2020年经济学人 昆虫学—蝴蝶的翅膀(2)

Butterflies engaged in all of these heat-minimising activities even when the researchers blindfolded¹ them.

即使研究人员蒙住它们的眼睛，蝴蝶也会进行所有这些减少热量的活动。

That suggested the relevant sensors² were on the wings themselves.

这表明相关传感器是在翅膀上。

Dr Yu and Dr Pierce therefore searched those wings for likely looking sensory³ cells.

因此虞博士和Pierce博士在这些翅膀中寻找可能的感觉细胞。

They found some, in the form of neurons that resembled heat detectors⁴ known from other insects.

他们发现了一些神经元，类似于其他昆虫的热探测器。

They also uncovered disc-shaped cells that appeared, again by resemblance, to be pressure-sensitive neurons.

他们还发现了圆盘状的细胞，它们看起来也像压力敏感的神经元。

They speculate that these are there to detect deformation⁵ of the wing—information an insect could use to control its flight pattern.

他们推测这些是用来检测翅膀的变形——昆虫可以利用这些信息来控制飞行模式。

The third discovery Dr Yu and Dr Pierce made to contradict the "dead wing" hypothesis

虞博士和Pierce博士用于反驳“死翅膀”假说的第三个发现

was that some butterfly wings have a heartbeat. Anyone who has looked closely at a butterfly will know that its wings have veins⁶.

是有些蝴蝶的翅膀有心跳。凡是仔细观察过蝴蝶的人都知道它的翅膀上有血管。

These carry a bloodlike fluid called haemolymph.

这些翅膀上携带一种叫做血淋巴的血液状液体。

For a long time, entomologists thought the only role of the veins was, by being pumped full of haemolymph,

在很长一段时间里，昆虫学家认为，血管的唯一作用是在蝴蝶破茧而出后，

to inflate⁷ the wings to full stretch after a butterfly emerged from its chrysalis.

通过向翅膀充入大量的血淋巴，使翅膀充分伸展。

More recently, it was discovered that haemolymph continues to flow through the veins throughout the insect's life.

最近发现在昆虫的一生中，血淋巴一直在血管中流动。

Dr Yu and Dr Pierce have now found that in male hairstreaks the haemolymph shows a pulse of several dozen beats per minute.

虞博士和Pierce博士发现在雄性毛发中，血淋巴每分钟搏动几十次。

The source of this pulse appears to be the scent⁸ pad, a dark spot on the wings that produces the female-attracting pheromones.

这种跳动的来源似乎是气味垫，即翅膀上产生吸引磁性信息素的黑点。

Apparently⁹, this "wing heart" acts as a pump that helps propel haemolymph through the scent pad.

显然，这个“翅膀心脏”就像一个泵，帮助推动血液淋巴通过气味垫。

In all their experiments simulating different environmental conditions,

在所有模拟不同环境条件的实验中，

Dr Yu and Dr Pierce consistently found that, regardless of pigmentation, the living areas of a butterfly's wings—

虞博士和Pierce博士都发现，不论色素沉着与否，蝴蝶翅膀的活性区域—

which cluster around the veins and are presumably nurtured¹⁰ by them—were always cooler, by up to 10-15°C,

它们围绕在血管周围，可能是由血管滋养的——总是比它们之间没有生命的薄膜

than the lifeless membranes¹¹ between the veins.

温度低10到15摄氏度。

The cause, they discovered, was that different parts of the wing are covered by different sorts of scales.

他们发现，原因是翅膀的不同部位覆盖着不同种类的鳞屑。

In particular, scales over the scent pads are penetrated¹² by tubes.

尤其是气味垫上的鳞屑被菌管穿透。

This improves their ability to radiate heat away and helps keep the living parts of a butterfly's wing alive.

这提高了它们散热的能力，并有助于保持蝴蝶翅膀的活性部分。

1 blindfolded   

v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗

参考例句：

• The hostages were tied up and blindfolded. 人质被捆绑起来并蒙上了眼睛。
• They were each blindfolded with big red handkerchiefs. 他们每个人的眼睛都被一块红色大手巾蒙住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

3 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

4 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

5 deformation   

n.形状损坏；变形；畸形

参考例句：

• The deformation frequencies are not sufficiently distinctive.其变形频率不是十分明显的。
• The calculated deformation is almost equal to the real situation by measurement.经检测，计算变形量与实际情况基本一致。

6 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

8 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

11 membranes   

n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物

参考例句：

• The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
• The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句

12 penetrated   

adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
• They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。