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科学美国人60秒 SSS 猴子的近亲会发出类似的叫声

时间:2020-03-31 02:19:58

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(单词翻译)

This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学。我是凯伦·霍普金。

In the wild, monkeys need to keep their eyes peeled for all sorts of dangers, like leopards2 and eagles and snakes. But the green monkeys studied by Julia Fischer of the German Primate3 Center have an additional challenge: they also have to scan the skies for drones.

在野外,猴子需要密切留意各种危险,比如豹子、老鹰和蛇。但德国灵长类动物研究中心的朱莉·费舍尔研究的绿猴还面临另一项挑战:它们还必须观察天空,注意无人机。

"Why did we fly a drone over green monkeys, one may ask."

“有人可能会问,为什么要让无人机在绿猴头顶上空飞?”

One may indeed. The answer is that Fischer and her colleagues are interested in how primates4 communicate.

可能的确有人问。答案是费舍尔和同事对灵长类动物的交流方式很感兴趣。

In a classic study back in the 1980s, scientists showed that East African vervet monkeys produce alarm calls that are specific for the predators5 they encounter. So for example, vervet monkeys hearing a leopard1 alarm (clip) might scurry6 up a tree, whereas the eagle call (clip) sends them running for cover under the closest shrub7.

在上世纪80年代的一项经典研究中,科学家发现,东非长尾黑颚猴在遇到捕食者时会发出特定的警报叫声。例如,长尾黑颚猴听到豹子警报声(音频片段)时可能会迅速爬上树,而在听到老鹰警报声(音频片段)时会跑到最近的灌木丛中藏起来。

Now, the green monkeys that live in Senegal share a similar system to warn of leopards and snakes. But they aren't known to raise a ruckus in response to birds of prey8.

现在,生活在塞内加尔的绿猴会用类似的系统来警报遇到豹子和蛇的情况。但人们不知道它们对猛禽的反应会引起骚乱。

"And so therefore we decided9 to fly a drone over them."

“因此我们决定让无人机从它们的头顶上空飞过。”

The researchers treated 80 green monkeys to a show of drones. How did the animals react to this unfamiliar10 aerial intruder?

研究人员让80只绿猴观看无人机表演。它们对这个不熟悉的空中入侵者有何反应?

"The monkeys did respond. They responded with alarm calls (clip), and they responded by running away."

“猴子们确实做出了反应。它们发出了警报声(音频片段),而且逃走了。”

Here's where things get really interesting: the calls the green monkeys made after spotting the drones were different from the ones they use to signal leopards (clip) or snakes (clip). But even more intriguing11:

有趣的是:绿猴发现无人机后发出的叫声,与它们用来警报遇到豹子(音频片段)或蛇(音频片段)时发出的声音不同。但更有趣的是:

"And when we did an acoustic12 analysis, these alarm calls (clip) were almost eerily13 similar to the ones of the east African vervets. (clip)"

“我们进行声学分析后发现,这些警报叫声(音频片段)与东非长尾黑颚猴的警报声惊人地相似。(音频片段)”

The findings are described in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

研究结果发表在《自然生态与进化》期刊上。

The fact that the two monkey species seem to speak the same language, if you will, even though they diverged14 from their last common ancestor some 3 million years ago, suggests that this vocal15 warning system is hardwired.

事实上,如果你允许我这么说的话,即使这两种猴子在300万年前就从它们最后一个共同祖先处分离出来,但它们似乎说着同样的语言,这表明这种声音警报系统是固有的。

So if you hear a monkey go (clip), watch out for a hungry bird. Or check to see if you got a package delivered.

因此,如果你听到猴子发出这样的叫声(音频片段),要小心饥饿的鸟。或者检查一下是不是包裹到了。

Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是凯伦·霍普金。


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 leopard n9xzO     
n.豹
参考例句:
  • I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
  • The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。
2 leopards 5b82300b95cf3e47ad28dae49f1824d1     
n.豹( leopard的名词复数 );本性难移
参考例句:
  • Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如,飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分(初三)
3 primate A1YzI     
n.灵长类(目)动物,首席主教;adj.首要的
参考例句:
  • 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
  • The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。
4 primates 9536f12c27d026e37c108bd6fc53dbba     
primate的复数
参考例句:
  • Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
  • Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。
5 predators 48b965855934a5395e409c1112d94f63     
n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 );奴役他人者(尤指在财务或性关系方面)
参考例句:
  • birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
  • The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 scurry kDkz1     
vi.急匆匆地走;使急赶;催促;n.快步急跑,疾走;仓皇奔跑声;骤雨,骤雪;短距离赛马
参考例句:
  • I jumped on the sofa after I saw a mouse scurry by.看到一只老鼠匆匆路过,我从沙发上跳了起来。
  • There was a great scurry for bargains.大家急忙着去抢购特价品。
7 shrub 7ysw5     
n.灌木,灌木丛
参考例句:
  • There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
  • Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。
8 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
参考例句:
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
9 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
10 unfamiliar uk6w4     
adj.陌生的,不熟悉的
参考例句:
  • I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
  • The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。
11 intriguing vqyzM1     
adj.有趣的;迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词);激起…的好奇心
参考例句:
  • These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
  • It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 acoustic KJ7y8     
adj.听觉的,声音的;(乐器)原声的
参考例句:
  • The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
  • Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。
13 eerily 0119faef8e868c9b710c70fff6737e50     
adv.引起神秘感或害怕地
参考例句:
  • It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了,到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
  • The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句
14 diverged db5a93fff259ad3ff2017a64912fa156     
分开( diverge的过去式和过去分词 ); 偏离; 分歧; 分道扬镳
参考例句:
  • Who knows when we'll meet again? 不知几时咱们能再见面!
  • At what time do you get up? 你几时起床?
15 vocal vhOwA     
adj.直言不讳的;嗓音的;n.[pl.]声乐节目
参考例句:
  • The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
  • Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

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