Elements of Life · 生命元素
| English | 中文 | Pinyin · 拼音 |
|---|---|---|
| elements/ˈelɪmənts/ | 元素 | yuán sù |
| carbon/ˈkɑːbən/ | 碳 | tàn |
| trace elements/treɪs ˈelɪmənts/ | 微量元素 | wēi liàng yuán sù |
Life from a short list
- Everything alive is built from just a handful of the periodic table's elements.
- The same few elements appear in a bacterium, an oak tree, and you.
- A tiny set does almost all the work — and one element leads them all.
- Understanding which elements matter explains what living molecules are made of.
生命来自一份短名单
- 所有活着的东西都由周期表中区区几种元素构成。
- 同样的几种元素出现在一个细菌、一棵橡树,还有你身上。
- 一个很小的集合几乎做了所有的工作——而有一种元素领衔它们全部。
- 弄清哪些元素重要,就能解释生命分子由什么构成。
The big four: CHON
- About 96% of a living body is just four elements 元素: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen.
- Oxygen and hydrogen are mostly locked up in water.
- Nitrogen appears in every protein and every nucleic acid.
- Remember them as CHON — the core of life's chemistry.
四巨头:CHON
- 生物体的约 96% 只是四种元素(element):碳、氢、氧、氮。
- 氧和氢大多被锁在水里。
- 氮出现在每一种蛋白质和每一种核酸里。
- 把它们记作 CHON——生命化学的核心。
Four elements make up about 96% of a living body. Which are they? · 四种元素约占生物体的 96%。它们是哪些?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen (CHON) make up about 96% of living matter. · 碳、氢、氧、氮(CHON)约占生物物质的 96%。
Carbon is the star
- Carbon 碳 has four outer electrons, so it forms four strong covalent bonds.
- That lets carbon link into long chains, branches, and rings.
- These carbon skeletons are the frames of every large biological molecule.
- No other common element is so versatile at building structure.
碳是主角
- 碳(carbon)有四个外层电子,所以它形成四个强的共价键。
- 这让碳能连成长链、支链和环。
- 这些碳骨架是每一个大生物分子的框架。
- 没有别的常见元素在构建结构上如此多才多艺。
How many covalent bonds can one carbon atom form? · 一个碳原子能形成多少个共价键?
Carbon has four outer electrons, so it forms four bonds — letting it build long chains, branches and rings. · 碳有四个外层电子,所以它形成四个键——让它能构建长链、支链和环。
Phosphorus and sulfur are added to CHON to make "CHNOPS". Where is phosphorus especially important? · 把磷和硫加到 CHON 上,得到"CHNOPS"。磷在哪里尤其重要?
Phosphorus forms the phosphate groups in DNA, RNA and the energy carrier ATP. · 磷形成 DNA、RNA 和能量载体 ATP 中的磷酸基团。
P, S, and the trace elements
- Add phosphorus and sulfur to CHON and you get CHNOPS — the six main elements.
- Phosphorus builds the phosphate groups in DNA, RNA, and ATP.
- Sulfur helps hold many proteins in shape.
- A handful of trace elements 微量元素 (iron, iodine, calcium…) are needed in tiny amounts but are still essential.
磷、硫和微量元素
- 把磷和硫加到 CHON 上,你就得到 CHNOPS——六种主要元素。
- 磷构建 DNA、RNA 和 ATP 中的磷酸基团。
- 硫帮助许多蛋白质保持形状。
- 少数几种微量元素(trace element)(铁、碘、钙……)只需极少量,但仍然是必需的。
Major or trace element? · 主要元素还是微量元素?
Sort elements by how much of a living body they make up. A few elements dominate; others are vital in tiny amounts. · 按照元素在生物体中占比多少来分类。少数几种元素占主导;其他的在极微量下也至关重要。
A trace element is unimportant because the body needs so little of it. · 微量元素不重要,因为身体需要的量很少。
Trace elements are needed in tiny amounts but are still essential — iron carries oxygen, iodine makes thyroid hormones. · 微量元素只需极少量,但仍然是必需的——铁运输氧气,碘制造甲状腺激素。
Select all · 所有 true statements about the elements of life. · 选出关于生命元素的所有正确说法。
Life is built from light elements — mainly CHNOPS — not precious metals. · 生命由轻元素构成——主要是 CHNOPS——而不是贵金属。
"Trace" does not mean unimportant. A trace element is needed in a tiny quantity, yet life fails without it — too little iron and blood cannot carry oxygen; too little iodine and the thyroid cannot work.
"微量"不意味着不重要。一种微量元素只需极小的量,可是没有它生命就会衰败——铁太少,血液就不能运输氧气;碘太少,甲状腺就不能工作。
Iron: a tiny amount, a huge job.
- Iron makes up a vanishingly small fraction of your body mass.
- Yet every haemoglobin molecule needs iron to grip oxygen.
- Without that trace of iron, your blood could not carry oxygen to your cells.
铁:量极小,任务巨大。
- 铁在你的体重里占极其微小的一部分。
- 然而每一个血红蛋白分子都需要铁来抓住氧气。
- 没有那一点点铁,你的血液就无法把氧气运到细胞。
Living things are built mostly from a few light elements — carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON), plus phosphorus and sulfur (CHNOPS). Carbon's four bonds let it build large molecules. A few trace elements are needed in tiny amounts but are still essential.
生物主要由几种轻元素构成——碳、氢、氧、氮(CHON),加上磷和硫(CHNOPS)。碳的四个键让它构建大分子。少数几种微量元素只需极少量,但仍然是必需的。