英文速読 中級 25
A fly can do one thing extremely well: fly. Recently a team of a British scientist declared that the common housefly is the most talented aerodynamicist on the planet, superior to any bird bat, or bee. A housefly can make six turns a second, hover; fly straight up, down, or backward; land on the ceiling; and perform various other show-off maneuvers. And it has a brain smaller that a sesame seed.
Michael Dickinson, who studies fly flight in his lab at the California Institute of Technology, says the housefly isn’t actually the best flier. “Hoverflies are the be-all and end-all,” he says. They can hover in one spot, dash to another location, and he race back to their original hovering point-precisely.
Scientist, engineers, and military researchers want to know how creatures which such small brains can do that. Maybe they could *reverse-engineer a fly to make a robotic device that could reconnoiter dangerous places, such as earthquake zones or collapsed mines.
Dickinson’s laboratory works with fruit flies. Researchers put them in chambers and manipulate the visual field, filming the flies in super slow-motion, 6,000 frames a second. Dickinson is interested in knowing how flies avoid collisions. He has found that certain patterns, such as 90-degree turns, are triggered by visual cues and two *equilibrium organs in their backs that function like a gyroscope.
Flies have only a dozen muscle for maneuvering, but they`re loaded with sensors. In addition to their compound eyes, which permit *panoramic imagery and are excellent at detecting motion, they have wind-sensitive hairs and antennae. They have also three light sensors on the tops of their heads, which tell them which way is up. Roughly two-thirds of a fly’s entire nervous system is devoted to processing visual images. They take all this sensory data and boil it down to a few basic commands, such as “go left” and “go right”.
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A fly can do one thing extremely well: fly. Recently a team of a British scientist declared /that the common housefly is the most talented aerodynamicist /on the planet, superior to any bird, bat, or bee. A housefly can make six turns a second, hover; fly straight up, down, or backward; land on the ceiling; and perform various other show-off maneuvers. And it has a brain smaller than a sesame seed.
ハエは一つのことを非常にうまくすることができる、つまり、飛ぶことを。最近英国の科学者のチームが明らかにした、普通のイエバエが最も有能な空気力学者であり、地球上で、そして優れていることを、どんな鳥類やコウモリ、ハチより。イエバエは一秒間に６回転したり空中でとどまったり、上下、あるいは後ろに真っすぐ飛んだり、天井にとまったりすることができる、そして様々なほかのみせびらかしの飛行を行うことができる。そしてイエバエはより小さい脳しか持っていない、ゴマの種より。
Michael Dickinson, who studies fly flight /in his lab at the California Institute of Technology, says /the housefly isn’t actually the best flier. “Hoverflies are *the be-all and end-all,” he says. They can hover /in one spot, dash to another location, and he race back to their original hovering point-precisely.
*the be-all and end-all「究極のもの」
マイケル・ディキンソンは、ハエの研究をしている、彼の研究室で、カリフォルニア工科大学の、言っている、イエバエは実際は最も優秀な飛行士ではないと。「ハナアブが究極のものだ」と彼は言う。ハナアブは空中にとどまり、ある地点で、別の地点に急行し、それから前にとどまっていた地点に全速力で戻ることができる、しかも正確に。
Scientist, engineers, and military researchers want to know /how creatures /which such small brains can do that. Maybe they could *reverse-engineer a fly /to make a robotic device /that could reconnoiter dangerous places, such as earthquake zones or collapsed mines.
*reverse-engin「を解析して模倣する
科学者、技術者、軍の研究者たちは知りたい、どのようにして生き物が、それほど小さな脳しか持たない、そのようなことができるのか。おそらく彼らはハエを解析して模倣するかもしれない、ロボットの装置を作るために、それは危険な場所を偵察することができるかもしれない、例えば地震の地域や崩落した鉱山などのような。
Dickinson’s laboratory works with fruit flies. Researchers put them in chambers and manipulate the visual field, filming the flies /in super slow-motion, 6,000 frames a second. Dickinson is interested /in knowing how flies avoid collisions. He has found /that certain patterns, such as 90-degree turns, are triggered /by visual cues and two *equilibrium organs in their backs /that function like a gyroscope.
ディキンソンの研究室はミエバエを扱っている。研究者たちはミバエを小室に入れて視野を操作して、ハエを撮影する、スローもションで、1秒間に6000コマという。ディキンソンは関心を持っている、どのようにハエが衝突を避けるかを知ることに。彼は発見した、特定の型は、90度回転などの、引き起こされる、視覚的刺激やハエの背中の2つの平衡器官によって、それは機能する、ジャイロスコープのように。
Flies have only a dozen muscle /for maneuvering, but they`re loaded with sensors. In addition to their compound eyes, which permit *panoramic imagery and are excellent /at detecting motion, they have wind-sensitive hairs and antennae. They have also three light sensors /on the tops of their heads, which tell them which way is up. Roughly two-thirds of a fly’s entire nervous system is devoted to processing visual images. They take all this sensory data and boil it down to a few basic commands, such as “go left” and “go right”.
ハエは12の筋肉しか持っていない、飛行のために、しかしハエにはセンサーが備わっている。複眼に加え、それは全景が見渡せる画像を可能にし、秀でている、動きを探知することにおいて、ハエは風に敏感な体毛と触覚を持っている。ハエはまた３つの光センサーを持っている、頭頂部に、それらはハエに教える、どの方向が上なのかを。おおよそ3ぶんの2は、ハエの全神経系統の、当てられる、視覚映像を処理することに。ハエはこうした感覚情報を全て取り入れ、それらを煎じ詰める、いくつかの基本的な指令に、「左へ行け」「右へ行け」というような。