Spinach has long been known as the source of cartoon character-Popeye's super strength, but recently a group of scientists believe that it also (1) holds the key to clean, efficient and sustainable alternative fuel. Purdue University physicists, along with their international peers, are studying the proteins found in spinach, which convert sunlight into chemical energy.

　　菠菜一直被視為卡通人物—大力水卜派的超級力量來源，最近有一群科學家認為，它也是沒有汙染性、節能且永續的關鍵替代燃料。 普渡大學的物理學家，以及它們 的國際團隊正在研究在菠菜中發現的蛋白質，可將太陽能轉化成化 學能。

　　"The proteins we study are part of the most efficient system ever built, capable of converting the energy from the sun into chemical energy with an unrivaled 60 percent efficiency," says Yulia Pushkar, Assistant Professor of Physics at Purdue. Pushkar further states that understanding how this system works is critical for creating artificial photosynthesis.Photosynthesis is the process in which plants utilize sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy. If scientists could harness the power of photosynthesis, mankind would have access to an effective, efficient and renewable energy source.

　　「我們研究的蛋白質是有史以來最有效的系統，能夠將太陽能轉換成 60%的化學能，這樣的效能無可比擬。」普渡大學助理教授物理學家尤利婭·普什卡說。普什卡進一步指 出，了解該系統如何運作是創造人 工光合作用的關鍵。光合作用是植物利用太陽光將二氧化碳和水轉化成能量的過程。如果科學家能利用光合作用的能力，人 類將有機會獲得一個有效、節能和可再生的能源。

　　To study how the spinach plant executes photosynthesis, Pushkar's students would first purchase spinach at a supermarket and then (2) extract the key protein complex. The extraction process is extremely complicated, and must be performed over two days during which the spinach samples are kept cold and shielded from light.

　　為了研究菠菜如何執行光合作用， 普什卡的學生首先在超市購買菠菜，然後萃取關鍵蛋白複合物。萃取過程是非常複雜的，須歷時兩天以上，期間菠菜樣品需保持冷卻， 以及避免陽光照射。

　　Once the proteins have been extracted, the team would then excite them with lasers (which serve to imitate thesun). During this time, the team would then study how the molecular structure changes over the time in response to the (3) exposure, to better understand the process.

　　一旦蛋白質被提取出來，該團隊就會以雷射光刺激 (此舉為模仿太陽 光)。在此期間，該團隊可研究分子 結構如何因大量光照而隨著時間變化，以更好地了解整個人工光合作用的過程。

　　The international team revealed their findings in the highly esteemed scientific journal Nature.

　　該國際研究小組在具有高度評價的科學期刊《自然》上發表他們的發現。

Key Usage

(1) hold the key to掌控，支配

E.g. Education holds the key to Africa's development.

教育對非洲的發展很重要。

(2) extract (v.) 萃取

E.g. The green powder is extracted from the seaweed.

這綠色粉末是從海藻萃取而來的。

(3) exposure (n.) 暴露

E.g. Too much exposure to the sun may lead to skin cancer.

過度暴曬於陽光下可能導致皮膚癌。

本文節錄至英語島English Island 2014年11月號