时差N小时 剑尾鱼(上)

So you want to attract a mate.

那你是想吸引配偶喽！

After all, passing on your genes¹ is what evolution is all about.

毕竟基因传递才是进化的意义！

To do that you need offspring, and to get a lot of those you need to be attractive.

要传递基因就得有后代，要有后代你就必须得有足够的吸引力，

The flashier the better.

而且越光鲜就越好。

Hey, look over here!

嘿！看这儿！

Sexy me. Ah, but there's the problem.

看看性感的我。嗯，但有个问题。

The flashier you are, the more likely you are to attract predators².

你越光鲜闪亮，被捕食者发现的可能性就越大。

Hey, look over there-that guy really stands out.

嘿！看那儿—那家伙真显眼。

I'll eat him.

我就吃它啦!

This is a pickle³.

这就让人为难了

How can you be flashy in the eyes of mates but subdued⁴ in the eyes of predators?

怎样才能在异性眼中光鲜闪亮，又在天敌面前得以藏身呢？

New studies show that swordtail fish have evolved a clever solution: use ultraviolet light.

新的研究表明剑尾鱼已经在进化中找到了两全之策，那便是使用紫外线。

These innocuous little critters actually shine brightly in stripes that run along their flanks…but only if you look in the UV wavelength⁵.

这些不起眼的小家伙事实上可以沿着两侧的鱼鳍发出条纹状的亮光—但是只能在波长与紫外线的波长相等时才能看见这种光。

1 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

2 predators   

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》

3 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

4 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

5 wavelength   

n.波长

参考例句：

• The authorities were unable to jam this wavelength.当局无法干扰这一波长。
• Radio One has broadcast on this wavelength for years.广播1台已经用这个波长广播多年了。