“种瓜得瓜,种豆得豆”的谚语早已有之,但一直到了本世纪初,科学家们才弄清了其中的真正原因。原来,任何生物体内都有很多被称为“基因”的物质,它们决定了一切生物的各种性状和特征,而且可以通过后代一代一代地遗传下去。当然,有时它们中的一些也会发生改变,并因此而导致后代与亲本之间的许多差异,这也正是所谓的“一母生九子,九子各不同”的根本原因所在。各种动植物体内所包含的基因都不一样,以至于产生出了自然界中多种多样的动植物乃至微生物。可以说,现代生命科学的研究内容便是以基因作为核心,不断探索基因是如何来决定生物的各种特征,破译生命之谜。 The old saying goes, “I’ve got a lot of melons and I’ve got some beans,” but it was not until the turn of the century that scientists discovered the real cause. It turns out that there are many substances in any organism called “genes ”, which determine the traits and characteristics of all living things and can be passed on from one generation to another by future generations. Of course, sometimes some of them will change as well and, as a result, many differences between offspring and their parents will be rooted in the so-called “one mother and nine children, nine different”. The genes contained in various plants and animals are different, so that a variety of flora, fauna and even microorganisms in nature are produced. It can be said that the research content of modern life science is based on the gene as the core, and constantly explore how the gene determines the various biological characteristics, deciphering the mystery of life.