離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Thatcher gene allows some to get by on just four hours’ sleep 「柴契爾基因」讓一些人只需睡4小時
◎陳成良
A gene that controls how long we sleep has been discovered by scientists explaining why some people have their own internal alarm clock.
科學家已發現一種能控制人睡眠時間長短的基因，這解釋了為何一些人擁有自己的生物時鐘。
Scientists identified a gene called ABCC9 that can reduce the length of time we sleep. The same gene has previously been linked to heart disease and diabetes.
科學家辨識出了一種名為「ABCC9」的基因能縮短我們睡眠時間。先前的研究發現該基因與心臟病和糖尿病有關聯。
The discovery could explain why light sleepers, such as Margaret Thatcher, are able to get by on just four hours shut-eye a night.
這一研究可以解釋為何像（英國前首相）瑪格麗特．柴契爾一樣的淺眠者能夠每晚只闔眼4個小時。
The Europe-wide study saw 4,000 people from seven different EU countries fill out a questionnaire assessing their sleep habits.
這項全歐洲的研究調查了來自7個不同歐盟國家的4000名研究對象，讓他們填寫一份評估他們睡眠習慣的調查問卷。
Scientists then analysed their answers, as well as participants’ genes.
科學家接著分析了他們的答案與受試者的基因。
They discovered that people who had two copies of one common variant of ABCC9 slept for "significantly shorter" periods.
他們發現，擁有兩個ABCC9共同基因變體的人睡眠時間「明顯較短」。
Having already established that the ABCC9 gene was also present in fruitflies, the team were able to modify it in the animal and shorten the length of time for which it slept.
果蠅身上已證實也有ABCC9基因。該研究小組能修改果蠅的這種基因並縮短其睡眠時間。
新聞辭典
get by on：片語，過得去；靠…過活。例句： I can’t get by on such a small income. （靠這麼微薄的收入我無法過活。）
questionnaire：名詞，（調查情況用的）問卷；（意見）調查表。例句：It took me quite a while to fill out the questionnaire.（填寫那份問卷花了我好長一段時間。）
establish：動詞，確定； 證實； 表明。例句：The new evidence establishes the suspect’s guilt. （新證據證實嫌疑犯有罪。）
