評論
打印
Fun fact about alligators: they can regrow any of their eightyteeth up to fifty times.
關于短嘴鱷的有趣的事實：它們的八十顆牙齒中任一一顆牙都可以重新生長五十次。
Which is pretty impressive, especially compared to us relatively dentallychallenged humans:
這實在讓人驚訝，特別是和我們人類牙齒的相對障礙相比：
when we lose adult teeth, there's no regrowing them.
當我們失去恒牙便再無重生的可能。
But that may change.
但這樣的情況可能有所改觀。
Hoping to save the toothless among us from being fated to wearingdentures, scientists are studying how alligators regrow teeth and how the same process may beable to work in humans.
為了擺脫我們因沒有牙齒而戴上假牙的命運，科學家們正在研究短嘴鱷牙齒再生的機理以及同樣的方式如何能夠同樣作用于人類。
Using X rays and tissue samples, plus lab grown gator tooth cells and computer models, scientistshave learned that for each gator tooth there are two tooth precursors, both of which aretriggered to grow when a mature tooth is lost.
利用X射線和組織樣本，加上實驗室生長的鱷魚牙齒細胞和計算機模型，科學家發現每一顆鱷魚牙齒上均有兩個牙前體細胞，當成熟的牙齒脫落，這兩個前體就會觸發新牙生長。
The growth process begins when a band of tissue called the dental lamina begins to bulge. Thiswakes up stem cells and signaling molecules that kick start new tooth growth. And finally a newtooth grows in to replace the one that was lost.
當一組名為牙板的組織開始膨脹，再生的過程就開始了。這一過程喚醒了干細胞和推動新牙生長的信號分子。最后一顆新牙長出并取代原先那顆失去的牙。
Now, it's difficult to take what nature and evolution have combined to create in one species andsomehow make it happen in another.
現在的問題在于，如何讓這個在一個物種上結合了自然和進化的產物發生在另一物種身上。
But we humans do have remnants of dental lamina.
但我們人類仍然有殘留的牙板。
Andscientists are trying to figure out how to manipulate it to enable tooth growth in people similar tohow it works in alligators.
科學家們正試圖找出如何操作的方法，使人類牙齒生長的機理和短嘴鱷的相似。
We could potentially use that same knowledge to turn off the processesin humans that sometimes cause problems like growing too many teeth or oddly shaped andspaced teeth.
我們很可能利用相同的知識結束人類牙齒生長時常產生的問題的過程，例如長了多余的牙齒，或者齙牙以及間隙牙。
The alligator research is still in the early stages, so regrowing human teeth is still a ways away.
短嘴鱷的研究仍然處于早期階段，因此人類離牙齒再生的現實還有一定距離。
Butbefore too long, replacing a lost adult tooth may be as simple as growing it back.
但不久的將來，也許替換一顆掉落的恒牙和新長一顆一樣簡單。
