首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Insects entombed in fossilised amber for tens of millions of years have provided the key to creating a new generation of antibio
Insects entombed in fossilised amber for tens of millions of years have provided the key to creating a new generation of antibio
admin
2013-02-03
48
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.
选项
答案
modern drug-resistant
解析
由第二段第一句“最近两年的研究已经发现了至少四种来源于微生物的抗生素并且one has been able to kill modern drug-resistant bacteria that can cause potentially deadly diseases in humans”,可知答案为modern drug-resistant。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/2WyK777K
本试题收录于:
A类竞赛(研究生)题库大学生英语竞赛(NECCS)分类
0
A类竞赛(研究生)
大学生英语竞赛(NECCS)
相关试题推荐
Notkeenonreading?Doyouhavetroublefindinganovelthatarousesyourinterest?WhynotfollowAmmonShea’sexampleandsta
Notkeenonreading?Doyouhavetroublefindinganovelthatarousesyourinterest?WhynotfollowAmmonShea’sexampleandsta
AncientGreeksthoughtthebrainwasn’tthebasisforintellect.Itwasthehomeforthesoul.Theybelievedthattheprocessof
Alice’sAdventuresinWonderland(oftenshortenedtoAliceinWonderland)isgenerallythoughtofasoneofthegreatestbooksf
ScottishwriterAdamSmithisoftenconsideredthemostimportanteconomisttheworldhaseverknown.Theconceptsofbargaining
Whatwilltheydoiftheyarenotabletoliveofftheirmusicinthebeginning?Theywill_________.
DevelopingEnvironmentalManagementStrategiesStrongandsustainableeconomicactivitydependsonhealthyenvironmentalman
Aseveryschoolboyknows,insectspollinateflowers,whilebirdsandmammalsdisperseseedsbyeatingfruitsortransportingbur
HolmesandWatsonhadapprehendedthreepeopleonsuspicionofshoplifting.Thethree,aman,awomanandaboy,wereinterview
Inafamilywheretherolesofmenandwomenarenotsharplyseparatedandwheremanyhouseholdtasksaresharedtoagreateror
随机试题
膳食或食物中总视黄醇当量的计算正确的是
患者右上中切牙扭转近90度角,且伴有唇侧倾泻,牙髓正常,牙根长、粗大,牙槽骨轻度吸收,牙龈红肿,探易出血。在患者不愿意正畸治疗的情况下,以下哪项是最佳的治疗方案()
药品经营企业、医疗机构有证据证明其不知道所销售药品是假药、劣药的,应当()
2011年8月8日,甲、乙、丙、丁共同出资设立了A有限责任公司(以下简称“A公司”)。A公司未设董事会,仅任命丙为执行董事。2012年6月8日,甲拟将其所持有的全部股权以20万元的价格转让给戊。甲于同日分别向乙、丙、丁发出通知书就股权转让事项征求同意。乙、
单亲母亲家庭常常面临的问题有()。
试述我国公民基本权利与义务的特点。
从所给的四个选项中,选择最合适的一个填入问号处,使之呈现一定的规律性。
下列尚未发生学习的现象是()。
SportorSpectacle?MuhammadAliisprobablythemostfamoussportsfigureonearth;heisrecognizedoneverycontinentand
PeoplewholiveinTaylorstownhavemadetheirchoices:sceneryovershopping,deeroverdrive-throughs.Thehistoricenclave,a
最新回复
(
0
)