科学家完整绘制全套人类基因组

    Scientists say they have finished mapping the full set of genetic information for human life.
    科学家表示,他们已经绘制了人类生命的全套遗传信息。

    The effort involved the first-ever sequencing of a complete human genome. A group of international researchers announced the result on March 31.
    这项工作涉及对整个人类基因组的首次测序。一组国际研究人员于3月31日宣布了这一成果。

    The researchers said the latest sequencing work filled in all remaining information needed for a full map of the human genome. The research was published in a series of studies in the publication Science. A first version of the research was published last year before it was examined by the scientific community.
    研究人员表示, 这项最新的测序工作填补了人类基因组完整图谱所需的所有剩余信息。该研究发表在《科学》杂志的一系列研究中。该研究的第一版于去年发表,然后由科学界进行了审查。

    In 2003, scientists released what was described at the time as a complete sequence of the human genome. But the international research team said the earlier effort did not include about eight percent of the genome. The past failure to complete the full map was linked to limitations in sequencing technology in use at the time.
    科学家2003年发布了当时所谓的人类基因组完整序列。但是该国际研究小组表示,早期的努力并未包括大约8%的基因组。过去未能完成完整图谱与当时使用的测序技术的局限性有关。

    Evan Eichler is a researcher at the University of Washington who took part in the latest effort. He was also part of a past research effort known as the Human Genome Project.
    艾文·艾希勒是华盛顿大学的研究人员,他参与了最近这项研究。他也参与了过去一项被称为人类基因组项目的研究工作。

    Eichler told The Associated Press that some of the genes that make us different as humans were contained in what he called the "dark matter of the genome." He said the earlier sequencing efforts missed those parts. "It took 20-plus years, but we finally got it done," Eichler said.
    艾希勒对美联社表示,一些让我们人类与众不同的基因包含在他所谓的“基因组暗物质”中。他说,早期的测序工作错过了这一部分。艾希勒表示:“这花了20多年,但是我们终于完成了。”

    Many people, including Eichler's own students, thought the full sequence had already been completed. "I was teaching them, and they said, 'Wait a minute. Isn't this like the sixth time you guys have declared victory?'" Eichler said. He answered, "No, this time we really, really did it."
    包括艾希勒自己的学生在内的很多人都认为完整序列早已经完成。艾希勒表示:“我在教他们的时候,他们说,‘等等,这不是你们第6次宣布成功吗?’”他回答说:“不,这次我们是真的做到了。”

    Karen Miga is a genomics researcher at the University of California-Santa Cruz. She helped lead the latest research. Miga told the AP that scientists hope the results will open the door to new medical discoveries in areas such as aging, the nervous system, cancer and heart disease.
    凯伦·米加是加州大学圣克鲁斯分校的基因组学研究员。她帮助领导了这项研究。米加告诉美联社,科学家希望这一结果为衰老、神经系统、癌症和心脏病等领域的医学新发现打开大门。

    The human genome is made up of about 3.1 billion DNA chemical base pairs, known by the letters A, T, G and C, the National Human Genome Research Institute explains. Each of these base pairs are contained in 23 pairs of chromosomes found in the nucleus of human cells.
    美国国家人类基因组研究所解释说,人类基因组由大约31亿个DNA化学碱基对组成,分别以字母A、T、G和C表示。这些碱基对中的每一个都包含在人类细胞核里的23对染色体当中。

    Each chromosome contains hundreds to thousands of genes. The genes provide instructions for making proteins, the building blocks of life. An estimated 30,000 genes make up the human genome.
    每条染色体包含成百上千个基因。这些基因提供了制造作为生命基石的蛋白质的指令。估计人类基因组由3万个基因组成。

    Until now, Miga said there were "large and persistent" elements missing from important areas of the human genome map. So Miga worked with Adam Phillippy, of the National Human Genome Research Institute, to organize the team of scientists to start over with a new genome. The group's goal was to sequence all of it.
    米加表示,到目前为止,人类基因组的重要区域缺乏“庞大和反复出现”的元素。所以,米加和美国国家人类基因组研究所的亚当·菲利普合作,组织科学家团队重新开始一个新的基因组。该小组的目标是对所有这些进行排序。

    The effort added new genetic information to the human genome and corrected past errors. It also identified long stretches of DNA known to play important parts in both evolution and disease.
    这项工作为人类基因组增添了新的遗传信息,并纠正了过去的错误。它还确定了已知在进化和疾病中发挥了重要作用的长链DNA。

    Eichler, the University of Washington researcher, noted that some scientists used to think unknown areas of the genome contained "junk." But he said he never thought that way. "Some of us always believed there was gold in those hills," he told the AP.
    华盛顿大学的研究员艾希勒指出,一些科学家过去认为基因组的未知区域包含“垃圾”。但是他说自己从来没有这样想过。他对美联社表示:“我们中的一些人一直相信那些丘陵处埋藏着黄金。”

    That means he always believed they were valuable. Eichler said some of the unknown areas included many important genes.
    这句话意思是他一直相信它们是有价值的。艾希勒表示,一些未知区域包含了许多重要基因。

    I'm Bryan Lynn.
    我是布莱恩·林恩。
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