科学美国人60秒 SSS 尼安德特人用蛤蜊壳制造工具

This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Susanne Bard¹.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列，我是苏珊娜·巴德。

Around 100,000 years ago, in what is now Italy, our Neandertal cousins waded² out into the shallow coastal³ waters of the Mediterranean⁴ Sea in search of clams⁵. They grabbed the mollusks from the seafloor and perhaps even dived for them in deeper water. And they also simply collected clams from the beach. But the creatures weren't just food.

大约10万年前，在如今的意大利，我们的尼安德特人表亲涉入地中海浅滩水域，寻找蛤蜊。他们捕获海床上的这些软体动物，甚至可能为此潜入深水。他们也会收集海滩上的蛤蜊。但这些生物对他们来说并不仅仅是食物。

In a recent study, University of Colorado, Boulder⁶, archaeologist Paola Villa⁷ and her team report that Neandertals modified the clams' hard shells into tools for cutting and scraping. The clam-derived implements⁸ were found inside the Grotta dei Moscerini, a coastal cave that was first rediscovered around 85 years ago.

在最近的一项研究中，科罗拉多大学博尔德分校的考古学家保拉·维拉及其团队报告称，尼安德特人会将蛤蜊的硬壳改造成切割和刮削的工具。这些用蛤蜊壳制造的工具在Grotta dei Mosserini洞中被发现，这个海蚀洞在约85年前首次被再发现。

By examining wear and tear on the shells, the researchers determined⁹ that about 75 percent of the tool source material had been found dead on the beach. These shells had been worn down from being battered¹⁰ by waves and sand. But the remaining shells were smooth and shiny, indicating that the clams were still alive on the seafloor when they were gathered.

通过检查贝壳的磨损情况，研究人员判定，这些工具的原始材料中，有约75%被发现时已经死在海滩上。这些贝壳因为受到海浪和沙子的侵蚀而磨损。但剩下的贝壳却光滑发亮，这说明采集时这些蛤蜊还活在海床上。

These shells were also thicker and therefore might have made more durable¹¹ tools. So even though gathering¹² clams underwater took more work than picking them up on the beach, the effort may have been worth it.

这些壳还比较厚，因此可能制造出更耐用的工具。因此，尽管在水下采集蛤蜊比在海滩上采集蛤蜊更费力，但这一努力可能是值得的。

Also found in the Grotta dei Moscerini were pumice stones from volcanic¹³ eruptions¹⁴ that had occurred to the south of the site. Those stones may have been used by Neandertals as abrasive¹⁵ tools.

在Grotta dei Mosserini洞中还发现了一些浮石，它们是该地南边火山喷发的产物。这些浮石可能被尼安德特人制造成研磨工具。

The study is in the journal PLOS ONE.

这项研究发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》期刊上。

Neandertals were making these tools more than 50,000 years before modern humans first arrived in Western Europe. But Neandertal intelligence was dismissed by the scientific community during much of the 20th century. In recent years, however, evidence of their tool use and even artistic¹⁶ abilities has grown. Neandertals hunted, made cave art, cooked with fire, used boats and went fishing. Just last year, for example, research by Villa and others found that Neandertals living not far from the Grotta dei Moscerini site used resin¹⁷ adhesives¹⁸ to attach handles to stone tools.

现代人首次到达西欧之前，尼安德特人制造这些工具的历史已有5万多年。但在20世纪的大部分时间里，尼安德特人的智慧都被科学界忽视了。不过近年来，有关尼它德特人使用工具甚至艺术能力的证据不断增加。尼安德特人会捕猎、绘制洞穴壁画、用火烹饪，使用船只和捕鱼。例如，就在去年，维拉和他人的研究发现，居住在离Grotta dei Moscerini洞不远的尼安德特人，会用树脂胶给石制工具粘上把手。

They may have gone extinct some 40,000 years ago, but it's becoming ever more clear that Neandertals were intelligent, creative people—who led fully¹⁹ human lives.

尼安德特人可能在大约40000年前灭绝，但日益清晰的是，尼安德特人很聪明而且富有创造力，他们过着完整的人类生活。

Thanks for listening for Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Susanne Bard.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是苏珊娜·巴德。

1 bard   

n.吟游诗人

参考例句：

• I'll use my bard song to help you concentrate!我会用我的吟游诗人歌曲帮你集中精神！
• I find him,the wandering grey bard.我发现了正在徘徊的衰老游唱诗人。

2 waded   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

5 clams   

n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句

6 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

7 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

8 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

11 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

12 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。

13 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

14 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

15 abrasive   

adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的

参考例句：

• His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。
• She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

16 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

17 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

18 adhesives   

黏合剂( adhesive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These include dyes, adhesives, solvents, detergents, metals, and other foreign materials. 其中包括染料，粘合剂，溶剂，洗涤剂、金属等外界物质。
• Preparation, properties and kinds of polyurethane adhesives were described. 综述了聚氨酯胶粘剂的合成、特性和种类。

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。