A team of researchers across three universities is working on a cell-killing machine invisible to the naked eye.
由三所大学组成的研究团队正在研究一种肉眼无法看到杀细胞机器。
We want to be bacteria's worst nightmare.
我们希望成为细菌的噩梦。
They're experimenting with tiny, manmade nanomachines that can drill into a cell, killing it.
他们正在对一种小型人造的纳米机器进行实验，它可以钻进细胞中，并杀死它们。
The machines are single molecule motors that can spin at about 3 million rotations a second
这种机器是单分子马达，每秒可以转大约300万次，
when a blue light shines on them. As they spin, they drill into the cell. Harmful bacteria cannot mutate to overcome this type of weapon,
如果有蓝光打在它们身上，当它们旋转时，它们就会钻进细胞中，有害细菌无法变异来战胜这种武器，
says Rice University chemist James Tour. We may have found something that the cell could never build a resistance to.
莱斯大学化学家詹姆斯·图尔如是说，我们发现了一种细胞无法抵抗的东西。
The nanomachines are so small that about 50,000 of them can fit across the diameter of a human hair says Tour.
图尔说这种纳米机器很小，大约5万个机器才能等同于一根头发的直径。
In comparison, only about 50 cells can take up that amount of space.
相比较，只有大约50个细胞才能占据这一空间。
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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are not the only enemies this weapon can fight.
它不仅能够对抗耐抗生素细菌。
The nanomachines can drill into cancer cells. This shows the cell nucleus to disintegrate into fragments.
这种纳米机器可以钻进癌细胞中，显示出细胞核分裂成了碎片。
We've tried four different types, and every cancer cell that it touches is toast.
我们试了四种不同的癌细胞，机器接触的每个癌细胞都会死掉。
This do this by adding a peptide, also a molecule that consists of amino acids to the nanomotor.
机器是通过在马达上加入肽，它也是一种富含氨基酸的分子。
That peptide recognizes specific cells and binds the nanomachine to that cell so that only cancer cells, not healthy cells, are targeted.
这种肽会识别特定细胞，并将纳米机器绑在细胞上，所以只有癌细胞，而不是健康细胞会受到攻击。
A blue light activates the machine. Generally, it's not just one nanomachine,
蓝光刺激机器，通常情况下不只是一个机器，
it's 50, and each cell is gonna get 50 holes drilled in it generally.
而是50个机器，每个细胞通常都会有50个小孔。
Tour says it would only take a few minutes to kill cancerous cells in contrast to days or longer using radiation or chemotherapy.
图尔称杀死癌细胞只需要几分钟，但放射或化学疗法需要几天或更长。
In another application, nanomachines could be used to sculpt away fat cells when applied onto the skin through a gel.
在另一个应用上，纳米机器可以在通过凝胶接触皮肤时清除脂肪细胞。
You just take a bright light and just pass it over and these start attacking the adipocytes, which are the fat cells and blow those open.
你只需要强光，并将其传递过来，机器就开始攻击脂肪细胞，并将其吹开。
This year, researchers will start testing nanomachines on staphylococcus bacteria skin infections on live rodents.
今年，研究人员开始在活啮齿动物上，使用纳米机器测试葡萄球菌皮肤感染。
As the scientists do their work they say one goal is to find a way to get the blue light deep into the body
随着科学家进行实验，它们称其中一个目标是让蓝光进入身体内部。
if they are to fight bacteria or tumor cells that are well below the skin surface
如果我们想要对抗皮肤表层以下的细菌或肿瘤细胞。
Elizabeth Lee VOA news Houston
伊丽莎白·李，VOA新闻休斯顿报道
来源：可可英语
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