Forest lizards genetically morph to survive life in the city

 

森林蜥蜴透過基因變化在城市中生存

【摘要2023-01-30.一. 自由】◎陳成良

Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found.

研究人員發現，曾經居住在森林中但如今在城市地區到處神出鬼沒的蜥蜴，已經經歷了基因變化，可以在城市中生存。

The Puerto Rican crested anole, a brown lizard with a bright orange throat fan, has sprouted special scales to better cling to smooth surfaces like walls and windows and grown larger limbs to sprint across open areas, scientists say.

科學家說，「波多黎各冠安樂蜥」是一種棕色的蜥蜴，喉嚨呈亮橙色扇形，牠長出了特殊的鱗片，更能附著在牆壁和窗戶等光滑表面，並長出更大的四肢，可以在空曠的地方奔跑。

“We are watching evolution as it’s unfolding,” said Kristin Winchell, a biology professor at NYU and main author of the study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

「我們正在觀察演化的發展」，紐約大學生物學教授克里斯汀‧溫切爾說。他是週一發表在《美國國家科學院院刊》上的這篇研究主要作者。

As urbanization intensifies around the world, it’s important to understand how organisms adapt and humans can design cities in ways that support all species, Winchell said. (AP)

溫切爾說，隨著世界各地城市化進程加劇，了解生物體如何適應和人類如何以支持所有物種的方式設計城市，非常重要。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

slink：動詞，鬼鬼祟祟地潛行；潛逃；溜走。例句：Should she slink around as if she disgraced herself?（難道她該像做了壞事般躲著嗎?）

sprout：動詞，發芽；長出（毛髮等）。例句：Your hair is sticking up - it looks like you’re sprouting horns! （你的頭髮豎起來了，看起來跟長了角一樣！）

 

 

Hot Nights Can Equal Trouble

溫室效應影響睡眠

【摘要2023-01-30.一. 壹蘋】

All over the world, temperatures are going up at night due to global warming. A study found that when the temperature at night is over 30°C, the length of nightly sleep decreases by over 14 minutes. This may not seem like a lot at first, but a study reveals that a global average of 44 hours of sleep are lost for each person per year. When people lack sleep, their immune systems become weak. They get sick and forgetful, and there is even a higher risk of major diseases like cancer.

由於全球暖化，世界各地的夜間氣溫都在上升。一項研究發現，當夜間溫度超過攝氏三十度時，夜間睡眠時間會減少超過十四分鐘。起初這可能感覺不多，但一項研究指出全球平均每年每人失去四十四小時的睡眠時間。當人們缺乏睡眠時，他們的免疫系統就會變弱。他們會生病、變得健忘，甚至有更高的風險罹患癌症等重大疾病。

生活必備字詞：

global warming 全球暖化

decrease vi. 減少

risk n. 風險

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