SSS 2010-10-12
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(十)月
This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute.
You’ve tried everything to lose weight: portion control, fasting, liquid diets, even eating meals on a treadmill 1. Now, a new study suggests that maybe you should try turning out the lights. Because, at least in mice, exposure to light at night leads to weight gain. The work appears in the Proceedings 2 of the National Academy of Sciences.
Obesity 3 is an epidemic 4. Maybe it’s because we eat too much and spend too much time in our seats. But another factor could be that these days we’re never really in the dark. Streetlamps and indoor light sources now brighten our nights. And that light pollution could be messing with our circadian rhythms, which control not only sleep, but metabolism 5. In fact, mutant mice that have no circadian clocks tend to be chunky.
To test the connection between photons and fat, scientists took mice and lit up their cages. And they found that mice that were exposed to even dim light at night were chubbier 6 than mice who spent their evenings in the dark. Though they all ate the same amount, the fat mice snacked more when they were less active, perhaps failing to burn off those calories.
So maybe skip the night light. Especially the one that lights up when you open up the fridge.
Thanks for the minute, for Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin.
- The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
- Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。
- He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
- to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
- 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。
- That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
- The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。
- 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。
- All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。