NHKニュースで学ぶ現代英語 2025年4月勉強分②
脊髄損傷 iPS細胞で運動機能改善
< 見出し>JAPAN TEAM: iPS CELL TREATMENT HELPED SPINAL CORD INJURIES
A team of Japanese researchers says two of four patients who received transplants of special stem cells showed recovered motor function in a clinical study to repair spinal cord injuries.
・transplant：〔臓器などを〕移植する
・stem cell：幹細胞
・motor function：運動機能
・clinical study：臨床試験
・spinal cord：骨髄
The researchers from Keio University and other institutions said on Friday it was a world-first that treatment using cells derived from
induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, helped to improve the condition of these patients.
・derived from ～：～に由来した
・induced：誘導する
・pluripotent：多能性の
・induced pluripotent stem cells：人工多能性幹細胞（iPS細胞）
The team transplanted two million iPS-derived cells into the four patients, who were unable to move.
The degree of motor function recovery was examined one year later.
“We could verify the treatment’s safety. That’s very important. We’d like to press ahead with preparations to put the system into practical use.”
・press ahead with ～：～を（力強く）進める
There are about 5,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries every year in Japan.
The researchers say they plan to conduct a clinical trial to obtain government approval for the iPS treatment.
・obtain ～：～を手に入れる、取得する
AIが95%書いた小説 雑誌に掲載
< 見出し>AI-HUMAN DUO CRAFT STORY PUBLISHED IN JAPANESE MAGAZINE
A Japanese magazine has published a short story written by artificial intelligence with some guidance from a literary author.
・literary author / literary writer：文学作家、文芸家
※多くの場合、芸術性に重きを置いているニュアンスが含まれる。
The work titled “Kage no Ame,” or “Rain of Shadow,” depicts the world after the human race is extinct.
・depict ～：（絵・映像・文章・発話などで）～を描写する、表現する
・extinct：絶滅した、死に絶えた
This leaves AI to explore emotions as it comes in contact with the remnants of human memories and feelings.
・leave ～ to ･･･：～に･･･させておく、～を（ある状態に）しておく
・come in contact with ～：～と触れる、～と出会う
・remnant：名残
※ここでは人類が絶滅したあとに「残されたもの」を指す。
The story appears in the Kohkoku magazine on sale from Tuesday.
The publisher says ChatGPT wrote 95 percent of the piece.
・piece：作品
※文学だけでなく、絵画や音楽にも使う。
The remainder came from literary writer Qudan Rie, who offered suggestions and made revisions.
・remainder：（全体のうちの）残り、残った部分
・offer a suggestion：提案を行う
・make a revision：修正を施す、改訂する、手直しをする
Qudan received the Akutagawa literary award last year for her novel “Sympathy Tower Tokyo.”
She said about 5 percent of that work was written by generative AI.
An advertising agency suggested she produce another story and use AI to do 95 percent of the writing.
Qudan told NHK that she accepted the proposal as a challenge.
【 豆知識：時系列でのAIの関連語彙 】
1. artificial intelligen「人口知能」
artificial「人間が作った、人工の」を使い、人間より劣るというイメージ。
2. generative AI「生成ＡＩ」
人間が書いたような文章を生成し、人間と自然な対話ができるようになった。
ChatGPTの「GPT」はGenerative「生成する」、Pre-trained 「事前に訓練された」、Transformer「変換してくれるもの」の頭文字。
3. hallucination「幻覚」
ＡＩが「根拠がない、間違った情報を生成すること」を、人間の「幻覚」に例えている。
4. artificial general intelligence（AGI）「汎用人工知能」
人工知能の研究が最終的に目指しているもの。特定のタスクをこなすだけではなく、人間にできる知的作業をgeneral「全てにわたって」行えるもの。
5. singularity「シンギュラリティ、技術的特異点」
ＡＩがさらに進化し、人間の知能を超える未来の瞬間。「普通ではない、特異な」という意味がある。
6. artificial superintelligence「人工超知能」
人間の脳を超えて「神」のようになったら呼ばれるであろう呼び名。
米軍事作戦情報 民間アプリで共有か
< 見出し>TRUMP OFFICIALS SHARED WAR PLANS WITH JOURNALIST IN GROUP CHAT
In the United States, top officials in the Trump administration are under fire for reportedly sharing plans for military strikes on a rebel group in Yemen in a message chat that included a journalist.
・be under fire：（ここでは）（厳しい）非難を浴びる
The incident is raising concerns over how the administration handles classified information.
Editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, says he received a connection request on the Signal messaging app by someone identifying himself as National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
・Editor-in-chief：編集長
・identify oneself as ～：～であると名乗る
Goldberg says he was later added to a group that included key national security officials.
He says a person that seemed to be Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted operational details of upcoming strikes on the Houthi group in Yemen.
・secretary：大臣
・operational：作戦の、戦略の
This reportedly included information about targets, weapons, and attack sequencing.
・sequencing：（特に時間的に）順番に配列すること
・attack sequencing：攻撃の順番
Goldberg says the March 15 attack took place roughly two hours after he received a message about the plans.
The White House National Security Council acknowledged in a statement that the message thread “appears to be authentic.”
・acknowledge ～：～と認める、承認する
・authentic：本物の
福井県立大に“恐竜学部”開設へ
< 見出し>JAPAN’S FIRST FACULTY OF DINOSAUR STUDIES
・faculty：学部
Japan will soon have the first faculty in the country dedicated to the study of dinosaurs.
・dedicated to ～：～を専門に扱う、～に特化した
・dinosaur：恐竜 [dáinəsɔ̀r]
Fukui Prefectural University next month will launch the Faculty of Dinosaur Paleontology.
・paleontology：古生物学 [peɪ.li.ɑːnˈtɑː.lə.dʒi]
Ahead of the opening, a group of incoming students on Thursday had the chance to experience research work at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
・incoming：次期の、これからの
They took 3D scans of fossils to generate data.
They also used virtual reality to recreate a dinosaur skeleton based on data collected from the fossils.
The university says about 80 percent of the dinosaur fossils unearthed in Japan were found in the prefecture.
・unearth：発掘する [ʌ̀nə́ːrθ]
“It was more profound and difficult than I had anticipated.”
・profound：深い、難解な
“I think acquiring knowledge of dinosaurs will help me become involved in the tourism industry in Fukui.”
・acquire ～：～を獲得する
With the start of the academic year in April, the students will conduct excavation fieldwork and use cutting-edge technology to unravel the mysteries of the dinosaurs.
・excavation：採掘
・cutting-edge：最先端の、最新鋭の
・unravel：（絡んだひもなどを）ほぐす、ほどく[ʌnrǽvəl]
ミャンマー大地震 被害拡大
< 見出し>TURMOIL HINDERS RELIEF WORK IN DEVASTATED AREAS
Crews in Myanmar are frantically searching for hundreds of people still missing after last week’s earthquake.
The military says over 2,000 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 4,000 injured.
The magnitude 7.7 quake struck the central part of the country on Friday near Mandalay.
Aftershocks could hinder rescue efforts and bring badly damaged buildings crashing down.
・aftershock：余震
・hinder：妨げる [híndər]
・bring ～：～という状態にする
・bring ～ crashing down：～を大きな音を立てて崩壊させる
Some people have fled to Buddhist temples, where people had already been sheltering from fighting between the junta and pro-democracy forces.
・junta：（クーデター直後などの）軍事政権、臨時政府
※スペイン語由来の単語で、発音は「フンタ」あるいは「ジャンタ」。
・pro-democracy：民主化を求める、民主化要求の
Myanmar was thrust into chaos when the military took power in a coup more than four years ago.
・thrust into ～：～に追い込まれる、～に陥る
・coup：政変、クーデター
※フランス語由来の単語「coup d’etat」を短くしたもの。
The ongoing turmoil is hampering relief work.
・turmoil：動揺、混乱 [tə́ːrmɔil]
・hamper：妨げる、邪魔する
Damage can also be seen in some combat areas.
Some pro-democracy groups have promised to pause fighting for two weeks to help the flow of international aid.
・flow：流れ