Left-handed DNA found 科學傢發現 “左撇子基因”

科學傢們發現瞭第一個與左撇子有關的基因指令。這些指令似乎還與大腦的結構和功能密切相連，尤其是與語言有關的區域。

Around one in ten of us is left-handed – but why? A team at the University of Oxford analysed 400,000 people’s DNA. They then compared lefties and righties in a giant game of genetic spot-the-difference.

每十個人中就有一個人是左撇子，但這是為什麼呢？牛津大學的一個研究小組分析瞭 40 萬人的 DNA（脫氧核糖核酸）。然後，他們通過一個基因 “找不同” 遊戲對左撇子和習慣用右手的人進行瞭比較。

They found four genetic instructions that influenced left-handedness. These seem to work by altering how the brain develops. They’re involved in building the intricate “scaffolding“, known as the cytoskeleton that organises the inside of our body’s cells and culminate in a brain that is wired differently in left-handed people. Scans showed regions of the brain involved in language were better connected and more coordinated as a result.

他們發現瞭影響左撇子的四種基因指令。這些指令似乎是通過改變大腦的發育來起作用的。指令參與構建復雜的 “腳手架”，即細胞骨架，它組織我們體內的細胞，最終形成一個構造有別於慣用右手的人的左撇子大腦。掃描結果顯示，左撇子的大腦中與語言有關的區域連接得更好，也更協調。

The researchers speculate the findings may give left-handed people greater verbal skills. The study also showed slightly higher risks of schizophrenia and slightly lower risks of Parkinson’s disease in left-handed people.

研究人員推測，這些發現可能證實左撇子擁有更強的語言能力。此項研究還顯示，左撇子患精神分裂癥的風險略高，患帕金森病的風險略低。

詞匯

left-handed 慣用左手的
lefties 慣用左手的人
righties 慣用右手的人
genetic 基因的，遺傳信息的
spot-the-difference 找不同
instructions （基因）指令
intricate 錯綜復雜的
scaffolding 腳手架（這裡指細胞組建）
cytoskeleton 細胞骨架
culminate in 以……告終
wired （大腦的）構造
coordinated 協調的
verbal skills 言語技能
schizophrenia 精神分裂癥
Parkinson’s disease 帕金森病

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。

1. True or false? In every ten people, around two are left-handed.

2. How did the researchers conduct the study?

3. Based on the scans, which regions of a left-handed person’s brain were better connected and more coordinated?

4. Which word in the text means ‘slightly changing or modifying’?

答案

1. True or false? In every ten people, around two are left-handed.
False. According to the text, in every ten people, around one is left-handed.

2. How did the researchers conduct the study?
They conducted the study by analysing 400,000 people’s DNA and then comparing lefties and righties in a giant game of genetic spot-the-difference.

3. Based on the scans, which regions of a left-handed person’s brain were better connected and more coordinated?
The regions involved in language were better connected and more coordinated, according to the scans.

4. Which word in the text means ‘slightly changing or modifying’?
Altering. (‘These seem to work by altering how the brain develops.’)