And I'm Georgie.

我叫喬治

Animal testing is when living animals are used in scientific research to find out how effective a new medicine is, or how safe a product is for humans.

動物試驗是指在科學研究中使用活體動物，以瞭解新藥的有效性或產品對人類的安全性。

Scientists in favour of it argue that animal testing shows whether medicines are safe or dangerous for humans and has saved many lives. But animal rights campaigners say it's cruel and also ineffective because animals and humans are so different.

支持動物試驗的科學家們認為，動物試驗可以顯示藥物對人類是安全還是危險，並拯救了許多生命。但動物權利運動者卻說，動物試驗很殘忍，而且也沒有效果，因為動物和人類有很大的不同。

Under British law, medicines must be tested on two different types of animals, usually starting with rats, mice or guinea pigs. And in everyday English, the term human guinea pig can be used to mean the first people to have something tested on them. But now groups both for and against animal testing are thinking again, thanks to a recent development in the debate – AI.

根據英國法律，藥品必須在兩種不同類型的動物身上進行試驗，通常從大鼠、小鼠或豚鼠開始。在日常英語中，"人體豚鼠 "一詞可以用來指第一批在他們身上進行試驗的人。但現在，支持和反對動物試驗的團體都在重新思考，這要歸功於最近辯論中的一個新進展--人工智能。

In this programme, we'll be hearing how artificial intelligence could help reduce the need for scientific testing on animals.

在本節目中，我們將聽到人工智能如何幫助減少對動物進行科學試驗的需求。

But first, I have a question for you, Georgie. Does one commonly used medicine in particular which is harmful for animals but safe for humans? But what?

但首先，我要問你一個問題，喬吉。有一種常用藥對動物有害，但對人類安全嗎？是什麼？

Is it… a. Antibiotics b. Aspirin or c. Paracetamol?

是...... a. 抗生素 b. 阿司匹林還是 c. 撲熱息痛？

I guess it's aspirin.

我猜是阿司匹林。

OK Georgie, I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

好的，喬吉，我會在節目最後揭曉答案。

Christine Rowe is a science journalist who's interested in the animal testing debate.

Christine Rowe 是一名科學記者，她對動物實驗的爭論很感興趣。

Here she explains to BBC World Service programme TechLife some of the limitations of testing medicines on animals.

在這裡，她向英國廣播公司（BBC）世界服務節目《科技生活》（TechLife）解釋了在動物身上測試藥物的一些侷限性。

Of course, you can't necessarily predict from a mouse or a dog what's going to happen in a human. And there have been a number of cases where substances that have proven to be toxic in animals have been proven to be safe in humans and vice versa. There are also of course animal welfare limitations to animal testing. Most people, I think, if they had the choice, would want their substances to be used on as few animals or no animals as possible while still ensuring safety. Now that's been a really difficult needle to thread, but AI might help to make that more possible.

當然，你不一定能從老鼠或狗身上預測到人類身上會發生什麼。已經有很多案例證明，在動物體內有毒的物質在人體內是安全的，反之亦然。當然，動物試驗也有動物福利方面的限制。我認為，如果可以選擇，大多數人都希望在確保安全的前提下，儘可能少地或不在動物身上使用他們的物質。現在看來，這真是一根很難穿的針，但人工智能或許能讓這更有可能實現。

Christine says that medicines which are safe for animals might not be safe for humans.

克里斯蒂娜說，對動物安全的藥物對人類可能並不安全。

But the opposite is also true. What's safe for humans might not be safe for animals.

但事實也恰恰相反。對人類安全的東西可能對動物並不安全。

Christine uses the phrase vice versa to show that the opposite of what she says is also true.

克里斯蒂娜用 "反之亦然 "來表示與她所說的相反也是正確的。

Christine also uses the idiom to thread the needle, to describe a task which requires a lot of skill and precision, especially one involving a conflict. Yes, medical animal testing may save human lives, but many people see it as cruel and distressing for the animal.

克里斯蒂娜還用穿針引線這個成語來形容一項需要大量技巧和精確度的任務，尤其是涉及衝突的任務。是的，醫學動物實驗可以拯救人類的生命，但許多人認為這對動物來說是殘忍和痛苦的。

It's a difficult needle to thread.

這是一根很難穿的針。

But now the challenge of threading that needle has got a little easier because of artificial intelligence. Predicting how likely a new medicine is to harm humans involves analysing the results of thousands of experiments. And one thing AI is really good at is analysing mountains and mountains of data. Here's Christine Rowe again speaking with BBC World

但現在，有了人工智能，穿針引線的挑戰變得更容易了。預測一種新藥對人體造成傷害的可能性需要分析成千上萬次實驗的結果。而人工智能最擅長的一件事就是分析堆積如山的數據。以下是克里斯蒂娜-羅（Christine Rowe）再次接受 BBC World 採訪的內容

Services TechLife.

服務 TechLife.

So AI isn't the whole picture, of course, but it's an increasingly important part of the picture. And one reason for that is that there is a huge amount of toxicology data to wade through when it comes to determining a chemical's safety. And on top of that, there's this staggering number of chemicals being invented all of the time.

是以，人工智能當然不是全部，但它是越來越重要的一部分。其中一個原因是，在確定化學品的安全性時，有大量的毒理學數據需要瀏覽。除此之外，不斷有數量驚人的化學品被髮明出來。

AI helps scientists wade through huge amounts of data. If you wade through something, you spend a lot of time and effort doing something boring or difficult, especially reading a lot of information.

人工智能幫助科學家涉獵大量數據。如果你要涉獵一些東西，你就需要花費大量的時間和精力去做一些無聊或困難的事情，尤其是閱讀大量的資訊。

AI can process huge amounts of data. And what's more, that amount keeps growing as new chemicals are invented. Christine uses the phrase, on top of that, meaning in addition to something.

人工智能可以處理海量數據。更重要的是，隨著新化學物質的發明，數據量還在不斷增長。克里斯蒂娜用了 "on top of that "這個短語，意思是 "除此之外"。

Often this extra thing is negative. She means there's already so much data to understand and additionally there's even more to be understood about these new chemicals.

這種額外的東西往往是負面的。她意味著已經有這麼多數據需要了解，此外還有更多關於這些新化學物質的資訊需要了解。

Of course, the good news is that with AI, testing on animals could one day stop. Although

當然，好消息是，有了人工智能，動物試驗終有一天會停止。雖然

Christine warns that AI is not the whole picture, it's not a complete description of something which includes all the relevant information. Nevertheless, the news is a step forward for both animal welfare and for modern medicine.

克里斯蒂娜警告說，人工智能並不是全貌，它並不能完整地描述某件事情，包括所有相關資訊。不過，這一消息對於動物福利和現代醫學來說都是一個進步。

Speaking of which, what was the answer to your question, Phil? What is a commonly used medicine which is safe for humans but harmful to animals? I guessed it was aspirin.

說到這裡，你的問題的答案是什麼，菲爾？對人類安全但對動物有害的常用藥是什麼？我猜是阿司匹林。

Which was the correct answer! Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've discussed, starting with human guinea pigs, meaning the first people to have something new tested on them.

這是正確答案！好了，讓我們來回顧一下我們討論過的詞彙，首先是人類小白鼠，意思是第一批接受新事物測試的人。

The phrase vice versa is used to indicate that the opposite of what you have just said is also true. To thread the needle describes a task which requires extreme skill and precision to do successfully. The whole picture means a complete description of something which includes all the relevant information and opinions about it. If you wade through something, you spend a lot of time and effort doing something boring or difficult, especially reading a lot of information.

反之亦然這個短語用來表示與你剛才所說的相反的意思也是正確的。穿針引線 "形容需要極高的技巧和精確度才能成功完成的任務。The whole picture（全貌）指對事物的完整描述，包括所有相關資訊和觀點。涉獵，指花費大量時間和精力做枯燥或困難的事情，尤其是閱讀大量資訊。

And finally, the phrase on top of something means in addition to something, and that extra thing is often negative. That's all for this week. Goodbye for now!

最後，"on top of something "的意思是 "除了某些東西之外"，而 "額外的東西 "往往是負面的。本週就到這裡。再見！

Bye!

再見！