论文部分内容阅读
UNEARTH THE BURIED SECRETS OF A TIBETAN TREASURE
In the last few years a new business has started to flourish. Described as the 1）Himalayan 2）Viagra， 3）Cordyceps sinensis has become more popular than ginseng. It’s more valuable than gold， and is frequently bought as a wedding gift. Legend says that 4）yaks which feed on it， on the high 5）plateaus of Tibet， increase in strength 6）tenfold. Said to have 7）miraculous properties， some laboratories do not hesitate to describe it as the 8）panacea of the future.
But what is it exactly？ An 9）aphrodisiac mushroom？ A powerful 10）tonic？ The virtues of Cordyceps are so numerous that one starts to wonder： Is it a myth or does it really exist？
The most amazing part of this story begins underground. In fact， this extraordinary 11）organism is the result of one of the most unusual biological processes on Earth. It starts with an insect， a primitive 12）caterpillar， which lives a few centimeters below ground. It digs tunnels in the earth， and goes through 10 different stages of development before its astonishing final 13）metamorphosis.
At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology， Professor Karl Tsim and his team of biologists have spent years seeking to identify the 14）species. A curious marriage of insect and mushroom， it continues to 15）intrigue the scientific community.
Prof. Tsim： Basically， this herb is containing two part [sic]. One is the 16）fungi and one is the worm. First of all， the fungi that we are dealing with is the Cordyceps sinensis. But on [sic] the same time， we need to have a particular worm. So these worm [sic] in the winter time， they grow under the snow mountain. And 17）subsequently， they also have those 18）spores from the last year [sic] Cordyceps sinensis coming from the 19）mycelia. They sit on the icy mountain. When the ice start [sic] to melt， those spore will go along with the melted ice and they land on the earth. And those worm [sic] eat those spores into their stomach， so when the time come [sic]， sometime before the summer， the spores start to grow from the stomach. They grow upward， coming out from the mouth. Those fungi， they want the sunshine， therefore they grow toward the sun， and look like a grass. And therefore， we call them the“summer grass.”
Despite its name， the Cordyceps sinensis is not a kind of grass but a fungus which grows inside a caterpillar， and eventually kills it. The caterpillar is the 20）larva of a primitive moth of the Hepialidae family. During one of its many metamorphoses the larvae is gradually taken over by the fungus and eventually becomes 21）mummified. The fungus continues its development by feeding on the dead tissue of the larvae， and eventually yields a fruit. This transformation of a caterpillar into a fungus is the reason for the gold rush currently sweeping every region of Tibet.
在过去几年里，有一门生意开始风生水起。冬虫夏草被称为喜马拉雅山的男性补药，它的受欢迎程度超过了人参，甚至比黄金更值钱，并时常作结婚贺礼之用。传说西藏高原的牦牛吃了虫草后，体力会增加十倍。由于其不可思议的功效，一些研究实验室毫不犹豫地称它为未来的万能特效药。
可虫草究竟是什么东西呢？是催情的菌类？还是强劲的补药？虫草功效范围之广令人不禁怀疑：这其实只是一个神话抑或真有其事？
关于虫草的故事，最奇妙的部分由地底下开始。事实上，这种奇特生物的出现源自地球上一个最特别的生物变化过程。虫草开始的时候是昆虫，是生存在地下几厘米处的原始毛虫。它在泥土中挖地道，在经历了十个不同的发育阶段后，最终迎来了惊人的转变进程。
香港科技大学的詹华强教授及其生物研究团队对虫草进行了多年研究，试图确定这个物种的类别。这种昆虫与菌类的奇异结合一直以来都激发着科学界浓厚的兴趣。
詹华强教授：基本上，这种药草由两部分组成，一是真菌，二是毛虫。首先我们看到的真菌是虫草，但同时，我们需要一条非常特别的毛虫。冬天，毛虫生长在雪山脚下。其次，虫草身上都会有孢子，这些孢子来自上一年虫草身上的菌丝，并停留在雪山上。当雪开始融化时，这些孢子会随着融雪流到地面，被毛虫吃进肚子里。
等到了适当的时候，即快进入夏季时，这些孢子开始在毛虫的体内生长，从毛虫的口部伸出向上生长。由于真菌需要阳光，因此它们会向着阳光往上长，就像一株草一般，所以我们称之为“夏草”。
虫草的名字名不副实，因为它并不是草类植物，而是一种真菌，它在毛虫的体内生长，并最终将毛虫杀死。这些毛虫是蝙蝠蛾科原始飞蛾的幼虫，在其中一次的变化过程中，幼虫逐渐被真菌所吞噬，最终腐化干枯。真菌靠蚕食幼虫死去的组织继续生长，最后修成正果。
正是这个由毛虫变成真菌的转变过程催生了目前席卷西藏各地的淘金热。
In the last few years a new business has started to flourish. Described as the 1）Himalayan 2）Viagra， 3）Cordyceps sinensis has become more popular than ginseng. It’s more valuable than gold， and is frequently bought as a wedding gift. Legend says that 4）yaks which feed on it， on the high 5）plateaus of Tibet， increase in strength 6）tenfold. Said to have 7）miraculous properties， some laboratories do not hesitate to describe it as the 8）panacea of the future.
But what is it exactly？ An 9）aphrodisiac mushroom？ A powerful 10）tonic？ The virtues of Cordyceps are so numerous that one starts to wonder： Is it a myth or does it really exist？
The most amazing part of this story begins underground. In fact， this extraordinary 11）organism is the result of one of the most unusual biological processes on Earth. It starts with an insect， a primitive 12）caterpillar， which lives a few centimeters below ground. It digs tunnels in the earth， and goes through 10 different stages of development before its astonishing final 13）metamorphosis.
At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology， Professor Karl Tsim and his team of biologists have spent years seeking to identify the 14）species. A curious marriage of insect and mushroom， it continues to 15）intrigue the scientific community.
Prof. Tsim： Basically， this herb is containing two part [sic]. One is the 16）fungi and one is the worm. First of all， the fungi that we are dealing with is the Cordyceps sinensis. But on [sic] the same time， we need to have a particular worm. So these worm [sic] in the winter time， they grow under the snow mountain. And 17）subsequently， they also have those 18）spores from the last year [sic] Cordyceps sinensis coming from the 19）mycelia. They sit on the icy mountain. When the ice start [sic] to melt， those spore will go along with the melted ice and they land on the earth. And those worm [sic] eat those spores into their stomach， so when the time come [sic]， sometime before the summer， the spores start to grow from the stomach. They grow upward， coming out from the mouth. Those fungi， they want the sunshine， therefore they grow toward the sun， and look like a grass. And therefore， we call them the“summer grass.”
Despite its name， the Cordyceps sinensis is not a kind of grass but a fungus which grows inside a caterpillar， and eventually kills it. The caterpillar is the 20）larva of a primitive moth of the Hepialidae family. During one of its many metamorphoses the larvae is gradually taken over by the fungus and eventually becomes 21）mummified. The fungus continues its development by feeding on the dead tissue of the larvae， and eventually yields a fruit. This transformation of a caterpillar into a fungus is the reason for the gold rush currently sweeping every region of Tibet.
在过去几年里，有一门生意开始风生水起。冬虫夏草被称为喜马拉雅山的男性补药，它的受欢迎程度超过了人参，甚至比黄金更值钱，并时常作结婚贺礼之用。传说西藏高原的牦牛吃了虫草后，体力会增加十倍。由于其不可思议的功效，一些研究实验室毫不犹豫地称它为未来的万能特效药。
可虫草究竟是什么东西呢？是催情的菌类？还是强劲的补药？虫草功效范围之广令人不禁怀疑：这其实只是一个神话抑或真有其事？
关于虫草的故事，最奇妙的部分由地底下开始。事实上，这种奇特生物的出现源自地球上一个最特别的生物变化过程。虫草开始的时候是昆虫，是生存在地下几厘米处的原始毛虫。它在泥土中挖地道，在经历了十个不同的发育阶段后，最终迎来了惊人的转变进程。
香港科技大学的詹华强教授及其生物研究团队对虫草进行了多年研究，试图确定这个物种的类别。这种昆虫与菌类的奇异结合一直以来都激发着科学界浓厚的兴趣。
詹华强教授：基本上，这种药草由两部分组成，一是真菌，二是毛虫。首先我们看到的真菌是虫草，但同时，我们需要一条非常特别的毛虫。冬天，毛虫生长在雪山脚下。其次，虫草身上都会有孢子，这些孢子来自上一年虫草身上的菌丝，并停留在雪山上。当雪开始融化时，这些孢子会随着融雪流到地面，被毛虫吃进肚子里。
等到了适当的时候，即快进入夏季时，这些孢子开始在毛虫的体内生长，从毛虫的口部伸出向上生长。由于真菌需要阳光，因此它们会向着阳光往上长，就像一株草一般，所以我们称之为“夏草”。
虫草的名字名不副实，因为它并不是草类植物，而是一种真菌，它在毛虫的体内生长，并最终将毛虫杀死。这些毛虫是蝙蝠蛾科原始飞蛾的幼虫，在其中一次的变化过程中，幼虫逐渐被真菌所吞噬，最终腐化干枯。真菌靠蚕食幼虫死去的组织继续生长，最后修成正果。
正是这个由毛虫变成真菌的转变过程催生了目前席卷西藏各地的淘金热。