[科学美国人60秒] SSS 2015-08-03
时间：2019-01-20 作者：英语课 分类：2015年Scientific American(八)月
The term "Pigmy" usually refers to a few groups of short statured people in equatorial rain-forest regions in Africa. The existence of distinct population of such people presented scientists with the opportunity to study the mechanisms 3 by which typical human growth patterns have become altered there. And they discovered that two groups became small in two different ways. The study is in the journal " Nature Communications." The researchers collected data on some five hundred members of a west African ethnic group called " The Barka." They discovered Barka infants have a similar size range to most of the other infants, but have a low growth rate during the first two years which produces a lasting 4 effect. This mechanism 2 seems to be different from that of east African group called " the Effa and Sua." These peoples have slow prenatal growth so that their infants are born smaller. Researchers say the Barka population appears to have split from the Effa and Sua some twenty thousand years ago. The two systems for achieving smaller stature 1 which appears to be advantageous 5 in equatorial rain forest environment are thus an example of conversion 6 diversion. The researchers believe the finding say something important about human evolution and development in general, " homo sapiens could therefore be characterized by its high capacity for growth plasticity during infancy 7. This capacity, which may be unique to our species, may have played a fundamental role in the biological adaptation that enabled its worldwide expansion and occupation of dissimilar environment within a short period after moving out of Africa.
- He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
- The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。
- The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
- The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
- 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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
- We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
- Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
- You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。
- He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
- Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。