20170708

Spreading cancer caught on film
The way in which every single cancer cell spreads around the body has been captured in videos by a team in Japan.
The normal body tissues show up as green, while the cancer comes out as intense red spots.
The team, at the University of Tokyo and the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center, says the technology will help explain the deadly process.
The research is on mice so far, but it is hoped the method could one day help with treatment too.
The spread of cancer around the body is a crucial moment called metastasis.
Before a cancer spreads it is easier to contain and cure, afterwards it is incredibly difficult.
The tumour itself has to evolve so bits of it are able to break free, survive travelling in the blood stream and invade new tissues.
A deeper understanding of how this happens could lead to new ideas for treatment.
The mice were injected with cancerous tissue engineered to fluoresce.
fluoresce 【自動】蛍光を発する
The researchers then let the disease progress before using chemicals that made the mouse's body and internal organs highly transparent.
It meant the body could be rapidly imaged and the location of any cancerous tissue detected.
The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, details cancers growing in the lungs, intestines, and liver before spreading around the body.
Dr Hiroki Ueda, one of the researchers, said: "The images reveal cancerous colonies in enough detail to calculate their shapes, volumes, and distributions - characteristics critical to distinguishing between patterns of metastasis.
He told the BBC News website: "We are now applying this technology to the human clinical samples.
"I hope this tissue-clearing and 3D imaging of human samples will make diagnosis easier, more objective and accurate in near future."
Further experiments showed how cancer can get better at spreading.
Dr Kohei Miyazono said: "Most of the cancer cells appear to die during circulation in the bloodstream and fail to metastasise."
But cancers then start producing chemical signals to help them grow.
The researchers tested the effect of one of them, called TGF-beta, and showed it dramatically improved the chances of cancers colonising the lung tissue.
TGF-β細胞増殖・分化を制御し、細胞死を促すことが知られているサイトカイン（細胞の働きを調節する分泌性蛋白の一種）です。TGF-βは上皮系細胞に対する強力な増殖抑制作用を示すことから、癌抑制因子として注目されてきた。
TGF-βの作用はきわめて多様で細胞の分化・増殖さらに細胞機能の調節に深く関与しているため、その細胞内情報伝達機構を詳細に理解することは非常に重要である。TGF-βの情報伝達機構は近年、急速に解明が進んでいるが、未だその強力な増殖抑制作用の分子機構は十分に理解されていない。
"[They] are far more likely to survive the journey and form malignant outposts," Dr Miyazono added.
It is thought the technology could be adapted to other disciplines, including how the body's cells behave in people with autoimmune diseases.
discipline〔学問の〕領域、分野、学科

​20170707

France set to ban sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040
set to 【句動】～へ向かう、本気でやり始める 
Hybrid and electric cars, like this Renault, make up about 5% of the French car market
France is set to ban the sale of any car that uses petrol or diesel fuel by 2040, in what the ecology minister called a "revolution".
Nicolas Hulot announced the planned ban on fossil fuel vehicles as part of a renewed commitment to the Paris climate deal.
He said France planned to become carbon neutral by 2050.
carbon-neutral【形】カーボンニュートラルな植物由来の原料の場合、燃やして炭酸ガスを放出しても、その炭酸ガス中の炭素は元来植物が光合成によって大気中の炭酸ガスから取り込んだものなので、大気中の炭酸ガス濃度は常に一定に保たれる。このような炭素循環の考え方をカーボンニュートラルという。
Hybrid cars make up about 3.5% of the French market, with pure electric vehicles accounting for just 1.2%.
It is not yet clear what will happen to existing fossil fuel vehicles still in use in 2040.
Mr Hulot, a veteran environmental campaigner, was appointed by new French President Emmanuel Macron. Mr Macron has openly criticised US environmental policy, urging Donald Trump to "make our planet great again".
President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement in June was explicitly named as a factor in France's new vehicle plan.
named as a cause for  《be ～》～の原因［要因］として指定［名指し］される
"France has decided to become carbon neutral by 2050 following the US decision," Mr Hulot said, adding that the government would have to make investments to meet that target. 
Poorer households would receive financial assistance to replace older, more polluting vehicles with cleaner ones, he said.
Earlier this week, car manufacturer Volvo said all of its new car models would be at least partly electric from 2019, an announcement referenced by Mr Hulot.
He said he believes French car manufacturers - including brands such as Peugeot-Citroen and Renault - would meet the challenge, although he acknowledged it would be difficult. Renault's "Zoe" electric vehicle range is one of the most popular in Europe.
However, traditional fossil fuel vehicles account for about 95% of the European market.
Other targets set in the French environmental plan include ending coal power plants by 2022, reducing nuclear power to 50% of total output by 2025, and ending the issuance of new oil and gas exploration licences.
Several French cities struggle with high levels of air pollution, including Paris, which endured several days of peak pollution in March.
The capital has implemented a range of measures to cut down on cars, but air pollution is also a problem in picturesque mountain regions.
Last month, a woman took the French state to court over what she said was a failure to protect her health from the effects of air pollution in Paris.
Norway, which is the leader in the use of electric cars in Europe, wants to move to electric-only vehicles by 2025, as does the Netherlands. Both Germany and India have proposed similar measures with a target of 2030.

20170703

Hawking says Trump's climate stance could damage Earth
Stephen Hawking says that US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement could lead to irreversible climate change.
Prof Hawking said the action could put Earth onto a path that turns it into a hothouse planet like Venus.
He also feared aggression was "inbuilt" in humans and that our best hope of survival was to live on other planets.
The Cambridge professor spoke exclusively to BBC News to coincide with his 75th birthday celebrations.
Arguably the world's most famous scientist, Prof Hawking has had motor neurone disease for most of his adult life. It has impaired his movement and ability to speak.
motor neurone disease 運動ニューロン疾患
運動神経（大脳からの運動の命令を筋肉まで伝える神経）が選択的に障害され、運動神経以外（感覚神経や自律神経、脳の高度な機能）はほとんど障害されない進行性の神経変性疾患を、総合的に運動ニューロン疾患（MND）といいます。
Yet through it all, he emerged as one of the greatest minds of our time. His theories on black holes and the origin of the Universe have transformed our understanding of the cosmos.
Prof Hawking has also inspired generations to study science. But through his media appearances what has been most impressive of all has been his humanity.
through it all その間ずっと
His main concern during his latest interview was the future of our species. A particular worry was President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement to reduce CO2 levels.
"We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible. Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of two hundred and fifty degrees, and raining sulphuric acid," he told BBC News.
tipping point〔重大な変化が起きる〕転換点、転機
"Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it's one we can prevent if we act now. By denying the evidence for climate change, and pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Donald Trump will cause avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children."
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also highlights the potential risk of hitting climate tipping points as temperatures increase - though there are gaps in our knowledge of this topic.
In its Fifth Assessment Report, the IPCC authors wrote: "The precise levels of climate change sufficient to trigger tipping points (thresholds for abrupt and irreversible change) remain uncertain, but the risk associated with crossing multiple tipping points in the Earth system or in interlinked human and natural systems increases with rising temperature."
When asked whether he felt we would ever solve our environmental problems and resolve human conflicts, Prof Hawking was pessimistic, saying that he thought our days on Earth were numbered.
"I fear evolution has inbuilt greed and aggression to the human genome. There is no sign of conflict lessening, and the development of militarised technology and weapons of mass destruction could make that disastrous. The best hope for the survival of the human race might be independent colonies in space."
built-in【形】組み込みの、作り付けの、生来の、固有な、本質的な

And on Brexit, he feared UK research would be irreparably damaged.
"Science is a cooperative effort, so the impact will be wholly bad, and will leave British science isolated and inward looking".
I asked him what he would like his legacy to be.
"I never expected to reach 75, so I feel very fortunate to be able to reflect on my legacy. I think my greatest achievement, will be my discovery that black holes are not entirely black."
"Quantum effects cause them to glow like hot bodies with a temperature that is lower, the larger the black hole. This result was completely unexpected, and showed there is a deep relationship between gravity and thermodynamics. I think this will be key, to understanding how paradoxes between quantum mechanics and general relativity can be resolved."
When asked if money or practicality were no object, what his dream present would be, he said it would be a cure for motor neurone disease - or at least a treatment that halted its progression.
"When I was diagnosed at 21, I was told it would kill me in two or three years. Now, 54 years later, albeit weaker and in a wheelchair, I'm still working and producing scientific papers. But it's been a great struggle, which I have got through only with a lot of help from my family, colleagues, and friends."

​20170628

Tick saliva 'gold mine' blocks killer heart condition
The saliva from ticks could be used to treat a dangerous kind of heart disease that can cause sudden death in young people, scientists say.
Proteins in the saliva were found to be excellent at stopping inflammation of the heart, which can cause myocarditis and lead to heart failure.
Oxford University researchers say ticks are a "gold mine" for new drugs.
And there is potential they could be used to treat other diseases, such as stroke and arthritis, they said.
But all the research has so far been done in the lab, so it is likely to be many years before the drugs are used on humans.
myocarditis 【名】《病理》心筋炎
arthritis【名】関節炎【語源】ギリシャ語arthro（＝joint）+ itis（炎症）アースライティス
Ticks are experts at biting without being noticed.
This means ticks can feed on animals and humans for eight to 10 days without there being any pain or inflammation.
Writing in Scientific Reports, scientists say this is a result of proteins in the saliva preventing inflammation by neutralising chemicals called chemokines in the host.
chemokinesケモカイン、炎症性細胞遊走因子
ケモカイン (Chemokine) は、Gタンパク質共役受容体を介してその作用を発現する塩基性タンパク質であり、サイトカインの一群である。白血球などの遊走を引き起こし炎症の形成に関与する。走化性の(chemotactic)サイトカイン(cytokine)を意味する。
サイトカイン(cytokine) とは、免疫システムの細胞から分泌されるタンパク質で、標的細胞は特定されない情報伝達をするものをいう。多くの種類があるが特に免疫、炎症に関係したものが多い。また細胞の増殖、分化、細胞死、あるいは創傷治癒などに関係するものがある。
Myocarditis can result in sudden cardiac death in young adults
This is also important in people with myocarditis, a condition where chemokines are released in the heart and cause inflammation to the heart muscle.
The problem is difficult to spot and can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure in a third of people, with some then needing a heart transplant.
dilated cardiomyopathy《病理》拡張型心筋症
The researchers have now identified new proteins in tick saliva that appear to block the effect of particular chemokines that cause heart problems.
Prof Shoumo Bhattacharya, BHF professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford, who led the research, said: "Myocarditis is a devastating disease, for which there are currently very few treatments.
"With this latest research, we hope to be able to take inspiration from the tick's anti-inflammatory strategy and design a life-saving therapy for this dangerous heart condition.
He added: "We may also be able to use the same drugs to treat other diseases where inflammation plays a big part, such as heart attack, stroke, pancreatitis, and arthritis."
Tick saliva can contain up to 3,000 proteins, depending on the tick species.
To avoid having to milk the ticks for their saliva using a tiny tube - the way it used to be done - scientists now grow tick saliva proteins in yeast, from synthetic genes.
milk【他動】〔動物から〕乳を搾る 〔毒や樹液などを〕搾り出す、抜く
This way they can make very large amounts.
They now hope their "bug to drug" pipeline will lead to new treatments for a range of other diseases.
Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "They may not be pretty, but these little creatures could hold the secret to better treatments for a whole range of diseases.
"There's a long way to go, but tick saliva looks like an exciting, albeit unconventional, area of research."

20170627

SpaceX completes launch and landing double bill
double bill 〔映画の〕2本立て
US rocket company SpaceX completed back-to-back launches at the weekend.
back-to-back【形】背中合わせの   相次ぐ、次から次の、連続の
Late on Friday, it used one of its refurbished Falcon 9 vehicles to put up a Bulgarian satellite from Florida.
Then on Sunday, SpaceX lofted another 10 spacecraft for telecommunications company Iridium. This time, the rocket flew out of California.
refurbished 【形】修復の終わった
Both missions saw the Falcon first-stages come back to Earth under control to drone ships that had been positioned out on the ocean.
It means SpaceX has now had 13 landing successes for those missions it has sought to recover the booster. That said, Friday's first-stage had a particularly hard landing, and looked bent over on the live video feed.
"Rocket is extra toasty and hit the deck hard (used almost all of the emergency crush core), but otherwise good," quipped SpaceX chief executive, Elon Musk, on Twitter.
quip 【自動】冗談に言う、皮肉を言う、ジョークを飛ばす 
His firm does not expect to recover every booster, because the flight profile required on many satellite launches will lead to re-entry speeds that are simply too fast to curtail with the available propellant.
curtail【他動】〔物の端を〕切り詰める
Friday's mission was launched from the US East Coast, from the Kennedy Space Center's famous Apollo and shuttle pad, 39A.
The "second-hand" Falcon 9 lifted off at 15:10 local time (1910 GMT).
Its passenger, BulgariaSat-1, was dropped off in orbit, some 30 minutes later.
The spacecraft will be used to beam TV into homes in Bulgaria and Serbia.
The Falcon booster was last flown in January, to launch 10 satellites for the Iridium sat-phone and data-relay company. And it was another Iridium launch that topped out the weekend's activities.
top out【句動】  頂点［最高点・上限］に達する
This second mission, on a brand new Falcon, occurred on the West Coast, from the Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Iridium is in the midst of replacing its global network of satellites. Another 10 went up on this latest flight.
SpaceX has another six launches on the books for Iridium, whose existing network of more than 60 spacecraft is now well past its design life.
Sunday's lift-off occurred at 13:25 local time (20:25 GMT). The returning booster on this occasion sported new titanium grid fins to help steer the vehicle back to its waiting drone ship.
The titanium ought to be more robust than the previous aluminium type, said Mr Musk, removing the requirement for repair or replacement. This should speed the turnaround of future boosters for re-use.
"New titanium grid fins worked even better than expected. Should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service," the CEO tweeted.
turnaround 【名】〔船や航空機などの〕ターンアラウンド◆寄港や着陸をしてから、乗客や貨物の積み降ろしや燃料補給などを行って、再び出発するまでの過程、またはその時間。
Iridium's business is mobile communications, providing connections to anyone who is not near a fixed line. These customers include the military, oil and gas platforms, ships and broadcasters.
Increasingly, it also includes remote machinery reporting in its status to a central server. This machine-to-machine service has a big future, especially as more and more devices are linked together in the coming, so-called "internet of things".
The new Iridium satellites also host payloads for two tracking companies. One of is Aireon, which aims to offer a service that reports the positions of aircraft by sensing their ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) transmissions. This would be useful in following planes that are beyond radar coverage, but could also help airlines plan more efficient routing.
The other hosted payload is for exactEarth, which does something very similar with ships. Large vessels transmit an Automatic Identification System message that can be sensed from orbit.
Again, shipping companies can use the tracking service to keep tabs on vessels and to plot the best available course to a port.

20170626

Cholesterol-lowering jab to help prevent heart disease
Human trials of a cholesterol-lowering vaccine to help prevent heart disease are under way after successful studies in mice.Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna are testing the safety of their experimental treatment in 72 volunteers. The jab is designed to stop fatty deposits from clogging the arteries.
It would offer patients an alternative to taking daily pills to cut their risk of stroke, angina and heart attacks.
It will take years more of testing to know if the treatment will be safe and effective enough for human use, Dr Guenther Staffler and colleagues from The Netherlands Organisation of Applied Scientific Research say in the European Heart Journal.
Even if it does become available, in six years' time, it should not be seen as an excuse for people to avoid exercise and eat lots of high-fat food, they add.
used as an excuse for《be ～》～の口実に使われる
The jab helps the body's immune system to attack a protein, called PCSK9, that would otherwise allow "bad" low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to build up in the bloodstream.
PCSK9は肝細胞表面に発現しているLDL受容体を分解し、肝臓がLDL-C（悪玉コレステロール）を血中から除去する能力を低下させる[3]。エボロクマブはこのPCSK9に結合して、PCSK9とLDL受容体との結合を阻害し、LDL受容体が分解されることを防ぎ、肝臓のLDL-C分解能を維持する。
低密度リポタンパク質（LDL）リポタンパク質の中でコレステロール含有量が最も多く、末梢組織にコレステロールを供給する。そのため、悪玉コレステロールとも呼ばれる。LDL受容体を介して主に肝臓に取り込まれ異化される。
LDL受容体欠損症は家族性高コレステロール血症(FH:familial hypercholesterolemia)とよばれ、特にホモ欠損症では総コレステロール値が600mg以上にもなり思春期にも虚血性心疾患など重篤な動脈硬化症に至る。 LDLが酸化・変性・糖化することによってLDL受容体への親和性を失う（酸化LDL）。その場合、スカベンジャー受容体などを経てマクロファージに取り込まれ、マクロファージの機能を変化させることにより動脈硬化症を発症すると考えられている。
The researchers envisage that patients could have a yearly booster shot to top up their immunity.
In mice, the treatment cuts LDL cholesterol by up to 50% over 12 months and appears to protect against the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries (atherosclerosis).
booster shot 追加［二度目］の接種［予防注射］、効能促進剤
atherosclerosis  【名】《病理》アテローム性動脈硬化（症）
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood. We all need it, but too much "bad" LDL cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
"Good" high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, on the other hand, is beneficial because it helps transport other types of cholesterol from the blood to the liver, where it can be broken down.
Some people have high cholesterol because of an inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia.
Poor diet, high alcohol consumption, smoking and inactivity are also linked with high cholesterol.
Aren't there pills to reduce it?
familial hypercholesterolemia  家族性高コレステロール血（症）
People with high cholesterol can take cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins, to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.
statin 【名】 スタチン◆コレステロールの生合成に関わる酵素を阻害することによって、血清コレステロールのレベルを下げ、脂肪を減らす薬。
But although these are very cheap and effective, they will not work for everyone.
Some people dislike taking daily medication or forget to take it because they are feeling well. Rarely, there can be side-effects.
Researchers have been looking at alternative treatment options that they can give to patients alongside or instead of statins.
What happens next?
The first phase of testing on 72 human volunteers should be completed by the end of the year.
This will check if there are any safety issues or side-effects before more studies in people can begin.
There is a concern that the therapeutic vaccine might increase the risk of diabetes.
The researchers at the Medical University of Vienna who are conducting the human studies will be on the look out for this.
Dr Tim Chico, a cardiologist from the University of Sheffield, said: "Many questions remain about whether this approach could work in man.
"This is yet more proof that cholesterol causes heart disease, and lowering cholesterol reduces risk of heart disease, so it confirms the importance of a healthy lifestyle for everyone and medications such as statins for some people to reduce risk of heart disease."
Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "Finding new ways to manage people's cholesterol levels is absolutely vital.
"Although only tested in mice, this vaccine could lead to a simple way to target high cholesterol and ultimately reduce people's risk of heart disease."

20170625

Cardiff scientist to 'train' virus to fight ovarian cancer
A Cardiff scientist is to explore whether viruses can be "trained" to tackle ovarian cancer after being given a ￡250,000 Cancer Research UK grant.
Dr Alan Parker, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, will lead a team to examine and alter the Ad5 virus.
In its original form it can can cause airways infections and is usually spread through coughing and sneezing.
But Dr Parker will use new technology to see if it can be genetically modified to destroy cancer cells.
senior lecturer 《a ～》〈英〉上級講師
Ad5 virus腫瘍溶解性ウイルス（しゅようようかいせいウイルス、英: oncolytic virus）とは、癌細胞に感染してこれを細胞死させるウイルスの総称である。感染した癌細胞は融解し、感染性を持つ新たなウイルス粒子を放出して他の癌細胞に感染する。腫瘍溶解性ウイルスは腫瘍細胞を直接死に至らしめるのみならず、宿主の抗腫瘍免疫活性を上昇させる。
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most-common cancer among women in the UK, with around 7,400 women diagnosed each year and around 4,100 women dying from it annually.
"Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and five-year survival has remained stubbornly unchanged, at around 40%, for almost 25 years," Dr Parker said.
"Using viruses as a way to treat cancer is becoming more common and we're already seeing that some are showing great promise.
"People often think viruses are bad. However, they can actually be 'trained' to be an effective cancer treatment."
He said he often compares the complex research to the children's film How to Train Your Dragon.
『ヒックとドラゴン』（原題: How to Train Your Dragon）は、2010年のアメリカの3Dアニメ映画。
"At the beginning of the film the dragon comes across as being destructive and deadly, but one of the characters then trains the dragon to be a force for great good," Dr Parker added.
force for good 世のため人のためになる力、善を促進する力
"It's very similar to viruses. The viruses we use in their original form can cause a cough or cold.
"We want to understand how the virus infects cells so we can engineer or 'train' the virus to be a force for good by identifying and killing cancer cells."
The research is estimated to take between five and 10 years to complete and, if successful, it is hoped it could also treat other forms of the disease including breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers.
Ruth Amies, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Wales, said: "We hope this research will improve our understanding of ovarian cancer and help lead to the development of new treatments in the future, which could ultimately improve survival for those diagnosed with the disease."

20170623

Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq 
A sniper with Canada’s elite special forces in Iraq has shattered the world record for the longest confirmed kill shot in military history at a staggering distance of 3,540 metres.
The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed Thursday that a member of Joint Task Force 2 made the record-breaking shot, killing an Islamic State insurgent during an operation in Iraq within the last month. 
“The Canadian Special Operations Command can confirm that a member of Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target at 3,540 metres,” the forces said in a statement. “For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place.”
The elite sniper was using a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle while firing from a high-rise during an operation that took place within the last month in Iraq. It took under 10 seconds to hit the target. 
“The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces,” said a military source.  “Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad guys didn’t have a clue what was happening.”
have a clue分かる  clue【名】手掛かり
The military source said the JTF2 operation fell within the strictures of the government’s advise and assist mission.
fall within ～の範囲に入る、～に含まれる
stricture of 狭窄
“As stated multiple times in the past, members of the Canadian Special Operations Task Force do not accompany leading combat elements, but enable the Iraqi security forces who are in a tough combat mission,” the statement said.  “This takes the form of advice in planning their operations and assistance to defeat Daesh through the use of coalition resources.”
The kill was independently verified by video camera and other data, The Globe and Mail has learned.
“Hard data on this. It isn’t an opinion. It isn’t an approximation. There is a second location with eyes on with all the right equipment to capture exactly what the shot was,” another military source said. 
A military insider told The Globe: “This is an incredible feat. It is a world record that might never be equalled.”
The world record was previously held by British sniper Craig Harrison, who shot a Taliban gunner with a 338 Lapua Magnum rifle from 2,475 metres away in 2009.
Previously, Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong had set the world record in 2002 at 2,430 metres when he gunned down an Afghan insurgent carrying an RPK machine gun during Operation Anaconda.
Weeks before, Canadian Master Cpl. Arron Perry briefly held the world’s best sniper record after he fatally shot an insurgent at 2,310 metres during the same operation. Both soldiers were members of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
JTF2 special forces are primarily tasked with counterterrorism, sniper operations and hostage rescue. Much of the information about this elite organization is classified and not commented on by the government. The unit’s snipers and members of Canadian Special Operations Regiment, who are carrying out the main task of training Kurdish forces, have been operating in tough conditions in Iraq.
The Trudeau government pulled CF-18 fighter jets out of Iraq in 2016 but expanded the military mission, which will see the number of Canadian special forces trainers climb to 207 from 69 in an assist, train and advise mission. Canadian commandos are not supposed to be involved in direct combat, but are authorized to go up to the front lines on training missions with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and to paint targets for coalition air strikes.
For operational security reasons, sources would not reveal the names of the elite Canadian sniper and his partner, nor the location where the action took place.
A sniper and his observer partner are often sent to remote and dangerous locations to hunt down insurgents while having to carry heavy equipment. Once they have located the target, snipers follow the same methodical approach before each shot. Breathe in, out, in, out, find a natural pause and then squeeze the trigger.
Canada has a reputation among Western military forces for the quality of its snipers, despite the small size of the Canadian Armed Forces compared to the United States and Britain. 
“Canada has a world-class sniper system. It is not just a sniper. They work in pairs. There is an observer,” a military source said. “This is a skill set that only a very few people have.”
The skill of the JTF2 sniper in taking down an insurgent at 3,540 metres required math skills, great eyesight, precision of ammunition and firearms, and superb training. 
“It is at the distance where you have to account not just for the ballistics of the round, which change over time and distance, you have to adjust for wind, and the wind would be swirling,” said a source with expertise in training Canadian special forces. 
“You have to adjust for him firing from a higher location downward and as the round drops you have to account for that. And from that distance you actually have to account for the curvature of the Earth.”
U.S. Sergeant Bryan Kremer has the longest confirmed sniper kill shot by a U.S. soldier. He killed an Iraqi insurgent with his Barrett M82A1 rifle at 2,300 metres in 2004.

20170622

Parkinson's disease 'may start in gut'
One of the main symptoms of Parkinson's is an uncontrolled tremor
Scientists in California say they have transformed understanding of Parkinson's disease.
Their animal experiments, published in the journal Cell, suggest the brain disorder may be caused by bacteria living in the gut.
The findings could eventually lead to new ways of treating the disease, such as drugs to kill gut bugs or probiotics.
probiotics腸内有益菌
Experts said the results opened an "exciting new avenue of study".
In Parkinson's disease the brain is progressively damaged, leading to patients experiencing a tremor and difficulty moving.
Researchers used mice genetically programmed to develop Parkinson's as they produced very high levels of the protein alpha-synuclein, which is associated with damage in the brains of Parkinson's patients.
alpha-synuclein protein  α-シヌクレインタンパク質
But only those animals with bacteria in their stomachs developed symptoms. Sterile mice remained healthy.
Further tests showed transplanting bacteria from Parkinson's patients to mice led to more symptoms than bacteria taken from healthy people.
Dr Timothy Sampson, one of the researchers at the California Institute of Technology, said: "This was the 'eureka' moment, the mice were genetically identical, the only difference was the presence or absence of gut microbiota.
"Now we were quite confident that gut bacteria regulate, and are even required for, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
eureka【間投】〔探していたものが〕見つかった！、見つけた！
'Paradigm shift'
paradigm shift
パラダイム・シフト◆クーン（Thomas Kuhn）が提唱した概念で、ある科学分野の中で、支配的な理論の基礎となる前提（パラダイム）が劇的に変化すること。その後、科学界にとどまらず、さまざまな分野で使われるようになった。
The scientists believe the bacteria are releasing chemicals that over-activate parts of the brain, leading to damage.
The bacteria can break down fibre into short-chain fatty acids. It is thought an imbalance in these chemicals triggers the immune cells in the brain to cause damage.

Dr Sarkis Mazmanian said: "We have discovered for the first time a biological link between the gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease.
"More generally, this research reveals that a neurodegenerative disease may have its origins in the gut and not only in the brain as had been previously thought.
"The discovery that changes in the microbiome may be involved in Parkinson's disease is a paradigm shift and opens entirely new possibilities for treating patients."
Parkinson's is currently incurable.
While the findings need to be confirmed in people, but the researchers hope that drugs that work in the digestive system or even probiotics may become new therapies for the disease.
The trillions of bacteria that live in the gut are hugely important to health, so wiping them out completely is not an option.
Dr Arthur Roach, from the charity Parkinson's UK, said: "In recent years, evidence has been growing that Parkinson's may begin in the gut, but the chain of events involved has so far remained a mystery.
"This work opens an exciting new avenue of study on the gut-brain connection in Parkinson's.
"There are still many questions to answer, but we hope this will trigger more research that will ultimately revolutionise treatment options for Parkinson's."
Dr Patrick Lewis, from the University of Reading, said: "This study really does reinforce the idea that examining what goes on in the stomach of people with Parkinson's could provide really important insights into what happens in disease, and potentially a new area of biology to target in trying to slow down or halt the changes in the brain."

20170612

Study casts doubt on the idea of 'big fluffy T. rex'
fluffy  【形】 けばの、綿毛の
Despite its ancestors having feathers, Tyrannosaurus rex most likely had scaly skin, according to fossil evidence.
Researchers say the huge predator had scales much like modern reptiles rather than feathers or fluff.
The dinosaur may have ditched its feathers because it no longer needed insulation when it reached gigantic proportions, they propose.
ditch見捨てる
But the findings are unlikely to end the long-running debate about the physical appearance of T. rex.
We don't need to throw out the image of a big fluffy T. rex quite yet, argued one palaeontologist.
Whether T.rex was clad in scales, feathers or both, has long been a mystery, largely due to a lack of fossil evidence.
clad【他動】〔金属を〕被覆する
Primitive feathers have been identified in some members of the Tyrannosaur group, leading to speculation that the king of reptiles also sported feathers.
sport【他動】〈話〉〔見せびらかすために〕～を着る［身に付ける］
In the latest twist, researchers analysed skin impressions from a T.rex skeleton known as Wyrex, unearthed in Montana.
twist〔話や出来事の〕思わぬ［意外な］展開［発展］
They also looked at relatives that roamed during the Late Cretaceous in Asia and other parts of North America, including Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus.
Skin patches from the neck, pelvis and tail of Wyrex show scaly, reptilian-like skin, says a team led by Dr Phil Bell of the University of New England, Australia.
Writing in the journal, Biology Letters, they say fossil integument (outer covering) from T.rex and other members of the group confirm that "these large-bodied forms possessed scaly reptilian-like skin.'
The researchers think the giant tyrannosaurs lost their feathers over time because they no longer needed them as insulation.
integument  【名】 《動物・植物》外皮
But not all researchers are convinced.
Dr Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh said he wouldn't be surprised if T. rex lost or reduced its feathers, as it was a very big animal, just like elephants reduce their hair.
Asian elephants are hairier than African elephants because they are smaller and live in dense forests in dim sunlight.
"But I don't think we can assume that T. rex lacked feathers just because some fossil skeletons have skin impressions that are scaly," he added.
"It takes inconceivable good luck to preserve feathers in fossils. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they weren't there. So I don't think we need to throw out the image of a big fluffy T. rex quite yet."
The Tyrannosaurs were fearsome predators during the last part of the Cretaceous, 85 to 65 million years ago.
They were known for their sharp teeth, small beady eyes and tiny forelimbs (arms).
The group included Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Tarbosaurus, as well as the iconic T. rex.
inconceivable  【形】 想像を超えた、考えも及ばない
あり得ない、信じられない

20170527

Lean-burn physiology gives Sherpas peak-performance

Nepalese Sherpas have a physiology that uses oxygen more efficiently than those used to the atmosphere at sea level.
This is the finding of a new study that investigated high-altitude adaptation in mountain populations.
The research involved taking muscle samples from mountaineers at 5,300m altitude and even putting them on an exercise bike at Mt Everest Base Camp.
The Sherpas owe this ability to an advantageous genetic mutation that gives them a unique metabolism.
owe【他動】～のおかげである、恩恵を被っている
Sherpas have thinner blood than those who live at low altitudes
It has long been a puzzle that Sherpas can cope with the low-oxygen atmosphere present high in the Himalayas far better than those visiting the region.
Mountaineers trekking to the area can adapt to the low oxygen by increasing the number of red cells in their blood, increasing its oxygen-carrying capacity.
In contrast, Sherpas actually have thinner blood, with less haemoglobin and a reduced capacity for oxygen (although this does have the advantage that the blood flows more easily and puts less strain on the heart).
"This shows that it's not how much oxygen you've got, it's what you do with it that counts," concludes Cambridge University’s Prof Andrew Murray, the senior author on the new study.
"Sherpas are extraordinary performers, especially on the high Himalayan peaks. So, there's something really unusual about their physiology," he told the BBC World Service's Science In Action programme.

Unravelling what is different involved a substantial scientific expedition to Everest Base Camp where the high-altitude response of 10 mostly European researchers and 15 elite Sherpas could be compared.
For participants like James Horscroft, whose PhD was based on the data he got from this Xtreme Everest 2 venture, this meant not just a chance to explore one of the planet’s most remote regions, but also a lot of pressure.
PhD 【略】＝Doctor of Philosophy 博士号
“It was very stressful, because we only had this one chance to get our data, high in the Himalaya."
For James, like all the others, those data included samples of muscle punctured from the thigh. While some samples were frozen to be taken back to university labs, others were experimented on in a makeshift lab at the base camp.
“We had to start at seven in the morning, because it took four hours to do all the tests on one sample," James said. "At that time, the temperature could be 10 degrees below freezing, so we'd be all wrapped up and wearing gloves. By late morning it would rise to plus-25, and we'd be taking all our kit off!"
Taking muscle samples from mountaineers at 5,300m altitude
What the biochemical tests on the fresh muscle showed was that the Sherpas' tissue was able to make much better use of oxygen by limiting the amount of body fat burned and maximising the glucose consumption.
"Fat is a great fuel, but the problem is that it's more oxygen hungry than glucose," Prof Murray explained.
In other words, by preferentially burning body sugar rather than body fat, the Sherpas can get more calories per unit of oxygen breathed.
The result impresses Federico Formenti of King’s College, London, whose own trekking study a decade ago, monitoring oxygen consumption through breath sensors, suggested Sherpas can produce 30% more power than lowlanders.
"This paper provides a cellular mechanism for what we found at the whole body level; that Sherpas use less oxygen to do the same job," he says.
James Horscroft agrees the difference in performance is impressive. "It was pretty clear straight away that our tissue experiments were showing different metabolisms for the two groups. In fact, the difference was so astounding we were worried if the tests were working."
But back in Cambridge the results were borne out. And a genetic variation altering the way fats are burned was established, too. While all of the Sherpas carried the glucose-favouring variant of the metabolic gene, almost none of the lowland volunteers did.
born   【動】   《be ～》生まれる
Sherpas are a specific population amongst the Nepalese ("the Ferraris of the Himalayans", Formenti calls them) who migrated to the country 500 years ago from Tibet, which has been occupied by humans for at least 6,000 years. That is plenty of time for a beneficial gene to become embedded, Prof Murray argues.
"It's not down to one gene, of course. We see better blood flow through the capillaries; and they appear to have a richer capillary network as well so that the oxygen can be delivered better to the tissues. But this gene would also have given them some advantage."
capillary 【名】《解剖》毛細血管
Other recent studies have shown that some genes that help Tibetans survive at high altitude come from the recently discovered extinct human species known as the Denisovans, although there is no evidence yet that the metabolic gene is among them.
デニソワ人（デニソワじん、Denisova hominin）は、ロシア・アルタイ地方のデニソワ（Denisova）洞窟(en)（ロシア、中国、モンゴルの国境に近い地域）に約4万1千年前に住んでいたとされるヒト属の個体および同種のヒト属の人類である。
The Sherpa study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
You can hear an interview with Prof Murray on this week's Science In Action programme, to be broadcast first on Thursday.

20170504

Female shop mannequins are 'medically unhealthy' and 'unrealistic'
The bodies of female shop mannequins are "unrealistic", a new study in the Journal of Eating Disorders suggests.
Researchers looked at the displays in female fashion shops in two UK cities.
They concluded that if people were the same size as the mannequins they would be "considered medically unhealthy".
"There is clear evidence showing that the ultra-thin ideal is contributing to the development of mental health problems and eating disorders," writes Dr Eric Robinson, the study's author.
After being "perplexed by the dimensions of the mannequins" he saw while out on a shopping trip one day, Dr Robinson has told Newsbeat that he decided to investigate further.
while out for a walk 散歩に出ている間［時］に、散歩中に
"We didn't find a single female mannequin that was a normal body size on display," he says.
The original plan was to go into shops in Coventry and Liverpool and physically measure the dummies.
None of the high street chains gave permission for the mannequins to be examined in this way and so researchers had to rely on visually assessing their size.
high street  本通り、目抜き通り
Some fashion retailers have announced in recent years that they are starting to use bigger mannequins but when this research was carried out in 2015, none were spotted.
spot～に気付く ～を並べる
The research from the University of Liverpool also looked at the size of male mannequins.
Here they found that fewer than one in 10 of the dummies would be classified as underweight.
"Although male mannequins were less likely to be slender than female mannequins and therefore more representative of what constitutes a 'normal' male body weight, during data collection it was noted that a number of the male mannequins appeared unrealistically muscular," the research states.
representative 【名】見本、典型
"In the same way that exposure to ultra-thin ideals may negatively affect body image in women, exposure to unattainable muscular ideals may promote body dissatisfaction in men."
The study is now calling for a "formal" examination of whether male shop dummies promote an unrealistic body size.
in the same way 同じように、同様に

20170426

The woman who wants China to eat insects
A Chinese entrepreneur is promoting edible insects and online farmers' markets in a campaign to improve eating habits in the country.
Matilda Ho spoke at the Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference about the need to spread the message about healthy eating.
She is backing a range of start-ups, including one that offers protein made from silkworms.
China has a growing problem with obesity and diabetes.
"China has 20% of the world's population but only 7% of land is arable," Ms Ho told the BBC.
"One in four diabetics is now Chinese and one in five obese people."
arable 【形】耕作に適した
 Latin ar?bilis, equivalent to ar?(re) to plow + -bilis -ble; replacing late Middle English erable, equivalent to er(en) to plow ( Old English erian) + -able -able 
Matilda Ho suggests silkworms could serve as a source of protein for humans
Ms Ho began tackling the issue with an online farmers' market which now supplies 240 types of new produce from 57 farmers.
It has gained 40,000 subscribers since it was launched 18 months ago.
"I wanted to use technology to shorten the gap between growers and consumers," Ms Ho told the BBC.
"It is a right to know where your food comes from and it empowers consumers."
The food is delivered to customers via electric vehicles and in biodegradable boxes to keep the carbon footprint low.
China has a rapidly rising middle class and a culture where it is polite to over-order food for guests in restaurants.
Ms Ho realised that one online start-up was not enough and has now launched an accelerator to promote a range of food tech firms.
It includes a start-up that uses silkworms as a sustainable source of protein.
"In China, silkworms are by-products of the textile industry so they are affordable and accessible," explained Ms Ho.
"They also don't sound like a bug so it doesn't sound as yucky as an insect. As kids we raised silkworms at school."
Word Origin and History for yuck Expand
exclamation of disgust, 1966, origin perhaps echoic (cf. Newfoundland slang yuck "to vomit," 1963).
There is a history of insect eating in China but silkworms are the only insect currently legal in China to use as an ingredient in food.
There is a push to legalise crickets too but that is likely to take three to five years to become law.

20170420

'Phenomenal' progress in fighting tropical diseases
More people are now getting treatment for lymphatic filariasis which makes limbs swell
There has been a record-breaking achievement in distributing tablets to fight neglected tropical diseases, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says.
lymphatic filariasisリンパ管フィラリア症 成虫が寄生する箇所がリンパ管のため、宿主のリンパ管は次第に閉塞する。これは最終的にリンパ管の破壊にまで至り、体内のフィラリアが死滅した後でも後遺症として残ることになる。リンパ管が破壊されると末梢組織の組織液がリンパ管を経て血管系に回収される循環が阻害されるようになって陰嚢水腫やむくみを来たし、この慢性刺激で象皮症を引き起こすことになる。
The effort has ramped up since a key meeting in London five years ago.
In 2015, one billion people worldwide were treated for at least one tropical disease. Companies have donated seven billion treatments since 2012.
ramp 【自動】 後足で立ち上がる
The World Health Organisation said improving water and sanitation was key to driving further progress.
The London meeting resulted in a pledge to control or eliminate 10 neglected tropical diseases - including guinea worm, river blindness and trachoma - by 2020.
result in〔結果的に〕～をもたらす、～に終わる
guinea wormギニア虫 人・動物の皮膚に寄生する線虫の一種。Guinea wormとも表記される。ギニア虫の幼生に感染したケンミジンコの入った水を飲むことでヒトに感染する。 初期は症状がなく 1年後程にメスの虫によって皮膚の中に水膨れを起こし痛みを感じる様になる。大概この症状は下肢に発症する。 その後、虫は数週間かけて皮下から出てくる。 その期間中は歩いたり働くことが困難な場合がある。 この感染症で死に至ることは稀である。
river blindness 《病理》河川盲目症 糸状虫症 (しじょうちゅうしょう、英:Onchocerciasis) は、河川盲目症あるいはローブルズ病、オンコセルカ症としても知られ、寄生虫である回旋糸状虫（英語版）の感染が病因とされる病気。中南米やアフリカのナイジェリアやエチオピアで感染者が多く症状には激しい痒み、皮膚の腫れ、および永久失明がある。これはトラコーマに次いで二番目に多い感染性失明。
trachoma 【名】《眼科》トラコーマ   クラミジア・トラコマチス（Chlamydia trachomatis）を病原体とする感染症。
伝染性の急性および慢性角結膜炎。別名はトラホーム（トラコーマのドイツ語読み）、顆粒性結膜炎、エジプト眼炎。
直接接触による感染のほか、手指やタオルなどを介した間接接触による感染も多い。また、母親が性器クラミジア感染症を持つ場合、分娩時に産道で垂直感染することがある。

Some 170,000 people die from one of the illnesses every year, but their biggest impact is disabling their sufferers.
In an interview with BBC News, Bill Gates praised pharmaceutical companies for "doing their part in a great relationship" by donating treatment at "a phenomenal scale".
'Fantastic story'
Mr Gates said: "None of these diseases are getting worse. They are less neglected than they used to be.
"We're behind on some of the very ambitious goals which were set in London for 2020 - but the burden from all these diseases is getting better.
behind on goal difference得失点差で負けている
"And for some, such as lymphatic filariasis (a mosquito-borne worm which causes limbs to swell), there's been a big reduction in the population we need to treat - from 1.5 billion to one billion people.
"Guinea worm is close to the end, with only 25 cases last year - though the unrest in South Sudan is making this work harder. But it's not going to spread back in big numbers.
"And we've had huge progress on sleeping sickness (a parasitic infection which can kill) - with cases now down to under 3,000. This is a fantastic story.
"It's a hard area to explain because it's not just one disease - and there is a certain complexity to the individual diseases."
Five of the 10 diseases are tackled with big programmes to distribute multiple drugs, requiring lots of co-ordination to deliver and evaluate treatment in an efficient way.
Mr Gates was speaking from a meeting in Geneva, where new commitments worth $812m (￡641m) have been made by governments, drug companies and charitable bodies.
He applauded the UK government's announcement at the weekend that it would double support for fighting neglected tropical diseases.
Mr Gates told me: "The UK is a critical donor. As somebody who's very measurement-oriented, I find that partnering with the UK on these health-related areas is a great way to spend money and lift these countries up.
"Anyone who gets to see these very tough diseases, and to see the benefit from these initiatives, would be absolutely convinced."
President Trump 'pragmatic'
Mr Gates, who had a meeting with President Trump last month, described the recent US funding cut to the United Nations Population Fund as "disappointing and unfortunate".
He added: "I feel quite confident that when Congress decides the overall aid budget, there won't be the large cuts to foreign aid that would have been implied by the President's proposed budget.
"I don't know that we'll get to a situation where there are no cuts - but I think with the support of Congress, we'll get close to where we've been in previous years.
"I talked to the President about the critical role the US has played in the great progress on HIV, malaria and reproductive health - and in terms of how strong health systems can stop pandemics.
"We got a glimpse of that with Ebola and Zika.
"I think I was able to get across the idea that global health matters even in an 'America First' framework.
"The President has proved willing to be pragmatic since he's been in office - so continued dialogue about development aid will be important."

 

20170418

Dairy-free diets warning over risk to bone health
Diets which cut out dairy food could be a "ticking time bomb" for young people's bone health, a charity is warning.
A National Osteoporosis Society survey found a fifth of under-25s are cutting out or reducing dairy in their diet.
It said it was concerned many young adults were putting their health at risk by following eating fads.
faddy eating  偏食、食べ物の好き嫌いが激しいこと
Cutting out dairy can be healthy if enough calcium is consumed from other sources, such as nuts, seeds and fish.
The charity surveyed 2,000 adults, including 239 under the age of 25 and 339 aged 25-35.
Why dairy-free? 
Milk and dairy food, such as cheese and yoghurt, are important sources of calcium for strong bones.
The charity's survey suggests that many young people seek dietary advice from bloggers and vloggers on the internet.
vlogger 【名】 ビデオブログ作成者
Although some of this advice can be good, the charity is concerned some people become too restrictive about what they eat.
A recent Food Standards Agency survey found that nearly half of 16-24 year olds said they had an intolerance to cow's milk and dairy products, compared to just 8% of over-75s.
intolerance 【名】不寛容、耐えられないこと、狭量  〔飲食物・薬品などに対する〕過敏症、アレルギー、不耐
Yet only 24% had actually had their condition diagnosed by a doctor.
Prof Susan Lanham-New, head of nutritional sciences at the University of Surrey and clinical advisor to the National Osteoporosis Society, said: "Diet in early adulthood is so important because by the time we get into our late 20s it is too late to reverse the damage caused by poor diet and nutrient deficiencies and the opportunity to build strong bones has passed."
What foods are rich in calcium?
Cheeses, yoghurt and milk are the main source of calcium in our diets
Dairy products are the main source of calcium - for example, milk, cheese and yoghurt
Cow's milk is the best source, but soya and almond milk may also contain calcium if they are fortified
almond milk アーモンドミルク アーモンドの粉末から作られる飲料。特に牛乳にアレルギーがある人や、完全菜食主義などの理由で乳製品を摂取しない人が牛乳の代替品として使用することが多い。砂糖や蜂蜜などで甘みを付けることもある。
fortify 【他動】～の栄養価を高める
Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk contain more calcium than full fat cow's milk
Vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish and white flour products also contain calcium
Choose low-fat cheese and yoghurt to cut down on fat intake, although crisps and biscuits contain much more fat
crisp【名】〔食感などが〕堅いが砕けやすいもの、パリパリしたもの、パリッとしたもの、カリカリしたもの、サクサクしたもの、バリバリしたもの  《crisps》〈英〉ポテトチップス
For adults, 700mg of calcium per day is recommended but boys and girls between 11 and 18 need up to 1000mg.
However, a quarter of teenagers in the UK are thought to consume less than the minimum 400mg of calcium every day, dietary surveys suggest.
Recommended levels can be achieved by eating three portions of dairy a day, such as cereal with milk, a yoghurt and a small chunk of cheddar cheese, experts say.
Consuming foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, such as dairy products, green leafy vegetables, salmon, sardines, broccoli and baked beans, is particularly important before the age of 25, the osteoporosis charity said.
It is urging parents to talk to their children about their diet.
After the age of 50, half of all women and one in five men develop osteoporosis, a fragile bone condition that causes painful fractures of the hip, wrist and spine.
Smoking, lack of exercise and fizzy drinks high in acid are all detrimental to healthy bones.
A spokeswoman from the British Nutrition Foundation said: "While it's not necessarily dangerous to cut out dairy from your diet it's important to ensure you get enough calcium from other sources.
"Dairy tends to make the biggest contribution to our calcium intakes and so this needs to be replaced by other sources such as bread, cereal, canned fish, nuts, seeds and leafy green vegetables as well as choosing dairy alternatives that are fortified with calcium."

20170416

Saturn moon 'able to support life'
Saturn's ice-crusted moon Enceladus may now be the single best place to go to look for life beyond Earth.
The assessment comes on the heels of new observations at the 500km-wide world made by the Cassini probe.
It has flown through and sampled the waters from a subsurface ocean that is being jetted into space.
Cassini’s chemistry analysis strongly suggests the Enceladean seafloor has hot fluid vents - places that on Earth are known to teem with life.
crusted 【形】外皮のある、甲殻のある、表面が硬い
at the heels of ～のすぐ後に続いて
vent【名】穴、通気孔、ベント
teem  【自動】〔～で〕いっぱいである
To be clear: the existence of such hydrothermal systems is not a guarantee that organisms are present on the little moon; its environment may still be sterile. But the new results make a compelling case to return to this world with more sophisticated instrumentation - technologies that can re-sample the ejected water for clear evidence that biology is also at play.
at play登場する、効果を現す
make a compelling case for ～を強く要請する、～を支持する説得力のある主張を行う
"We're pretty darn sure that the internal ocean of Enceladus is habitable and we need to go back and investigate it further," said Cassini scientist Dr Hunter Waite from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
"If there is no life there, why not? And if there is, all the better. But you certainly want to ask the question because it's almost as equally as interesting if there is no life there, given the conditions," he told BBC News.
The sub-surface ocean on Enceladus is thought to be many kilometres deep, kept liquid by the heat generated from the constant gravitational squeezing the moon receives from the mighty Saturn.
squeezing  【名】 絞り
Cassini has already established that this voluminous liquid is in contact with the rock bed from the types of salts and silica that have also been detected in the jets.
But what scientists really wanted to know is if a particular interactive process seen at Earth was taking place in the distant abyss - something called serpentinisation.
bed rock  岩床
serpentinization【名】《地学》蛇紋石化作用  
At the mid-ocean ridges on our planet, seawater is drawn through, and reacts with, hot upwelling rocks that are rich in iron and magnesium. As the minerals in these rocks incorporate H2O molecules into their crystal structure, they release hydrogen - a byproduct that can be used by some microbes as an energy source to drive their metabolism.
It is the definitive signal for molecular hydrogen in the plumes of Enceladus that Cassini has now confirmed.
"If you were a micro-organism, hydrogen would be like candy - it's your favourite food," explained Dr Chris McKay, an astrobiologist with the US space agency (Nasa).
"It's very good energetically; it can support micro-organisms in grand style. Finding hydrogen is certainly a big plus; icing on the cake for the habitability argument, and a very tasty one at that."
The type of microbes described by Dr McKay are called methanogens because they make methane as they react the hydrogen with carbon dioxide.
grand style荘重体
methanogen【名】《生物》メタン細菌
Nasa, which leads the Cassini mission, was due to make the hydrogen announcement a couple of months after the probe's last fly-through of the moon's jets in October 2015. But the agency held off.
One of the concerns was that the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer on the satellite can actually make molecular hydrogen inside itself if water enters the instrument in a particular way.
Dr Waite's group has spent a year analysing the data to make sure the hydrogen signal is intrinsic to the jets and not merely some artefact of the INMS's operation. And although serpentinisation is arguably the best explanation for the signal, it is possible to produce the gas also from the heating of very primitive (meteoritic) rock.
intrinsic 【形】本来備わっている、固有の、本質的な
The Cassini mission is coming to a close. Having spent 12 years circling Saturn, it is now running low on fuel and will be dumped in the atmosphere of the ringed planet in September - to ensure it cannot collide with Enceladus at some future date and contaminate it.
As brilliant as the probe's instruments are, they were never designed to make a direct life detection at the bright white moon. This would need a whole new class of spectrometers. A proposal is being put together to fly them in 2026.
Nasa has already green-lit a mission to Europa, an ocean moon of Jupiter. It very likely has serpentinisation going on as well. But its ice shell is very much thicker and it could be that very little of the water escapes to space.
The appeal of Enceladus is the ease with which its subsurface can be studied because of the material carried into space by its network of geysers. A probe only needs fly through the emission to make the investigation.
"The Cassini mission has really brought Enceladus to the fore in terms of the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System," commented British Cassini scientist Dr Andrew Coates.
geyser【名】 間欠泉 
“The top three now I would say are about equal. There's Mars, which may have had life 3.8 billion years ago when conditions were very different to what they are now. There's Europa, which has a subsurface ocean; and now Enceladus. Those three may have, or had, the right conditions for life."
Dr Waite added: “For life, you need liquid water, organics, and the CHNOPS elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur). OK, we haven't yet measured phosphorus and sulphur at Enceladus. But you also need some kind of metabolic energy source, and the new Cassini results are an important contribution in that regard."
A paper describing the work of Dr Waite's group is published in the journal Science.