Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin.
这是《科学美国人》的60秒科学。我是凯伦·霍普金。
After an exhausting day at the office, it’s hard not to smile when you’re greeted by a delirious display of uncontrolled canine joy.
在办公室度过了疲惫的一天之后，当你被一种失控的犬科动物的狂喜所迎接时，你很难不微笑。
But it’s not just the happy yapping and wriggling tail wagging that tug at our heartstrings.
但这不仅仅是快乐的汪汪叫和扭动的尾巴在拨动我们的心弦。
Because a new study shows that dogs’ eyes fill with tears when reunited with their people…an effect that evokes our nurturing instincts. The findings appear in the journal Current Biology.
因为一项新的研究表明，当狗与人团聚时，它们的眼睛充满了泪水……这一场景唤起了我们的养育本能。这一发现发表在《当代生物学》杂志上。
Takefumi Kikusui became interested in doggies’ damp and adoring gazes while watching his pet poodle interact with her pups.
菊水健史(Takefumi Kikusui)在观看他的宠物贵宾犬与幼崽互动时，对狗狗潮湿而崇拜的眼神产生了兴趣。
Takefumi Kikusui: When she was nursing her puppies, her face becomes so cute. Of course she’s so cute as always. But more.
当她给小狗喂奶时，她的脸变得如此可爱。当然，她一如既往地可爱。但此时更多。
Hopkin: At some point Kikusui, who’s a professor of veterinary medicine at Azabu University in Japan, realized that his adorable mama dog had tears in her eyes. That potential connection between unbearable cuteness and unshed tears sent Kikusui scurrying away from his poodle and back to the lab.
在某个时候，身为日本麻布大学兽医学教授的菊水意识到，他可爱的狗妈妈眼里含着泪水。极致可爱和满盈泪水之间潜在的联系让菊水匆匆地离开了他的贵宾犬，回到了实验室。
Kikusui: In the test, we initially measure the baseline tear volumes when dogs were together with the owner in their house.
在测试中，我们最初测量的是狗狗和主人在家时的基准泪液量。
Hopkin: Then the owner would high-tail it off for five or six hours.
然后主人会蓦然离去五六个小时。
Kikusui: When the owner came back, we measure tear volume again. And found that the reunion with the owner stimulate tear secretion.
当主人回来后，我们再次测量了泪液量。结果发现与主人的重逢会刺激狗狗分泌泪液。
Hopkin: But it only worked with the dog’s owner.
而这只发生在狗主人身上。
Kikusui: There was no increase in tears when the dogs were separated from the owner and reunited with the dogs’ caretaker in a dog care center.
当狗狗与主人分开，并在狗狗护理中心与狗狗看护人团聚时，泪液并没有增加。
Hopkin: The researchers suspected that the tearful reaction was stimulated by oxytocin…a hormone associated with social bonding. They had shown previously that oxytocin is boosted when dogs interact with their owners. And oxytocin receptors have been found to be abundant in the glands that secrete tears in mice.
研究人员怀疑流泪反应来自催产素刺激，这是一种与社会联系相关的激素。他们此前的研究表明，狗与主人互动时催产素水平会上升，并且，在小鼠分泌眼泪的腺体中，催产素受体含量丰富。
Kikusui: So we applied oxytocin to the dogs’ eyes.
所以我们给狗狗眼睛涂抹了催产素溶液。
Hopkin: And voila…the dogs grew weepy. But to what end? In other words, is there some benefit to this lachrymose behavior? To find out, Kikusui and his colleagues showed volunteers a couple of hound head shots.
然后，狗狗真的两眼泪汪汪了，但这是为了什么呢?换句话说，这种流泪行为有什么好处吗?为了找出答案，菊水和同事向受试者展示了几张猎犬的头部照片。
Kikusui: One was a normal dog face. And the other was teary dog face in which we added artificial tears.
一张是普通的狗狗脸，另一张则是泪眼汪汪的狗狗脸，我们在手动加上了泪液。
Hopkin: The volunteers were more likely to want to cuddle and care for the mutts with big, wet puppy-dog eyes…
受试者更倾向于拥抱和照顾那些大大的眼中噙满泪水的狗狗。
Kikusui: …suggesting that teary eyes of dogs can facilitate the human caregiving behavior.
这表明狗狗的泪眼可以促进人类的照顾行为。。
Hopkin: So dogs turn on the waterworks and their owners roll over. Now, that’s quite a clever trick!
所以狗狗打开它们的“水龙头”，主人便会被轻易击中，这可真是一个非常聪明的把戏!
Hopkin: For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Karen Hopkin.
以上是《科学美国人》的60秒科学，凯伦·霍普金报道。
Kikusui: Thank you for listening.
感谢您的收听。
Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin.
After an exhausting day at the office, it’s hard not to smile when you’re greeted by a delirious display of uncontrolled canine joy.
But it’s not just the happy yapping and wriggling tail wagging that tug at our heartstrings.
Because a new study shows that dogs’ eyes fill with tears when reunited with their people…an effect that evokes our nurturing instincts. The findings appear in the journal Current Biology.
Takefumi Kikusui became interested in doggies’ damp and adoring gazes while watching his pet poodle interact with her pups.
Takefumi Kikusui: When she was nursing her puppies, her face becomes so cute. Of course she’s so cute as always. But more.
Hopkin: At some point Kikusui, who’s a professor of veterinary medicine at Azabu University in Japan, realized that his adorable mama dog had tears in her eyes. That potential connection between unbearable cuteness and unshed tears sent Kikusui scurrying away from his poodle and back to the lab.
Kikusui: In the test, we initially measure the baseline tear volumes when dogs were together with the owner in their house.
Hopkin: Then the owner would high-tail it off for five or six hours.
Kikusui: When the owner came back, we measure tear volume again. And found that the reunion with the owner stimulate tear secretion.
Hopkin: But it only worked with the dog’s owner.
Kikusui: There was no increase in tears when the dogs were separated from the owner and reunited with the dogs’ caretaker in a dog care center.
Hopkin: The researchers suspected that the tearful reaction was stimulated by oxytocin…a hormone associated with social bonding. They had shown previously that oxytocin is boosted when dogs interact with their owners. And oxytocin receptors have been found to be abundant in the glands that secrete tears in mice.
Kikusui: So we applied oxytocin to the dogs’ eyes.
Hopkin: And voila…the dogs grew weepy. But to what end? In other words, is there some benefit to this lachrymose behavior? To find out, Kikusui and his colleagues showed volunteers a couple of hound head shots.
Kikusui: One was a normal dog face. And the other was teary dog face in which we added artificial tears.
Hopkin: The volunteers were more likely to want to cuddle and care for the mutts with big, wet puppy-dog eyes…
Kikusui: …suggesting that teary eyes of dogs can facilitate the human caregiving behavior.
Hopkin: So dogs turn on the waterworks and their owners roll over. Now, that’s quite a clever trick!
Hopkin: For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Karen Hopkin.
Kikusui: Thank you for listening.
内容来自 VOA英语学习网：https://www.chinavoa.com/show-8837-243399-1.html
