60秒科学:喝酒也会传染?(有声)

People with a particular variant¹ of a dopamine receptor were more likely to drink more after watching other people drink heavily

Spend any time in a bar, and sooner or later you’ll hear, “I’ll have what she’s having.” It sounds like a bad pickup² line, but there may be an actual biological basis for this kind of alcohol copycat behavior. Because scientists have found that having the gene³ for a certain dopamine receptor could predispose you to being influenced by the sight of other people drinking.

Volunteers were ushered⁴ into a lab set up to look like a pub. They were asked to do some busywork, then told that during the break they should help themselves to some adult beverages⁵. While they watched, shills planted by the scientists immediately liquored up.

The study subjects were then tracked to see how much they drank after watching others toss ‘em back. When the plants could be seen having just one drink, all the subjects drank similar amounts. But when the plants had at least three drinks, some participants drank twice as much as others. And DNA⁶ tests showed that the heavier drinkers had a particular variant of a dopamine receptor called DRD4. The work appears in the journal Psychological Science.

Next, the search for genes that make people order drinks with those little umbrellas
 

1 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

2 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

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 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

6 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。