2008年9月，研究人员报道：粉正蚓（Lumbricus rubellus）的新物种可以吃掉有毒的废料。上图中标有"reference"字样的蚯蚓是正常蚯蚓；标有"stream" 和 "cottage"字样的蚯蚓已经发生进化，可以存活于受到大量铅和锌污染的土壤中。

Earthworms to aid soil clean-up

By Elizabeth Mitchell  译

 

Scientists have discovered how metal-munching earthworms can help plants to clean up contaminated soils.	科学家们发现了如何用猛吃金属的蚯蚓来帮助植物净化遭受污染的土壤。
Researchers at Reading University found that subtle changes occurred in metals as worms ingested and excreted soil.	雷丁大学的研究人员发现，蚯蚓摄取了土壤中的金属再排泄出来之后，其中的金属发生了细微的变化。
These changes make it easier for plants to take up potentially toxic metals from contaminated land.	这些变化使植物更容易从遭受污染的土地上吸收可能具有毒性的金属。
Earthworms could be the future "21st Century eco-warriors", scientists suggested at the British Association Science Festival in Liverpool.	科学家们在利物浦举行的英国科学联合会议上提出：蚯蚓可能会成为未来的“21世纪生态卫士”。
There are many sites across the UK with contaminated soil due to previous industrial activities, including mines, engineering works and lead smelters.	由于以前的工业活动，包括采矿、工程作业和铅冶炼，全英国有许多地方的土壤遭受了污染。
Earthworms are ideal "soil detectives": their presence can act as a reliable indicator to the general health of the soil.	蚯蚓是理想的“土壤xx员”：蚯蚓的出现可以作为一种可靠的指示，可以说明土壤清洁度的大体状况。
They have evolved a mechanism that allows them to survive in soils contaminated with toxic metals including arsenic, lead, copper and zinc.	它们通过进化产生了一种机制，这种机制能够使它们存活于受到毒性金属污染的土壤中，这些污染物包括：砷、铅、铜和锌。
"Earthworms produce metallothinein - a protein that is specifically designed to wrap around particular metals and keep them safe," explained Mark Hodson from the University of Reading.	雷丁大学的马克·霍德森解释说：“这种蚯蚓产生金属硫蛋白——一种特种蛋白，用来把特定的金属包裹起来，保护蚯蚓的安全。”
"In broad terms, if an earthworm can cope with one type of metal, it can often cope with a suite of metals," he added.	他还说：“从广义上来讲，如果一条蚯蚓可以对付一种金属，那么它就通常可以对付一类金属。”
Metal harvest	金属的收集
A key piece of equipment in the study was the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, the UK's newest synchrotron.	该研究中运用的一件关键设备是牛津郡的金刚石光源器，这是英国{zx1}的同步加速器。
The X-ray technology there allowed scientists to examine metal samples that were, in Dr Hodson's words, "around 1,000 times smaller than a grain of salt".	那里的X射线技术使科学家们能够检测金属采样，拿霍德森博士的话说就是：“能够检测比一粒盐还要小1000倍的金属采样。”
They found that properties of metals in the material excreted from earthworms were slightly different from those found in the rest of the soil.	他们发现，蚯蚓排泄物中的金属跟从其余土壤中发现的金属在特性上稍微有所不同。
Some plants can pull out toxic metals from the soil, incorporate them into their tissues, and then be harvested and removed.	一些植物可以从土壤中吸收有毒的金属，将其并入植物组织。然后可以收割植物，除掉金属。
This whole process offers a sustainable and non-intrusive way to decontaminate land. But it can take a very long time.	整个过程提供了一种可持续性、非侵扰性的土地净化方式。然而，这个过程可能耗时很长。
Earthworms make the metals more readily available to plants, speeding up the process and making it more efficient.	蚯蚓使金属更容易为植物所吸收，加速了净化过程，并使净化过程更为高效。
"The dream scenario is that the plants become so wonderfully efficient at extracting the metals that you can then take them off to a smelting plant," said Dr Hodson.	“一个不太现实的设想为：植物在金属吸收方面变得异常高效，然后你xx可以将植物运到冶炼厂去，”霍德森博士说。

 

译自：《英国广播公司网站》（12 September 2008）