中英對照讀新聞》When the first warm-blooded dinosaurs roamed Earth 當第一批溫血恐龍在地球上漫遊時

類是恆溫動物，也是恐龍的後代。圖為侏羅紀時期已知體型最大的翼龍「Dearc sgiathanach」還原照。（路透檔案照）

◎陳成良

Scientists once thought of dinosaurs as sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. Then research suggested that some could control their body temperature, but when and how that shift came about remained a mystery.

科學家曾經認為恐龍是行動遲緩、冷血的生物。後來的研究表明，有些恐龍可以控制自己的體溫，但這種轉變的時間和方式仍然是個謎。

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Now, a new study estimates that the first warm-blooded dinosaurs may have roamed the Earth about 180 million years ago, about halfway through the creatures’ time on the planet.

現在，1項新的研究估計，第1批溫血恐龍可能大約1.8億年前就在地球上漫步，大約是這些生物在地球上生存時間的一半。

Warm-blooded creatures — including birds, who are descended from dinosaurs, and humans — keep their body temperature constant whether the world around them runs cold or hot. Cold-blooded animals, including reptiles like snakes and lizards, depend on outside sources to control their temperature: For example, basking in the sun to warm up.

溫血生物，包括恐龍的後裔鳥類和人類，無論環境冷熱，其體溫都能保持恆定。冷血動物，包括蛇和蜥蜴等爬行動物，則依賴外部環境來調節體溫，例如透過曬太陽來升溫。

Knowing when dinosaurs evolved their stable internal thermometer could help scientists answer other questions about how they lived, including how active and social they were. (AP)

了解恐龍何時進化出穩定的內部溫度調節系統，可以幫助科學家解答牠們如何生活的其他問題，包括牠們的活動能力和社交程度。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

come about：動詞片語，產生。例句：How did the accident come about?（這起事件是怎麼發生的？）

descend from：片語，起源於；是…的後裔。例句︰She is descended from a distinguished family.（她系出名門。）

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