研究人员利用化学检测和人类嗅觉研究古代遗骸
📖 逐句对照翻译
A recent study about the smell of Egyptian mummies reached some surprising findings.
一项关于埃及木乃伊气味的最新研究得出了一些令人惊讶的发现。
The ancient bodies did not smell bad, the researchers found.
研究人员发现，这些古老的尸体并没有难闻的气味。
Instead, they say, the remains mostly smelled good.
相反，他们说这些遗骸大多闻起来还不错。
Cecilia Bembibre is director of research at University College London's Institute for Sustainable Heritage.
塞西莉亚·本比布雷是伦敦大学学院可持续遗产研究所的研究主任。
“In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” she said.
她说：“在电影和书籍里，那些闻到木乃伊尸体气味的人都会遭遇可怕的事情。”
“We were surprised at the pleasantness of them.
我们惊讶于它们的宜人。
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The researchers reported the leading descriptions of the smells as “woody,” “spicy” and “sweet.”
研究人员报告称，这些气味的主要描述为“木质香”、“辛辣”和“甜味”。
They also reported a floral or flowery smell.
他们还报告了一种花香或花香味。
That smell could be from pine and juniper resins used in mummification; a process designed to protect the body from decay.
这种气味可能来自木乃伊制作过程中使用的松树和杜松树脂；这一过程旨在保护尸体免于腐烂。
The study appeared recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
这项研究最近发表在《美国化学会志》上。
It used both chemical examinations and several human smellers to study nine mummies.
它结合了化学检测和数名人类嗅辨员，对九具木乃伊进行了研究。
The mummies, some around 5,000 years old, had been housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
这些木乃伊，其中一些约有5000年历史，此前一直保存在开罗的埃及博物馆。
Bembibre, one of the report’s writers, said the researchers wanted to study the smell of mummies because it has long been a subject of interest for the public and researchers alike.
该报告的作者之一本比布雷说，研究人员之所以想研究木乃伊的气味，是因为长期以来这一直是公众和研究人员感兴趣的话题。
She added that even fiction writers have written pages of work on the subject — for good reason.
她补充说，即便是小说作家也在这个主题上写下了大量的作品——这是有充分理由的。
Scent, or smell, was an important consideration in the mummification process.
气味，或者说香味，在木乃伊制作过程中是一个重要的考量因素。
This process used oils and plant-based materials to protect the body and its spirit for the afterlife.
这一过程使用油和植物基材料来保护身体及其灵魂，以备来世。
Mummification was largely used for powerful people such as pharaohs and other leaders.
木乃伊化主要用于权贵人物，如法老和其他领导人。
Pleasant smells were linked with purity and gods.
宜人的气味与纯洁和神灵相关联。
Bad smells were signs of corruption and decay.
难闻的气味是腐败和衰败的标志。
Researchers did not want to directly measure the mummies, because doing so might be damaging.
研究人员不想直接测量木乃伊，因为这样做可能会造成损坏。
Instead, researchers were able to take measurements that did not involve touching the mummies.
相反，研究人员能够进行不接触木乃伊的测量。
Researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia were able to measure smells, pesticides, and other effects due to mold, bacteria or microorganisms.
来自伦敦大学学院和斯洛文尼亚卢布尔雅那大学的研究人员能够测量气味、农药以及由霉菌、细菌或微生物引起的其他效应。
Using technical instruments to measure air molecules released from sarcophagi was very important, said Matija Strlič, a chemistry professor at the University of Ljubljana.
卢布尔雅那大学的化学教授马蒂亚·斯特利奇表示，使用技术仪器测量石棺中释放的空气分子非常重要。
"It tells us potentially what social class a mummy was from and therefore reveals a lot of information about the mummified body...." he said.
他说：“它可能告诉我们木乃伊来自哪个社会阶层，从而揭示大量关于这具木乃伊遗体的信息……”
“We believe that this approach is potentially of huge interest to other types of museum collections.”
我们相信，这种方法可能会引起其他类型博物馆藏品的极大兴趣。
Barbara Huber of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany was not involved in the study.
德国马克斯·普朗克地质人类学研究所的芭芭拉·胡贝尔没有参与这项研究。
Huber said the findings provide important data on compounds that could preserve or damage mummified remains.
胡贝尔表示，这些发现为可能保存或损害木乃伊遗骸的化合物提供了重要数据。
The information could be used to better protect the ancient bodies for future generations.
这些信息可用于为后代更好地保护这些古老的遗体。
Huber said that over thousands of years, differing conditions have changed the scents of the mummies in a major way.
胡贝尔表示，数千年来，不同的环境条件极大地改变了木乃伊的气味。
Huber wrote a study two years ago that examined a jar that had contained mummified organs of a woman.
胡贝尔两年前写过一项研究，该研究检验了一个曾装有一名女性木乃伊化器官的罐子。
The goal was to identify the material used to preserve the organs and what that would show about ancient trade paths.
目标是确定用于保存器官的材料，以及由此能揭示出古代贸易路线的哪些信息。
Researchers of the current study hope to do something similar.
当前这项研究的研究人员希望做类似的事情。
They want to use their findings to develop “smellscapes” to recreate the scents they discovered.
他们希望利用自己的发现来开发“气味景观”，以重现他们发现的气味。
They also want to change the experience for future museumgoers.
他们还希望改变未来参观博物馆者的体验。
Bembibre said museums generally ask visitors to experience everything with their eyes.
本比夫雷说，博物馆通常要求参观者用眼睛去体验一切。
She added that seeing mummies through “a glass case reduces the experience because we don’t get to smell them.”
她补充说，隔着“玻璃柜”看木乃伊会降低体验感，因为我们无法闻到它们的气味。
Smelling the scents of mummification would improve the museum visitors’ experiences, she suggested, as smell is one of the ways that people understand the world.
她提出，让博物馆参观者闻到木乃伊制作过程中的气味会提升他们的体验，因为嗅觉是人们理解世界的方式之一。
I’m John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
Brian Melley reported on this story for the Associated Press.
布莱恩·梅利为美联社报道了这一事件。
John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.
约翰·拉塞尔为VOA英语学习频道改编了它。
