World Journal (New York) - World Journal (New York) - Weekly Supplement
都市老鼠
模仿人類飲食
●Humans are not alone in suffering from the stresses of modern city life. Researchers have found the brown rats of New York are struggling just as hard to adapt to urban existence.人類並非獨自承受現代都市生活的壓力,研究人員發現,紐約的褐鼠也一樣辛苦適應都市的存在。
●Indeed it is possible, they say, that both humans and rats have undergone parallel shifts in their genetic make-up in response to city life, leaving them prone to similar health threats, such as the effects of pollutants and the consumption of highly sugared foods.研究人員指出,這的確有可能,人類與老鼠面對都市生活時,基因組成皆經歷基因平行轉移,使他們更容易受到健康威脅,例如汙染物影響與進食高糖食物。●“We know rats have changed in incredible ways in their behaviour and in their diet, just as human communities have changed,” said Arbel Harpak, a population geneticist at the New York’s Columbia University. “In New York you can see them eat bagels and beer; in Paris they like croissants and butter. They adapt in amazing ways.”紐約哥倫比亞大學群體遺傳學家哈帕克(Arbel Harpak)表示:「我們知道老鼠的行為與飲食已經出現驚人的改變,就跟人類群體的改變一樣。在紐約,你可以看到老鼠吃貝果和嘗啤酒;在巴黎,老鼠喜歡可頌和奶油。他們有驚人的適應方式。」●But how profound are these changes? Are rats merely first-class opportunists and scavengers, or have they been changing at a genetic level as they adapt to modern life? To answer these questions, a team – co-led by Harpak
– analysed the genomes of 29 New York rats which had been lured into traps filled with bacon, peanut butter and oats – favourite rodent treats in the Big Apple.不過這些改變的意義有多深遠?老鼠只是一級伺機性物種與清道夫嗎?或者牠們適應現代生活時已出現基因改變?為了回答這些問題,哈帕克共同領導的團隊分析29種紐約老鼠的基因組,這些老鼠被引誘進入充滿培根、花生醬和燕麥的陷阱中,這些食物是紐約齧齒類的最愛。
●The most striking common feature of the lives of urban humans and urban rats is diet, the researchers discovered: both consume an increasingly large amount of highly processed sugars and fats. Such a diet leads to various health concerns, which could also apply to rats.都市人類與老鼠生活中最令人訝異的共通點就是飲食,研究人員發現,兩個物種吃下越來越多高度加工的糖與脂肪。這類飲食會引發多種健康顧慮,而且同樣適用於老鼠。
●Exactly when brown rats went through most of these genetic changes is unclear. They could have been recent adaptations or could have occurred several hundred years ago.目前還不清楚褐鼠出現多數基因變化的確切時間點;牠們有可能近代才出現適應,又或者可能幾百年前就已出現。
般試驗入組要入兩年的,瑞德西韋三期入組九天就入了75%了,他們試驗方案是對照組四盲的。對照組也是用藥的,大家都有得救治。」小王的日常工作是做類似糖尿病等慢病的臨床研究,需要經常去醫院做患者訪視,算是經驗之談。「病人需要簽知情同意。會給他們買保險。如果有什麼問題,先停藥,用保險支付補償。」在參與者曹夕看來,那會兒的計畫群就像外界對武漢印象的一個小小縮影,慌亂匆忙,但問題一個個解決。
訂下武漢之約 聊真性情
共享信息、科普之外,群裡的一些老搖滾迷開始懷念武漢的SMZB和達達樂隊,還有人提到Vox(武漢酒吧)組了個民間救援隊伍,「算是很早很早的救援隊了」。「東湖也很美」、「我也想去」、「疫情之後約起來吧」。「話題是不是跑偏了?不是該討論疫情嗎?」有人把話題拉回來。
這些還只是群裡的雜談,要實現一對一的交流,需要邁出決定性的一步。「就像一群人來到舞會上,你還是要找到自己的那個舞伴。」文傑說。廣東女孩珂琪找到的舞伴,是在武漢唸書的一位孝感姑娘。珂琪沒有照微信名字稱呼她,自始至終就叫她「小姐妹」。聯繫到孝感姑娘後,後者笑著說可以直接叫她「肥肥」。在珂琪眼裡,肥肥爽直、性子急,像另一個自己。「她在武漢讀書,好不容易回到孝感,她爸媽也不讓她出門,她都快憋壞了。群裡聊起武漢時,她就是最活躍的,是一個很愛玩的女生。」
愛玩的肥肥1月22日夜裡刷手機,看到網上有人說封城,立馬起來收拾東西,凌晨2時半,居然叫到了一部滴滴去火車站。「對方說平時這個點我不會接單的,但是今天要去高鐵站接朋友,順便就接一個