“长寿的”动物们揭示了抗衰老的秘密
Some animals and plants that reproduce asexually "can in principle achieve essentially eternal life," according to a University of Gothenburg press release.一些动物和植物通过无性生殖“原则上可以拥有永恒不灭的生命”，根据哥德堡大学发布的新闻稿。
Scientists at the university are studying such species to find out how they avoid aging. So far, one chemical appears to be key: telomerase. This is an enzyme that protects DNA. It is more active in the longest-lived people, so its benefits likely extend throughout the animal kingdom.哥德堡大学的科学家们正在研究这样的物种试图找到它们是如何避免衰老的。到目前为止，端粒酶似乎是问题的关键。这是一种保护DNA的酶。端粒酶在长寿的人体内更加活跃，可能对动物也有同样的作用。
BLOG: Mouse Engineered to 'Grow Younger'博客：“恢复青春”的鼠标工程（呃，这儿真不知怎么翻译，求指教）
The animals that can possibly achieve immortality under ideal conditions, such as sea squirts, certain corals, Hydra, and Turritopsis nutricula (the immortal jellyfish), often activate telomerase. Helen Nilsson Sköld of the Department of Marine Ecology, University of Gothenburg, and colleague Matthias Obst are studying sea squirts and starfish to learn more about how these marine creatures seem to ward off aging.有些动物很可能可以在理想的环境下达到长生不老，比如海鞘、特定种类的珊瑚、九头蛇、灯塔水母（不死的海蜇）。这些动物经常激活端粒酶。哥德堡大学海洋生态系的Helen Nilsson Skold和同事Matthias Obst正在研究海鞘和海星试图更深入的了解这些海洋生物是如何抵抗衰老的。
Out of the animal immortality A-list, sea squirts and starfish have genes that most closely resemble those of humans.海鞘和海星的基因是长寿的动物里与人类最为相似的。
“Animals that clone themselves, in which part of an individual’s body is passed on to the next generations, have particularly interesting conditions related to remaining in good health to persist," Sköld was quoted as saying in the press release. "This makes it useful to study these animals in order to understand mechanisms of aging in humans.”“克隆自身的动物们将身体的一部分传递给下一代，非常有意思的是它们在这一过程中还能保持身体健康坚持下去”，在新闻稿中Skold的发言被引用。“对于我们研究这些动物以期理解人类长寿的机理而言，这是十分有用的。”
“My research has shown that sea squirts rejuvenate themselves by activating the enzyme telomerase, and in this way extending their chromosomes and protecting their DNA," she added. "They also have a special ability to discard ‘junk’ from their cells. Older parts of the animal are quite simply broken down, and are then partially recycled when new and healthy parts grow out from the adult bodies.”“
我的研究已经表明海鞘通过激活端粒酶让自己恢复活力，延长染色体并保护DNA，”她补充道。“它们也拥有将垃圾从细胞中剔除这样一种特殊的能力。动物较旧的细胞被分解，部分在新的健康的细胞生长出来的时候被回收利用。”
NEWS: Anti-Aging Secrets in Girl's Genes?
新闻：抗衰老的秘密藏在女孩的基因里？
Starfish are also amazingly immune to problems that affect the rest of us. If they lose a body part, for example, many species can simply grow another one. Reproduction involves tearing apart their bodies, somewhat akin to growing a new plant from a broken off piece of a "mother plant."
海星对于那些影响我们的问题也有着惊人的免疫能力。当它们失去身体的部分，比如很多物种可以长出新的替代。复制的过程包括撕裂他们的身体，有点类似于从一个破旧的“植物母体”中成长出新的植物。
Eternal life, from an evolutionary standpoint, however, has a big drawback. Due to asexual reproduction, the species as a whole retains very low genetic variation. This means they could be particularly vulnerable to climate change and not enjoy immortality after all.
从进化的观点来看，永生不灭的生命有一个很大的缺点。由于无性生殖，这样的物种整体保留着非常低的遗传变异。这意味着它们特别容易受到气候变化带来的伤害，终究无法享受不朽的快乐。
Scientists are therefore rushing to study such species, which may hold the secrets of increasing our own longevity. It would be a colossal human mistake if our pollution, habitat encroachment and other activities erased our chances of learning more about nature's anti-aging secrets.因此科学家们正争先恐后地研究这样有可能包含着增加我们寿命的秘密的物种。倘若因我们的污染、侵占栖息地和其他活动使得进一步了解大自然抗衰老秘密的机会减少， 这可能成为我们人类犯下的重大错误。
“长寿的”动物们揭示了抗衰老的秘密
Some animals and plants that reproduce asexually "can in principle achieve essentially eternal life," according to a University of Gothenburg press release.一些动物和植物通过无性生殖“原则上可以拥有永恒不灭的生命”，根据哥德堡大学发布的新闻稿。
Scientists at the university are studying such species to find out how they avoid aging. So far, one chemical appears to be key: telomerase. This is an enzyme that protects DNA. It is more active in the longest-lived people, so its benefits likely extend throughout the animal kingdom.哥德堡大学的科学家们正在研究这样的物种试图找到它们是如何避免衰老的。到目前为止，端粒酶似乎是问题的关键。这是一种保护DNA的酶。端粒酶在长寿的人体内更加活跃，可能对动物也有同样的作用。
BLOG: Mouse Engineered to 'Grow Younger'博客：“恢复青春”的鼠标工程（呃，这儿真不知怎么翻译，求指教）
The animals that can possibly achieve immortality under ideal conditions, such as sea squirts, certain corals, Hydra, and Turritopsis nutricula (the immortal jellyfish), often activate telomerase. Helen Nilsson Sköld of the Department of Marine Ecology, University of Gothenburg, and colleague Matthias Obst are studying sea squirts and starfish to learn more about how these marine creatures seem to ward off aging.有些动物很可能可以在理想的环境下达到长生不老，比如海鞘、特定种类的珊瑚、九头蛇、灯塔水母（不死的海蜇）。这些动物经常激活端粒酶。哥德堡大学海洋生态系的Helen Nilsson Skold和同事Matthias Obst正在研究海鞘和海星试图更深入的了解这些海洋生物是如何抵抗衰老的。
Out of the animal immortality A-list, sea squirts and starfish have genes that most closely resemble those of humans.海鞘和海星的基因是长寿的动物里与人类最为相似的。
“Animals that clone themselves, in which part of an individual’s body is passed on to the next generations, have particularly interesting conditions related to remaining in good health to persist," Sköld was quoted as saying in the press release. "This makes it useful to study these animals in order to understand mechanisms of aging in humans.”“克隆自身的动物们将身体的一部分传递给下一代，非常有意思的是它们在这一过程中还能保持身体健康坚持下去”，在新闻稿中Skold的发言被引用。“对于我们研究这些动物以期理解人类长寿的机理而言，这是十分有用的。”
“My research has shown that sea squirts rejuvenate themselves by activating the enzyme telomerase, and in this way extending their chromosomes and protecting their DNA," she added. "They also have a special ability to discard ‘junk’ from their cells. Older parts of the animal are quite simply broken down, and are then partially recycled when new and healthy parts grow out from the adult bodies.”“
我的研究已经表明海鞘通过激活端粒酶让自己恢复活力，延长染色体并保护DNA，”她补充道。“它们也拥有将垃圾从细胞中剔除这样一种特殊的能力。动物较旧的细胞被分解，部分在新的健康的细胞生长出来的时候被回收利用。”
NEWS: Anti-Aging Secrets in Girl's Genes?
新闻：抗衰老的秘密藏在女孩的基因里？
Starfish are also amazingly immune to problems that affect the rest of us. If they lose a body part, for example, many species can simply grow another one. Reproduction involves tearing apart their bodies, somewhat akin to growing a new plant from a broken off piece of a "mother plant."
海星对于那些影响我们的问题也有着惊人的免疫能力。当它们失去身体的部分，比如很多物种可以长出新的替代。复制的过程包括撕裂他们的身体，有点类似于从一个破旧的“植物母体”中成长出新的植物。
Eternal life, from an evolutionary standpoint, however, has a big drawback. Due to asexual reproduction, the species as a whole retains very low genetic variation. This means they could be particularly vulnerable to climate change and not enjoy immortality after all.
从进化的观点来看，永生不灭的生命有一个很大的缺点。由于无性生殖，这样的物种整体保留着非常低的遗传变异。这意味着它们特别容易受到气候变化带来的伤害，终究无法享受不朽的快乐。
Scientists are therefore rushing to study such species, which may hold the secrets of increasing our own longevity. It would be a colossal human mistake if our pollution, habitat encroachment and other activities erased our chances of learning more about nature's anti-aging secrets.因此科学家们正争先恐后地研究这样有可能包含着增加我们寿命的秘密的物种。倘若因我们的污染、侵占栖息地和其他活动使得进一步了解大自然抗衰老秘密的机会减少， 这可能成为我们人类犯下的重大错误。