聰明的動物們做的十大趣事(下)

t Flies Think Before They Act

5.果蠅先想後行動

A fruit fly's lifespan is usually less than 60 days. That's not much time to develop advanced mental capabilities. But a study from Oxford University shows that fruit flies actually think before they act. They even take More time when making difficult decisions (although they obviously can't take more than 60 days).

一隻果蠅的壽命通常不超過60天，這點時間對它們來說要發展高級智能並不多。但是牛津大學的一項研究發現果蠅通常會先想後行動。它們甚至會花很多時間做出艱難的決定，顯然它們是不能花60天以上的時間來思考怎麼做出選擇。

To begin their experiment, the researchers trained Drosophila fruit flies to avoid a particular concentration of an odor. Then the flies were placed in a narrow chamber. At one end was the odor concentration to be avoided; at the other end was a different concentration of the same the odor concentrations were easy to distinguish, the fruit flies would quickly go to the correct end of the chamber almost every time. But when the concentrations were hard to tell apart, the fruit flies took much longer to decide, leading researchers to conclude that they were gathering information before making a researchers were able to predict the fruit flies' decision-making process with the same mathematical models used for humans and primates. This indicates a higher intelligence in fruit flies than was previously thought possible.

實驗最開始，研究員們對果蠅進行訓練，讓它們避開有着特定濃度的氣味，然後把它們放入一個狹窄的室內，一端沒有氣味，另一端則置有不同濃度的同種氣味。當氣味的濃度很容易區別的時候，果蠅基本上每次都能快速地選對正確的一端。當兩端氣味的濃度難以區分時，果蠅則會花更長的時間來做出決定，這使得研究者們相信它們這是在做出決定之前收集信息。藉助用於研究人類及靈長類動物的同一數學模型，研究者們可以預測果蠅做決定的過程。比之於之前人類所認爲的，這預示的是果蠅可能擁有更高級的智能。

n Elephants Comfort Others In Distress

4.亞洲象會安慰情緒低落的同伴

Consolation is rarely seen in animals, possibly because it may require empathy. But a study published in the journal PeerJ shows that Asian elephants will now join the select group of animals scientifically shown to display this behavior. Until now, the group has only included great apes, ravens and certain other corvids, and canines.

安慰這一行爲在動物中是很少見，這可能是因爲安慰是需要移情作用的。但是一項發佈在PeerJ上的研究顯示亞洲象會表現出這種行爲，直到現在，會表現出這一行爲的動物僅僅有猿，烏鴉以及其他一些鴉科動物，還有犬齒類動物。

A group of 26 captive Asian elephants in Thailand was observed for over a year. When an elephant became stressed by something like a nearby dog or snake, its ears and tail would stand out and it might even emit a roar. When this happened, the researchers observed that other elephants would rush to the distressed one to offer physical and vocal comfort.A consoling elephant tended to make a chirping sound, almost like it was calming a human baby with "shh." The comforting elephant might also use its trunk to softly touch the distressed elephant's face, or "hug" by putting its trunk in the distressed elephant's mouth. Nearby elephants might also respond as a group to help. The researchers also hope to study wild elephants to see if they also demonstrate this consolation behavior.

泰國一組有26頭圈養的亞洲象被觀察了一年多。當一頭亞洲象因爲附近的一隻狗或者一條蛇而感到焦慮時，它的耳朵和尾巴就會突出來，甚至可能會發出吼叫聲。當這種情況出現時，研究人員觀察到其他大象會衝到（聚集到）這隻焦慮的大象身邊，通過聲音和肢體接觸給與它安慰。當一頭大象在安慰別的大象時，它可能會發出低鳴聲，就像它在用噓噓聲安撫嬰兒一樣，也可能會用象鼻輕輕地觸摸它的臉，或者把它的鼻子放進那頭大象的嘴裏，像是給它一個擁抱一樣。附近的大象們也會集體性地做出反應，給與它幫助。研究者們也希望對野生大象進行研究，看看它們是否也會表現出這種安慰行爲。

es Are Better Copycats Than Dogs

3.狼比狗更擅長模仿

In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists found that wolves observe and learn from each other much better than dogs do.

在PLOS ONE 期刊上發表的一項研究中，科學家們發現，比起狗，狼更擅長相互觀察和學習。

The scientists studied 14 wolves and 15 mongrel dogs, each approximately six months old. During the test, each animal watched a trained dog open a wooden box with its mouth or paw to get a food reward. Afterward, all the wolves, but only four of the dogs, were able to open the box. The wolves were also more likely to use the method they originally scientists repeated the experiment nine months later to see if the animals' age had been a factor. But it wasn't. Next, the researchers tested whether wolves are better problem solvers than dogs. Each animal tried to open the box without seeing it done first by a trained dog. Most of the wolves couldn't do researchers believe that wolves are more dependent on each other, so they copy each other more easily than dogs. The scientists suspect that it's this behavior in wolves that formed the basis for the original social understanding between dogs and humans.

科學家們對14條狼和15條雜種狗進行了研究，它們都差不多6個月大。在測試期間，每條狼和狗都要觀看一隻受過訓練的狗用它的嘴巴和爪子打開一個木盒子，最終得到食物獎勵的過程。隨後，受測試的狼都能成功打開盒子，而15條狗中只有4條能打開盒子。由此可見，這些狼更容易使用它們最初觀察到的方法。科學家們在接下來的9個月裏重複着這個實驗，看看動物的年齡是否會是一個影響的因素。但實驗否定了這個假設。接下來，研究者們對狼是否比狗更擅長解決問題做了試驗。試驗中，每個動物都要嘗試打開盒子，前提是沒有觀看受過訓練的狗完成這一過程。結果表明大多數狼都沒能完成這一任務。研究者們認爲狼更加依賴彼此，因此比起狗來，它們更容易互相模仿。科學家們懷疑，正是狼的這種模仿行爲奠定了人馴化狗的基礎。

Have Memories Like Computers

2.老鼠和計算機一樣有記憶功能

Like computers, rats have short-term, random-access memories that store information used in ongoing processes. Humans and crows also have these "working memories." In humans, this allows us to store and process information to play games, solve mental arithmetic problems, and follow conversations.

像計算機一樣，老鼠也有短期的隨機存取的記憶功能，這種功能可以存儲。人和烏鴉也都有這種記憶功能，這對我們人類來說意味着我們在玩遊戲，解決精神算法問題以及進行對話時可以對這些信息進行處理。

Researchers at the International School for Advanced Studies were surprised to find this type of memory system in a mammal as simple as a rat. They found that the rats responded to vibrations with their whiskers much as humans would with their fingertips. The rats' working memories helped them recognize and decide how to respond to these environmental stimuli. Without this type of RAM, rats wouldn't be able to use their experiences to figure out the best course of researchers don't yet know which part of a rat's brain is responsible for working memory. Other researchers have identified the area in a crow's endbrain that contains its working memory. Since a crow's brain is structured differently from a mammal's brain, this shows that the development of cognitive abilities is possible in different brain structures—including some much simpler than a human brain.

高級國際研究學院的研究者們驚奇地發現哺乳動物的這種記憶系統和老鼠的一樣簡單。他們發現，就像人類用指尖感受震動一樣，老鼠則用鬍鬚來感受震動。老鼠的工作記憶功能幫助他們識別環境刺激，並對決定怎樣對這些刺激做出反應。如果沒有這種像電腦讀寫存儲器一樣具有存儲功能的記憶系統，老鼠就不可能利用他們的經歷來解決最佳的行動方案。研究者們也不知道老鼠大腦的哪個部位纔是負責工作記憶的。其他一些研究者已經識別了烏鴉端腦中含有工作記憶功能的部位。由於烏鴉的大腦構造和哺乳動物的不同，這表明了大腦構造不同，認知能力的發展也可能不同，包括一些比人腦簡單得多的。

e Groups Of Lemurs Steal Food Behind Your Back

1.一大批狐猴在你背後偷吃食物

As an experiment in "social intelligence," Duke University researchers tested whether lemurs from big tribes or small groups were more likely to steal food from a human's plate when that person wasn't the first test, two humans sat with two plates of food. One faced the plate and the lemur as it entered the room. The other person turned his back on the plate and the lemur. In the second test, the humans sat in profile as the lemur entered the room. One person faced the plate, the other was turned away from the plate. In the third test, both humans wore black bands as they faced the plates. One person wore the band over his eyes, the other over his mouth.

在一項名爲社會智能的實驗中，來自杜克大學的研究者們對狐猴進行了測試，當人不看裝着食物的盤子時，來自大部落的狐猴是否會比來自小部落的狐猴更有可能偷盤子裏的食物呢？在第一組測試中，兩個人坐着，面前分別放着一個裝着食物的盤子。其中一個人面對盤子，第二個人則背對着盤子和狐猴。在第二組測試中，當狐猴進入房間時，他們兩人側坐着。其中一人面對着盤子，第二個人則遠離盤子。在第三組測試中，兩人面對盤子的同時都蒙着黑布條，其中一人用黑布條矇住眼睛，另一個人則矇住嘴巴。

Few of the lemurs understood the point of the black bands. But in the other tests, the lemurs from larger social groups were more likely than those from smaller groups to steal food behind a person's back. The lemurs all had the same brain size. So this suggests that complex social intelligence in primates, including humans, evolved from living (and stealing) in large social groups, not from increased brain size.

在第三組實驗中，幾乎沒有狐猴明白黑布條在實驗中的作用。但在其他幾組實驗中，來自大部落的狐猴比起來自小部落的更可能在一個人背後偷食物。實驗中所有狐猴的大腦體積都一樣。因此這表明了，靈長類動物所擁有的複雜的社會智能，包括人類，是從社會集體中生活演化而來，而不是大腦體積增大所致。

翻譯：李清海 來源：前十網