【外刊英语精读】热爱自然是遗传的 | love of nature is genetic

Love of nature is in the genes, say scientists科学家认为，对大自然的热爱是写在基因里的Study of twins suggests desire to be in natural spaces is influenced by genetic factors对双胞胎的研究显示，对身处自然空间的渴望受到基因的影响A person’s love of nature is partially inherited, a large-scale study of twins has found.对双胞胎的大规模研究发现，一个人对自然的热爱在一定程度上是遗传的。Scientists from the National University of Singapore studied how much time twins spent in natural spaces compared with each other and found that they shared a similar level of desire to be in nature.新加坡国立大学科学家研究了双胞胎相较于彼此在大自然中度过的时间，并发现他们拥有同样水平的对于自然的渴望。“The reason we decided to study this in twins is that we could estimate heritability based on the genetic similarities in identical twins (100%) versus genetic similarities in non-identical twins (50%),” said Chia-chen Chang, who led the study.该研究带头人Chia-chen Chang表示，“同卵双胞胎的基因相似度为100%，而异卵双胞胎的基因相似度为50%，基于这一点我们就可以估计遗传可能性，所以我们决定在双胞胎中对此进行研究。”“If a trait, [such as the] desire to be in nature, is clearly more similar between identical twins than non-identical twins, this will then suggest a trait is heritable.”“如果一个性状（比如对大自然的渴望），很明显地在同卵双胞胎中比在异卵双胞胎中更为相似的话，那么这个性状就是可遗传的。”She said that those who live in urban environments without access to nature could end up having a lesser appreciation of it, explaining: “We did not test this in our study but it is possible because previous studies have shown that spending time in nature is linked to increased love of nature.”她表示那些住在城市环境中的人，远离大自然，从而对大自然的欣赏度下降，并解释道：“我们并未在该研究中测试这一点，但这是可能的，因为此前的研究已经显示出在大自然中度过时间和对自然的热爱相关。”Using the TwinsUK registry, researchers surveyed 1,153 pairs of twins – identical and non-identical – about how they experienced nature. The twins were asked to rate their familiarity with and desire to be in nature, and how frequently they visit natural spaces such as public parks and private gardens.使用“英国双胞胎项目”注册数据，研究者调查了1153对双胞胎（同卵和异卵），以探究其对大自然的体验。双胞胎们被要求对以下几项打分，其中包括对大自然的熟悉度，对大自然的渴望程度以及到访自然空间（比如公园和私人花园）的频率。The study, published in Plos Biology, found that identical (monozygotic) twins, who share almost 100% of their genes, were more similar to each other in their orientation towards nature and how frequently they visited nature compared with fraternal (dizygotic) twins, who share about 50% of their genetic material.该项研究发表于《公共科学图书馆·生物学》，发现与异卵双胞胎（遗传物质相似度达约50%）相比，同卵双胞胎（基因相似度几乎达100%）在对于大自然的向往以及造访大自然的频率方面更为相似。However, heritability declined with age, perhaps showing that environmental factors such as access to nature and green spaces bring about a love of the outdoors as one grows older.然而，该遗传性对着年龄的增加而减弱，可能表示出随着年龄增加，环境因素（比如去到大自然和绿色空间的便利性）会激发一个人对于户外的热爱。While previous studies have found that spending time in natural spaces improves mental wellbeing, this varies from person to person. For the first time, the researchers say, this study has indicated why that is by suggesting there is likely to be a genetic component in our predispositions towards nature and our likelihood to visit natural spaces.尽管之前的研究发现接触大自然有益于心理健康，这也因人而异。研究者表示，通过显示出可能存在基因要素导致我们热爱大自然的倾向并到访自然空间，该研究第一次表明了为何接触大自然有益于心理健康。Though proximity to nature increases the likelihood of having an appreciation for it, those with a strong disposition towards enjoying nature may actively seek it out even if it means travelling.尽管对大自然的就近性导致一个人欣赏大自然的可能性增加，那些有强烈热爱自然倾向的人可能会积极找寻自然空间，即使这意味着出行。“Spending time in nature links to better health and wellbeing,” Chang added. “A twin study shows that a person’s desire to be in nature and how often they experience it are influenced by both genes and personal experiences.”Chang补充道：“接触大自然有益于我们的身心健康。”“双胞胎研究则显示出一个人对于自然的渴望及其体验自然的频率则受到基因和个人经历的影响。”前往小宇宙评论区与主播互动