【彭蒙惠英语】尖端科学：纳米科技与遗传工程（1/2）

Cutting-Edge Science—Nanotechnology and Genetic Engineering(1/2)
Take a look at some of today’s most exciting scientific endeavors
 

Nanotechnology takes a bigger stage
In Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University researchers are staging nanotechnology town hall meetings. They give scientists a chance to talk about their work, and interested citizens can ask questions.
The first meeting featured Chad Mirkin, director of Northwestern’s International Institute for Nanotechnology, who said that like any advance, nanotech has potential for good and ill. But Mirkin mostly stressed the good.
“Airplanes have been used for horrible purposes,” Mirkin said. “So have computers. But I don’t think we’re going to be getting rid of them.”
He described how particles the size of molecules can be crafted to make clothing stain-resistant and fight the growth of bacteria in carpeting and drapery. Nano-based research aims to deliver new therapies to fight cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s and other diseases, Mirkin said.
Some have suggested that nanotech introduces new dangers to consumers as well as new opportunities, and that government regulatory agencies have been lax in acknowledging this and preparing to deal with it. Mirkin said it is naive to speak of regulating nanotechnology because it is really more a new way of doing science rather than a narrow entity that could be scrutinized and regulated.
Understanding the science and its impact
“Nanotechnology is a renaissance of science and engineering, a new way of thinking. It’s going to impact everything we do,” said Mirkin. “You can regulate subdisciplines influenced by nanotechnology, but to speak of regulating nanotechnology itself is silly. The closer you get to human health, the more regulation we have. What the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have to do is hire smart people who understand the new deices and new therapies from nanotechnology and consider potential consequences.”

Vocabulary Focus
potential for good and ill (n phr) the possibility of being used in a positive or negative way
naïve (adj) too ready to believe something, especially because of a lack of experience
scrutinized (v) to examine something very carefully in order to discover information
renaissance (n) a new growth of activity or interest in something

Specialized terms
Town hall meeting (n phr) 非正式的社群或邻里大会 an informal public meeting where everybody in a community is invite to attend, express their opinions on local matters, and hear from their elected officials

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