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Intelligence Averages Linked to Regional Infectious Disease Burden

智力平均值與地區(qū)傳染病狀況相關(guān)

Over the years, people have put forth a lot of theories to explain why intelligence differs, from person to person and even around the world. Health, wealth, schooling, nutrition, and even climate have all come up. Now, researchers at the University of New Mexico suggest that parasites might play a role. They find that the prevalence of infectious diseases can be a powerful predictor of regional smarts. Their work appears in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

多年以來，人們提出了許多理論來解釋人與人之間，甚至是全世界范圍內(nèi)人們的智力為何各不相同。健康、財富、教育程度、營養(yǎng)好壞、甚至是氣候條件都曾被列為影響智力的因素。如今，新墨西哥大學(xué)的研究人員又提出來一個新因素——寄生蟲。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)傳染病的流行會極大影響該地區(qū)的整體智力水平。他們的研究成果發(fā)表在《英國皇家學(xué)會會報》上。

It takes a lot of energy to build and operate a human brain. This needy organ commands 87 percent of the body's metabolic budget in infants, and about 25 percent in adults. So things that sap our energy are likely to hinder our intellectual growth. That's why malnourishment's not good for the mind.

大腦的形成發(fā)育及運轉(zhuǎn)需要大量的能量。這個有如“油老虎”般的器官會“吃掉”嬰兒新陳代謝所產(chǎn)生能量的87%，而成人新陳代謝所產(chǎn)生能量的1/4左右會被它“吃掉”。因此，消耗我們能量的東西很可能會阻礙我們的智力發(fā)展。這也正是為什么營養(yǎng)不良會對智力發(fā)育不利。

But what about parasites? Fighting off nasty bugs can take a lot out of you. So the scientists got to wondering whether excessive infections might correlate with impaired cognitive development. Looking at IQs from around the world, they found that high levels of infectious disease go hand in hand with lower average national intelligence.

可這又干寄生蟲什么事呢？消滅這些令人討厭的蟲子會使你疲憊不堪。于是，科學(xué)家們就想知道過度感染是否會與人的認知能力受損密切相關(guān)。在研究了世界各地人們的智商情況后，科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，傳染病高發(fā)國家往往伴隨著較低的平均智力水平。

Although the authors have not demonstrated cause-and-effect, it's nice to think that taking down parasites could bring up our IQs.

盡管科學(xué)家們在研究報告中并未論證其因果關(guān)系，不過，消滅寄生蟲能提高我們的智商，這個想法倒是不錯。

-Karen Hopkin

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