夜猫子还是早起的鸟儿？基因来定夺

 　　A new study suggests morning people are born, not made.

　　一项新的研究表明，早睡早起是与生俱来的特质，不是后天养成的。

　　Here's some good news for all you night owls¹ desperately² trying to get better at mornings - new research suggests that it's not your fault that you can't string a sentence together before 9am. You may simply be genetically⁵ predisposed to being more productive at night-time.

　　好消息！还在为晨起打不起精神抓狂的夜猫子们，新的研究表明，9点前连话都说不完整不怪你们啦，或许就是基因决定了你们晚上效率更高。

　　After investigating the genomes of fruit flies, researchers from the University of Leicester in the UK have identified nearly 80 genes⁶ that are linked to a preference for either 'morningness' or 'eveningness'. And although that may sound pretty unrelated to your own body clock, the team showed that most of these genes are found in mammals, too.

　　在调查了果蝇的基因染色体组后，英国莱斯特大学的研究人员鉴别出了80种和喜欢“早起早睡”或是“晚起晚睡”相关的基因。尽管这听起来和生物钟不甚相关，研究团队表明这些基因也大都可以在哺乳动物身上找到。

　　夜猫子还是早起的鸟儿？基因来定夺

　　Previous research has demonstrated that most people find they're most productive either early in the day or late at night - a preference that's known as a 'chronotype'. And while a lot of studies have looked into the effects of this chronotype, there hasn't been much investigation⁷ into what actually causes these differences, up until now.

　　先前的研究证实大多数人都发觉自己不是在早晨就是晚上效率最高，这种对时间早晚的倾向性就是“睡眠类型”。尽管已有很多关于这种睡眠类型效应的研究，但是，到目前为止，究竟是什么导致了这些差异却鲜有人研究。

　　"In this new study, we have used fruit flies （Drosophila melanogaster), whose gene³ clocks are very similar to a human's, to get a first insight into the molecular⁸ basis of ‘morningness/eveningness’ preference," explained team member Eran Tauber in a press release. "Because this genetic⁴ system is so similar between insects and humans, there is a good chance that some of the genes that we have identified in flies, would be also important for diurnal⁹ preference in humans."

　　“这项新研究，我们选用生物钟和人类十分接近的（黄猩猩）果蝇，以初步洞察其偏好‘早起还是晚起’的分子基础，”研究队员埃兰·图博在新闻发布会上解释道。“因为昆虫和人类的遗传体系非常相似，一些我们在果蝇里发现的基因很有可能对人类倾向白天起到重要作用。”

　　As part of their research, the team identified two different fly strains that were at their most active either in the morning, or the evening, and they then compared and contrasted their genes. They found nearly 80 genes that appear to be linked to the flies' chronotypes, but interestingly, these genes aren't ones that are known to regulate our body clock.Instead, they're involved in a range of molecular pathways.

　　这项研究中，队员们还鉴别出不是早晨特活跃就是夜晚特活跃的两类果蝇，然后比较、对比了两类果蝇的基因。研究人员发现，将近80种基因似乎和果蝇的“睡眠类型”相关。有意思的是，这些基因并不控制我们的生物钟。相反，这些基因和一系列分子途径有关。

　　The ultimate goal is to find potential targets for treatments that could help people overcome their evening or morning chronotype. While that sounds a little extreme, it could help prevent a range of disorders¹⁰, such as obesity¹¹ and depression, which have been linked to a lifestyle that's out of whack¹² with your body clock.

　　最终目的是要找到潜在治疗目标，以帮助人们克服晚睡或早起的睡眠类型。尽管这听着有点儿极端，但还是能起到预防疾病的作用，像肥胖症、忧郁症等一系列病症，都是由于生物钟和生活方式不协调所致。

　　"The rhythm of life is such that for many people the economic or social call to start a new day comes hours before the endogenous call from the body clock. This creates a clock dysfunction that is not only reflected in temporal disorientation and sleep problems, but also in conditions such as obesity, mental illness, cardiovascular disease and cancer," said Taubler.

　　“生活节奏就是这样的，大多数人都是生物钟还没醒，就因为经济压力或是社会因素开始一天的生活。这样引发的生物钟紊乱问题，不仅影响时间概念和睡眠质量，还会引发肥胖症、精神病、心血管疾病和癌症，”图博如是说。

　　While I'm not sure I'm ready for medication to help turn me into a morning person just yet, I kind of love the fact that researchers are finally revealing that, biologically, not everyone can function on a 9 to 5 schedule.

　　虽然我也不大确定自己是不是做好了接受药物治疗的准备，好把自己变成早睡早起的人。不过我还是蛮开心的，研究人员终于揭示了真相，从生物学上讲，不是每个人都能朝九晚五且保持好状态的。

1 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

2 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

3 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

6 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

9 diurnal   

adj.白天的，每日的

参考例句：

• Kangaroos are diurnal animals.袋鼠是日间活动的动物。
• Over water the diurnal change in refraction is likely to be small. 在水面上，折光的周日变化可能是很小的。

10 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

12 whack   

v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒，在我背上猛拍一下。