name.但下一项工作可能是想出一个更时髦的名字。

1 blueprints   

n.蓝图，设计图( blueprint的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Have the blueprints been worked out? 蓝图搞好了吗？ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• BluePrints description of a distributed component of the system design and best practice guidelines. BluePrints描述了一个分布式组件体系的最佳练习和设计指导方针。 来自互联网

2 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

3 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

4 sliver   

n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开

参考例句：

• There was only one sliver of light in the darkness.黑暗中只有一点零星的光亮。
• Then,one night,Monica saw a thin sliver of the moon reappear.之后的一天晚上，莫尼卡看到了一个月牙。

5 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

6 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。

7 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

8 embed   

vt.把…嵌(埋、插)入，扎牢；使深留脑中

参考例句：

• The harpoon struck but did not embed.鱼叉击中了但并没有插入。
• This photo showed us how did the root of plant embed the soil deeply.这张照片显示植物的根是如何深入到土壤里去的。

9 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

10 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

11 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》