萜烯:世界上最常见的语言 Terpenes: The Most Common Language in the World

未能成功加载,请稍后再试
0/0

You've probably never heard of it by name, but there's a language on Earth more popular than Mandarin, more widespread than English, and more universal than interpretive dance.

It isn't spoken, and it isn't viewed.

It's smelled.

I'm talking about terpenesa multipurpose class of chemical compounds that can be used to communicate both within and across species.

They're used in all kinds of ways, from hungry eavesdropping microorganisms to brief back-and-forth conversations between creatures you would never think would be up for a chat.

All a molecule has to do to be considered a terpene is have the right structure.

They're made up of multiple subunits of an organic molecule called isoprene, which has five carbon atoms.

These subunits can be arranged in a line, or form rings, or both, leading to a diverse collection of over 30,000 known compounds.

Because it's so broad a label, terpenes can have lots of different biological functionslike as vitamins, hormones, or part of the immune system.

They're also a really common source of scents in plantsyou might've heard people talk about terpenes as the chemicals that give different strains of cannabis different aromas, and they're responsible for the scent of things like peppermint and fir trees.

下载全新《每日英语听力》客户端,查看完整内容