摘要：
有些人天生就擅长跳舞，而另外一些人对此却是一点也不开窍。这是为什么呢？答案或许就藏在遥远的冰河时代。
Some people are naturally graceful on the dance floor, while others seem burdened by two inept left feet. Blame it on the Ice Age.

有些人天生就擅长跳舞，而另外一些人对此却是一点也不开窍。这是为什么呢？答案或许就藏在遥远的冰河时代。

以色列研究人员的一项最新研究结果显示，跳舞的能力可能曾是我们史前祖先得以生存的一个因素。在生存条件艰苦的时期里，他们借此来维系彼此间的交流和联系。

据《生活科学》日前报道，这项研究被刊登在最新一期的公共科学图书馆(PLoS)遗传学期刊上。研究显示，作为早期人类进化的结果，现今那些富有创造性的舞蹈家事实上都拥有两个特殊的基因。而这两种基因都和成为出色的社会交流者的倾向联系在一起。科学家们相信，这给予了那些协作性好的，有节奏感的早期人类一个特殊的进化优势。

舞蹈家们与众不同的舞蹈基因

此项目的研究人员表示："舞蹈，像音乐一样，是一种可以追溯到史前时期的活动。有时，它是一种宗教仪式，有时又作为一种信息交流的形式，有时它还是一种重要的社交或求爱的行为。""我们猜测，不同个体之间之所以在舞蹈天赋、嗜好等方面存在着诸多不同，共有的基因有所区别可能是其中的部分原因。"

研究过程中，研究人员从85名出色的舞蹈家和其父母身上提取了DNA，并将其与一组普通人和一组运动员的DNA进行了对比。结果显示，这些基因并未控制着一种特殊的身体能力，但是它们却控制着身体中两种已知的和社交和行动能力相关的化学物质（分别是serotonin和 vasopressin）。

就像研究人员所猜测的，在舞蹈家体内这两种化学物质含量明显较多。换句话说就是，尽管出色的舞蹈家的身体类型和其他人没什么不同，但他们体内特殊的基因却让他们更加社会化。

早期人类至关重要的生存之舞

对于舞蹈在人类进化史上的重要作用，各国科学家都有着非常深刻的认识。英国雷丁大学的考古学家史蒂文·米森表示，这种天生的能力在史前时期可谓至关重要。他说："在最后一个冰河时期，相互间的协作是生存下来的必要条件。而通过一起跳舞唱歌所形成的紧密的社会关系则会促进人们的合作。"

在他的新书《唱歌的穴居人：音乐、语言、思想及身体的起源》中，米森还提出，由于舞蹈和音乐所具有的交流信息的力量，在早期人类刚会行走和说话的时候，它们很可能就成为了一种社会交互作用的重要工具。

（国际在线独家资讯 王高山）

Some people are naturally graceful on the dance floor, while others seem burdened by two inept left feet. Blame it on the Ice Age.

According to new research, the ability to dance may have been a factor in survival for our prehistoric ancestors, who used their moves to bond and communicate with each other when times were tough.

A study published in a recent issue of the Public Library of Science's genetics journal, suggests that, as a result, today's creative dancers actually share two specific genes.

Both genes are associated with a predisposition for being good social communicators. Scientists believe this gave early humans who were well coordinated and rhythmic a distinct evolutionary advantage.

"Dance, like music, is an activity dating to prehistoric times that is sometimes a sacred ritual, sometimes a form of communication, and sometimes an important social and courtship activity," wrote the researchers, who were psychologists based primarily out of universities in Jerusalem. "We hypothesized that there are differences among individuals in aptitude, propensity, and need for dancing that may partially be based on differences in common [genes]."

DNA was obtained from 85 elite dancers and their parents to compare with a group of people lacking any distinguishing characteristics, as well as a group of athletes. The genes studied don't control a specific physical ability, but they dictate two well-known social and behavioral chemicals in the body: serotonin and vasopressin.

As researchers suspected, both chemicals were found in much larger quantities among the dancers. In other words, while the elite dancers couldn't be put in a different physical category from everyone else, they all shared genes that made them more social.

This innate ability was crucial in prehistoric times, according to Steven J. Mithen, and archaeologist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

"Cooperation would have been essential for survival during the last Ice Age and this would have been facilitated by the social bonds that develop through communal dancing and singing," Mithen told LiveScience.

In his new book "The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body" (Harvard University Press, 2006), Mithen contends that because of their communication powers, dance and music likely became an important tool of social interaction as soon as humans could walk and talk.

"It has been argued that the specific nature of human anatomy suggests that it evolved for endurance running as much as walking. As such it could have also been used for dancing, as bipedalism requires high degrees of muscle control, balance and flexibility," he said.

Mithen's research focuses on the Neanderthals-our prehistoric cousins-as opposed to Homo sapiens' direct ancestors. But he believes the importance of dance was widespread and probably practiced by early humans, too, as far back as 1.5 million years ago.

And, as it is on modern dance floors, their prehistoric moves had a lot to do with hooking up.

"In many societies today dancing is used as a form of display for attracting mate," Mithen points out. "Dancing is a means to show off one's physical fitness and co-ordination, qualities that would have been useful for survival in prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies."

关键字:双语新闻
生词表: