夜貓子還是早起的鳥兒?基因來定奪
作者:滬江英語
來源:SCIENCEALERT
2015-05-27 10:59
A new study suggests morning people are born, not made.
一項新的研究表明,早睡早起是與生俱來的特質(zhì),不是后天養(yǎng)成的。
Here's some good news for all you night owls desperately trying to get better at mornings - new research suggests that it's not your fault that you can't string a sentence together before 9am. You may simply be genetically predisposed to being more productive at night-time.
好消息!還在為晨起打不起精神抓狂的夜貓子們,新的研究表明,9點前連話都說不完整不怪你們啦,或許就是基因決定了你們晚上效率更高。
After investigating the genomes of fruit flies, researchers from the University of Leicester in the UK have identified nearly 80 genes that are linked to a preference for either 'morningness' or 'eveningness'. And although that may sound pretty unrelated to your own body clock, the team showed that most of these genes are found in mammals, too.
在調(diào)查了果蠅的基因染色體組后,英國萊斯特大學的研究人員鑒別出了80種和喜歡“早起早睡”或是“晚起晚睡”相關(guān)的基因。盡管這聽起來和生物鐘不甚相關(guān),研究團隊表明這些基因也大都可以在哺乳動物身上找到。
Previous research has demonstrated that most people find they're most productive either early in the day or late at night - a preference that's known as a 'chronotype'. And while a lot of studies have looked into the effects of this chronotype, there hasn't been much investigation into what actually causes these differences, up until now.
先前的研究證實大多數(shù)人都發(fā)覺自己不是在早晨就是晚上效率最高,這種對時間早晚的傾向性就是“睡眠類型”。盡管已有很多關(guān)于這種睡眠類型效應的研究,但是,到目前為止,究竟是什么導致了這些差異卻鮮有人研究。
"In this new study, we have used fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), whose gene clocks are very similar to a human's, to get a first insight into the molecular basis of ‘morningness/eveningness’ preference," explained team member Eran Tauber in a press release. "Because this genetic system is so similar between insects and humans, there is a good chance that some of the genes that we have identified in flies, would be also important for diurnal preference in humans."
“這項新研究,我們選用生物鐘和人類十分接近的(黃猩猩)果蠅,以初步洞察其偏好‘早起還是晚起’的分子基礎(chǔ),”研究隊員埃蘭·圖博在新聞發(fā)布會上解釋道?!耙驗槔ハx和人類的遺傳體系非常相似,一些我們在果蠅里發(fā)現(xiàn)的基因很有可能對人類傾向白天起到重要作用?!?/div>
As part of their research, the team identified two different fly strains that were at their most active either in the morning, or the evening, and they then compared and contrasted their genes. They found nearly 80 genes that appear to be linked to the flies' chronotypes, but interestingly, these genes aren't ones that are known to regulate our body clock.Instead, they're involved in a range of molecular pathways.
這項研究中,隊員們還鑒別出不是早晨特活躍就是夜晚特活躍的兩類果蠅,然后比較、對比了兩類果蠅的基因。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),將近80種基因似乎和果蠅的“睡眠類型”相關(guān)。有意思的是,這些基因并不控制我們的生物鐘。相反,這些基因和一系列分子途徑有關(guān)。
The ultimate goal is to find potential targets for treatments that could help people overcome their evening or morning chronotype. While that sounds a little extreme, it could help prevent a range of disorders, such as obesity and depression, which have been linked to a lifestyle that's out of whack with your body clock.
最終目的是要找到潛在治療目標,以幫助人們克服晚睡或早起的睡眠類型。盡管這聽著有點兒極端,但還是能起到預防疾病的作用,像肥胖癥、憂郁癥等一系列病癥,都是由于生物鐘和生活方式不協(xié)調(diào)所致。
"The rhythm of life is such that for many people the economic or social call to start a new day comes hours before the endogenous call from the body clock. This creates a clock dysfunction that is not only reflected in temporal disorientation and sleep problems, but also in conditions such as obesity, mental illness, cardiovascular disease and cancer," said Taubler.
“生活節(jié)奏就是這樣的,大多數(shù)人都是生物鐘還沒醒,就因為經(jīng)濟壓力或是社會因素開始一天的生活。這樣引發(fā)的生物鐘紊亂問題,不僅影響時間概念和睡眠質(zhì)量,還會引發(fā)肥胖癥、精神病、心血管疾病和癌癥,”圖博如是說。
While I'm not sure I'm ready for medication to help turn me into a morning person just yet, I kind of love the fact that researchers are finally revealing that, biologically, not everyone can function on a 9 to 5 schedule.
雖然我也不大確定自己是不是做好了接受藥物治療的準備,好把自己變成早睡早起的人。不過我還是蠻開心的,研究人員終于揭示了真相,從生物學上講,不是每個人都能朝九晚五且保持好狀態(tài)的。