科学美国人60秒:章鱼皮肤可以感光-托福听力下载

　　科学美国人60秒中文翻译：

　　The octopus is a master of disguise. 章鱼是一位善于伪装的大师。

　　It can change its appearance to blend in with its environment or to warn predators to back off. 它可以通过改变自身肤色融入环境或警告掠食者们远离。

　　This talent is due to pigment cells called chromatophores in octopus skin. 这种天赋是章鱼皮肤上的一种色素细胞起到了关键作用。

　　Muscle contraction expands the chromatophores and helps them change the skin color to match its surroundings. 通过肌肉收缩扩散色素细胞，章鱼以此改变自身肤色融入周围环境。

　　But first, the creature has to sense those surroundings. 但首先这种生物必须感知周遭环境。

　　Not surprisingly, information about the colors in the environment comes in through the eyes. 不足为奇的是，周围环境中的颜色信息是通过眼睛进行感知。

　　But new research reveals that, for one octopus species at least,the skin itself can sense light and react,with no input from the eyes or brain. 但一项新的研究表明至少有一种章鱼根本不需要眼睛和大脑，仅凭皮肤本身能够感知光线并做出反应。

　　Researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara worked with skin removed from the California two-spot octopus. 加州圣塔芭芭拉大学的研究人员们对从加州章鱼身上剥下的皮肤进行了研究。

　　Not only did the skin respond to bright light, 他们发现这种章鱼的皮肤不仅对强光有所反应，

　　but the scientists found that the skin possesses the same family of light-sensitive proteins, called opsins,typically found in its eyes, 而且上面还拥有与光敏蛋白质类似，通常在它的眼睛里才能发现的视蛋白。

　　which implies that, in the course of evolutionary history, the same molecular mechanism that the eyes employ for light detection got co-opted for use in the skin. 这就表明着在历史进化的过程中，章鱼眼部进行光源反应的分子机制被皮肤所用。

　　The study is in the Journal of Experimental Biology. 这项研究已在《实验生物学》杂志上发表。

　　Octopus integument was quickest to respond to blue light—which is the color best suited to travel far in water. 章鱼外皮对蓝色光做出的反应最快—而蓝色恰恰最适合在海洋环境中进行长距离旅行。

　　Study author Todd Oakley said via email of the skin's capacity that “we hypothesize the light response has some role”in“communication and camouflage.” 这项研究作者托德·奥克莱通过发回的电子邮件为我们揭示了章鱼皮肤神奇的能力:“我们认为这种光反应或许在章鱼交流及伪装方面有着一样的作用。”

　　The exact nature of that role remains unclear. 有关这一作用的具体性质目前仍不清楚。

　　But this evidence for light-sensing skin brightens up our understanding of how octopuses so effortlessly go incognito. 但是章鱼皮肤感光的这一证据有助于我们对这种生物的高超伪装能力有更进一步的了解。

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