2019年经济学人 动物性取向—本能(2)

 

Ms Monk¹ and her co-authors question the first assumption by pointing out that

Monk女士和她的共著者质疑了第一个假设，他们指出

many animals seem to mate at a frequency far higher than looks necessary merely to reproduce—

许多动物的交配频率似乎远远高于为了繁殖所必需的频率—

meaning that the proportional costs of any instance of sexual activity which does not produce offspring must be low.

这意味着任何不产生后代的性行为的比例成本一定很低。

If this is true, it reverses the burden of proof. The cost of the sensory² and neurological mechanisms³ needed to identify another's sex,

如果是这样，那么它就颠覆了举证责任。识别另一个性别所需的感官和神经机制的成本很高，

and thus permit sex-discriminating mating behaviour, is high.

因此允许性别判断交配行为。

Sometimes, that will be a price worth paying, especially if a long-term relationship is involved in reproduction, as it is in most birds and some mammals.

有时，这是值得付出的代价，特别是如果一段长期的关系涉及到生殖，就像大多数鸟类和一些哺乳动物一样。

But it is the evolution of sex-discrimination for which special-case exemptions⁴ must be sought, not the evolution of same-sex behaviour.

但特殊情况下，必须寻求性别判断的演变，而不是同性行为的演变。

The second assumption is even easier to challenge.

对第二种假设提出质疑甚至更加容易。

Typically, evolutionary⁵ biologists assume that traits shared widely across a related group

通常情况下，进化生物学家认为，在一个相关群体中广泛共享的特征

are likely to have evolved in an ancestral population, not repeatedly and separately in each lineage.

很可能是在一个祖先群体中进化而来的，而不是在每个谱系中重复和独立的。

Ms Monk and her colleagues argue that cognitive⁶ biases⁷ in the subject's practitioners⁸

Monk女士和她的同事认为主体从业人员的认知偏差

have pushed them to look for fantastic explanations for the evolution of same-sex behaviours in a range of animals,

促使他们为各种动物的同性行为进化寻找奇妙的解释

rather than considering the perhaps more reasonable explanation for its persistence⁹,

而不是为其存在寻找更加合理的解释，

that it is a low-cost ancestral trait that has little evolutionary reason to disappear.

它的存在是一种低成本的祖先特征，在进化上几乎没有理由消失。

Although the idea that same-sex behaviour has always been a norm is scientifically intriguing¹⁰,

虽然从科学上来讲，同性行为一直是一种常态的这种想法很有趣，

the paper's authors are also making a broader point about human beings' pursuit of knowledge.

但该论文的作者也就人类对知识的追求提出了一个更广泛的观点。

Ms Monk says that the paper's authors met through a Twitter account which promotes the work of LGBT scientists.

Monk女士表示该论文的作者们通过一个推特账号进行了会面，该账号旨在推广LGBT科学家的工作。

This was a serendipitous¹¹ encounter which gave them space to explore an idea

这是一次偶然的相遇，给了他们空间去探索

that might have been dismissed at first sight in a more conventional setting. The group includes people with a range of sexual orientations¹³,

一个在更传统环境中可能第一眼就被忽略的想法。这个群体包括了各种性取向的人，

so naturally they had an incentive¹⁴ to ask whether mainstream¹⁵ evolutionary biology's view of sexual orientation¹² is correct.

因此，他们自然有动机提问—主流进化生物学关于性取向的观点是否正确。

Their hypothesis still needs testing.

他们的假设仍有待验证。

That will mean zoologists¹⁶ gathering¹⁷ more observational data on sexual behaviour of animals in the wild—and doing so with an open mind.

这将意味着动物学家要收集更多关于野外动物性行为的观察性数据，而且要保持开放的心态。

The authors themselves are also mulling approaches involving computer modelling,

作者们本身也在考虑采用计算机建模的方法，

which might show that a group of organisms behaving according to their theory

这可能表明一组根据他们研究的有机体行为

is capable of reaching the distribution of sexual behaviours seen in the wild today.

能够得出今天野外所见的性行为分布。

If their hypothesis is confirmed, it raises the question of which other facets¹⁸ of scientific knowledge might be being obscured

如果他们的假设得到证实，这就提出了一个问题，即科学知识的哪些其他方面可能被掩盖了

because the backgrounds of practitioners in those fields do not lead them to ask unconventional questions.

因为那些领域的从业人员的背景不会让他们提出非常规的问题。

Ms Monk's and her colleagues' theory may yet turn notions of the evolution of animal sexual behaviour on their head.

Monk女士以及她同事的理论可能会颠覆动物性行为进化的观念。

With a broader array of minds focused on other problems, other fields might follow, too.

随着更广泛的思想集中在其他问题上，其他领域可能也会跟进。

1 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

2 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

3 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• 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》

4 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

5 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

6 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

7 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。

8 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

9 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

10 intriguing   

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》

11 serendipitous   

adj.偶然发现的

参考例句：

• There was a serendipitous second advantage working with a library of equations. 利用方程库有个意外收获的附带好处。 来自互联网
• Strategic networking prepares us for serendipitous moments. 战略性人际交往让我们为不时之需做好准备。 来自互联网

12 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

13 orientations   

n.方向( orientation的名词复数 )；定位；（任职等前的）培训；环境判定

参考例句：

• Welfare comparisons are also hindered by differences in orientations among economic systems. 经济制度之间倾向性的差别也会妨碍福利的比较。 来自辞典例句
• Their different value orientations led to different results in literary creation. 价值取向的分野亦导致了不同的创作局面。 来自互联网

14 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

15 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

16 zoologists   

动物学家( zoologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Zoologists refer barnacles to Crustanceans. 动物学家把螺蛳归入甲壳类。
• It is now a source of growing interest for chemists and zoologists as well. 它现在也是化学家和动物学家愈感兴趣的一个所在。

17 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

18 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》