?A mutation in a key gene may have endowed humans with superior endurance—allowing them to compete better with other animals on the savanna. Christopher Intagliata reports.關(guān)鍵基因的突變可能賦予人類更強(qiáng)的耐力——這給了他們與草原上的其它動(dòng)物競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的優(yōu)勢(shì)。克里斯托弗·因塔格里塔報(bào)道。
? 撰文\播音:克里斯托弗·因塔利亞塔(Christopher Intagliata) 翻譯:邱燕寧 審校:張清越 Homo sapiens?are nowhere near the fastest runners in the animal kingdom. But what we lack in speed, we make up for in endurance. And we're specially equipped to go the distance. We've got bigger butt muscles than other primates. We lost most of our fur, too, and sprouted lots of sweat glands, to help us cool off. 在動(dòng)物王國里,智人的跑步能力遠(yuǎn)不及最快的跑者。但我們?cè)谒俣壬系牟蛔悖?/span>是可以用耐力去彌補(bǔ)的。我們的身體配置尤其擅長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)距離移動(dòng)。我們的臀部肌肉比其他靈長(zhǎng)類動(dòng)物大。我們也失去了大部分的毛發(fā),長(zhǎng)出了許多汗腺,以幫助我們降溫。 Scientists believe our endurance running abilities began to appear two [million] to three million years ago, around the time the genus?homo?came about. And a new study suggests that a mutation in one key gene had something to do with it.? 科學(xué)家們相信我們的長(zhǎng)跑能力在200萬到300萬年前,大約是在人屬出現(xiàn)的時(shí)候就開始出現(xiàn)了。一項(xiàng)新的研究表明,一個(gè)關(guān)鍵基因的突變與此有關(guān)。 The mutation, in what's called the?CMAH?gene, altered the types of sugar molecules that decorate the surfaces of every cell in our bodies. Which in turn may have made our muscles less prone to fatigue.? 這種被稱為CMAH基因的突變改變了修飾我們身體每個(gè)細(xì)胞表面的糖分子的類型。結(jié)果可能是讓我們的肌肉變得更耐疲勞了。 Researchers have now found that mice bred with that same mutation can run longer without tiring, compared to regular mice. The mice with the gene alteration also logged more miles running on their wheels, apparently for fun. And they had more capillaries in their back leg muscles—which would increase the delivery of nutrients and oxygen during endurance exercise. 研究人員現(xiàn)在發(fā)現(xiàn),與普通老鼠相比,有相同基因變異的老鼠跑得更久而不累。這種修改過基因的老鼠在輪子上跑了更多的英里數(shù),顯然只是為了好玩。他們的后腿肌肉中還有更多的毛細(xì)血管,這將增加耐力運(yùn)動(dòng)中營養(yǎng)和氧氣的輸送。 The complete stats are in the?Proceedings of the Royal Society B. [Jonathan Okerblom et al.,?Human-like?Cmah?inactivation in mice increases running endurance and decreases muscle fatigability: implications for human evolution] 完整的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)刊登在《Proceedings of the Royal Society B(英國皇家學(xué)會(huì)學(xué)報(bào)B)》上。 It's unclear if this small genetic tweak endows humans with the same benefits as the mice. But if it does, it could help explain how early humans got a leg up on their competitors. Or, really, two legs.? 目前還不清楚這種小小的基因變異是否給人類帶來了與老鼠同樣的好處。但如果它能做到這一點(diǎn),它或許有助于解釋早期人類是如何在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中占得一步先機(jī)的?;蛘?/span>說,兩條腿的先機(jī)。