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科学美国人60秒 SSS Waste Amphetamines Alter Underwater Ecosystems

时间:2017-03-03 08:45:56

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Last week, tens of thousands of gallons of sewage gushed1 into urban streams in Baltimore, because of leaky pipes and flooding rains. And when that happens, it's not just organic matter and microbes that get flushed into aquatic2 habitats. It's drug residues3, too: caffeine, antihistamines4, headache drugs... even amphetamines and heroin5

Researchers actually detected all those drugs a few years ago, in a survey of urban and suburban6 streams in Baltimore. And they wanted to see what effect illegal drugs, like amphetamines, might have on aquatic ecosystems7. So they built artificial streams in the lab, stocked with insects and real creek8 rocks—slippery ones with biofilms of algae9 and bacteria growing on them. Then they doped half the streams with amphetamine residues—similar to the concentrations found in real urban streams. 

After three weeks, the mix of microbial life in the amphetamine-laced streams changed significantly, compared to the untainted waters. And insects like midges emerged earlier than usual—suggesting that drug residues might be able to alter food webs underwater, and on land, too. The results appear in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. [Sylvia S. Lee et al., Occurrence and Potential Biological Effects of Amphetamine on Stream Communities]

Previous studies have shown that even treated sewage has lots of drug residues in it—because most wastewater treatment plants weren't built to filter out pharmaceuticals10. One solution, the researchers say, is more up-to-date wastewater infrastructure11. Think of it as preventive medicine…for the nation's aquatic life.

—Christopher Intagliata


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1 gushed de5babf66f69bac96b526188524783de     
v.喷,涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 );滔滔不绝地说话
参考例句:
  • Oil gushed from the well. 石油从井口喷了出来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Clear water gushed into the irrigational channel. 清澈的水涌进了灌溉渠道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
2 aquatic mvXzk     
adj.水生的,水栖的
参考例句:
  • Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
  • We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。
3 residues 3e5a3e323766c2626c2be0d6feafa1da     
n.剩余,余渣( residue的名词复数 );剩余财产;剩数
参考例句:
  • pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables 残留在水果和蔬菜中的杀虫剂
  • All organic and metallic residues on the wafers must be removed. 片子上所有的有机和金属残留物均必须清除。 来自辞典例句
4 antihistamines e96a3a2c14b9079c545897dfcd69d4a0     
n.抗组织胺药( antihistamine的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Cough suppressants and some antihistamines may help quiet an annoying cough. 镇咳药和一些抗组织胺类药物能帮助驱除烦人的咳嗽。 来自互联网
  • Antihistamines are the medications most commonly used to diminish allergic symptoms. 抗组胺药是药物最常用的,以减少过敏症状。 来自互联网
5 heroin IrSzHX     
n.海洛因
参考例句:
  • Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
  • Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。
6 suburban Usywk     
adj.城郊的,在郊区的
参考例句:
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
7 ecosystems 94cb0e40a815bea1157ac8aab9a5380d     
n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样,从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句
8 creek 3orzL     
n.小溪,小河,小湾
参考例句:
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
9 algae tK6yW     
n.水藻,海藻
参考例句:
  • Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
  • Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。
10 pharmaceuticals be065c8a4af3a2d925d11969faac34cf     
n.医药品;药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
  • The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究,尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 infrastructure UbBz5     
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施
参考例句:
  • We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
  • We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设,发展各类群众文化。

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