双语：埃及古墓中发现世界上最古老的奶酪

　　They say aged cheeses are the best, but this might be pushing it.

　　他们说，陈年奶酪是最好的，但这块奶酪可能会是最老的。

　　Archaeologists at the tomb of Ptahmes — mayor of Memphis, Egypt, during the 13th century BC — have uncovered what they believe could be the world’s oldest cheese, according to a report published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

　　据发表在《分析化学》杂志上的一篇报道称，考古学家在公元前13世纪的埃及孟菲斯市市长普塔弥斯的墓穴中发现了一块奶酪，他们认为这可能是世界上最古老的奶酪。

　　The explorers unearthed a jar containing a solid, whitish mass from the tomb, which was first dug up in 1885 but covered under drifting sands until 2010.

　　探险者们从墓穴中挖出了一个罐子，里面装着一团白色的固体物质。该墓穴于1885年首次被挖掘出来，但后来被流沙覆盖直到2010年。

　　Alongside the jar, the archaeologists found a canvas cloth that they believe was used to cover or preserve the jar’s contents.

　　在罐子旁边，考古学家发现了一块帆布，他们认为这是用来盖住或保存罐子里的东西的。

　　When researchers tested the whitish substance, they found a combination of peptides that indicate a dairy product made of cow milk and either sheep or goat milk.

　　研究人员测试这种白色物质时，发现了多肽的组合，表明这是一种由牛奶和绵羊奶或者山羊奶制成的乳制品。

　　The sample also showed Brucella melitensis, a bacterium that leads to the potentially deadly disease brucellosis — also called Mediterranean fever — and typically transmitted via unpasteurized dairy products. If confirmed, it would also be the earliest evidence of the disease.

　　样本中还发现了布氏杆菌梅里坦氏菌，这种细菌会导致潜在的致命疾病布氏杆菌病(也被称为地中海热)，通常通过未经巴氏消毒的乳制品传播。如果得到证实，这也将是该疾病的最早证据。

　　No word yet on whether it was the cheese that did ol’ Ptahmes in.

　　目前还不清楚是否是奶酪害死了普塔弥斯。