Eggshells are perhaps one of the most discarded items in kitchens around the world.

蛋壳可能是全世界厨房里被丢弃最多的东西之一。

Once we break the egg to release the yolk and use it in our meals, the shells usually end up in the trash.

当我们的饭菜需要鸡蛋，一旦把蛋壳敲破倒出蛋液，我们就会把蛋壳扔进垃圾桶里。

Yet these often discarded bits are made entirely of calcium carbonate, a substance that is crucial for maintaining bone health.

然而，这些经常被丢弃的碎片完全由碳酸钙制成，碳酸钙是一种对维持骨骼健康至关重要的物质。

For this reason, some people crush eggshells into a fine powder that they use as a natural calcium supplement for their bones.

因此，有些人把蛋壳粉碎成细粉，作为骨骼的天然钙补充剂。

However, this practice also comes with risks; eggs can sometimes become contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis, which, if ingested, can cause a salmonella infections.

然而，这种做法也有风险;蛋壳有时会被肠道沙门氏菌污染，如果摄入这种细菌，就会导致沙门氏菌感染。

Mostly, though, eggshells' potential for health has remained untapped — until now. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Lowell have used finely crushed eggshells to create a biomaterial that helps bones regenerate after having sustained damage.

迄今为止，蛋壳对健康的潜在影响大多尚未得到开发。来自马萨诸塞大学洛厄尔分校的研究人员利用磨碎的蛋壳制造了一种生物材料，可以帮助骨骼在遭受损伤后再生。

In their study — the findings of which now appear in the journal Biomaterial Sciences — assistant professor Gulden Camci-Unal and her colleagues from UMass have used an innovative process to create a medium that can help scientists grow new bone tissue by using eggshells.

在他们的研究中，来自马萨诸塞州立大学的助理教授Gulden Camci-Unal和她的同事，用一种新方法创造了一种培养基，可以帮助科学家利用蛋壳来生长新的骨组织。

So far, they have conducted laboratory and in vivo experiments — using a rat model — to test their novel process. Nevertheless, the scientists believe that in the not-so-distant future, their biomaterial could become available for use in humans receiving treatment for bone damage.

到目前为止，他们已经进行了实验室和体内实验——使用老鼠模型——来进行他们的实验项目。科学家们相信，在不远的将来，他们的生物材料将可以用于治疗人类骨骼损伤。