FROM THE JUNE 2004 ISSUE
Useless Body Parts
What do we need sinuses for, anyway?
By Jocelyn Selim, Max Aguilera-Hellweg|Saturday, June 26, 2004
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《發現》(英語:Discover)是一本美國面向大眾的科學雜誌。該月刊於1980年10月由時代雜誌推出。1991年出售給華特迪士尼公司,但2005年被再次出售給小鮑伯·古喬內。
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex is a book by English naturalist Charles Darwin, first published in 1871, which applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection, a form of biological adaptation distinct from, yet interconnected with, natural selection.
《人類的由來》全稱《人類的由來及性選擇》(英語:The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex),是英國科學家查爾斯·達爾文的名著,首次出版於1871年。在此書中達爾文重點闡述了人類是怎麼由低等生物進化而來的,並對他的性選擇理論做了更多細節上的描述。
In the first chapter of The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin identified roughly a dozen anatomic traits that he gleefully described as “useless, or nearly useless, and consequently no longer subject to natural selection.”
The list included body hair, wisdom teeth, and the coccyx—superfluous features that served as Exhibit A in his argument that humans did not descend from “demigods” but rather from a long line of fur-insulated, plant-chewing creatures that sported tails.
在“人類後裔”的第一章中,查爾斯達爾文確定了大約十二種解剖學特徵,他興高采烈地描述為“無用,或幾乎無用,因此不再受自然選擇。”這份名單包括體毛,智齒和 在他的論點中,人類沒有從“半神人”中退出,而是從長長的毛皮絕緣,植物咀嚼的尾巴生物中脫穎而出,作為展覽A的尾骨多餘的特徵。
Darwin’s catalog of oddities was far from complete—our bodies are littered with parts we don’t need.
Some are vanishing leftovers from our prehominid ancestors, such as muscles useful for walking on all fours or hanging from trees that appear in various atrophied forms. Others are by-products of a natural redundancy inherent in human sexual development, including nipples on men and the tiny vestigial sperm ducts lurking behind the ovaries of women.
Then there are curiosities that, having outlived their apparent usefulness, linger simply because there’s no real reason to leave: What good or bad is hair on the little toe—or even the little toe itself?
達爾文的奇怪目錄遠未完成 - 我們的身體上堆滿了我們不需要的部分。 有些人正在消滅我們的前原始祖先的殘羹剩飯,例如肌肉可以四肢行走或懸掛在以各種萎縮形式出現的樹木上。
其他是人類性發育中固有的自然冗餘的副產品,包括男性乳頭和潛伏在女性卵巢後面的微小殘留精子管。 然後有一些好奇心,已經超過了它們顯而易見的用處,僅僅是因為沒有真正的理由離開:小腳趾上的頭髮有什麼好處 - 甚至是小腳趾本身?
Darwin’s catalog of oddities was far from complete—our bodies are littered with parts we don’t need.
Some are vanishing leftovers from our prehominid ancestors, such as muscles useful for walking on all fours or hanging from trees that appear in various atrophied forms. Others are by-products of a natural redundancy inherent in human sexual development, including nipples on men and the tiny vestigial sperm ducts lurking behind the ovaries of women.
Then there are curiosities that, having outlived their apparent usefulness, linger simply because there’s no real reason to leave: What good or bad is hair on the little toe—or even the little toe itself?
達爾文的奇怪目錄遠未完成 - 我們的身體上堆滿了我們不需要的部分。 有些人正在消滅我們的前原始祖先的殘羹剩飯,例如肌肉可以四肢行走或懸掛在以各種萎縮形式出現的樹木上。
其他是人類性發育中固有的自然冗餘的副產品,包括男性乳頭和潛伏在女性卵巢後面的微小殘留精子管。 然後有一些好奇心,已經超過了它們顯而易見的用處,僅僅是因為沒有真正的理由離開:小腳趾上的頭髮有什麼好處 - 甚至是小腳趾本身?
Nearly a century and a quarter after Darwin’s death, science still can’t offer a full explanation for why one outdated anatomic trait lingers in the gene pool and another goes. Modern genomics research has revealed that our DNA carries broken genes for things that seem as though they might be useful, like odor receptors for a bloodhound’s sense of smell or enzymes that once enabled us to make our own vitamin C. In a few million years, humans may very well have shed a few more odd features. So look now before they’re gone.
在達爾文去世近一個世紀和四分之一的時間裡,科學仍然無法提供一個完整的解釋,說明為什麼一個過時的解剖學特徵在基因庫中徘徊而另一個則存在。 現代基因組學研究表明,我們的DNA攜帶破碎的基因,看起來好像它們可能是有用的,就像獵犬的嗅覺或酶的氣味受體一樣使我們能夠自己製造維生素C.在幾百萬年後, 人類很可能已經擺脫了一些奇怪的功能。 所以現在看看他們走了之前。
Nearly a century and a quarter after Darwin’s death, science still can’t offer a full explanation for why one outdated anatomic trait lingers in the gene pool and another goes. Modern genomics research has revealed that our DNA carries broken genes for things that seem as though they might be useful, like odor receptors for a bloodhound’s sense of smell or enzymes that once enabled us to make our own vitamin C. In a few million years, humans may very well have shed a few more odd features. So look now before they’re gone.
在達爾文去世近一個世紀和四分之一的時間裡,科學仍然無法提供一個完整的解釋,說明為什麼一個過時的解剖學特徵在基因庫中徘徊而另一個則存在。 現代基因組學研究表明,我們的DNA攜帶破碎的基因,看起來好像它們可能是有用的,就像獵犬的嗅覺或酶的氣味受體一樣使我們能夠自己製造維生素C.在幾百萬年後, 人類很可能已經擺脫了一些奇怪的功能。 所以現在看看他們走了之前。
Nearly a century and a quarter after Darwin’s death, science still can’t offer a full explanation for why one outdated anatomic trait lingers in the gene pool and another goes. Modern genomics research has revealed that our DNA carries broken genes for things that seem as though they might be useful, like odor receptors for a bloodhound’s sense of smell or enzymes that once enabled us to make our own vitamin C. In a few million years, humans may very well have shed a few more odd features. So look now before they’re gone.
在達爾文去世近一個世紀和四分之一的時間裡,科學仍然無法提供一個完整的解釋,說明為什麼一個過時的解剖學特徵在基因庫中徘徊而另一個則存在。 現代基因組學研究表明,我們的DNA攜帶破碎的基因,看起來好像它們可能是有用的,就像獵犬的嗅覺或酶的氣味受體一樣使我們能夠自己製造維生素C.在幾百萬年後, 人類很可能已經擺脫了一些奇怪的功能。 所以現在看看他們走了之前。
The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external portion of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal [1].
It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane).
外耳,外耳或耳外耳是耳朵的外部部分,其由耳廓(也是耳廓)和耳道[1]組成。
它收集聲音能量並將其聚焦在鼓膜(鼓膜)上。
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耳廓(auricle)
外耳道(external acoustic meatus)
The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external portion of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal [1].
It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane).
外耳,外耳或耳外耳是耳朵的外部部分,其由耳廓(也是耳廓)和耳道[1]組成。
它收集聲音能量並將其聚焦在鼓膜(鼓膜)上。
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耳廓(auricle)
外耳道(external acoustic meatus)
The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external portion of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal [1].
It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane).
外耳,外耳或耳外耳是耳朵的外部部分,其由耳廓(也是耳廓)和耳道[1]組成。
它收集聲音能量並將其聚焦在鼓膜(鼓膜)上。
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耳廓(auricle)
外耳道(external acoustic meatus)
The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external portion of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal [1].
It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane).
外耳,外耳或耳外耳是耳朵的外部部分,其由耳廓(也是耳廓)和耳道[1]組成。
它收集聲音能量並將其聚焦在鼓膜(鼓膜)上。
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耳廓(auricle)
外耳道(external acoustic meatus)
動耳肌也叫特耳肌或外耳肌,包括耳上肌、耳前肌和耳後肌,其他動物的這種肌肉可以讓他們的耳朵自由轉動,以便改變耳廓方向,集中收集某一區域內的聲音。
人雖然也有這種肌肉,不過由于人類耳朵和頭部的構造,明顯不具功能性,和韌帶一樣,它僅僅起著固定耳廓的作用。
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The auricular muscles (or extrinsic muscles) are the three muscles surrounding the auricula or outer ear:
anterior auricular muscle
superior auricular muscle
posterior auricular muscle
The superior muscles is the largest of the three, followed by the posterior and the anterior.
In some mammals these muscles can adjust the direction of the pinna. In humans these muscles possess very little action. The auricularis anterior draws the auricula forward and upward; the Auricularis superior slightly raises it; and the Auricularis posterior draws it backward.
耳廓肌肉(或外在肌肉)是耳廓或外耳周圍的三塊肌肉:
前耳肌
上耳廓肌
後耳肌
上耳廓肌是三者中最大的,其次是後部和前部。
在一些哺乳動物中,這些肌肉可以調節耳廓的方向。 在人類中,這些肌肉幾乎沒有動作。 耳廓前部將耳廓向前和向上拉; Auricularis上級略微抬高它; Auricularis後部將其向後拉。
Neck Rib
A set of cervical ribs—possibly leftovers from the age of reptiles—still appear in less than 1 percent of the population. They often cause nerve and artery problems.
頸肋
一套頸椎肋骨 - 可能是爬行動物時代的殘羹剩飯 - 仍然只佔不到1%的人口。 它們經常引起神經和動脈問題。
頸肋骨:是爬行動物時代所殘留下來的器官。現在不到1%的人仍有著這個器官,曾起到支撑神經和動脉的作用。
Third Eyelid
A common ancestor of birds and mammals may have had a membrane for protecting the eye and sweeping out debris. Humans retain only a tiny fold in the inner corner of the eye.
第三眼瞼
鳥類和哺乳動物的共同祖先可能有一個保護眼睛和掃除碎片的膜。 人類只在眼角內保留一個微小的褶皺。
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第三眼瞼:鳥和哺乳類用來撥出贓物保護眼睛的眼膜,人的眼睛底部仍有少量殘存。
The nictitating membrane (from Latin nictare, to blink) is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye from the medial canthus for protection and to moisten it while maintaining vision.
瞬膜(來自拉丁語nictare,眨眼)是一種透明或半透明的第三眼瞼,存在於一些動物中,可以從內側眼角穿過眼睛進行保護並在保持視力的同時滋潤它。
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第三眼瞼,又稱爲瞬膜,覆蓋在結膜上以保護角膜及清除异物,幷防止眼睛出現過份乾燥的情况。若單側的眼睛發生第三眼瞼脫出,可能因眼睛受到刺激而造成。 第三眼瞼,只是一層膜,沒有相對于“第三眼瞼”的第一、第二眼瞼。 動物一般均有“第三眼瞼”的。
It may be a remnant of a larger shape that helped focus distant sounds.
它可能是一個更大的形狀的殘餘,有助於聚焦遙遠的聲音。
Subclavius Muscle鎖骨下肌
This small muscle stretching under the shoulder from the first rib to the collarbone would be useful if humans still walked on all fours. Some people have one, some have none, and a few have two.
如果人類仍然四肢行走,那麼從第一肋骨到鎖骨在肩部下方伸展的小肌肉將是有用的。 有些人有一個,有些沒有,有幾個有兩個。
The subclavius is a small triangular muscle, placed between the clavicle and the first rib.[1] Along with the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles, the subclavius muscle makes up the anterior wall of the axilla.
鎖骨下肌是一個小三角肌,位於鎖骨和第一肋骨之間。[1] 與胸大肌和胸小肌一起,鎖骨下肌構成腋窩的前壁。
Palmaris Muscle
This long, narrow muscle runs from the elbow to the wrist and is missing in 11 percent of modern humans. It may once have been important for hanging and climbing. Surgeons harvest it for reconstructive surgery.
帕爾馬里斯肌肉
這種長而窄的肌肉從肘部延伸到手腕,在11%的現代人體中缺失。 它曾經對懸掛和攀爬很重要。 外科醫生收穫它進行重建手術。
掌長肌:手肘到手脖的細長伸展肌肉。11%的人已經沒有了,垂吊或攀登時用的重要器官,現在在移植手術中會將這部分器官取出來代用。
Male Nipples
Lactiferous ducts form well before testosterone causes sex differentiation in a fetus.
Men have mammary tissue that can be stimulated to produce milk.
男性乳頭
在睾丸激素導致胎兒性別分化之前,乳酸管形成良好。
男人的乳房組織可以刺激產生乳汁。
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男性的乳頭:在胎兒時期男性荷爾蒙分別性別之前形成是分泌乳汁的器官,但是男性已經沒有分泌乳汁的功能。
Erector Pili
Bundles of smooth muscle fibers allow animals to puff up their fur for insulation or to intimidate others. Humans retain this ability (goose bumps are the indicator) but have obviously lost most of the fur.
架設者Pili
成束的平滑肌纖維允許動物將它們的毛皮抽出來進行絕緣或恐嚇他人。 人類保留了這種能力(雞皮疙瘩是指標),但明顯失去了大部分皮毛。
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立毛肌:動物爲保持體溫和威嚇敵人聳立毛的肌肉,和人在起鶏皮的時候一樣,只是人身上的毛已經退化。
arrector pili muscle, 豎毛肌
Appendix
This narrow, muscular tube attached to the large intestine served as a special area to digest cellulose when the human diet consisted more of plant matter than animal protein. It also produces some white blood cells. Annually, more than 300,000 Americans have an appendectomy.
這種狹窄的肌肉管附著在大腸上,當人類的飲食中含有比動物蛋白更多的植物物質時,它就是消化纖維素的特殊區域。 它還會產生一些白細胞。 每年有超過30萬美國人進行闌尾切除術。
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盲腸:和大腸接合的細長肌肉,吃飯時在攝取富含纖維的時代作爲分解食物而起到作用,同時也爲腸內的消化細菌作出貢獻。在美國每年有30萬人切除闌尾。
Body Hair
Brows help keep sweat from the eyes, and male facial hair may play a role in sexual selection, but apparently most of the hair left on the human body serves no function.
體毛
眉毛有助於防止汗流入眼睛,男性的面部毛髮(鬍子)可能在性選擇中發揮魅力的作用,但顯然大部分留在人體上的毛髮都不起作用。
体毛:眉毛是为了止汗,胡子是为了发挥性的魅力,虽然都有小小的贡献但是决大多数的体毛是无用的。
Plantaris Muscle
Often mistaken for a nerve by freshman medical students, the muscle was useful to other primates for grasping with their feet. It has disappeared altogether in 9 percent of the population.
蹠肌
新生醫學生經常被誤認為是神經,蹠肌對其他靈長類動物有用,可以用腳抓住東西。 它在9%的人口中完全消失了。
脚底肌:远古时期的人们用脚来抓东西,但是现在已经有9%的人已经丧失了这个器官。
Thirteenth Rib
Our closest cousins, chimpanzees and gorillas, have an extra set of ribs. Most of us have 12, but 8 percent of adults have the extras.
第13根肋骨:猩猩和類人猿仍有13根肋骨,但是現代人基本上只有12根,不過還是有8%的成人會有13根。
lumbar ribs的中文意思:腰肋
Male Uterus
A remnant of an undeveloped female reproductive organ hangs off the male prostate gland.
男性子宮
殘留的未發育的女性生殖器官懸掛在男性前列腺上。
男性子宮:垂吊在男性前列腺處是未發達的女性生殖器官的殘留器官。
Fifth Toe
Lesser apes use all their toes for grasping or clinging to branches. Humans need mainly the big toe for balance while walking upright.
第五腳趾
較小型的猿猴使用所有的腳趾來抓住或緊貼樹枝。 人類主要需要大腳趾來保持平衡而直立行走。
脚的第5指:猿的脚趾全部用来抓住物体或是攀缘树枝,人在步行时主要是靠拇指来掌握方向平衡。
Female Vas Deferens
What might become sperm ducts in males become the epoophoron in females, a cluster of useless dead-end tubules near the ovaries.
女性輸精管
什麼可能成為男性的精子管成為女性的環氧化物,卵巢附近的一組無用的死端小管。
女性的精管:將男性的精子運到尿道的管道,女性的情况是在卵巢附近一頭堵住沒有任何功能。
卵巢冠(Epoophoron)
What might become sperm ducts in males become the epoophoron in females, a cluster of useless dead-end tubules near the ovaries.
什麼可能成為男性的精子管成為女性的環氧化物,卵巢附近的一組無用的死端小管。
Pyramidalis Muscle
More than 20 percent of us lack this tiny, triangular pouchlike muscle that attaches to the pubic bone. It may be a relic from pouched marsupials.
Pyramidalis肌肉
超過20%的人缺乏這種附著在恥骨上的微小的三角形袋狀肌肉。 它可能是袋裝有袋動物的遺物。
錐體肌:我們中有20%的人沒有這塊附著在耻骨上緣被稱作錐體肌的袋狀肌肉,據說這是有袋動物殘留下來的。
Coccyx
These fused vertebrae are all that’s left of the tail that most mammals still use for balance and communication. Our hominid ancestors lost the need for a tail before they began walking upright.
尾骨
這些融合的椎骨是大多數哺乳動物仍然用於平衡和交流的尾巴。 我們的原始人類祖先在他們開始直立行走之前就失去了對尾巴的需求。
尾椎骨:几乎所有的哺乳类为保持平衡而有的尾巴,因和椎骨进化融和而得此名。对于直立行走已经起不了任何作用。
Robert Ernst Eduard Wiedersheim (21 April 1848 in Nürtingen – 12 July 1923 in Schachen (Lindau)) was a German anatomist who is famous for publishing a list of 86 "vestigial organs" in his book The Structure of Man: An Index to His Past History.
vestigial翻譯:殘留的,殘餘的, (尤指身體部位)發育不全的,退化的。
痕迹器官vestigial organ •
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再如遺跡器官。1859年達爾文發表《物種起源》後,1895年懷德沙姆(Ernst Widersheim)發表了所謂的《遺跡器官》(註7),認為有些器官是進化過程的殘餘無用器官(Vestigial Organs)。
他共列舉了86項,人体中占了闌尾、松果体和尾骨等。後來醫學發現,這些器官都有著各自的功能。現在,他這個單子幾乎成為空單子了。這也 是科學家們以相信設計為前提做研究的結果。