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Although there are only two northern white rhinos left alive in the world,
虽然世界上仅有两只北部白犀牛存活，
their kind might be on the brink of a comeback with the help of science.
但在科学的帮助下，它们有可能重新回归。
In a recently published study in Nature Communications,
最近发表在《自然通讯》的一项研究中，
the scientists used frozen sperm from three deceased northern white rhinos
科学家们使用了三只死去的北部白犀牛的冷冻精子，
to artificially fertilize southern white rhino eggs outside the womb.
在子宫外对南部白犀牛卵子进行人工授精。
They allowed the eggs to grow until they had reached the blastocyst stage.
等待卵子发育到囊胚期。
At this point they froze the developing eggs to preserve until a suitable surrogate mother could be found.
到那时，科学家就会将发育中的卵子冷冻起来，直到找到合适的代孕母体。
So, the two females sleeping down are the two northern female white rhinos left on the planet.
因此，这两只睡在地上的犀牛就是地球上仅存的两只雌性北部白犀牛。
It's a mother and a daughter and the one facing us is the southern white rhino,
这是一对母女，面对我们的是一头南部白犀牛，
the one which is awake is the southern white rhino, which we might use as a surrogate mother.
醒着的是南部白犀牛，很有可能成为代孕母体。
While the two types of white rhinos may look similar, the northern and southern subspecies differ in several physical aspects.
尽管这两种白犀牛看起来很相似，白犀牛的南北两个亚种在几个身体特征上略有不同，
For example the northern white rhino has hairier ears and the larger southern white rhino has grooves between its ribs.
例如北部白犀牛的耳朵毛发更多，体型较大的南部白犀牛的肋骨之间有沟。
So, we hope that within three years we will be have been able to create the first northern white rhino baby
所以我们希望在三年内能够创造出第一只北方白犀牛幼崽，
so we can let it live with the two remaining northern white rhinoceros females in Kenya.
这样我们可以让它和肯尼亚仅存的两只雌性北部白犀牛一起生活。
Thankfully the rhinos are still genetically close enough
值得庆幸的是，两种犀牛的基因仍然非常接近。
that scientists can use southern white rhino eggs to create hybrid animals.
科学家们可以利用南部白犀牛的卵子来培育杂交动物。
The last two northern white rhinos are no longer fertile
最后两只北方白犀牛不再生育，
so scientists could not create a pure northern white rhino embryo.
因此科学家们无法创造出纯种北部白犀牛胚胎。
In the future researchers hope to create artificial northern white rhino eggs
未来，研究人员希望创造出人工北方白犀牛卵子，
and save reproductive cells to help ensure genetic diversity.
并保存生殖细胞，以确保遗传多样性。
Only two infertile females are living on our planet.
目前地球上仅有两只无法生育的雌性犀牛。
But with this technology approach we are capable to create a genetically viable population in the next decade.
但有了这种技术手段，我们有能力在未来十年里创造出大量白犀牛。
With the help of southern white rhinos, the most abundant rhino in the world, perhaps scientists can preserve these massive mammals.
在世界上数量最多的犀牛——南方白犀牛的帮助下，也许科学家们可以保护这些巨大的哺乳动物。
Sadie Witkowski VOA News.
VOS记者萨迪·维特克夫斯基播报。
