TED演讲:如何把熟蛋变生(1)

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　　Well, it turns out you can, sort of. 然而，其实在某种程度上你是可以的。

　　What thermal¹ energy does to the eggs' molecules³, mechanical energy can undo⁴. 热能对蛋的分子所做的事，可以依靠机械能将其还原。

　　Eggs are mostly made of water and proteins. 蛋主要是由水和蛋白质组成。

　　The proteins start off folded up into intricate shapes, held together by weak chemical bonds. 蛋白质最开始是折叠成一种复杂的形状，依靠弱的化学键连接在一起。

　　Adding heat disrupts those bonds, allowing the proteins to unfold, uncoil, unwind and wiggle freely. 加热能分解化学键，使蛋白质能够展开，松绕，分离，变得可以自由摆动。

　　This process is called denaturing. 这个过程被称为“变性”。

　　The newly liberated⁵ proteins bump up against their neighbors and start to form new bonds with each other, 新解放的蛋白质，会与邻近的相互撞击，并在其中形成新的化学键，

　　more and more as the heat increases, until finally, they're so entangled⁶ that they gel into a solid mass, a boiled egg. 当热量变得越来越多后，最后它们将形成一个固体，这就是煮熟的蛋。

　　That entanglement⁸ might look permanent, but it's not. 这个过程可能看起来不可逆，但其实不是的。

　　According to a chemical idea called the principle of microscopic⁹ reversibility, anything that happens, 根据一个叫做微观可逆原理的化学观点，任何已发生的事情，

　　like egg proteins seizing up, can theoretically unhappen if you retrace¹⁰ your steps. 比如说鸡蛋中的蛋白质变为固体的情况，如果你倒着做每一步，理论上应该可以将其还原。

　　But adding more heat will tangle⁷ the proteins further, and cooling them down will only freeze them, 但增加更多的热量，只会使蛋白质纠缠的更紧，而冷却只会冻住它们，

　　so here's the trick: spin them around ridiculously fast. 所以这里的秘诀是：将其极快的旋转。

　　I'm not kidding. Here's how it works. 我没在开玩笑。以下就是原理。

　　First, scientists dissolve boiled egg whites in water with a chemical called urea, 首先，科学家将煮熟的蛋白溶解，在水中加以一种名为尿素的化学物质，

　　a small molecule² that acts as a lubricant, coating the proteins' long strands¹¹ and making it easier for them to glide¹² past each other. 它是一个小分子，起到润滑剂的作用，附着在蛋白质较长的一股，使得它们更容易得滑过对方。

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