A British geneticist said on Oct. 17 he may have solved the mystery of the yeti, after matching DNA from two animals said to be the mythical beast to an ancient polar bear.
There have for centuries been legends about hairy, ape-like creatures, also known as “migoi” in the Himalayas, “abominable snowman” in North America and “almasty” in the Caucasus mountains.
The myth was given credence when explorer Eric Shipton returned from his 1951 expedition to Everest with photographs of giant footprints in the snow.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
Bryan Sykes made a global appeal last year for samples from suspected yeti and received about 70, of which 27 gave good DNA results.
Two hair samples came up trumps — one from a beast shot in the Kashmiri region of Ladakh 40 years ago and the other found in Bhutan a decade ago.
Brown bears and polar bears are closely related as species and are known to interbreed when their territories overlap, according to Sykes.
(Liberty Times)
一位英國遺傳學家十月十七日表示,他也許已解開雪人之謎,經過比對兩種據說是該傳奇野獸的動物基因之後,(發現那)符合古代北極熊(的基因)。
有關毛茸茸、長得像猩猩的生物的傳奇已流傳數世紀,又稱為喜馬拉雅地區的「米格伊」,北美的「喜馬拉雅雪人」以及高加索山區的「阿瑪斯蹄」。
在探險家艾瑞克.希普頓一九五一年帶回埃佛勒斯山雪地上大腳印的照片後,那個傳說被信以為真。
布萊恩‧賽克斯去年向全世界徵求疑似雪人的樣本,並收到約七十個,其中有二十七個在基因比對上有好消息。
兩個毛髮樣本出現意外的好成績:一個來自四十年前拉達克喀什米爾地區一頭被射殺的野獸、另一個來自十年前的不丹。
棕熊與北極熊在品種上關係密切,並已知曾在生活地域交疊時異種交配,賽克斯說。
(自由時報/翻譯:詹立群)
South Korea’s famous kimchi is falling victim to climate change, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures. Napa cabbage thrives in cooler climates, and is usually planted in mountainous regions where temperatures during the key growing summer season once rarely rose above 25 degrees Celsius. Studies show that warmer weather brought about by climate change is now threatening these crops, so much so that South Korea might not be able to grow napa cabbage one day due to the intensifying heat. “We
It’s widely recognized that there are far more right-handed people than left-handed people in the world. Being right-handed simply means preferring to use one’s right hand for tasks that involve only one hand, such as writing and eating. But have you ever wondered about the possible reasons behind the global dominance of the right hand over the left? As with many complex biological questions, multiple factors appear to be at play. First, one reason seems to be genetics. __1__ Therefore, the global dominance of right-handedness is something that has been passed down through many generations of humans. Next,
A: What’s even more horrible is that the five suspects who purposely supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry were all his “friends.” B: Who exactly are the five suspects? A: They include Matthew’s two doctors, a broker, a drug dealer, and even his live-in assistant. B: Those scumbags should go to jail. A: Yeah, one of the doctors may be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. A: 更可怕的是,提供男星馬修派瑞「K他命」的5人全是他的「朋友」。 B: 嫌犯是誰啊? A: 其中包括他的2位醫生、1位仲介、1位毒販、甚至他的同居助理! B: 那些人渣真該去坐牢。 A: 對啊,其中1位醫生可能面臨120年徒刑。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
On blazing hot summer days, fresh ingredients and cool refreshments straight from a refrigerator feel like nothing short of a miracle. However, chilled foods didn’t begin with modern refrigerators. In fact, the origin of refrigeration precedes the invention of this now-indispensable appliance by centuries. Initially, the quest for refrigeration was motivated more by the desire to cool beverages than to preserve food. The ancient Greeks and Romans, for instance, used snow stored in insulated pits to chill wine. Around the fourth century BC, the Persians made a significant stride in refrigeration techniques when they devised the yakhchal. Fashioned from