Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the smartest beast of all? Through groundbreaking scientific research, the real story emerges of an animal with more than just gut instinct. Clever athletes, super sleuths and born performers, they really seem to be on the ball. But what really goes on in the mind of man’s best friend? From the edge of canine science we discover the true genius of the dog.
魔鏡啊魔鏡,誰是世上最聰明的野獸?創新科學研究終於揭露真相,某種動物有的不只是本能直覺。牠們是聰明運動員、超級偵探及天生表演家。牠們似乎十分機靈,不過這些人類最好的朋友究竟在想什麼呢?藉由先進的犬類科學,我們看出狗兒真正的天賦。
We live with 400 million of them. Nosy, inquisitive busy bodies with busy minds. We share our homes with them and just about everything else. For centuries, we’ve been fascinated with them, striving to get into the mind of the dog. But we’re not the only ones doing the research. They watch us. They listen, picking up on our every move, gathering intelligence for the doggie database. Why? Because their lives depend on it, and have for millennia.
有四億隻狗跟人類住在一起。牠們愛管閒事,好奇心強,腦筋更是動個不停。我們跟牠們分享家園,還有一切的一切。數世紀以來,人類深深為狗著迷,努力想瞭解牠們的想法。然而做研究的不只我們,牠們也在觀察人類,牠們用心聆聽,注意我們的一舉一動,收集情報輸入狗狗資料庫。為什麼?因為這攸關牠們的生死,數千年來都是如此。
The wolf is the mother of all dogs. Some 14,000 years ago, a group of wolves took a new evolutionary path. No one knows exactly why, but most agree the split occurred because of us. As human hunter-gatherers settled down, they created rubbish. Some say the wolves that couldn’t pass up a free lunch began hanging around. For a select few, scavenging replaced hunting. And the wolf-like attributes they used for taking down prey faded away. These were the first dogs, eventually evolving into smaller animals with smaller teeth and smaller brains. But other traits loomed larger. They became more approachable than wolves and were willing to work.
狼是狗的祖先。一萬四千年前,有群狼走上演化新路徑。沒人知道原因,但多數人都同意這種分裂是人類所造成。獵人聚集成的部落製造垃圾,有人說狼無法抗拒免費午餐,於是開始待在部落附近。少數狼放棄狩獵改吃腐食,制服獵物所需的屬性漸漸消失。牠們是狗的始祖,演化使牠們體型變小,牙齒跟腦容量也跟著縮水,其他特徵卻愈來愈明顯。牠們比狼更容易接近,也願意工作。
Ultimately dogs and humans struck a food for hire deal. If the dogs worked hard, the people would throw them a bone. And the ones who paid attention and obeyed were rewarded plentifully, surviving to pass down their clever genes, creating a species uniquely focused on us. This co-evolution between human and dog plays out today, an ancient bond thriving in modern suburbs.
最後人與狗達成用勞力換取食物的共識,只要狗賣力幹活兒,人就會丟骨頭給牠們吃。注意聽話的狗兒得到最多獎賞,並把聰明的基因傳給後代,創造出以人為重心的獨特物種。人狗共同演化延續至今,這份古老的聯繫在現代郊區處處可見。
As the priest Antonius Hambroek stood in the dim chamber of Fort Zeelandia, his eldest daughter clung to him, her voice trembling. “Father, don’t go. They’ll kill you, and what will become of Mother and my sisters?” Outside, the sounds of Koxinga’s relentless canon siege boomed through the fortress. The defenders were on the brink of collapse. Starvation gnawed at their resolve, and the air carried the acrid stench of spent gunpowder and rotting flesh. Dutch reinforcements from Batavia had failed to arrive, leaving the garrison isolated and hopeless. Hambroek’s face was calm, though sorrow weighed heavily on his
As we bundle up in thick coats to stay warm during the winter, there is a population that has already adapted to extremely low temperatures. These people live in the remote city of Yakutsk, the coldest city on Earth. Yakutsk is situated in the heart of Siberia, which is the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia. This historic mining city began to flourish in the 19th century following the discovery of gold deposits. Given its construction on permafrost, the average temperature in the city remains below 0°C for over half the year, with winter temperatures dropping to an astonishing -50°C.
The Dutch introduced the Indian mango (Mangifera indica) to Taiwan in the 17th century. It is a green-skinned mango with thick fibers that get stuck in the teeth, but it boasts a rich aroma and a unique taste. In 1954, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture introduced several mango cultivars from Florida, USA, including the Irwin, Haden, and Keitt varieties. After seven years of testing and domestication, the Irwin variety was chosen for promotion. Years later, the sample saplings started to bear fruit. These mangoes were large, with thin, vibrant red peels and golden pulp. The Irwin mangoes were mouth-wateringly sweet and
對話 Dialogue 清清:今天中午我要多吃一點,不然晚上可能會吃不飽。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān zhōngwǔ wǒ yào duō chī yìdiǎn, bùrán wǎnshàng kěnéng huì chībùbǎo. 華華:怎麼了?為什麼會吃不飽? Huáhua: Zěnmele? Wèishénme huì chībùbǎo? 清清:今天大年初七,是「人日節」,傳統上結了婚的女兒要回家給父母送長壽麵,而且最好是素的,我姐姐會回來,只吃素麵,我應該很快就餓了。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān Dànián chūqī, shì “Rénrì jié,” chuántǒng shàng jiéle hūn de nǚ’ér yào huíjiā gěi fùmǔ sòng chángshòumiàn, érqiě zuìhǎo shì sù de, wǒ jiějie huì huílái, zhǐ chī sùmiàn, wǒ yīnggāi hěn kuài jiù èle. 華華:我還是第一次聽說有「人日節」呢!這是怎麼來的啊? Huáhua: Wǒ háishì dì yī cì tīngshuō yǒu “Rénrì jié” ne! Zhè shì zěnme lái de a? 清清:老一輩的人說,女媧是在第七天造出了「人」,所以今天可說是我們每個人的「生日」呢!生日快樂! Qīngqing: Lǎoyíbèi de rén shuō, Nǚwā shì zài dì qī tiān zào chūle “rén,” suǒyǐ jīntiān kěshuōshì wǒmen měi ge rén de “shēngrì” ne! Shēngrì kuàilè! 華華:你也是啊!欸?那前六天女媧都做了什麼呢? Huáhua: Nǐ yěshì a! Éi? Nà