微重力和輻射
In the popular sci-fi movie “The Martian,” an astronaut gets stranded on Mars and survives by growing potatoes using Martian soil and his own waste as fertilizer.
在知名科幻電影「絕地救援」中，有一位太空人被困在火星上，用火星土壤和他自己的排泄物當肥料，種植馬鈴薯維生。
sci-fi=science fiction 科幻小說Martian (n.)火星人 (adj.)火星的；Mars (n.)火星strand (v.) (使)受困soil (n.)土壤waste (n.)排泄物,浪費,廢棄物fertilizer (n.)肥料；fertile (adj.)肥沃的；fertilize (v.)施肥
Although some have pointed out that certain scientific details in the movie aren’t accurate, it shows the significance of plants in our exploration of space.
雖然有些人指出電影中有些科學相關細節並不正確，但它仍顯示出植物對宇宙探索的重要性。
detail (n.)細節；detail-oriented (adj.)注重細節的inaccurate (adj.)不精確的significance (n.)重要性=importance
Astrobotany is a sub-discipline of botany that studies plants in space environments.
天文植物學是植物學底下的分支，研究太空環境中的植物。
discipline (n.)學科
Recently, botanists have been trying to find more efficient ways to ensure astronauts who will head to Mars in the mid-2030s are well-nourished.
最近，植物學家嘗試尋找更有效率的方式，來確保未來在2030年代中期前往火星的太空人能獲得充分營養。
ensure (v.)確保(某事發生)；assure (v.)向….保證well-nourished (adj.)得到充足營養的；well-respected 相當受人尊重的；well-behaved 守規矩的；well-dressed 穿衣服很講究的
Missions like this can sometimes take up to more than two years, during which time microgravity and radiation can take a tremendous toll on the body, leading to bone and muscle mass losses.
像這樣的任務有時需費時長達兩年以上，期間微重力和輻射會對人體造成很大的傷害，導致骨質和肌肉流失。
take a toll 造成損害,造成損失
To that end, botanists have come up with a groundbreaking solution—lettuce.
為了達成目標，植物學家想出了開創性的解決辦法──生菜。
come up with 想出,提出groundbreaking (adj.)創新的,有突破性的em dash (n.)破折號
More specifically, they have figured out a way to produce parathyroid hormone, which regulates blood calcium levels and prevents bone mass loss, in lettuce cells.
更具體地說，他們想出讓生菜細胞產生副甲狀腺素的方法，這種激素可以調節血液中的鈣濃度並預防骨質流失。
figure out 想出,弄明白hormone (n.)賀爾蒙,激素calcium (n.)鈣
Obviously, astronauts cannot bring bags of lettuce onto their spaceships; they will have to plant it on their mission using transgenic seeds.
顯然，太空人不可能帶好幾袋的生菜上太空船。他們必須在任務中用轉基因種子種生菜。
transgenic (adj.)轉基因的；gene (n.)基因
There’s also the possibility that one day, they could grow lettuce on Mars, which is known to have fertile soil, but weak sunlight and little water.
有一天，太空人也有可能在有肥沃土壤，但光照和水分不足的火星上種生菜。