2018年经济学人 性感吸引:我的化学浪漫(1)

 

Science and Technology

科技

Sexual Attractiveness: My chemical romance

性感吸引：我的化学浪漫

Two putative¹ human sex pheromones turn out not to be.

关于人类的两种性信息素的假说被证明是不成立的。

For several decades biologists have pondered the question of whether men and women produce pheromones.

近几十年来，生物学家一直在思考这样一个问题：男人和女人会不会产生信息素。

A pheromone is a chemical signal from one animal to another.

信息素是指从一种动物传递到另一动物的化学信号。

Often, though not always, such chemicals indicate sexual availability—and when it comes to human mating signals in particular,

这种化学物质通常表明性的可行性，而当涉及到人类发出交配信号时，

those looking into the matter have a couple of specific molecules² in mind.

研究人员会想到某些特定的化学分子。

Androstadienone (AND) and estratetraenol (EST) are derived³, respectively, from male and female hormones⁴ and are exuded⁵ in sweat.

男性和女性的荷尔蒙分别产生雄甾二烯酮(AND)和雌甾四烯(EST)，这两种分子通过汗水渗出来。

The idea that they are pheromonal is thus worth investigating.

因此，它们有信息素的性质这个想法是值得研究的。

The results of such investigations⁶ as have been made so far, though, are contradictory⁷.

然而，迄今为止进行的这类调查的结果是矛盾的。

Some experiments have found that these molecules make opposite-sex faces, or photographs thereof, appear more attractive to heterosexual volunteers.

一些实验已经发现这些分子使异性面部或其照片对异性恋志愿者显得更有吸引力。

Others discern no such effect.

其他实验则没有观察到这样的效果。

Unfortunately, most of these studies were done with groups of volunteers too small for clear conclusions to be drawn⁸, or using less-than-rigorous experimental methods.

不幸的是，大多数这些研究是用一些志愿者小组进行的，这些志愿者小组太小，无法得出明确的结论，或使用了不够严格的实验方法。

(That has not stopped businesses taking up the idea: several brands of “pheromone perfume” based on EST and, especially, AND are available for hopeful Romeos and Juliets)

（这并没有阻止企业对这个想法感兴趣：抱有希望的罗密欧和朱丽叶们可以买到一些基于EST，特别是AND的“信息素香水”品牌）

To try to clear up the confusion, a group of researchers led by Robin⁹ Hare of the University of Western Australia have performed one of the most stringent¹⁰ studies to date.

为了试着解释这一困惑，由西澳大学的Robin Hare领导的研究小组已经进行了迄今为止最严格的研究之一。

They report their results this week in Royal Society Open Science.

他们本周在《皇家学会开放科学》杂志上报告了他们的结果。

1 putative   

adj.假定的

参考例句：

• There have been many attempts to track down the putative Loch Ness monster.人们为追踪假定存在的尼斯湖水怪做了许多努力。
• He is the putative father of this child.他是这孩子的推定的父亲。

2 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

5 exuded   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• Nearby was a factory which exuded a pungent smell. 旁边是一家散发出刺鼻气味的工厂。 来自辞典例句
• The old drawer exuded a smell of camphor. 陈年抽屉放出樟脑气味。 来自辞典例句

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

10 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。