“研究证实新冠病毒是美国公司制造”？
今天，一篇题为“英媒宣称：研究证实新冠病毒是美国公司制造”的中文报道引发热议。
消息源是一家名叫「The Expose」的「媒体」于3月3日发表的题为“BREAKING: Official Biochemical and Statistical Evidence 100% confirms Moderna created Covid-19”的文章。
找到这篇文章，第一段就提到了它的消息源，媒体《每日邮报》（Daily Mail）2月23日发表的题为“Scientists claim Covid virus contains tiny chunk of DNA that 'matches sequence patented by Moderna THREE YEARS before pandemic began'”的报道，意思是：科学家声称新冠病毒中的一小段DNA序列，‘与疫情开始前三年由Moderna公司申请专利的序列相匹配’。
而《每日邮报》（Daily Mail）的文章则是基于一篇今年初发表于《病毒学前沿》（Frontiers in Virology）的论文，论文标题为《MSH3 Homology and Potential Recombination Link to SARS-CoV-2 Furin Cleavage Site》。
所以，我们今天就来读一读《每日邮报》（Daily Mail）2月23日发表的这篇文章（节选），用大白话的方式告诉读者研究者有什么新发现。
无注释原文：
Scientists claim Covid virus contains tiny chunk of DNA that 'matches sequence patented by Moderna THREE YEARS before pandemic began'
Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 17:48 GMT, 23 February 2022
UPDATED: 09:25 GMT, 3 March 2022
Fresh suspicion that Covid may have been tinkered with in a lab emerged today after scientists found genetic material owned by Moderna in the virus's spike protein.
They identified a tiny snippet of code that is identical to part of a gene patented by the vaccine maker three years before the pandemic.
It was discovered in SARS-CoV-2's unique furin cleavage site, the part that makes it so good at infecting people and separates it from other coronaviruses.
The structure has been one of the focal points of debate about the virus's origin, with some scientists claiming it could not have been acquired naturally.
The international team of researchers suggest the virus may have mutated to have a furin cleavage site during experiments on human cells in a lab.
They claim there is a one-in-three-trillion chance Moderna's sequence randomly appeared through natural evolution.
But there is some debate about whether the match is as rare as the study claims, with other experts describing it as a 'quirky' coincidence rather than a 'smoking gun'.
In the latest study, published in Frontiers in Virology, researchers compared Covid's makeup to millions of sequenced proteins on an online database.
The virus is made up of 30,000 letters of genetic code that carry the information it needs to spread, known as nucleotides.
It is the only coronavirus of its type to carry 12 unique letters that allow its spike protein to be activated by a common enzyme called furin, allowing it to spread between human cells with ease.
Analysis of the original Covid genome found the virus shares a sequence of 19 specific letters with a genetic section owned by Moderna, which has a total of 3,300 nucleotides.
The US-based pharmaceutical firm filed the patent in February 2016 as part of its cancer research division, records show.
The patented sequence is part of a gene called MSH3 that is known to affect how damaged cells repair themselves in the body.
Scientists have highlighted this pathway as a potential target for new cancer treatments.
Twelve of the shared letters make up the structure of Covid's furin cleavage site, with the rest being a match with nucleotides on a nearby part of the genome.
Writing in the paper, led by Dr Balamurali Ambati, from the University of Oregon, the researchers said the matching code may have originally been introduced to the Covid genome through infected human cells expressing the MSH3 gene.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, admitted the latest finding was interesting but claimed it was not significant enough to suggest lab manipulation.
He told MailOnline: 'We're talking about a very, very, very small piece made up of 19 nucleotides.
'So it doesn't mean very much to be frank, if you do these types of searches you can always find matches.
'Sometimes these things happen fortuitously, sometimes it's the result of convergent evolution (when organisms evolve independently to have similar traits to adapt to their environment).
'It's a quirky observation but I wouldn't call it a smoking gun because it's too small.
He added: 'It doesn't get us any further with the debate about whether Covid was engineered.'
- ◆ -
注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应
含注释全文：
Scientists claim Covid virus contains tiny chunk of DNA that 'matches sequence patented by Moderna THREE YEARS before pandemic began'
Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 17:48 GMT, 23 February 2022
UPDATED: 09:25 GMT, 3 March 2022
Fresh suspicion that Covid may have been tinkered with in a lab emerged today after scientists found genetic material owned by Moderna in the virus's spike protein.
今天，科学家们在病毒的刺突蛋白（spike protein）中发现了莫德纳（Moderna）公司拥有的遗传物质，引发了新冠病毒可能在实验室中被篡改的新疑点。
suspicion
表示“怀疑；嫌疑”，英文解释为“a feeling or belief that someone has committed a crime or done something wrong”举个🌰：
"I'm arresting you on suspicion of illegally possessing drugs," said the police officer.
警官说：“你涉嫌非法持有毒品，我将拘捕你。”
tinker with
表示“小修改；小修补，小修理”，英文解释为“If you tinker with something, you make some small changes to it, in an attempt to improve it or repair it.”举个🌰：
Instead of admitting his error, he just tinkered with the problem.
他未承认自己的错误，只是对这个问题稍作修改。
🎬电影《钢铁侠3》（Iron Man 3）中的台词提到：I'm going to sleep downstairs. Tinker with that. 我要去楼下睡。你修补吧。
genetic
表示“基因的；遗传信息的”，英文解释为“belonging or relating to genes (= parts of the DNA in cells) received by each animal or plant from its parents”如：a genetic defect/disease 基因缺陷/遗传性疾病。
spike protein
表示“（病毒表面的）刺突蛋白”，英文解释为“a glycoprotein (= a type of protein that contains a carbohydrate group) that forms a structure that sticks out on the outer edge of a virus, which helps the virus to attach itself to a cell in a person's or animal's body and enter the cell”举个🌰：
Members of the coronavirus family have sharp bumps known as spike proteins that protrude from the surface of their outer envelopes.
冠状病毒科的成员在外壳蛋白表面上有尖锐的突起，被称为刺突蛋白。
They identified a tiny snippet of code that is identical to part of a gene patented by the vaccine maker three years before the pandemic.
他们发现了一段微小段基因序列，与该疫苗制造商在疫情前三年获得专利的一个基因的一部分相同。
snippet
snippet /ˈsnɪpɪt/ 表示“片段”，英文解释为“A snippet of something is a small piece of it.”如：snippets of popular classical music 流行古典音乐的片段。
code
表示“（DNA中遗传物质的）编码”，英文解释为“an arrangement of genetic material in DNA (= the chemical that carries genetic information in cells)”如：genetic codes 基因编码
patent
可以作名词，也可以作动词表示“申请专利”，英文解释为“to get the official legal right to make or sell an invention”举个🌰：
If you don't patent your invention, other people may make all the profit out of it.
如果你不为你的发明申请专利权，其他人就会从中渔利。
It was discovered in SARS-CoV-2's unique furin cleavage site, the part that makes it so good at infecting people and separates it from other coronaviruses.
它是在SARS-CoV-2特有的弗林蛋白酶（furin）裂解位点（cleavage site）中发现的，这部分使它很容易感染人，并将它与其他冠状病毒区分开来。
The structure has been one of the focal points of debate about the virus's origin, with some scientists claiming it could not have been acquired naturally.
该结构一直是有关该病毒起源的争论焦点之一，一些科学家声称它不可能是自然形成的。
focal point
表示“（目光或兴趣的）中心，焦点”，英文解释为“the thing that everyone looks at or is interested in”举个🌰：
The fireplace is usually the focal point of the living room.
在客厅里，壁炉通常是视线的焦点。
The international team of researchers suggest the virus may have mutated to have a furin cleavage site during experiments on human cells in a lab.
这个国际研究团队认为，在实验室对人类细胞进行实验期间，该病毒可能已经变异产生了弗林蛋白酶裂解位点。
mutate
表示“（遗传物质等）变异，突变”，英文解释为“to develop new physical characteristics because of a permanent change in the genes. These changes can happen naturally or can be produced by the use of chemicals or radiation.”举个🌰：
These bacteria have mutated into forms that are resistant to certain drugs.
这些细菌已发生变异，对某些药物产生了抗药性。
They claim there is a one-in-three-trillion chance Moderna's sequence randomly appeared through natural evolution.
他们声称，莫德纳公司的序列通过自然进化随机出现的可能性只有三万亿分之一。
sequence
表示“顺序；次序”，英文解释为“the order that events, actions, etc. happen in or should happen in”举个🌰：
The tasks had to be performed in a particular sequence.
这些任务必须按一定次序去执行。
But there is some debate about whether the match is as rare as the study claims, with other experts describing it as a 'quirky' coincidence rather than a 'smoking gun'.
但是对于这种匹配是否像研究报告所说的那样罕见，还有一些争议，其他专家将其描述为“古怪的”巧合，而不是“确凿证据”。
quirky
quirky /ˈkwɜːkɪ/ 表示“古怪的，独特的”，英文解释为“unusual in an attractive and interesting way”举个🌰：
He was tall and had a quirky, off-beat sense of humour.
他个子高高的，有一种独特、另类的幽默感。
coincidence
表示“同时发生；（尤指令人吃惊的）巧合，碰巧的事”，英文解释为“an occasion when two or more similar things happen at the same time, especially in a way that is unlikely and surprising”举个🌰：
You chose exactly the same topic as me - what a coincidence!
你选的话题跟LR的一模一样——真巧！
smoking gun
表示“确凿的罪证；确凿的证据；确证证据”，英文解释为“information that proves who committed a crime”举个🌰：
The tape recordings provided prosecutors with the smoking gun they needed to prove he'd been involved in the conspiracy.
录音带为检察官们提供了他们所需要的确凿证据，证明他参与了这一阴谋。
In the latest study, published in Frontiers in Virology, researchers compared Covid's makeup to millions of sequenced proteins on an online database.
在发表于《病毒学前沿》（Frontiers in Virology）的最新研究中，研究人员将新冠病毒的构成与一个在线数据库中的数百万种测序蛋白进行了比较。
The virus is made up of 30,000 letters of genetic code that carry the information it needs to spread, known as nucleotides.
该病毒由30,000个基因编码字母组成，这些基因编码字母携带着它需要传播的信息，被称为核苷酸（nucleotides）。
word
nucleotide /ˈnuː.kli.oʊ/ 表示“核苷酸（核酸中的一类化合物，例如 DNA 和 RNA）”，英文解释为“one of a group of chemical compounds found in living cells in nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA”。
It is the only coronavirus of its type to carry 12 unique letters that allow its spike protein to be activated by a common enzyme called furin, allowing it to spread between human cells with ease.
它是同类冠状病毒中唯一携带12个独特字母的病毒，这使其刺突蛋白被一种称为弗林蛋白酶（furin）的常见酶激活，从而在人体细胞之间轻松传播。
enzyme
enzyme /'enzaɪm ;ˋɛnzaɪm / 表示“酶”，英文解释为“a chemical substance that is produced in a plant or animal, and helps chemical changes to take place in the plant or animal”
Analysis of the original Covid genome found the virus shares a sequence of 19 specific letters with a genetic section owned by Moderna, which has a total of 3,300 nucleotides.
对原始新冠病毒基因组的分析发现，该病毒与莫德纳公司拥有的一个基因片段共享19个特定字母，后者共有3300个核苷酸。
genome
genome /ˈdʒiː.noʊm/ 表示“基因组，染色体组”，英文解释为“the complete set of genetic material of a human, animal, plant, or other living thing”
The US-based pharmaceutical firm filed the patent in February 2016 as part of its cancer research division, records show.
记录显示，这家位于美国的制药公司于2016年2月申请了这项专利，作为其癌症研究部门的一部分。
pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical /ˌfɑːməˈsjuːtɪkəl/ 作形容词，表示“制药的；配药的；卖药的”，英文解释为“connected with making and selling drugs and medicines”，如：pharmaceutical products 药物，pharmaceutical companies 制药公司，the pharmaceutical industry 制药业。
也可以直接作名词，常用复数，pharmaceuticals表示“药品，药物，药剂”，英文解释为“a medicine”。
The patented sequence is part of a gene called MSH3 that is known to affect how damaged cells repair themselves in the body.
专利中的基因序列是一个名为MSH3的基因的一部分，该基因会影响体内受损细胞的自我修复方式。
Scientists have highlighted this pathway as a potential target for new cancer treatments.
科学家们强调这是新的癌症治疗的潜在靶标。
Twelve of the shared letters make up the structure of Covid's furin cleavage site, with the rest being a match with nucleotides on a nearby part of the genome.
其中的12个共享字母构成了新冠病毒的弗林蛋白酶（furin）裂解位点的结构，其余的是与基因组附近部分的核苷酸相匹配。
Writing in the paper, led by Dr Balamurali Ambati, from the University of Oregon, the researchers said the matching code may have originally been introduced to the Covid genome through infected human cells expressing the MSH3 gene.
研究人员在论文中提到，匹配的编码可能最初是通过表达MSH3基因的受感染人类细胞引入新冠病毒基因组的。该论文的第一作者为俄勒冈大学（University of Oregon）的巴拉穆拉里·安巴蒂（Balamurali Ambati）博士。
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, admitted the latest finding was interesting but claimed it was not significant enough to suggest lab manipulation.
华威大学（Warwick University）的病毒学家劳伦斯·杨（Lawrence Young）教授承认最新的发现很有意思，但声称其显著性不足以表明是实验室操纵。
virologist
virologist 表示“病毒学家，病毒学专家”，英文解释为“a specialist in virology”举个🌰：
The world-leading virologist has joined the new EU COVID-19 advisory team.
世界顶尖的病毒学家加入了欧盟新的COVID-19顾问团队。
📍 virology：the branch of medicine concerned with the study of viruses and the diseases they cause 病毒学
📍 virus：A virus is a kind of germ that can cause disease. 病毒
manipulation
表示“操纵（出于个人利益操纵某人某事，常指使用不公平或不诚信的方式）”，英文解释为“controlling someone or something to your own advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly”举个🌰：
They have been accused of fraud and stock market manipulations.
他们被控欺诈和操纵股市。
He told MailOnline: 'We're talking about a very, very, very small piece made up of 19 nucleotides.
他告诉《每日邮报》电子版：“我们谈论的是由19个核苷酸组成的一个非常、非常、非常小的片段。”
'So it doesn't mean very much to be frank, if you do these types of searches you can always find matches.
“因此，坦率地说，这并不意味着什么，如果你做这些类型的搜索，你总是可以找到匹配的。”
'Sometimes these things happen fortuitously, sometimes it's the result of convergent evolution (when organisms evolve independently to have similar traits to adapt to their environment).
“有时这些事情的发生是偶然的，有时是趋同进化的结果（生物体独立进化到具有类似的特征以适应其环境）。”
fortuitously
fortuitously /fɔːrˈtuː.ə.t̬əs.li/ 表示“偶然地，意外地”，英文解释为“in a way that happens by chance rather than being planned, and is to your advantage”。
convergent
1）表示“（观点等）趋于一致的，趋同的”，英文解释为“becoming more similar”举个🌰：
The two countries have convergent views on regional and international issues.
这两个国家在地区性和国际性事务上的观点趋于一致。
2）表示“会合的，聚集的”，英文解释为“coming closer together”举个🌰：
The rays become more convergent as they leave the lens.
光束通过透镜后变得更加集中。
📍趋同进化（Convergent evolution）即源自不同祖先的生物，由于相似的生活方式，整体或部分形态结构向着同一方向改变。趋同是指两种或两种以上亲缘关系甚远的生物，由于栖居于同一类型的环境之中，从而演化成具有相似的形态特征或构造的现象。（百度百科）
organism
表示“生物体；有机体；微生物”，英文解释为“a single living plant, animal, virus, etc.”举个🌰：
Amoebae and bacteria are single-celled organisms.
变形虫和细菌是单细胞生物。
evolve
表示“（使）逐渐形成，逐步发展，逐渐演变，进化”，英文解释为“to develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complicated form; to develop sth in this way”举个🌰：
The company has evolved into a major chemical manufacturer.
这家公司已逐步发展成一个主要的化工厂。
trait
表示“特征，特性，品质”，英文解释为“a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour”举个🌰：
His sense of humour is one of his better traits.
具有幽默感是他更讨人喜欢的特点之一。
📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述比特币的文章中提到：Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。
'It's a quirky observation but I wouldn't call it a smoking gun because it's too small.
“这是一个古怪的结果，但我不会说它是确凿的证据，因为它太小了。“
He added: 'It doesn't get us any further with the debate about whether Covid was engineered.'
他补充说：“这并没有让我们在关于新冠病毒是否人为设计的辩论中取得任何进展。”
engineer
作动词，表示“（尤指为自己的利益）密谋策划，精心安排”，英文解释为“to arrange cleverly and often secretly for something to happen, especially something that is to your advantage”举个🌰：
I'm trying to engineer a meeting between them.
我正在尽力谋划，好让他们见面。
公众号后台对话框里发送：666
参与抽奖（3月27日0点开）
公众号后台对话框里发送：沙发
查看沙发计划，抢沙发拿奖励
公众号后台对话框里发送：打卡
参与每天持续行动打卡计划
公众号后台对话框里发送：提问
查看提问指南，不懂先查再问
- 推荐阅读 -
- END -
LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2022年3月24日
第2602天
每天持续行动学外语