SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - 2005 Nobel Prizes: Medicine Honor Goes

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - 2005 Nobel Prizes: Medicine Honor Goes to Discovery That Many Dismissed
By Caty Weaver¹, Lawan Davis, Demange

Broadcast: Tuesday, October 11, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty². This week on our show: A report on the Nobel Prize winners for two thousand five in medicine, chemistry and physics.

VOICE ONE:

Then, a study finds that restricted blood flow to the brain may lead to dementia in older people.

VOICE TWO:

And scientists finally have pictures of a giant squid in the wild.

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VOICE ONE:

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced winners of the Nobel Prizes in science last week. This year, two Australians will share the Nobel Prize for Physiology³ or Medicine.

Barry Marshall and Robin⁴ Warren discovered the main cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer⁵ disease. They showed that these stomach problems are usually the result of an infection caused by a bacterium⁶, Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori. This discovery meant that ulcers⁷ could be cured by treatment with antibiotic⁸ medicine instead of operations.

VOICE TWO:

The men reported their findings in nineteen eighty-two. However, Doctor Marshall says it was almost ten years before the medical community widely accepted their explanation. Doctors thought that tension and an unhealthy way of life were the major causes of ulcers.

The Nobel Assembly praised Doctor Marshall for what he did as part of his research. Doctor Marshall himself drank some of the bacteria. Several days later he had a severe case of gastritis.

Doctor Marshall is a researcher at the University of Western Australia. Doctor Warren was a pathologist at Royal Perth Hospital until nineteen ninety-nine.

Barry Marshall and Robin Warren will share more than one million dollars in prize money when they receive their award in December.

VOICE ONE:

The Nobel Assembly chose three scientists to share the prize in physics. Roy Glauber of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will receive one-half of the prize money. Mister Glauber was honored for his theoretical description of how particles of light act. His research helped explain how light can spread around a large area or form a narrow line of intense light, as from a laser.

The other two scientists honored are American John Hall and German Theodor Haensch. Mister Hall is a government physicist⁹ at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder¹⁰, Colorado. He also works at the University of Colorado. Mister Haensch is a physicist at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany. He also teaches at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.

The Nobel Assembly says Mister Hall and Mister Hansch greatly improved the scientific measurement of light. It says their work has led to better lasers, clocks and global positioning technology.

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VOICE TWO:

You are listening to SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, from Washington.

The Swedish academy chose scientists from France and the United States as winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Yves Chauvin is a chemist at the Institut Francais du Petrole. His work from nineteen seventy-one explained the activity of metathesis [meh-TAA-theh-sis] reactions. These are when bonds between carbon atoms are broken and formed in ways that cause atom groups to change places. Such reactions have become an important way for chemists to produce new molecules¹¹.

VOICE ONE:

Mister Chauvin explained what kinds of metal compounds would act as a catalyst¹² to cause metathesis to happen. American Richard Schrock later produced a metal compound that worked well as a catalyst. For his work, the Nobel Assembly named Mister Schrock also as a winner of the two thousand five chemistry prize. He works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

The other American to win the chemistry honor is Robert Grubbs of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He developed an even better metal catalyst for metathesis. Mister Grubbs made his discovery in nineteen ninety-two.

Metathesis reactions are used mostly in the production of medicines and plastics. In the words of the Nobel committee: "Imagination will soon be the only limit to what molecules can be built."

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VOICE TWO:

A new study suggests that loss of blood flow to the brain may lead to dementia in older adults. Researchers from the Netherlands said the decreased blood flow might be partly to blame for the brain damage linked to dementia. Their report appeared in the publication Radiology.

Dementia is the loss of thinking ability. It can be caused by many kinds of disorders¹³ that affect the brain. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause. Memory loss is a common sign of dementia. However, memory loss alone does not mean that a person has dementia.

VOICE ONE:

The decreased flow of blood can have a number of possible causes. High blood pressure can lead to hardening and narrowing of the blood passages, or arteries¹⁴. Low blood pressure can be an issue if the body is not able to deal with the problem. Heart failure also can be a cause.

In the Dutch study, researchers performed magnetic resonance¹⁵ imaging tests on the brains of seventeen persons. All seventeen had dementia and were more than seventy-five years old. Researchers compared the results with those of sixteen older adults who had normal brain activity and fifteen young, healthy adults.

The imaging tests showed the individuals with dementia had more brain damage than those who did not have dementia. The researchers also found that those with dementia had a much lower blood flow rate than members of the other two groups.

The researchers said their findings suggest that doctors may be able to reduce a patient's risk of developing dementia. They said doctors should measure blood pressure in older adults and provide treatment if there is a problem.

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VOICE TWO:

Scientists from Japan have captured images of one of the world's most mysterious deep-sea animals. It was the first time scientists took pictures of a giant squid in the wild. The pictures may help scientists to better understand the giant squid.

Little is known about these creatures. They are excellent at hiding and often live in deep waters. The equipment needed to search for giant squid is very costly¹⁶. Scientists cannot always gather the financial support necessary for such a search. In the past, scientists found only dead or dying squid. They were never able to observe or take a picture of a living example.

Two Japanese scientists had some good luck on September thirtieth of last year. Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori used sperm¹⁷ whales to guide them to where giant squids live. Sperm whales hunt squid for food. So the animals can provide valuable information as to where giant squids might be found.

VOICE ONE:

The Japanese scientists set up a squid trap in the Pacific Ocean, about eight hundred kilometers south of Tokyo. The scientists tied some food to the trap. After an eight-meter long squid attacked the trap, a digital camera started taking pictures of the event. This happened at a depth of nine hundred meters.

The camera took more than five hundred pictures over several hours as the squid explored the trap, got caught, then struggled to free itself. The squid finally broke free, but in doing so it tore off one of its arms. The tentacle¹⁸ measured over five meters in length. It was still active when the scientists pulled the trap in.

VOICE TWO:

Recently, the scientists released a report explaining their experiences. The pictures they took help to explain a lot about the way the giant squid acts. For example, the pictures show that squids are a much more active when attacking than many scientists had thought. After they attack, squids appear to place their long tentacles¹⁹ around their target, holding it like a ball.

While these images provide much information, there is still much more to learn about these secretive creatures.

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VOICE ONE:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Caty Weaver, Lawan Davis and Dana Demange. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Our programs are on the Web at www.tingroom.com. Join us again next week for more news about science, in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

4 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

5 ulcer   

n.溃疡，腐坏物

参考例句：

• She had an ulcer in her mouth.她口腔出现溃疡。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

6 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

7 ulcers   

n.溃疡( ulcer的名词复数 )；腐烂物；道德败坏；腐败

参考例句：

• Detachment of the dead cells produces erosions and ulcers. 死亡细胞的脱落，产生糜烂和溃疡。 来自辞典例句
• 75% of postbulbar ulcers occur proximal to the duodenal papilla. 75％的球后溃疡发生在十二指肠乳头近侧。 来自辞典例句

8 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

9 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

10 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

11 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

12 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

13 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》

14 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

16 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

17 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。

18 tentacle   

n.触角，触须，触手

参考例句：

• Each tentacle is about two millimeters long.每一个触手大约两毫米长。
• It looked like a big eyeball with a long tentacle thing.它看上去像一个有着长触角的巨大眼球。

19 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》