科學研究:未來食品或取自人體DNA
Reports said last week that researchers could be just six months away from producing the world’s first artificial meat, using thousands of stem cells bred in a laboratory. Yet there is an even more ghoulish prospect ahead: the idea of eating artificial food made from humans.
據英國《每日電訊報》9月6日報道，上週，有報道稱，再過6個月，研究人員就可以利用從實驗室裏培育出的數以千計的幹細胞來製造世界上第一塊人造肉了。但是，眼前這項技術的發展更令人毛骨悚然，即食用來自人體的人造食品。
This may sound like science fiction, yet a new technique for making gelatin from human DNA is attracting increasing interest from research and industrial circles.
聽起來或許像科幻小說中的場景，然而這項利用人體DNA中製造膠製品的新科技正吸引着越來越多研究界和工業界人士的關注。
According to a new study by scientists from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology，they have inserted human genes into a strain of yeast to "grow" large amounts of recombinant human gelatin.
由北京大學化學工藝學院的科學家進行的一項新研究顯示，他們已經將人體基因導入一種酵母中，使其生產出大量重組的人類明膠。
Gelatin has a long history of use as a gelling agent by the food industry. It is said human-derived gelatin could become a substitute for some of the 300,000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually for desserts, marshmallows, candy and innumerable other products.
在食品工業中，明膠作爲一種膠凝劑被使用已經有很多年了。據說，由人體制造出的明膠能夠代替部分取自動物的、年產量爲30萬噸的明膠。這些動物膠用於製作甜品、棉花糖、糖果以及其他形形色色的產品。
There would be safety issues to consider. When an ice-cream parlor in London began selling flavors derived from human breast milk earlier this year, it was soon withdrawn for hygiene reasons.
當然，安全問題也要考慮。今年年初，倫敦開了一家冰淇淋店，銷售母乳口味的冰淇淋，而很快這家店就因衛生問題被吊銷（營業資格）。
However, scientists do not believe that the new gelatin product would pose any risk.
然而，科學家們並不認爲這種新的明膠產品會帶來任何風險。
"There's a very high degree of similarity between gelatin that comes from a cow, a pig, and a human," explains Dr David Olsen, senior scientist at FibroGen, which specializes in recombinant gelatins.
大衛 奧爾森博士是人造黏膠纖維方面的資深研究員，專門負責研究重組明膠，他解釋說：“取自牛和豬體內的明膠和取自人體的極爲相似。”
"So due to their similarities, I can't see why there would be a health risk to it," Olsen added.
“正是因爲他們如此相似，所以我看不出爲什麼人體明膠就會帶來健康風險。” 奧爾森補充說。
In fact, human-derived gelatin is already in use by the pharmaceutical industry. Human genes are used by pharmaceutical firms in the production of insulin for diabetics, human growth hormone, and erythropoietin, which is used to treat anemia.
事實上，來自人體的明膠已經被用於製藥工業。製藥公司利用人體基因生產治療糖尿病的胰島素、人類生長激素和用於治療貧血的紅細胞生成素。
The Beijing University scientists believe their method offers many health advantages over animal-derived gelatin. The risk of gelatin transmitting animal-borne diseases such as BSE would be eliminated.
北京大學的科學家們相信，他們的方法比從動物身上提取明膠更健康。因明膠而傳染瘋牛病等通過動物傳播疾病的風險也消除了。
