TED演讲:疯狂的科学家用苹果做出了耳朵(3)

 So I actually brought this up with my wife.  我也跟我的老婆提起过这件事，

She's a musical instrument maker¹, and she does a lot of wood carving² for a living. 她是一位乐器制造家，也把制作木雕当成一种职业。

So I asked her, "Could you, like, literally³ carve some ears out of an apple for us?" 所以我问她，“你可以为我们用苹果雕刻出一些耳朵吗？”

And she did. So I took her ears to the lab. 她真的做到了。后来我带着她雕刻的耳朵去了实验室。

We then started preparing them. Yeah, I know. 我们开始筹备实验。是的，我知道（这看起来很惊悚）。

It's a good lab, man. And then we grew cells on them. And this is the result. 伙计们，这可是个很棒的实验室。之后我们在上面培植细胞。结果是这样的。

So listen, my lab is not in the ear-manufacturing business. Okay 听我说，我的实验室并不参与制造耳朵的生意。

People have actually been working on this for decades.  人们已经研究这一项目几十年了。

Here's the issue: commercial scaffolds can be really expensive and problematic, 问题在于：商业化的骨架组织价格极高，而且问题重重。

because they're sourced from proprietary⁴ products, animals or cadavers⁵. 因为它们来源于专利产品，动物或尸体。

We used an apple and it cost pennies.  我们只用了一个几分钱的苹果。

Now what's also really cool here is it's not that hard to make these things. 更炫酷的是，制造这些东西并不是很难。

The equipment you need can be built from garbage, and the key processing step only requires soap and water. 你所需要的设备可以由废品打造，而且关键的加工步骤只需要肥皂和水。

So what we did was put all the instructions online as open source.  于是，我们把制作教程公开上传到网上。

And then we founded a mission-driven company,  然后我们成立了一家身负使命的公司，

and we're developing kits⁶ to make it easier for anyone with a sink and a soldering⁷ iron to make these things at home. 旨在开发成套的工具，让任何有水槽和焊铁的人能够很方便的在家完成这些。

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 proprietary   

n.所有权，所有的；独占的；业主

参考例句：

• We had to take action to protect the proprietary technology.我们必须采取措施保护专利技术。
• Proprietary right is the foundation of jus rerem.所有权是物权法之根基。

5 cadavers   

n.尸体( cadaver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Human cadavers were the only known source of hGH, and demand was intense. 人类尸体是hGH已知的惟一来源，而且需求广泛。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 口蹄疫疯牛病
• Will there be enough cadavers for each group this term? 这个学期每一个组都有足够的尸体吗？ 来自电影对白

6 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

7 soldering   

n.软焊；锡焊；低温焊接；热焊接v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Care must be exercised in attaching the lead wires to the soldering tabs. 在往接线片上焊导线时必须非常小心。 来自辞典例句
• I suggest posing me with a soldering wand over my head like a sword. 我想让自己这样像把剑一样把电焊杆举过头顶。 来自电影对白