英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

2022/01/24 05:30
◎陳成良
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are working to create a special chewing gum that could help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by "trapping" the virus so a person can’t transmit it to someone else.

賓州大學的研究人員正在努力製造一種特殊的口香糖，這種口香糖可以透過「捕獲」病毒來幫助減少 COVID-19的傳播，這樣一個人就無法將其傳播給其他人。

The gum contains plant-grown ACE2 proteins, which showed in laboratory studies to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When researchers exposed saliva samples from COVID-19 patients to the modified chewing gum, they found the levels of viral RNA were "drastically reduced" to the point that the virus was almost undetectable, according to a study published in Molecular Today.

根據發表在《今日分子》期刊的研究報告，這種口香糖含有植物培養的「血管收縮素轉化酶2」（ ACE2） 蛋白，實驗室研究表明這種蛋白可以中和 SARS-CoV-2 病毒。當研究人員將 COVID-19 患者的唾液樣本暴露在改良的口香糖中時，他們發現病毒核醣核酸（ RNA） 的水平，「急劇下降」到幾乎無法檢測到病毒的程度。

The research is still in its early stages, and the researchers are working on getting permission to conduct a clinical trial in humans to determine if the gum is safe and effective.

該研究仍處於早期階段，研究人員正在努力獲得在人體中進行臨床試驗的許可，以確定口香糖是否安全有效。

新聞辭典
transmit：動詞，傳染、傳播、傳遞。例句：Iron transmits heat.（鐵能傳熱。）

2022/01/20 05:30
◎孫宇青

A rare two-headed diamondback terrapin turtle is alive and kicking, with all six of its legs, at the Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center in Massachusetts.

在麻薩諸塞州伯德西角野生動物中心，一隻罕見的雙頭鑽紋龜成功存活，並用牠的6條腿生龍活虎地活動著。

A threatened species, this turtle is feeding well on blood worms and food pellets. The two heads operate independently, coming up for air at different times, and inside its shell are two gastrointestinal systems to feed both sides of its body.

這隻生存瀕臨威脅的烏龜被妥善地餵以血蟲和飼料。2顆腦袋獨立運作，會在不同時間點探頭呼吸，龜殼內也是2副腸胃系統，負責維繫身體兩邊的機能。

The turtle originally came from a nest in West Barnstable that researchers determined was in a hazardous location and needed to be moved. After hatching, turtles are sent to different care centers to be monitored before their release in the spring.

這隻烏龜最初是在西巴恩斯特布爾的一個巢穴被發現，而研究人員判定巢穴的位置十分危險，必須移往他處。烏龜孵化後，被送往不同照護中心檢查，預計在春季野放。

The two heads are nicknamed Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen after the twin child stars.（AP）

中心人員以美國雙胞胎明星歐森姐妹為雙頭龜命名為瑪莉凱特及艾希莉。（美聯社）

2022/01/19 05:30
◎管淑平

Company executives are beginning to consider different permanent work models for their employees as the coronavirus pandemic, and the spread of the Omicron variant destabilize their latest return-to-office plans.

這場新型冠狀病毒疫情以及Omicron變種病毒株的擴散，打亂了企業最新的重返辦公室上班計畫，企業高階主管開始思考讓員工採用其他的常態工作模式。

With Omicron so new, companies are struggling to understand how the variant might affect their operations and profits.

由於Omicron是新出現的變種病毒，各公司正努力了解這型變種病毒株會對其營運和獲利產生何種影響。

Most have taken a wait-and-see stance as they weigh how fast the variant may spread and its potential harmfulness.

大多數企業採取觀望態度，一邊衡量該病毒株傳播多快和可能造成多大危害。

The prospect of a fast-spreading variant has raised fears of a return of the sort of restrictions that shut down a swath of industries in 2020. (Reuters)

變種病毒株快速傳播的可能性，已令人擔心可能會恢復實施2020年導致大批產業停擺的限制措施。（路透）

2022/01/17 05:30
◎陳成良
Obesity dulls the sense of taste, according to research that offers new insights into why some people enter a persistent cycle of weight gain.

研究表明，肥胖會使味覺遲鈍，該研究為某些人為何會進入持續的體重增加循環，提供了新見解。

Researchers found that within eight weeks of becoming obese, mice lost 25% of their taste buds. The findings suggest that weight gain not only changes appetite but may also fundamentally alter the way taste is perceived.

研究人員發現，老鼠在變胖後的8週內，味蕾會減少25%。研究結果表明，體重增加不僅會改變食慾，還可能從根本上改變人們對味覺的感知方式。

“Obesity is by nature very complex,”said Robin Dando, a food scientist at Cornell University in New York and senior author. “There are a bunch of different factors that contribute to our state of obesity – we think a change to taste is one of those, and one that people don’t tend to consider.”

「肥胖本質上非常複雜」，紐約康乃爾大學的食品科學家、資深作者羅賓丹多說。「有很多不同的因素會導致我們的肥胖狀態——我們認為改變口味就是其中之一，而人們往往忽視這一點。」

The findings are the latest to push back against the assumption that people become obese because they love food more than the average person and so find it harder to resist.

有觀點認為，人們之所以變胖是因為他們比一般人更愛吃，更難抵禦吃的誘惑，上述研究發現是反駁該觀點的最新例證。

2022/01/13 05:30
◎孫宇青

In a packed Istanbul passenger ferry between Europe and Asia, all eyes turn to one commuter enjoying the view from his window.

在往來歐洲和亞洲的一艘擠得水洩不通的客運渡輪上，所有目光都轉向一位享受窗外美景的乘客。

A street dog with golden-brown fur, dark eyes and floppy ears, Boji has become a regular sight on ferries, buses and metro trains in Instabul. A devoted commuter, the dog enjoys long journeys on public transport, up to 30 kilometers on a regular week day.

Boji是一隻有著金棕色毛髮、黑色眼眸和下垂耳的流浪犬，牠已成為伊斯坦堡渡輪、公車和大眾捷運系統上的尋常景觀。這隻狗狗是忠實的通勤族，享受公共交通工具上的長長旅途，平日最遠可到30公里外。

Istanbul municipality officials who record Boji’s trips with a microchip say he drops by at least 29 metro stations a day and was even tracked at sea, taking a weekend break to the Princes’ Islands off the city’s coast.

透過晶片記錄Boji行程的伊斯坦堡市政府官員說，Boji一天至少途經29個捷運站，甚至也在海上現蹤，利用週末前往外海的王子島。

Boji respects public transport rules and waits for disembarking passengers before hopping on the train.（Reuters）

Boji遵從公共交通工具的規定，跳上公車前還會禮讓乘客先下車。（路透）