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科学美国人60秒 细胞电路可以用DNA计算出来

时间:2022-08-24 01:07:51

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(单词翻译)

Our smartphones, tablets, laptops—they all compute1 things electronically. But, think outside that silicon2 box for a second: "There's nothing special about electrons and using silicon as part of computing3." Chris Voigt, a bioengineer at M.I.T.. "You can do computing with any number of things." Including, he says, DNA4.

我们的智能手机、平板电脑、笔记本——它们都是以电子方式进行计算。但是,考虑一下那个箱子之外的事物:“利用电子和硅进行计算并没有什么特殊的。” 克里斯·沃伊特是麻省理工学院的生物工程师。“你可以利用计算机计算任何事物的数量。”这其中,就包括DNA。

"Cells do computing all the time. So they're constantly trying to interpret their environment and be able to turn on different genes5 and respond to it." And those genes in a cellular6 circuit are like the logic7 gates, the memory, and other systems found in conventional computers.

“细胞一直都在进行计算。所以,它们一直在试图了解周围的环境,并控制DNA,并对其作出反应。”这些在细胞电路中的基因就像传统电脑中的逻辑门、内存和其他的系统。

So Voigt and his colleagues created what he calls the first human-made "programming language" for living cells. It’s an open-source design environment called "Cello8." Just write what you want the cell to do, and Cello spits out the DNA sequence—as if you were compiling code. The researchers used the platform to design 60 genetic9 circuits, which they then ran inside E. coli bacteria. Many of these DNA-based circuits allow bacteria to sense environmental data - like levels of oxygen or glucose10 in the gut11 - and respond in various ways. They detail the findings in the journal Science.

所以,沃伊特和同事们创造了人类首例的活细胞“编程语言”。这种开放源码的设计环境称为“Cello”。你只需写下需要细胞做些什么,这时候Cello翻译DNA序列——就好像你在进行编码。研究人员利用这一平台设计了60个遗传电路,他们可以利用这些遗传电路应用于大肠杆菌内部。许多基于DNA的电路都允许细菌感觉环境数据——例如大肠中的氧气以及葡萄糖的含量——并通过不同的方式作出反应。该研究结果发表在《科学》杂志上。

Not all the circuits worked as intended. A quarter of them failed, and some were toxic12 to the cells. But the idea is to make cellular circuit design easier—and more approachable—to creative people. "When I was a graduate student I had a computer file for Microsoft Word that had all my favorite pieces of DNA. And I would have to sit there and stitch it together and try to remember how each one worked, and constantly run programs to try to look for mistakes."

但是并不是所有的电路都会按照预期的方式运行。有1/4的电路失败了,而有的电路则会毒害细胞。但是,这种创作想法会使有创新精神的人将细胞电路设计更加简单——更易成功。“当我还在读研究生的时候,我有一个电脑文件里面包含了我最爱的DNA片段。我会坐在那里,将这些片断拼接到一起,并试图记住这些片断是如何运作的,我还经常运行程序试图找到其中的错误。”

Cello takes care of all that. And now, Voigt says, biology is right about where electrical engineering was in the early 80s: ready for a computing revolution.

Cello会处理以上所有的问题。现在,沃伊特称生物学就像80年代早期的电器工程:已经为计算机革命做好准备。


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1 compute 7XMyQ     
v./n.计算,估计
参考例句:
  • I compute my losses at 500 dollars.我估计我的损失有五百元。
  • The losses caused by the floods were beyond compute.洪水造成的损失难以估量。
2 silicon dykwJ     
n.硅(旧名矽)
参考例句:
  • This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
  • A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。
3 computing tvBzxs     
n.计算
参考例句:
  • to work in computing 从事信息处理
  • Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代(约1980年),他们就创办了软件公司。
4 DNA 4u3z1l     
(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。
5 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
6 cellular aU1yo     
adj.移动的;细胞的,由细胞组成的
参考例句:
  • She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
  • Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。
7 logic j0HxI     
n.逻辑(学);逻辑性
参考例句:
  • What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑?
  • I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。
8 cello yUPyo     
n.大提琴
参考例句:
  • The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
  • She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。
9 genetic PgIxp     
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。
10 glucose Fyiyz     
n.葡萄糖
参考例句:
  • I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
  • The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。
11 gut MezzP     
n.[pl.]胆量;内脏;adj.本能的;vt.取出内脏
参考例句:
  • It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
  • My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。
12 toxic inSwc     
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的
参考例句:
  • The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
  • There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

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