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An honest error has led to promising research into the development of species-specific insecticides.
一个诚实的错误已经引领研究人员对于特有杀虫剂开展了有最具潜力的研究。
The account is in the journal Nature Communications.
这项研究已经在《自然通讯》杂志上发表。
A team of Johns Hopkins scientists study sodium channels responsible for electrical signaling in nerve cells from humans and from cockroaches.
约翰霍普金斯大学的一个科学家研究小组致力于人类和蟑螂神经细胞里负责电气信号钠离子通道的研究。
Spider venom protein messes with these sodium channels—that’s why venom is dangerous.
研究发现蜘蛛毒液蛋白可以干扰这条彼此间的通道—这就说明毒液极具危险性的原因。
So the researchers use spider venom protein to disrupt the channels and thus clarify exactly how the channels function.
因此研究人员用蜘蛛毒液干扰钠离子通道，因此恰好阐明了通道运作的原理。
The researchers recently asked for venom protein samples from Australian collaborators.
研究人员最近从澳大利亚合作研究人员那里找来毒液蛋白样品。
And the Aussies accidentally included a spider venom protein that has no effect on humans or American cockroaches.
然而他们意外发现这些样本中存在一个对人类和美国蟑螂没有影响的蜘蛛毒液蛋白样品。
In their tests, the Hopkins researchers found when sodium channels from German cockroaches were exposed to the mistakenly included sample, their activity skyrocketed, enough to cause death-inducing seizures.
在测试中，霍普金斯大学研究人员发现当德国蟑螂神经细胞里的钠离子通道接触这一错误的特别样本时，它们呈现情绪高涨，行为活跃，引发痉挛，甚至死亡的表现。
Intrigued that the American roach sodium channel laughed off the venom that would kill the German roach, the scientists found a key region on the two species'channels that differed by only two amino acids.
对美国蟑螂毫无影响力的毒液却可以杀死德国蟑螂。研究人员于此发现关键这两个物种通道有两个不同的氨基酸。
The scientists say the information could help with the creation of insecticides that target one harmful insect species without hurting beneficial ones, like bees.
科学家称这一信息可以有助于针对害虫，而不伤害像蜜蜂这样有益昆虫杀虫剂的制造。
As the study authors note: The more specific a toxin's target, the less dangerous it is for everything else."
就像这项研究的作者所坦言的：杀虫剂针对的目标越具体，对别的物种的伤害就越小。
