2018年度科学突破
2018.12.1 周六
It’s that time of the year again: Science’s reporters and editors are homing in on the Breakthrough of the Year, our choice of the most significant scientific discovery, development, or trend in 2018.
又到了一年中的这个时候啦：《科学》杂志的记者和编辑们开始评选年度科学突破，也就是我们选出的2018年最有意义的科学发现，进步或潮流。
That selection, along with nine runners-up, will be announced when the last issue of the year goes online on 20 December.
今年的最后一期将于12月20日上线，届时将公布这一评选结果以及9名亚军。
You can get in on the action!
你也可以加入这次活动哦！
Pick your favorite breakthrough from the candidates below by Wednesday, 5 December.
12月5日(星期三)之前从以下候选人中选出你最喜欢的科学突破。
Then check back on Thursday, 6 December, when we will start a second round of voting with your four top picks.
12月6日，周四，我们将开始第二轮投票，届时我们将选出4位最优秀的候选人。
We will announce the winner—the People’s Choice—along with Science’s choice on 20 December.
我们将在12月20日宣布获奖者—人民的选择—以及科学的选择。
Editor’s note: We originally included the claim of gene-edited babies as a candidate; we have since removed it to avoid giving the mistaken impression that Science endorses this ethically fraught work.
编者按:我们最初曾将基因编辑过的婴儿作为候选;为了避免给人一种错误的印象，即《科学》杂志支持这项违反伦理道德的工作，我们已经将其删除。
1，Neutrinos from a blazing galaxy
一号候选者：来自炽热星系的中微子
In a detector (illustration below) beneath the South Pole, a ghostly particle called a neutrino left a track researchers traced back to its likely source: a far-off bright galaxy called a blazar.
在南极下的一个探测器(下图)中，一种叫做中微子的幽灵粒子留下了一条痕迹，研究人员可以追溯到它的可能来源:一个遥远的明亮星系，名叫火焰星系。
The finding suggests blazars may also be the source of mysterious ultra–high-energy cosmic rays.
这一发现表明，火焰星系也可能是神秘的超高能量宇宙射线的来源。
2.500-million-year-old animals
候选者二：五亿岁的动物
Researchers identified traces of cholesterol, a signature of animal life, associated with fossils more than half a billion years old.
研究人员发现了胆固醇的踪迹，这是动物生命的标志，它与5亿年前的化石有关。
The feat indicates the fossils, which belong to a mysterious class called Ediacara, were some of Earth’s earliest animals.
这一壮举表明，这些化石属于埃迪卡拉这一神秘分类，是地球上最早的动物之一。
3.Development cell by cell
候选者三：逐细胞发育
Researchers have used a combination of techniques, including genetic sequencing of thousands of individual cells, to track in exquisite detail how tissues and entire animals develop from a single cell.
研究人员使用了多种技术，包括对数千个单个细胞进行基因测序，以精确地跟踪组织和整个动物如何从单个细胞发育而来。
Groundbreaking studies have mapped cell fates in organisms from zebrafish (above) to mice.
这项突破性的研究已经将从斑马鱼(下图)到老鼠的生物体的细胞命运绘制出了地图。
4.An ancient human hybrid
候选者四：远古人类混血
DNA from a bone fragment of a woman who lived more than 50,000 years ago indicates her mother was a Neanderthal and her father a Denisovan, a distinct group of archaic humans.
从一名生活在5万多年前的妇女的骨骼碎片中提取的DNA表明，她的母亲是尼安德特人，父亲是丹尼索瓦人，这是一个独特的古人类群体。
The finding is the most direct evidence yet that these ancient human groups interbred.
这一发现是迄今为止最直接的证据，证明这些远古人类群体是发生过混血的。
5.Forensic genealogy comes of age
候选者五：法医学的系谱是成熟的
Detectives cracked more than 20 cold cases, including that of the infamous Golden State Killer (the suspect in court, below), using a new tool: forensic genealogy.
侦探们用一种新的工具破获了20多起冷案，包括臭名昭著的“金州杀手”(法庭上的嫌疑犯，见下图)，那就是法医家谱。
They used a public DNA database to identify people likely to be related to the perpetrator because their DNA shares characteristics of DNA found at the crime scene.
他们使用一个公共DNA数据库来识别可能与罪犯有关的人，因为他们的DNA与在犯罪现场发现的DNA具有相同的特征。
6.How cells marshal their contents
候选者六：细胞如何组织其内容物
This year saw increasing evidence that cellular components condense into tiny droplets to perform critical functions.
今年，越来越多的证据表明，细胞成分凝结成微小的液滴来执行关键功能。
Among the findings: an unexpected role of such droplets in the transcription of genes, and a possible path to dissolving solidified droplets that clog the brain in diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
这些发现包括:这些液滴在基因转录过程中发挥了意想不到的作用，以及溶解凝固液滴的可能途径，这些凝固液滴在肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症(amyotro萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症)等疾病中会阻塞大脑。
7.An astronomical data trove
候选者七：天文数据宝库
In April, the European Space Agency published the precise positions and motions of a billion stars in the Milky Way mapped by the Gaia spacecraft (illustration, below) since 2013.
今年4月，欧洲航天局(European Space Agency)公布了2013年以来盖亚太空飞船(Gaia)绘制的银河系中10亿颗恒星的精确位置和运动图(下图所示)。
The data bonanza is already providing insights into the formation and evolution of our galaxy and its constituents.
这些丰富的数据已经为我们的星系及其组成部分的形成和演化提供了见解。
8.An RNA drug enters the clinic
候选者八：一种RNA药物进入了临床试验
The first drug based on a gene-silencing reaction called RNA interference (RNAi), which blocks messenger RNA (blue in illustration above), won approval this year for use in the United States and Europe—20 years after RNAi was discovered.
第一种基于叫做RNA干扰(RNA interference, RNAi)的基因沉默反应的药物，它能阻断信使RNA(见下图蓝色部分)，在RNAi被发现20年后，于今年获准在美国和欧洲使用。
The drug, which targets a rare hereditary disease, could be the first of many.
这种药物针对的是一种罕见的遗传性疾病，可能是将来许多类似药物中的第一种。
9.#MeToo makes a difference
候选者九：Me Too运动带来改变
The #MeToo movement made significant gains in science.
MeToo运动在科学上带来了重大进展。
Several institutions upheld long-standing allegations against prominent scientists accused of sexual harassment, discrimination, or bullying, and a U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report called for systemic changes to prevent such abuse.
一些机构支持了长期以来对被指控性骚扰、歧视或欺凌的著名科学家的指控，美国国家科学、工程和医学学院的一份报告呼吁进行系统性改革，以防止此类事件重演。
10.Fly brain revealed
候选者十：苍蝇的大脑被揭示
Researchers have combined some 21 million images of a fruit fly brain into a data set that enables users to determine how each neuron connects with every other neuron.
研究人员将果蝇大脑的2100万张图像组合成一个数据集，使用户能够确定每个神经元如何与其他神经元连接。
It could be a powerful tool for mapping neural circuits in the fly.
它可能会成为用来标记苍蝇中的神经回路的有力工具。
11.Rapid chemical structures
候选者十一：瞬时化学结构
Researchers have developed a technique based on electron microscopy to determine the precise shape of small organic molecules.
研究人员开发了一种基于电子显微镜的技术来确定小有机分子的精确形状。
The new technique, which is simple, fast, and works with microscopic crystals (black, below), is likely to speed up drug discovery.
这项新技术简单、快速，而且适用于显微镜下的晶体(下图为黑色)，可能会加速药物的研发。
12.Ice age impact
候选者十二：冰河世纪的影响
Scientists discovered a massive crater, caused by the impact of a mountain-size asteroid, deep beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet.
科学家们在格陵兰岛冰原深处发现了一个巨大的陨石坑，它是由一座山那么大的小行星撞击造成的。
The relatively recent impact, which has yet to be firmly dated, may help explain some puzzling climate changes.
相对近期的影响，还没有明确的日期，可能有助于解释一些令人困惑的气候变化
以上就是年度科学突破的十二大候选者，朋友们最喜欢哪一项呢？欢迎给amber留言哦！
感谢关注
跟amber一起看世界