为什么有些人看着显老? 科学家发现罪魁基因!

 It's no secret that good genes² can explain why some people age well. But researchers said last Thursday they have identified a specific gene¹ variant³ that can make people look about two years older than their actual age.

众所周知，有些人看起来比较年轻的原因是拥有优良的基因。但研究人员在上周四表示，他们鉴定出一种特殊的基因变异，能使人们看起来比实际年龄要老两岁。

Scientists already know that the gene in question, known as MC1R, is responsible for producing red hair and pale skin, according to the report in the journal Current Biology. But now they have identified a variation in this gene that seems to age people faster.

据《当代生物学》期刊报道，科学家们已经认识到这种被称为MC1R的基因会导致头发发红、皮肤苍白。但是现在，他们在这种基因里发现了能使人们老得更快的变异。

"For the first time, a gene has been found that explains in part why some people look older and others younger for their age," said researcher Manfred Kayser of Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

荷兰鹿特丹市伊拉斯谟大学医学中心的研究员曼弗雷德·凯瑟尔说：“我们第一次发现，基因可以在一定程度上解释为什么有些人显老，而有些人显年轻，”

为什么有些人看着显老? 科学家发现罪魁基因!

Previous research has shown that a person's genes and environmental factors contribute equally to how old a person looks. Perceived age is also important because it can be linked to a person's actual health and their risk of dying prematurely⁴, other research has suggested.

此前的研究表明，一个人看起来的年龄是由基因和环境因素共同导致的。其他研究已经表明，外表年龄也是非常重要的，它能够反映一个人的实际健康状况和过早死亡的风险。

For the current study, scientists examined the genomes of more than 2,600 elderly Dutch Europeans "for DNA⁵ variants⁶ associated with differences in perceived facial age and wrinkling as estimated from digital facial images," the report said. "The strongest hits for perceived facial age were for DNA variants in the MC1R gene."

在当前的研究中，科学家们对2600多个荷兰老人的基因组进行了检测。报告指出，科学家们发现，人们实际的面部年龄以及数字面部图像中起皱情况的不同，都与DNA变异有关。“实际面部年龄最显老的是拥有MC1R基因变体的那些人。”

Researchers said they were able to confirm their finding in two other large European studies. The influence of the MC1R gene variant was not swayed by age, sex, skin color, or sun damage.

研究人员表示，他们的发现也得到了另外两项更大型欧洲研究所的证实。MC1R基因变异的影响不会随着年龄、性别、皮肤颜色和晒伤而有所改变。

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

3 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

4 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句