首页
登录
职称英语
Insects entombed in fossilised amber for tens of millions of years have prov
Insects entombed in fossilised amber for tens of millions of years have prov
游客
2024-08-07
49
管理
问题
Insects entombed in fossilised amber for tens of millions of years have provided the key to creating a new generation of antibiotic drugs that could wage war on modern diseases. Scientists have isolated the antibiotics from microbes preserved either inside the intestines of the amber-encased insects or in soil particles trapped with them when they were caught by sticky tree resin up to 130 million years ago. Spores of the microbes have survived an unprecedented period of suspended animation, enabling scientists to revive them in the laboratory.
Research over the past two years has uncovered at least four antibiotics from the microbes and one has been able to kill modern drug-resistant bacteria that can cause potentially deadly diseases in humans. Present-day antibiotics have nearly all been isolated from micro-organisms that use them as a form of defence against their predators or competitors. But since the introduction of antibiotics into medicine 50 years ago, an alarming number have become ineffective because many bacteria have developed resistance to the drugs. The antibiotics that were in use millions of years ago may prove more deadly against drug-resistant modem strains of disease-causing bacteria.
Haul Cano, who has pioneered the research at the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, said the ancient antibiotic had been successful in fighting drag-resistant strains of staphylococcus bacteria, a " superbug" that has threatened the health of patients in hospitals throughout the world. He now intends to establish whether the antibiotic might have harmful side effects. "The problem is how toxic it is to other cells and how easy it is to purify. " said Cano.
A biotechnology company, Ambergene, has been set up to develop the antibiotics into drugs. If any ancient microbes are revived that resemble present-day diseases, they will be destroyed in case they escape and cause new epidemics. Drug companies will be anxious to study the chemical structures of the prehistoric antibiotics to see how they differ from modern drugs. They hope that one ancient antibiotic molecule could be used as a basis to synthesise a range of drugs.
There have been several attempts to extract material such as DNA from fossilized life-forms, ranging from Egyptian mummies to dinosaurs, but many were subsequently shown to be unsuccessful. Cano’s findings have been hailed as a significant breakthrough by scientists. Edward Colenberg, an expert on extracting DNA from fossilized life-forms at Wayne State University in Detroit, said: "They appear to be verifiable, ancient spores. They do seem to be real. " Richard Lenski, professor of microbial ecology at Michigan State University, said the fight against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, such as tuberculosis and staphylococcus, could be helped by the discovery.
However, even the discovery of ancient antibiotics may not hah the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. Stuart Levy, a micro-biologist at Tufts University in Boston, warned that the bacteria would eventually evolve to fight back against the new drugs. "There might also be an enzyme already out there that can degrade it. So the only way to keep the life of that antibiotic going is to use it sensibly and not excessively. " he said.
Summary
Microbes that may supply new antibiotic drugs have been【66】in the bodies of fossilised insects. The discovery may help destroy【67】bacteria. What needs to he done now is to find out how【68】they are to humans. It is thought that a single antibiotic molecule could lead to a whole series of new drugs. Other scientists who have tried to produce antibiotics in a similar way have been【69】. Scientists think Cano’s findings are a【70】breakthrough in the fight against diseases. [br]
选项
答案
discovered
解析
由横线后一句中指代词“the discovery”,可知在昆虫化石体内发现了能生产抗生素药物的微生物,即答案为discovered。
转载请注明原文地址:http://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3710049.html
相关试题推荐
WhyisBaishuiGlaciercalledtheThirdPole?[originaltext]Eachyear,millions
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammals
随机试题
Iftheengineistobeshutdownforalongtime,werecommendthefollowingmeas
【S1】[br]【S9】G这句是说雇主们应该审视一下非工作时间联系员工的有关规定是否合理,makesure表示“确信,确认”。
[originaltext]M:Ireallydon’tknowwhattodotiffssummer.Ican’taffordto
Allthekeywordsinthearticleareprintedinboldtype______(以便吸引读者的注意).so
某社区拟针对辖区内糖尿病患者开展健康教育干预活动,制定了用药、饮食、运动、血糖监
专属于体格检查中的道德要求的是A.认真细致、仪表端庄 B.语气轻柔、听诉认真
条件反射的出现标志着心理活动的产生。
阳邪盛而导致的实热证,其治疗方法是()A.实则泻之 B.寒者热之 C.
金属压力表的读值是: A.相对压强B.相对压强加当地大气压 C.绝对压强
男,35岁,司机因车祸挤压方向盘后3小时就诊。自觉上腹部疼痛,向右肩及腰部放射、
最新回复
(
0
)