时差N小时:淘汰红发 Knocking Out Redheads

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

唐：嘿，雅艾尔，你知道吗，红发的人在做手术时需要注射比别人更多的麻醉剂?

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.

雅艾尔：啊，少来了，唐，这是人们对红发的又一个迷信——就像红发的人脾气更暴躁。在中世纪人们认为长有红发的人是巫师。

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：但这次不是迷信。几十项研究表明：相比其他发色的人，红发的人昏迷所使用的麻醉剂要多出20%。

Yael: Why?

雅艾尔：为什么?

Don: Well, it's all about pigment.

唐：其实，这与色素有关。

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

雅艾尔：你是指决定头发或皮肤颜色的粒子?

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：对。因为色素的数量由大脑中的荷尔蒙控制。红发人分泌更多这种荷尔蒙——这是关键的一点，因为色素荷尔蒙也涉及到痛知觉。因此出于某种原因，红发人体内含有更多的色素，因此对疼痛也更加敏感。

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

雅艾尔：...这就是为什么需要更多麻醉剂才能使其迷昏的原因。那么对某些重要的方面有影响吗?

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，我觉得如果你张着红发，就有影响。但不要担心会发生半路在手术台上醒来，痛得大叫这种情况。手术医师和麻醉师也充分了解这种情况。因为这是科学，不是迷信，雅艾尔。

Yael: Touché.

雅艾尔：言之有理。