章节大纲

  • A stream flowing through a lush rainforest with various plants and trees.

     

    Why should we study the rainforest?
    ::为什么我们要研究雨林?

    Some scientists study problems that seem to have very little impact on our lives. For example, scientists are working to describe every type of plant and  animal  in the rainforest. What is the purpose? Many of our medicines come from plants and animals of the rainforest. So what medicines have not yet been discovered? There might be new cures to diseases yet to be identified. This is an example of how  science  can be applied to our lives.
    ::一些科学家研究似乎对我们的生活影响很小的问题。例如,科学家正在研究如何描述雨林中各种动植物。目的是什么?我们的许多药品来自雨林中的动植物。所以,哪些药品尚未被发现?也许还有新的疾病治疗方法有待确定。这是科学如何应用于我们生活的一个例子。

    Basic and Applied Science
    ::基础和应用科学

    Science can be "basic" or "applied." The goal of  basic science  is to understand how things work—whether it is a single  cell , an  organism  made of trillions of cells, or a whole  . Scientists working on basic science questions are simply looking to increase human knowledge of nature and the world around us. The knowledge obtained through the study of the subspecialties of the  life sciences  is mostly basic science. 
    ::基础科学的目标是了解事物是如何运作的 — — 不管是单细胞、由数万亿个细胞组成的有机体还是整体。 研究基础科学问题的科学家只是希望增加人类对自然和我们周围世界的知识。 通过生命科学亚专业研究获得的知识大多是基础科学。

    Basic science is the source of most  . For example, a scientist that tries to figure out how the body makes cholesterol, or what causes a particular disease, is performing basic science. This is also known as  basic research . Additional examples of basic research would be investigating how  glucose  is turned into cellular  energy  or determining how elevated   glucose levels can be harmful. The study of the cell (cell biology), the study of inheritance (genetics), the study of molecules (molecular biology), the study of microorganisms and   ( microbiology  and virology), the study of  tissues  and  organs  (physiology) are all types of basic research, and have all generated lots of information that is applied to humans and human health.
    ::基础科学是大多数基本科学的来源。例如,一位科学家试图了解身体是如何制造胆固醇的,或是什么导致某种疾病,他正在从事基础科学。这又被称为基础研究。基础研究的其他例子将是研究葡萄糖如何转化为细胞能量,或确定高血糖水平如何有害。细胞研究(细胞生物学)、遗产研究(遗传学)、分子研究(分子生物学)、微生物和微生物研究(微生物和病毒学)、组织和器官研究(生理学)都是基础研究的种类,而且所有研究都产生了大量适用于人类和人类健康的信息。

    Applied science  is using scientific discoveries, such as those from basic research, to solve practical problems. For example, medicine, and all that is known about how to treat patients, is applied science based on basic research ( Figure   ). A doctor administering a  drug  to lower a person's cholesterol is an example of applied science. Applied science also creates new technologies based on basic science. For example, designing windmills to capture  wind energy  is applied science ( Figure   ). This technology relies, however, on basic science. Studies of wind patterns and    migration  routes help determine the best placement for the windmills.
    ::应用科学正在利用科学发现,例如基础研究的发现,解决实际问题。例如,医学和所有已知的病人治疗方法都是基于基础研究的应用科学(图 )。使用药物降低一个人胆固醇的医生就是应用科学的一个例子。应用科学还创造了基于基础科学的新技术。例如,设计风力车以捕捉风能是应用科学(图 )。但是,这种技术依赖于基础科学。对风力模式和迁移路线的研究有助于确定风力车的最佳位置。

    Surgeons performing an operation, illustrating the application of scientific research in medicine.

     

    Surgeons operating on a person, an example of applied science.
    ::以个人为对象的外科医生,应用科学的一个例子。

    Windmills lined up along a beach, showcasing renewable energy technology.

     

    Windmills capturing energy, an example of applied science.
    ::风车捕捉能源, 应用科学的一个例子。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Basic science, such as understanding how cells work, is research aimed at understanding fundamental problems.
      ::基础科学,例如了解细胞如何工作,是旨在了解基本问题的研究。
    • Applied science, such as the medical field, is the application of basic scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.
      ::医疗领域等应用科学是应用基本科学知识解决实际问题。
    • Applied science uses and applies information obtained through basic science.
      ::应用科学使用和应用通过基础科学获得的信息。

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use the resources below to answer the questions that follow.
    ::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

    Explore More I
    ::探索更多

    • Basic vs. Applied Research  at  .
      ::Basics v. Application Research at . 基础研究与应用研究 .
    1. What is basic research? Give two examples of basic research.
      ::基础研究是什么?举两个基础研究的例子。
    1. What is applied research? Give two examples of applied research.
      ::应用研究是什么?请举两个应用研究的例子。
    1. What is the relationship between basic research and applied science?
      ::基础研究与应用科学之间的关系是什么?
    1. Why do some scientists believe more emphasis needs to be placed on applied science?
      ::为什么有些科学家认为需要更加重视应用科学?

    Explore More II
    ::探索更多情况二

    • Reinvesting in Basic Research  at   (3:58)
      ::3:58时进行基础研究再投资
    1. How could basic biomedical research lead to better physicians?
      ::基础生物医学研究如何导致更好的医生?
    1. What is BMPER? Did its discovery come from basic or applied research? Explain your reasoning fully.
      ::BMPER是什么? 它的发现来自基础研究还是应用研究? 充分解释你的推理。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What is the difference between basic and applied science?
      ::基础科学与应用科学有什么区别?
    1. What is an example of applied science?
      ::应用科学的例子是什么?