中英对照读新闻》People with tails? No, because of this ancient genetic 有尾巴的人类？之所以没有是因为这个古代基因
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基因变异解释了猿类与人类没有尾巴的原因。（路透）(photo:LTN)◎林家宇
Scientists on Wednesday identified what might be the genetic mechanism behind the tailless condition of us and our ape ancestors - a mutation in a gene instrumental in embryonic development.
科学家辨识出可能潜藏在我们与我们猿人祖先无尾状态背后的基因机制，这是对胚胎发育有关键作用的基因的突变。
The researchers compared the DNA of two groups of primates: monkeys, which have tails, and hominoids - humans and apes - which do not. They found a mutation in a gene called TBXT that was present in people and apes but absent in monkeys. To test the effects of this mutation, the researchers genetically modified laboratory mice to have this trait. These mice ended up with either a reduced tail or none at all.
研究人员比较了两个灵长类群体的DNA：有尾巴的猴子和无尾巴的人类及猿类。他们发现存在于人类和猿类之中的TBXT基因出现一项突变，而猴子没有这种基因。为了测试此突变的影响，研究员透过基因修改实验室老鼠，让牠们具备这项突变特质。结果这些老鼠要不尾巴长度缩减，要不完全无尾。
"For the first time, we propose a plausible scenario for the genetic mechanism that led to the loss of the tail in our ancestors. It’s surprising that such a big anatomical change can be caused by such a small genetic change," said New York University Langone Health geneticist and systems biologist Itai Yanai, who helped lead the study published in the journal Nature.
协助领导这项刊登于「自然」期刊研究成果的纽约大学朗格医学中心基因学家及系统生物学家伊泰．亚奈表示，「我们首度为导致祖先们失去尾巴的基因机制提出一个具说服力的设想。如此细微的基因变化却能引发这般巨大的解剖构造变化，着实令人感到惊奇」。
新闻辞典
modify：动词，修改、更改。例句：The movie script was modified so enormously that the story was different from the original.（这部电影剧本经大篇幅修改，使得故事和原版相去甚远）。
plausible：形容词，可信的、口若悬河的。例句：Although we didn’t like him, his explanation was quite plausible.（虽然我们不喜欢他，但他的解释颇具说服力）。
