
Good morning. Since the first vasectomy(输精管结扎术) was performed in the 1890s (imagine being that volunteer), the male contraceptive armoury(武器库;手段储备) has barely advanced. The last reversible method was added to this repertoire(全部技能;保留剧目) centuries ago: while rubber condoms hit the mass market(进入大众市场) in the 1850s, earlier versions date back beyond ancient Egypt.
早上好。自19世纪90年代首例输精管结扎术实施以来(想象一下那位志愿者的心情),男性避孕手段几乎毫无进展。最后一种可逆方法早在几个世纪前就已加入这一行列:橡胶避孕套于19世纪50年代进入大众市场,而更早的版本则可追溯至古埃及之前。
This looks on the cusp of(处于……的边缘) change. In a landmark(里程碑式的) announcement last week, the World Health Organization said it expects reversible(可逆的) male contraceptives to be available on the market within five to 10 years.
这一局面似乎正处在变革的边缘。上周,世界卫生组织在一项具有里程碑意义的声明中表示,预计可逆性男性避孕药将在五到十年内上市。
But no major medical breakthrough(突破) has just been announced - the fundamentals(基本原理) of male hormonal contraceptives have been known for decades. So what is the science, how does it work and why has it taken so long to get here?(那么,其中的科学原理是什么?它如何起作用?为何历经如此之久才走到今天?) That’s the subject of today’s First Edition. Before that, this morning’s headlines.
但此次并未宣布任何重大医学突破——男性激素避孕的基本原理早已为人所知数十年。那么,其中的科学原理是什么?它如何起作用?为何历经如此之久才走到今天?这正是今日“第一版”的主题。在此之前,先看今晨头条。
Five big stories
五大新闻
In depth: The ‘agonisingly slow’ wait for male contraceptives
深度报道:“令人痛苦地缓慢”的男性避孕药等待
What else we’ve been enjoying
我们还在享受什么
Sport
体育
The front pages
头版
The Latest
最新消息
Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings
今日漫画 | 本·詹宁斯
The Upside
光明面
Bored at work?
上班无聊?