https://espresso.economist.com/cd50a6640d6284992905dc447fd7701d
Feb 2nd 2019
Falling asleep in your genes: biology
- fall asleep 入睡
- gene 基因
- biology 生物学
Humans spend around a third of their lives asleep.
- around 大约
- spend ... doing sth. 花费的
But the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control sleepiness are mysteries.
- molecular 分子的
- mystery 神秘（的事/东西）
Now researchers have shown that a gene called nemuri could be one of the main drivers.
In a study on fruit flies, neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that when they suppressed the activity of this gene, the flies woke up easily and had difficulty sleeping.
- fruit flies 果蝇
Conversely, when they ramped up nemuri’s activity, the flies effortlessly entered the land of nod. Intriguingly nemuri, which encodes a small protein secreted by brain cells, was also shown to help the flies fight off bacterial infections.
- ramp up 上升；增加；提高
- Intriguingly 有迷惑力地
- protein 蛋白质
- brain cell 脑细胞
- fight off 击退；排斥；竭力摆脱
- fight off a cold 治好感冒
- bacterial infection 细菌感染；细菌传染
It seems as though sleep is a crucial part of the body’s immune response to infection or illness.
- as though 好像
- crucial 至关重要的；关键性的
- immune response 免疫反应；免疫响应；免疫功能
Anyone sceptical of the recuperative powers of a good night’s rest now has evidence their doctors and mothers were right—sleep really does help.
- sceptical 怀疑的
- recuperative 有助于恢复的
- evidence 证据；证明；物证；根据
The results were published this week in Science.
