- Baby talk: Talking to toddlers boost early brain development, study finds
- An mRNA vaccine tested by BioNTech shows early promise against pancreatic cancer
- ‘Is this really going to work?’: the makers of mega-hit video game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- The Little Mermaid: Why are films becoming so badly-lit and difficult to see?
- ‘New hope’: Tiny Galápagos island birds make promising comeback
- How one man's rare Alzheimer’s mutation delayed the onset of disease
Baby talk: Talking to toddlers boost early brain development, study finds
啞啞兒語：研究發現，與幼兒交談可促進大腦發育
Health
The more you talk to a toddler, the more it helps their brains to develop in early childhood, a study has found. Researchers discovered that two-and-a-half-year-olds who heard more speech in everyday life had more myelin in language-related areas of their brains. Myelin is a material produced by the body that forms around nerves, including those in the brain, that allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently. Scientists from the University of East Anglia said their findings demonstrate how speaking to toddlers can shape their developing brains. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, involved 163 babies and toddlers being given small recording devices to wear for three days.
--from Independent
一項研究發現，與幼兒多交談有助於幼兒期大腦發展。研究人員指出，聽到更多語言的2歲半幼兒在大腦的語言相關區域會擁有更多髓鞘。髓鞘是人體產生的一種物質，包圍著神經，包括大腦神經，使電脈衝能夠更高效快速地傳遞。英國東安格利亞大學（University of East Anglia）的科學家表示，他們究結果顯示，與幼兒交談可以塑造他們發展中的大腦。此研究結果發表在《神經科學》期刊共有163名嬰兒與幼兒參與研究記錄他們佩戴小型錄音設備3天的資料。
--摘錄翻譯自Independent
An mRNA vaccine tested by BioNTech shows early promise against pancreatic cancer
BioNTech測試的mRNA疫苗顯示出早期對抗胰腺癌的希望
Health
An mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer patients has shown promising results in a small study conducted by New York researchers and Germany’s BioNTech, staving off the return of the tumour in half of those treated. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer around, estimated to kill 88 per cent of patients. It’s also one of the most virulent cancers: the disease is known to quickly return even after a patient has successfully removed it. About 90 per cent of patients experience a relapse within seven to nine months after surgery. But a targeted mRNA vaccine could offer some hope. This week, a group of scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in New York published in the journal Nature the results of a small study they conducted on pancreatic cancer patients over several years.
--from Euronews.next
紐約的研究人員和德國BioNTech公司進行的一項小規模研究顯示，mRNA疫苗對防止胰臟癌患者腫瘤復發方面取得有希望的結果，其中一半患者的腫瘤沒有復發的跡象。胰臟癌是最致命的癌症之一，約88％的患者死於這種疾病。它也是最具侵略性的癌症之一：即使患者成功切除了腫瘤，該疾病也會很快復發。約90％的患者在手術後7至9個月間會復發。但是，定向的mRNA疫苗可能帶來一絲希望。本週，紐約紀念斯隆-凱特琳癌症中心（Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center）的一群科學家在《自然》期刊發表了他們在這幾年對胰臟癌患者進行的一項小規模研究的結果。
--摘錄翻譯自 Euronews.next
‘Is this really going to work?’: the makers of mega-hit video game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
「這樣真的可行嗎？」：超紅遊戲《薩爾達傳說 王國之淚》的幕後製作團隊
Culture
The release of a new Zelda game is always a major event worldwide...But 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was particularly special. Launching alongside the Nintendo Switch console…it was perhaps the best realisation yet of the promise of boundless freedom and adventure that video games have been dangling in front of players’ noses for decades...The sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was released on Friday and had critics displaying an unbecoming lack of restraint. Set in the same world as Breath, it expands the game upwards to gorgeous sky islands, and downwards through gaping chasms to Hyrule’s dark and dangerous underworld, letting players move freely between them.
-- from The Guardian
新的薩爾達遊戲上市一直是一件全球大事。…但2017年的《薩爾達傳說·曠野之息》尤為特別。與Nintendo Switch同時推出，這款遊戲或許是電子遊戲對玩家幾十年來期望能在遊戲中無限自由的冒險這項承諾的最佳體現。…而它的續作, 《王國之淚》於上週五（5/12）上市，讓許多遊戲評論家為之瘋狂。與 《曠野之息》設定在同一個[虛擬]世界，此遊戲將該【虛擬】世界向天空延展，創作出華麗的空中島嶼，且同時也向下延展到海拉魯王國（Hyrule）黑暗危險的地下世界，讓玩家能夠在兩者之間自由活動。
--摘錄翻譯自The Guardian
The Little Mermaid: Why are films becoming so badly-lit and difficult to see?
《小美人魚》：為什麼近期的電影變得如此昏暗、難以觀看？
Culture
When a clip from Disney's forthcoming live-action film of The Little Mermaid was shown at the MTV Awards on 7 May, fans of the original 1989 cartoon declared on social media that they couldn't see the appeal. Or, to be more accurate, they declared that they couldn't see anything at all. Commenter after commenter complained that a supposedly magical and romantic scene between Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) was so dark and dingy that they could barely tell what was going on. True, the scene takes place at night, but even so... "Where's the light? Where's the colour? This looks so dull," grumbled one Twitter user. "Did all the lightbulbs blow at the same time on set," asked another.
-- from BBC Culture
當《小美人魚》1989年原版動畫片的粉絲們在5月7日的MTV頒獎典禮上看到即將上映的真人版電影片段時，他們紛紛在社群媒體上表示看不懂這部真人版電影的魅力何在。或者，更準確地說，粉絲們表示根本看不到任何東西。一個接一個的網友抱怨說，本應是愛麗兒（Halle Bailey飾）和艾瑞克王子（Jonah Hauer-King飾）之間神奇浪漫的一幕卻如此烏漆墨黑，以至於他們幾乎無法分辨發生了什麼事情。此場景的確發生在晚上，但即便如此…「光呢？色彩呢？這看起來好沉悶，」一位推特用戶抱怨道。「拍攝現場所有的燈泡都同時壞掉了嗎?」另一個人問道。
--摘錄翻譯自 BBC Culture
‘New hope’: Tiny Galápagos island birds make promising comeback
新希望：加拉巴哥群島的小小鳥可望起死回生
Sciences
The unique ecosystem of the Galápagos Islands - 1,000km from the coast of Ecuador - has evolved over many millions of years. From giant tortoises to squawking sea lions, the archipelago is filled with iconic and beloved species. Observing this unique flora and fauna led British scientist Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution in the 19th century. Darwin's flycatchers are known for their striking vermillion plumage. The charismatic birds can be found only in the Galápagos Islands. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has labelled them ‘vulnerable’, but conservation experts now think the tiny bird could be making a comeback. On the island of Santa Cruz, 12 new chicks have been born this year. There are just 15 breeding pairs - meaning each chick that is born is a “new hope to save this species,” says the reserve's director, Danny Rueda.
--from Euronews (article with video)
距離厄瓜多海岸1,000公里的加拉巴哥群島獨特的生態系統已經演化了數百萬年。從巨龜到吵雜的海獅，群島及週遭充滿具代表性、深受喜愛的物種。觀察這裡獨特的動植物群使英國科學家達爾文在19世紀發展出他的進化論。達爾文鶲（ㄨㄥ）以其絢爛的朱紅色羽毛而聞名；此極具魅力的鳥類，只能在加拉巴哥群島見到。世界自然保育聯盟（IUCN）將它們標記為「脆弱種」，但保育專家現在認為小鳥種群有望起死回生。今年在聖克魯茲島上，有12隻新雛鳥誕生了。保護區主任Danny Rueda說：「僅15對成鳥繁殖—這意味著每隻出生的幼鳥都是拯救這個物種的新希望。」
--摘錄翻譯自Euronews（原文含影片）
How one man's rare Alzheimer’s mutation delayed the onset of disease
一名男性體內罕見的阿茲海默細胞突變如何延緩病症發作
Sciences
Researchers have identified a man with a rare genetic mutation that protected him from developing dementia at an early age. The finding, published on 15 May in Nature Medicine could help researchers to better understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and potentially lead to new treatments. For nearly 40 years, neurologist Francisco Lopera at the University of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, has been following an extended family whose members develop Alzheimer’s in their forties or earlier. Many of the approximately 6,000 family members carry a genetic variant called the paisa mutation that inevitably leads to early-onset dementia. But now, Lopera and his collaborators have identified a family member with a second genetic mutation, reelin, that protected him from dementia until age 67. It’s an important new avenue to pursue new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.
--from Nature news
研究人員已發現了一名患有罕見基因突變的男子，該突變使他免於早發性失智症。此發現於5月15日發表在《自然醫學》上，可以幫助研究人員更了解阿茲海默症的成因，並可能導向新的治療方法。近40年來，哥倫比亞安蒂奧基亞大學（University of Antioquia）的神經學家Francisco Lopera一直在追踪一個有家庭成員在40多歲或更年輕時便罹患阿茲海默症的大家庭。大約6,000名家庭成員中有多人帶有一種必然會導致早發性失智症、名為派薩突變的基因變異。但是現在Lopera和他的夥伴已確定了其中一位家庭成員有第二個基因突變reelin—使他在67歲前不會罹患失智症。此為尋求阿茲海默症新療法的重要新途徑。
--摘錄翻譯自Nature news