自20世紀80年代以來的十大炫酷發明(3)
3.高清電視
The first high-definitiontelevision broadcasts in the United States happened in the late 1990s. But the invention of the HDTV dates back much earlier. The Japan Broadcasting Corporation, also known as NHK, began work on a new standard for television that included a wider screen and more lines of resolution back in the late 1970s. By 1980, the first prototype sets were amazing viewers with pictures clearer than any set had shown before.
上世紀九十年代末期，美國首個高清電視廣播電臺問世，但高清電視的發明則要追溯到很久以前。上世紀70年代末，日本廣播公司（NHK）便致力建立一套新的電視標準，其中便包括改良出更大的屏幕以及更高的線分辨率。到了1980年，首個高清電視雛形出現——擁有無可比擬的屏幕和異常清晰的屏幕。
The company was eager to push this new standard to other parts of the world, ensuring Japanese companies an advantage in the television market. It wasn't until 1987 that NHK got the opportunity to show the FCC, and even politicians in Washington, D.C., what HDTV could do. The reaction ranged from amazement to anxiety. The implications of HDTV went far beyond viewer enjoyment -- it could affect everything from the television manufacturing market to the semiconductor industry.
公司急於將這個新標準推廣到世界各地，以確保日本公司可在電視市場佔有絕對優勢。直到1987年，NHK（NHK：日本放送協會）得到一個展示FCC（FCC:Federal Communications Commission，美國聯邦通訊委員會認證）的機會，甚至是在華盛頓特區的政治家也認爲高清電視無所不能。公衆的反應從驚奇到擔憂。高清電視所產生的影響遠不僅僅只是感官體驗，它甚至會影響涵蓋電視生產市場到半導體工業的一切。
The United States took a slow, cautious approach. It wasn't until the late 1990s that HDTV sets became available on store shelves. But the TVs that surprised American consumers at the close of the 20th century could have been in homes a decade earlier.
美國採取了緩慢而謹慎的政策，直到20世紀90年代後半葉，高清電視才成爲商場中可銷售的商品。令20世紀末的美國消費者驚訝的是，電視本可以十幾年前就走進大衆的家中。Fingerprinting
2.基因指紋識別
Science was forever changed in 1984, and the groundbreaking moment had nothing to do with George Orwell's famous sci-fi dystopia. British geneticist Alec Jeffreys was trying to trace genetic markers through family generations when he accidentally discovered something far more important: Every unique person has an equally unique DNA profile. Seems obvious, right? Well, at the time, it wasn't -- and Jeffreys' realization had a huge impact on science and many other industries.
1984年的科學發明是日新月異的，而科學界最具開創性的時刻與喬治·奧威爾（George Orwell）的著名反烏托邦科幻小說無關。英國遺傳學家亞歷克·傑弗里斯（Alec Jeffreys）在嘗試通過家族關係來追蹤遺傳標誌的時候偶然發現了更重要的事情：每個人都是獨一無二的，同樣每個人的基因圖也是獨一無二的。聽起來很正常對不對？可是，在那個時期這並不是一件司空見慣的事情。傑弗里斯的發現對科學領域以及許多其他工業領域產生了重大影響。Unique genetic profiles are derived from the profiles of our parents, meaning lineage can be traced back through generations with DNA testing. But there are obviously other uses, too -- imagine modern-day criminal investigation without DNA forensics. Jeffreys coined the term DNA fingerprinting and earned a knighthood for his work.
每個人的獨特的基因圖是由我們父母的基因衍生而來，這就意味着人們可以通過基因測試追溯其家族血統。但基因測試顯然還有別的用途：想像一下，如果當今的刑事調查沒有基因鑑證會變成什麼樣？傑弗里斯創造了“基因指紋識別”這個詞，也因此獲得了“騎士”稱號。As DNA fingerprinting spread from Jeffreys' lab, so did its scope. Today, the world of forensic science owes its development to DNA profiling. And like humans, animals have unique genetic codes that can be used to -- for example -- catch poachers illegally selling the skins of endangered animals.
隨着基因指紋識別的傳播，傑弗里斯的影響範圍也隨之擴大。基因指紋識別的發展對當代世界法醫學的貢獻是巨大的。與人類一樣，每個動物的基因序列也獨一無二，它們同樣也具有刑事作用。比如，人們可以用來逮捕非法售賣瀕危動物皮毛的偷獵者。Permanent Artificial Heart
1.永久性人工心臟
Research into artificial hearts dates back to the 1950s. The first surgical implantation of an artificial heart in a human being took place in 1969. But early artificial hearts were a temporary measure. The goal was to use the equipment to keep the patient alive until a surgeon could perform a true heart transplant.
有關人工心臟的研究可追溯到20世紀50年代。第一例人類的人工心臟的手術植入發生在1969年。早期的人工心臟只是權宜之計，目的僅僅是在手術醫師進行真正的心臟移植之前通過設備維持病人的生命。The Jarvik-7 artificial heart was different. Engineers designed it to be a permanent heart transplant instead of a stopgap measure. The first implantation of a Jarvik-7 heart took place in 1982. The lead surgeon was William DeVries and the name of the cardiac patient was Barney Clark. The heart ran on compressed air. Tubes from a compressor entered Clark's body through incisions in his abdomen. Clark survived 112 days after the surgery before passing away.
而賈維克七號人造心臟（Javic-7）是不一樣的。工程師把它設計爲永久性的而非臨時的人造心臟。首例賈維克七號心臟移植發生於1982年，主手術醫師是威廉·德烏里（William DeVries），心臟病患者爲巴尼·克拉克（Barney Clark）。人造心臟首先存放在壓縮機裏，再通過機器的導管通過病人腹部的切口送進身體內部。移植手術後，克拉克存活了112天。Living with a Jarvik-7 heart would require some serious adjustments. The home system for the heart had a console about half the size of a refrigerator. There was also a portable system that had a power unit about the size of a briefcase. Even now, several medical institutions rely on artificial hearts that are nearly identical to the Jarvik-7 model from 1982 to keep patients alive while waiting for a real human heart.
想要賈維克七號支撐人體的生命，還需要做很多重大的調整。而這個家用系統的控制器體積同半臺冰箱的體積等大。當然，也有行李箱體積大小的便攜式功率系統裝置。即便是如今，在找到真正的心臟之前，依然有許多醫療機構依靠與1982年的賈維斯七號相近的人造心臟來維持病人的生命。That ends our trip back to the 1980s. It's time to strip off the leg warmers, put away the shoulder pads and resume wondering where all the music on MTV went.
好了，20世紀80年代的科學之旅到此爲止。是時候讓我們去掉暖腿寶和肩帶，跟着音樂電臺的音樂暢遊了。審稿：省略珺 校對：CMX
