評論
打印
Don：Yael,the last time I was mown the lawn,I couldn't help thinking, it's lucky these grass plant don't feel pain.
唐：雅艾爾，上次我修理草坪的時候忍不住想，那些樹木花草感覺不到疼痛是很幸運(yùn)的。
Yael: Ture,Don. But did you know that scientists have discovered that plants use a form of electrical signaling that spreads throughout the plant when one of its leaves is injured.
雅艾爾：的確，唐。但你知道嗎，科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)有一種植物，一旦其樹葉受傷，會立馬向全身傳導(dǎo)一種電子信號。
Don：Like the electric signals that spread through our nerves when we are injured?
唐：就像人類受傷后通過神經(jīng)傳導(dǎo)的電信號嗎？
Yael: The electric signals in plants, called “system potentials”, are not exactly like the electric “action potentials” in the nervous systems of animals. But they do have certain similarities. Both kinds of electric signals travel very quickly from the site of the wound to distant parts of the organism.
雅艾爾：植物體內(nèi)的電信號被稱為“系統(tǒng)電位”，它與動物神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)里的“動作電位”并不完全一樣。不過它們的確有某些相似之處。這兩種電信號都能很快地從受傷的部位傳到生物遠(yuǎn)處的部位。
Don：Cool.
唐：酷。
Yael: The way these electric signals were discovered is pretty cool,too. A team of German scientists carefully inserted super thin, hair like electrodes through open stomata on the leaves. Stomata are tiny pores, found on the undersides of leaves, that open and close to control evaporation and gas exchange for the plant. The tiny electrodes could then record activity from cells inside the leaf. Using these sensitive electrodes, the scientists were able to record changes in voltage as the electric signals spread from leaf to leaf across the entire plant. The system potentials in plants move much more slowly than the electric signals that run through our neurons, spreading at rates between two to four inches per minute.
雅艾爾：發(fā)現(xiàn)這種電子信號的方式也相當(dāng)酷。一個德國的科學(xué)家團(tuán)隊(duì)通過葉子張開的氣孔，仔細(xì)地植入了超薄、類似頭發(fā)的電極。氣孔是位于葉子下側(cè)的微小毛孔，這些氣孔的開放和關(guān)閉控制著植物水分的蒸騰和氣體交換。這些小電極能記錄葉片內(nèi)細(xì)胞的活動。利用這些敏感電極，科學(xué)家能夠記錄電信號從一片葉子傳到另一片葉子時電壓的改變。植物體內(nèi)的系統(tǒng)電位比在人體神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)內(nèi)流動的電信號要慢得多。人體內(nèi)電信號傳導(dǎo)速度為每分鐘二至四英寸。
Don：So,can my grass feel pain?
唐：那么，草能感覺到疼痛嗎？
Yael: No. Plants don't have brains or feelings the way animals do. But it is important for plants to detect damage from herbivores, insects or even lawnmowers. Electrical signaling is one way plants know there is damage and it's time to activate defense mechanisms or begin re growth in damaged areas.
雅艾爾：不能，植物并沒有大腦，不能像動物一樣有感覺。但是對植物來說，探測來自食草動物、昆蟲甚至剪草機(jī)的傷害非常重要。電子信號是植物用來感知受傷部位，并抓緊時間激活防御機(jī)制，或修復(fù)受傷部位的方法。
原文譯文屬可可原創(chuàng)，未經(jīng)允許請勿轉(zhuǎn)載！
