時差N小時:淘汰紅發(fā) Knocking Out Redheads

Don: Hey Yael, did you know that people with redhair need more anesthesia during surgery thanother people?

唐：嘿，雅艾爾，你知道嗎，紅發(fā)的人在做手術時需要注射比別人更多的麻醉劑?

Yael: Oh, c'mon Don, that's just another superstitionabout redheads—like redheads have hotter tempers.Back in the Middle Ages they used to think thatpeople with red hair were witches.

雅艾爾：啊，少來了，唐，這是人們對紅發(fā)的又一個迷信——就像紅發(fā)的人脾氣更暴躁。在中世紀人們認為長有紅發(fā)的人是巫師。

Don: But I'm not being superstitious. Dozens of studies have shown that it takes about twenty-percent more anesthesia to knock out redheads than it does people with other hair colors.

唐：但這次不是迷信。幾十項研究表明：相比其他發(fā)色的人，紅發(fā)的人昏迷所使用的麻醉劑要多出20%。

Yael: Why?

雅艾爾：為什么?

Don: Well, it's all about pigment.

唐：其實，這與色素有關。

Yael: You mean the particles that determine the color of hair and skin?

雅艾爾：你是指決定頭發(fā)或皮膚顏色的粒子?

Don: Right. So the amount of pigment you have is controlled by a hormone in the brain.Redheads have more of this hormone—and that matters because the pigment hormone isalso involved with pain perception. So for some reason, because redheads have an abundanceof this pigment hormone, they're more sensitive to pain...

唐：對。因為色素的數(shù)量由大腦中的荷爾蒙控制。紅發(fā)人分泌更多這種荷爾蒙——這是關鍵的一點，因為色素荷爾蒙也涉及到痛知覺。因此出于某種原因，紅發(fā)人體內(nèi)含有更多的色素，因此對疼痛也更加敏感。

Yael: ...which is why it takes more anesthesia to knock them out. So does this matter in anymajor way?

雅艾爾：...這就是為什么需要更多麻醉劑才能使其迷昏的原因。那么對某些重要的方面有影響嗎?

Don: Well, I guess it does if you're a redhead. But it's not like you have to be worried aboutwaking up during surgery, screaming in pain. Surgeons and anesthesiologists are well aware ofthe phenomenon. Because, Yael, it's science, not superstition.

唐：好吧，我覺得如果你張著紅發(fā)，就有影響。但不要擔心會發(fā)生半路在手術臺上醒來，痛得大叫這種情況。手術醫(yī)師和麻醉師也充分了解這種情況。因為這是科學，不是迷信，雅艾爾。

Yael: Touché.

雅艾爾：言之有理。