How Do Genes Influence Behavior ?
Geneticists are trying to figure out if certain genes can explain differences in behaviour like thrill seeking, aggression and nurturing.
For every 100,000 people who enjoy hiking in the mountains, for example, only one or two feel the need to climb to the top of the mount Everest.
How can we explain this variation in behaviour?
How much does it have to do with family background or life experience, or some people are just born wanting to take on extreme challenges?
Research over the past few years has shown that the genetics behind complex behaviour is trickier than we first thought.
Differences in behaviour are not the result of one, two or even a hand full of genes.
Consider the most famous of lab insects, the lowly fruit fly, known to scientists as Drosophila melanogaster.
These fruit flies naturally fight over food like who gets access to a tasty piece of rotten banana.
Researchers now think, the activity of 4,000 of the fruit flies 15,000 genes determine how tough the insects will get with each other.
So, if the genetics of behaviour is that complicated in a fruit fly, imagine how complicated it would be for a human.
After all, the brain of a fruit fly contains around a 100,000 neurons while the brain of a human contains 100 billion neurones or a million times as many neurones as a fruit fly.
The bottom line ?
Any study claiming a single gene can predict whether you are gay, prone to violence, a liberal or a conservative is probably not going to pay it out in the end nor are we likely to ever find a gene for extreme mountain climbing.
translation
sentence:
遗传学家正试图弄清楚某些基因是否可以解释寻求刺激、攻击性和养育等行为的差异。
例如，每10万人喜欢在山上徒步旅行，只有一两个人觉得有必要爬到珠穆朗玛峰的顶部。
我们如何解释这种行为上的差异呢?
这与家庭背景或生活经历有多大关系，还是有些人天生就想接受极限挑战?
过去几年的研究表明，复杂行为背后的基因比我们最初想象的要复杂得多。
行为上的差异不是由一个、两个甚至一大把基因决定的。
想想实验室里最著名的昆虫——地位较低的果蝇，科学家称之为黑腹果蝇。
这些果蝇自然会为了食物而争斗，比如谁能得到一根美味的烂香蕉。
研究者现在认为，果蝇的15000个基因中有4000个控制着这种昆虫之间的攻击性。
所以，如果果蝇的行为基因如此复杂，想象一下对人类来说会有多复杂。
毕竟，一只果蝇的大脑含有大约10万个神经元，而人类的大脑含有1000亿个神经元，是果蝇神经元数量的100万倍。
底线是什么?
任何声称单一基因可以预测你是同性恋、暴力倾向、自由主义者还是保守派的研究，可能最终都不会有结果，我们也不太可能找到适合极限登山的基因。
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "geneticist",
"trans": [
"n. 遗传学者"
],
"usphone": "'dʒəˈnetɪsɪst'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "thrill",
"trans": [
"n. 兴奋，激动；使人兴奋的事物，令人激动的事；一阵强烈的感觉；（医）震颤；追求的快感；性快感",
"v. 使（某人）非常兴奋，非常激动；（情感，感觉）颤抖，振动；<文>颤动，跳动"
],
"usphone": "'θrɪl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "seek",
"trans": [
"v. 寻找；寻求，谋求；请求（帮助），征求（意见）；试图，设法；找出，找到（*** sb./sth. out）；自然地向……移动；<古>去，前往（某地）"
],
"usphone": "'siːk'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "nurture",
"trans": [
"v. 培养，促进；养育，培育；抱有，怀有；扶持，帮助；滋养，滋生",
"n. 养育，培育；教养；（总称）环境因素"
],
"usphone": "'ˈnɜːrtʃər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "hike",
"trans": [
"n. 徒步旅行，远足；（价格、花费等的）大幅度提高，猛增",
"v. 远足，徒步旅行；突然增加，突然提高；拉起，提起（尤指衣物）；后传（发球）给四分卫"
],
"usphone": "'haɪk'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "Everest",
"trans": [
"n. 珠穆朗玛峰（世界最高峰）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈevərəst'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "variation",
"trans": [
"n. 变化，变动；变奏曲；变化，变异；（天文）二均差；（数）变分，变差；磁偏角；（芭蕾）单人舞"
],
"usphone": "'ˌveriˈeɪʃ(ə)n'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "extreme challenge",
"trans": [
"极限挑战"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "genetics",
"trans": [
"n. 遗传学；（有机体、特征等的）遗传性，遗传特征"
],
"usphone": "'dʒəˈnetɪks'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "tricky",
"trans": [
"adj. 难对付的，棘手的；狡猾的，诡计多端的"
],
"usphone": "'ˈtrɪki'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "hand full",
"trans": [
"n. <旧>一把，少量"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "insect",
"trans": [
"n. 昆虫；类似昆虫的小动物（如蜘蛛）；卑鄙的人"
],
"usphone": "'ˈɪnsekt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "fruit fly",
"trans": [
"果实蝇；东方果实蝇；吃水果的果蝇"
],
"usphone": "'ˈfruːt flaɪ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "drosophila",
"trans": [
"n. 果蝇；果蝇属"
],
"usphone": "'drəˈsɑːfɪlə'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "Melanogaster",
"trans": [
"黑腹菌属"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "fight over",
"trans": [
"争吵，争夺"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "get access to",
"trans": [
"获得；接近；可以使用"
],
"usphone": "'ɡet ˈækses tu'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "rotten",
"trans": [
"adj. 腐烂的，发臭的；（道德、社会或政治）腐败的，堕落的；<非正式>令人不快的，讨厌的；<非正式>质量差的，水平低的；<非正式>（人）不友善的，不诚实的；<非正式>身体不适的，有病的；<非正式>感到内疚（或惭愧）的； <非正式> （强调非常生气或沮丧）倒霉的，破烂的",
"adv. <非正式>非常；<非正式>恶劣地，糟糕地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈrɑːt(ə)n'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "tough",
"trans": [
"adj. （物质，物体）坚韧的，坚固的；（政策或行动）强硬的，严厉的；吃苦耐劳的，坚韧不拔的；顽固的，固执的；困难的，棘手的；艰难的，困苦的，难熬的；（食物）老的，不易切开的，嚼不动的；（人）粗暴的，粗鲁的；（地区）充满暴力与犯罪的；不幸的，倒霉的，活该（表示不同情）",
"n. 恶棍",
"v. 坚持，忍受，忍耐",
"adv. 坚强地，坚定地"
],
"usphone": "'tʌf'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "get with",
"trans": [
"跟上；与......保持同步；相处"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "after all",
"trans": [
"毕竟；终究；到底"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "neuron",
"trans": [
"n. [解剖] 神经元，神经单位"
],
"usphone": "'ˈnʊrɑːn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "claim",
"trans": [
"v. 声称，断言；索取，索要（钱）；要求（拥有），认领；使丧生，致命；赢得，获得；值得，需要（花时间或精力）",
"n. 声称，断言；索要，索赔；权利，所有权；要求得到的土地使用权；专利新特征申明"
],
"usphone": "'kleɪm'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "prone",
"trans": [
"adj. 有做……倾向的，易于……的；俯卧的，趴着的；（前臂姿势）手心向下的",
"v. （尤指面部向下）使俯卧，趴着"
],
"usphone": "'proʊn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "liberal",
"trans": [
"n. 思想开明的人；自由主义者，支持变革的人；（加拿大、英国等国的）自由党党员，自由党支持者",
"adj. 思想开明的；自由主义的，支持变革的；（加拿大、英国等国）自由党的；慷慨的，大量给予的；通识（教育）的，文科的；不确切的，不拘泥字面的；自由主义神学的"
],
"usphone": "'ˈlɪbərəl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "conservative",
"trans": [
"adj. 保守的；保守派的，保守主义的（认为政府应该实行政治保守主义）；（衣着）守旧的，传统的；低估的；保守党的；不愿冒险的，谨慎的",
"n. 保守者，因循守旧者；保守党党员，保守党支持者"
],
"usphone": "'kənˈsɜːrvətɪv'",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]
[
{
"name": "",
"trans": [
"",
""
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]