(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.
Caviar is one of the world's priciest foods: it can cost thousands of dollars a pound. And caviar from the beluga sturgeon is the most exclusive of all. But even the experts have a hard time telling the eggs from two different species apart by appearance alone.
So scientists came up with a method that more than meets the eye: a genetic test that identifies variations in nuclear DNA that are unique to the beluga and its cousin, the sterlet. The test can differentiate roe of those two species from that of eight other species of sturgeon.
And the best part, given caviar's premium price? The test requires just a single egg. The study is in the journal Scientific Reports.
The researchers say that by definitively identifying the real stuff, the test could prop up its high price. But the effort is not just of interest to the 1-percenters: genetic verification could also be used for conservation. Belugas are critically endangered. And since they hybridize with other sturgeon species, conservationists need to make sure that farm-raised fish they plan to reintroduce into the wild are the real thing, and not just a cheap lookalike.
Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.
参考译文
这里是科学美国人——60秒科学。我是克里斯托弗·因塔利亚塔。
鱼子酱是世界上最昂贵的食物之一：一磅鱼子酱的售价可能高达数千美元。所有鱼子酱中欧洲鳇鱼子酱是最独特的。但就连专家都很难仅凭外观分辨两个不同鱼种的鱼子。
因此，科学家们想出了一个比视觉判断更好的方法：通过基因测试来识别欧洲鳇及其近亲小体鲟所独有的核基因特征。该测试可以从其他8种鲟鱼中区分出这两种鱼的鱼子。
最棒的是，无需担心鱼子酱的高昂价格。这个测试只需要一颗鱼子就能完成。该研究发表在《科学报告》期刊上。
研究人员表示，通过明确识别真材实料，该测试可以为欧洲鳇鱼子酱的高昂价格提供依据。但是这一成就并非只为了1%富人的利益：基因验证也可以用于物种保护。欧洲鳇是极度濒危物种。因为欧洲鳇会与其他种类的鲟鱼杂交，所以环保人士需要确认他们打算放生的养殖鱼是真的欧洲鳇，而不是廉价的山寨货。
谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是克里斯托弗·因塔利亚塔。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
重点讲解
重点讲解：
1. tell apart 区分；区别；辨别；
例句：Perhaps it is the almost universal use of flavourings that makes it so hard to tell the products apart.
或许是因为调料的使用几乎千篇一律才使得那些产品难以区分开。
2. come up with 想出，提出(计划、想法等)；
例句：She came up with a new idea for increasing sales.
她想出了增加销售量的新主意。
3. be unique to 独有的；特有的；
例句：The koala is unique to Australia.
树袋熊是澳大利亚独有的。
4. prop up 支撑；维持；
例句：Investments in the U.S. money market have propped up the American dollar.
对美国资金市场的投资扶持了美元。
