研究人员利用激光研究古代秘鲁木乃伊
📖 逐句对照翻译
For more than 5,000 years, humans have covered themselves with permanent artistic designs known as tattoos.
5000多年来，人类一直用被称为纹身的永久艺术图案来装饰自己。
In a recent study, researchers used lasers to uncover highly complex designs of ancient tattoos on mummies from Peru.
在最近的一项研究中，研究人员利用激光揭示了秘鲁木乃伊上古代纹身的高度复杂设计。
The skin of the mummies and the black liquid, or ink, used to make the tattoos permitted researchers to observe fine details.
木乃伊的皮肤以及用于制作纹身的黑色液体（或墨水）使研究人员得以观察到精细的细节。
These marks are not visible to the human eye, said study co-writer Michael Pittman of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
研究报告的合著者、香港中文大学的迈克尔·皮特曼表示，这些痕迹肉眼是看不见的。
The researchers examined around 100 mummies dating to around 775 years ago.
研究人员检查了大约100具距今约775年的木乃伊。
The mummies were from coastal Peru’s Chancay culture, which grew and developed before the Inca empire and the arrival of Europeans.
这些木乃伊来自秘鲁沿海的昌凯文化，该文化在印加帝国和欧洲人到来之前就已经发展兴盛。
All the individuals had some form of tattoos on the back of their hands, knuckles, arms or other body parts.
所有这些人手上、指关节、手臂或其他身体部位都有某种形式的纹身。
The study paid careful attention to four individuals with “exceptional tattoos” — designs of shapes such as triangles and diamonds, said Pittman.
皮特曼说，这项研究特别关注了四个有“特殊纹身”的人——三角形和菱形等形状的图案。
It was not clear how the tattoos were created.
目前尚不清楚这些纹身是如何形成的。
But they are “of a quality that stands up against the really good electric tattooing of today,” said Aaron Deter-Wolf of the Tennessee Division of Archaeology.
但田纳西州考古部门的亚伦·德特-沃尔夫表示，它们的“质量足以与当今真正优秀的电动纹身相媲美”。
Deter-Wolf was not involved in the research.
德特-沃尔夫没有参与这项研究。
The study results appeared recently in the publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
研究结果最近发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》上。
Using lasers that make skin glow, “we basically turn skin into a light bulb,” said study co-writer Tom Kaye of the nonprofit Foundation for Scientific Advancement based in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
研究报告的合著者、亚利桑那州谢拉维斯塔非营利组织科学促进基金会的汤姆·凯伊说，用激光照射皮肤使其发光，“我们基本上是把皮肤变成了灯泡”。
The findings were “helpful to learn about new non-destructive technologies that can help us study and document sensitive archaeological materials,” such as mummies, said Deter-Wolf.
德特-沃尔夫说，这些发现“有助于了解新的无损技术，这些技术可以帮助我们研究和记录木乃伊等敏感考古材料”。
The oldest known tattoos ever discovered are on the remains of a Neolithic man who lived in the Italian Alps around five thousand years ago.
已知最古老的纹身发现于一名生活在约五千年前意大利阿尔卑斯山地区的新石器时代男子的遗骸上。
Many mummies from ancient Egypt also have tattoos, as do remains from cultures around the world.
许多古埃及木乃伊身上也有纹身，世界各地的文化遗骸中亦是如此。
People have used tattooing for many reasons throughout history.
纵观历史，人们出于多种原因使用纹身。
The marks can show cultural or individual identity, social standing, and more.
这些标记可以显示文化或个人身份、社会地位等。
Tattoos also have been used for protection against disease or to deepen relationships with spirits or gods, suggested Lars Krutak.
拉斯·克鲁塔克提出，纹身也被用来抵御疾病或加深与神灵或神祇的联系。
Krutak, who works at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was not involved in the research.
克鲁塔克在新墨西哥州圣达菲的国际民间艺术博物馆工作，他没有参与这项研究。
Designs on ancient textile and stone products are more commonly found in good condition for study than are ancient tattoos.
古代纺织品和石制品上的图案通常比古代纹身保存得更好，更便于研究。
But ancient tattoos when studied can provide information about art forms that would not otherwise be available, suggested Martin Smith of Bournemouth University.
但伯恩茅斯大学的马丁·史密斯提出，研究古代纹身可以让我们了解到那些原本无法获取的艺术形式信息。
Smith was not involved in the recent study.
史密斯没有参与最近的研究。
I’m John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
Christina Larson reported on this story for the Associated Press.
克里斯蒂娜·拉森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。
