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There is a curse that has plagued humanity since ancient times.
從古代起就有一種“詛咒”一直讓人類飽受折磨。
The Greeks fought it by chewing aromatic resins, while the Chinese resorted to egg shells.
古希臘人通過咀嚼芳香樹脂來對抗它，而古代的中國人使用的則是雞蛋殼。
In the ancient Jewish Talmud, it's even considered legal grounds for divorce.
在古猶太法典中，它甚至成為了合法的離婚理由。
This horrible scourge is halitosis, otherwise known as bad breath.
這種可怕的折磨就是口氣異常，也被稱為口臭。
But what causes it, and why is it so universally terrifying?
但是它是如何產生的呢？為什么它如此普遍地令人生畏？
Well, think of some of the worst odors you can imagine, like garbage, feces or rotting meat.
想一想你能想象到的一些最難聞的氣味，比如垃圾、排泄物或者腐壞的肉。
All of these smells come from the activity of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, and,
所有這些味道都來自微生物，特別是細菌的活動，
as disgusting as it may sound, similar bacteria live in the moisture-rich environment of your mouth.
盡管聽起來很惡心，但是相似的細菌就生活在你的嘴里這個濕潤的環境中。
Don't panic. The presence of bacteria in your body is not only normal,
別慌。細菌存在于你的身體中不僅再正常不過了，
it's actually vital for all sorts of things, like digestion and disease prevention.
而且事實上，它對很多事情都是至關重要的，比如消化和疾病預防。
But like all living things, bacteria need to eat.
但是和所有活著的事物一樣，細菌需要進食。
The bacteria in your mouth feed off of mucus, food remnants, and dead tissue cells.
你嘴里的細菌以粘液、食物殘渣和死亡的組織細胞為食。
In order to absorb nutrients through their cell membranes,
為了通過它們的細胞膜吸收養分，
they must break down the organic matter into much smaller molecules.
這些細菌必須把有機質分解成更小的分子。
