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Every villain¹ has his Achilles' heel. And microscopic² scoundrels are no exception. The challenge for those who wish to ward³ off microbial bad guys is to identify that weak spot. Now, scientists studying the toxoplasmosis parasite⁴ think they've done just that. They share the secret in the Proceedings⁵ of the National Academy of Sciences.

The toxo parasite is similar to the one that causes malaria⁶. So finding a way to prevent these rogues⁷ from reproducing is high on researchers' to-do lists. The bugs⁸ are tricky⁹ to take down, in part because they're unpredictable in the way they multiply. Sometimes they get in and get busy making babies. Other times they copy their chromosomes¹⁰ but hold off parceling them out to their army of offspring until the time is right.

This flexibility¹¹ has benefits, but it also has a drawback: the parasites¹² have to keep track of their chromosomes…even as they change their minds about how and when to divvy them up. Now scientists have discovered a structure…unique to these parasites…that keeps their DNA¹³ in a tidy bundle through thick and thin. Find a drug that breaks that bundle, and we could destroy these parasites' devious¹⁴ plans.

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin.

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收听单词发音

1 villain
n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因
参考例句：
He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。 The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

2 microscopic
adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的
参考例句：
It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。 A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

3 ward
n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开
参考例句：
The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。 During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 parasite
n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客
参考例句：
The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。 I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

5 proceedings
n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报
参考例句：
He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。 to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

6 malaria
n.疟疾
参考例句：
He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。 Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

7 rogues
n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽
参考例句：
'I'll show these rogues that I'm an honest woman,'said my mother. “我要让那些恶棍知道，我是个诚实的女人。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛 The rogues looked at each other, but swallowed the home-thrust in silence. 那些恶棍面面相觑，但只好默默咽下这正中要害的话。来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

8 bugs
adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误
参考例句：
All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。来自《简明英汉词典》 The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。来自《简明英汉词典》

9 tricky
adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的
参考例句：
I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？ He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

10 chromosomes
n.染色体( chromosome的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Chromosomes also determine the sex of animals. 染色体也决定动物的性别。来自《简明英汉词典》 Each of four chromosomes divide longitudinally. 四种染色体的每一种都沿着纵向分裂。来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 flexibility
n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性
参考例句：
Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。 The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

12 parasites
寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )；靠他人为生的人；诸虫
参考例句：
These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。 Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

13 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。

14 devious
adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的
参考例句：
Susan is a devious person and we can't depend on her.苏姗是个狡猾的人，我们不能依赖她。 He is a man who achieves success by devious means.他这个人通过不正当手段获取成功。