VOA慢速：关于苏门答腊犀牛的好消息
欢迎来到今天的VOA慢速专区。
今天为大家带来一篇关于生态的新闻。
A genetic study of Sumatran rhinoceroses is providing what scientists call "good news" for the critically endangered animal.
对苏门答腊犀牛的基因研究为这种极度濒危的动物带来了科学家们所谓的“好消息”。
Experts say fewer than 100 of them remain in existence.
专家称现存的苏门答腊犀牛不足100只。
Researchers report that the two wild rhino populations on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra
研究人员报告说，婆罗洲和苏门答腊岛上的两个野生犀牛种群，
showed unexpectedly good genetic health in a new study.
在一项新研究中出人意料地表现出良好的基因健康。
The study also showed surprisingly low levels of inbreeding.
该研究还出人意料地表明其近亲繁殖水平低。
Inbreeding is the result of producing young from closely related parents.
近亲繁殖是亲缘关系较近的父母生育后代的结果。
The Sumatran rhinoceros is known for its two small horns and a thin coat of reddish-brown hair.
苏门答腊犀牛以其两个小犀牛角和一层薄薄的红棕色毛发而闻名。
It is the closest living relative to the wooly rhinoceros of the last Ice Age.
它是与最后一个冰河时代披毛犀亲缘关系最近的物种。
Nicolas Dussex helped lead the study that was published in Nature Communications.
尼古拉斯·杜塞克斯帮助领导了这项发表在《自然通讯》上的研究。
"With such small population sizes, we were expecting much higher inbreeding," he said.
他说：“在如此小的种群规模下，我们还以为近亲繁殖水平会高得多。”
Dussex added that the findings suggest there may still be time to save the genetic diversity of the animal.
杜塞克斯补充说，这些发现表明，我们可能还有时间来保护这个物种的遗传多样性。
Researchers studied the genomes of seven rhinos from Borneo, eight from Sumatra and six from the former Malay Peninsula population.
研究人员研究了婆罗洲的7头犀牛，苏门答腊岛的8头犀牛和前马来半岛的6头犀牛的基因组。
The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the world's five rhinoceros species,
苏门答腊犀牛是世界上五种犀牛中体型最小的一种，
weighing around 700 to 800 kilograms.
体重约为700公斤到800公斤。
The animal lives in rainforest areas.
这种动物生活在雨林地区。
It also lives alone, except when mating and raising young.
除了交配和抚养后代外，它都选择独居。
The animals once lived across a wide area of Southeast Asia, from the Himalayas to Borneo and Sumatra.
这种动物曾经生活在东南亚的大片地区，从喜马拉雅山到婆罗洲和苏门答腊。
Illegal hunting, or poaching, and environmental destruction have hurt its population.
非法狩猎或偷猎以及环境破坏使其种群数量减少。
The Sumatran rhinoceros population fell by about 70 percent over the past two decades.
苏门答腊犀牛的数量在过去20年里下降了约70%。
Johanna von Seth was the study's lead author.
约翰娜·冯·赛斯是这项研究的第一作者。
She says genetic diversity is very important to the animal's long-term survival.
她说，基因多样性对苏门答腊犀牛的长期生存非常重要。
It permits, she said, "adaptation to future environmental changes and diseases."
她说，它使动物能够适应未来的环境变化和疾病。
Adaptation means a change in an animal that makes it better able to live.
适应是指发生在动物身上使其能够更好地生存的变化。
The researchers said steps such as moving rhinos for mating or using artificial insemination
研究人员表示，为交配而迁移犀牛或使用人工授精术等措施
could cause an exchange of genes between the Borneo and Sumatra populations.
可能会使婆罗洲的犀牛种群和苏门答腊的犀牛种群进行基因交换。
The Sumatran rhinoceros has shown low reproductive success in captivity
圈养的苏门答腊犀牛繁殖成功率低，
and faces a high risk of inbreeding in the wild because of its small numbers.
而且由于其数量少，在野外还会面临近亲繁殖的高风险。
Inbreeding creates a heightened risk of genetic problems.
近亲繁殖会使出现遗传问题的风险增加。
Scientists had feared that reports of health issues among these rhinos were evidence of a dangerously inbred population.
科学家们曾担心，这些关于犀牛健康问题的报道会是犀牛近亲繁殖有危险的证据。
Love Dalén was a co-writer of the study.
洛夫·达伦是这项研究的合著者。
"It's important to remember that the Sumatran rhino is still on the verge of extinction due to non-genetic factors," he said.
“重要的是要记住，由于非遗传因素，苏门答腊犀牛仍然处于灭绝的边缘，”他说。
A factor is something that helps produce a result or effect.
因素是促进结果或效果产生的事物。
Dalén said that the study showed that the species' genetics alone will not necessarily cause its extinction.
达伦表示，这项研究表明，单是该物种的基因问题不一定会导致其灭绝。
But, problems from environmental destruction of its homelands and illegal hunting must be solved also, he said.
但他说，该物种家园环境遭到破坏和非法狩猎的问题也必须得到解决。
I'm John Russell.
约翰·拉塞尔为您播报。
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●奥黛丽·赫本颁奖礼上敬挚友 年过5旬，依旧风华绝代言语如诗
●“idiot girl”不是指“白痴女孩”，真正意思你绝对猜不到！
●water是水，work是工作，那waterworks是啥？你可能顶不住哦
●什么？“see you later”竟然不是“待会见”！这么多年都说错了！
●奥黛丽·赫本颁奖礼上敬挚友 年过5旬，依旧风华绝代言语如诗
●“idiot girl”不是指“白痴女孩”，真正意思你绝对猜不到！
●water是水，work是工作，那waterworks是啥？你可能顶不住哦
●什么？“see you later”竟然不是“待会见”！这么多年都说错了！
这里是 美国之音 频道