August 17, 2025
以下英語內容節錄自 Science Quickly 逐字稿，Lumi Kuo翻譯。
本篇文章類別：#人類 #考古 #新發現
如有錯誤，請不吝指教！
In other science news, a study published in Nature last Wednesday describes the remains of an entirely new species of human ancestor. The fossils, which date back to around 2.8 million to 2.6 million years ago, belong to a new member of the genus Australopithecus, meaning this species is a cousin of the famous Lucy. The species doesn’t have a formal name yet, because researchers are hoping to find more fossils first—the new study is based only on a handful of teeth collected in Ethiopia. But even with just a few chompers to go on, the researchers say they’re confident they’ve got a new hominin on their hands. The news is particularly exciting because of something else the researchers found at the same site: teeth from a member of our own Homo genus. That means this new flavor of Australopithecus could have lived alongside close relatives of ours.
科學新聞的部分，上週三在《自然》雜誌發表的研究描述一位全新人類祖先遺骸。這些化石可追溯到大約 280 萬至 260 萬年前，屬於南方古猿屬的一個新成員，也就是說該物種是那著名的露西的表親。該物種目前還沒有正式名稱，因為研究人員希望先找到更多的化石—這項新研究僅基於在埃塞俄比亞（Ethiopia）收集的少量牙齒。但即使只發現了幾塊牙齒，研究人員也表示，他們有信心發現了一種新的古人類。這個消息尤其令人興奮，因為研究人員在同一地點發現了其他東西：源自我們人類屬成員的牙齒。這意味著這種新的南方古猿可能與我們的近親一起生活。
And speaking of human origins: In a study published last Friday in the journal *Science Advances,* researchers report capturing the process of human embryo implantation in three dimensions in real time. The researchers note that we already knew that embryos had to burrow into uterine tissue in order to successfully implant but that most studies have focused on the genetic and biochemical aspects of this stage of conception instead of examining the mechanical process.
說到人類的起源：在上週五發表在《科學前緣》（Science Advances）期刊的研究中，研究人員報告實時捕捉到人類胚胎植入的三維過程。這些研究人員指出，我們已經知道胚胎必須鑽入子宮組織才能成功植入，但大多數研究都集中在受孕階段的遺傳和生化方面，而不是研究機械過程（mechanical process）。
Scientists from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in Spain created experimental platforms made of collagen, designed to mimic the tissue of the uterine lining. They created systems to use with both human cells and mouse cells. When they introduced mouse embryos to their artificial uterus, the embryos exerted force to press themselves against the surface. Then the uterus adapted by folding its cellular matrix around the embryo to envelope it. Human embryos acted differently, burrowing into the uterine tissue to penetrate it. The researchers also saw signs that the embryos could sense and react to mechanical forces from their environment, as well as from other nearby embryos. [Previous research suggests](https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2005/05/implications-defining-when-woman-pregnant#:~:text=Between one-third and one,College of Obstetricans and Gynecologists.) that between one third and half of all fertilized eggs fail to fully implant, so a better understanding of the mechanical process could help address some cases of infertility.
來自西班牙加泰羅尼亞生物工程研究所（Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in Spain）的科學家們創造了由膠原蛋白製成的實驗平台，旨在模擬子宮內膜組織。他們使用人類細胞與老鼠細胞來製作系統。當他們將老鼠胚胎置入人工子宮時，胚胎會施加力量將自己壓在表面。隨後，子宮會透過折疊細胞基質來適應，將胚胎包裹起來。人類胚胎的行為有所不同，它們會鑽入子宮組織並穿透。研究人員還發現，胚胎可以感知並對來自周圍環境以及附近其他胚胎的機械力做出反應。先前的研究表明三分之一到二分之一的受精卵無法完全植入，因此若能對機械過程有更多的瞭解有助於解決某些不孕症案例。
Let’s cap things off with a fun animal story. According to a study published last Tuesday in the journal *Discover Animals,* dolphins and whales have been hanging out together without us. Researchers studied nearly 200 different video clips of whales and dolphins interacting with each other, spanning across 20 years and 17 countries. They found that six types of whales and 13 species of dolphin seemed to interact socially. Humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins were particularly prone to indulging in interspecies hangs, and the most common interaction involved dolphins swimming alongside a whale’s snout. They may be engaging in a practice known as “bow riding,” which is where dolphins use the pressure fronts created by ships or large whales to swim faster. The researchers believe that dolphins may seek whales out for stimulation or play and that whales may sometimes reciprocate.
最後分享一個有趣的動物故事來總結。根據上週三發表在《探索動物》（Discover Animals）的研究，海豚和鯨魚經常在沒有我們的情況下相約玩樂。研究人員研究了近200部不同鯨魚和海豚互動的影片，內容跨越20年和17個國家。他們發現，6種鯨魚和13種海豚似乎有社會性活動。
他們發現，六種鯨魚和13種海豚似乎有社會互動。座頭鯨（Humpback Whale）和瓶鼻海豚（Ｂottlenose Dolphin）尤其容易進行跨物種互動，最常見的互動是海豚游在鯨魚的口鼻部旁。他們可能正在進行一種被稱為「船首乘浪」的活動，即海豚利用船隻或大型鯨魚產生的壓力鋒游得更快。研究人員認為，海豚可能會尋找鯨魚來尋求刺激或玩耍，而鯨魚有時也會做出回應。
That’s all for this week’s news roundup. We’ll be back on Wednesday to talk about the surprising sexual diversity of the animal kingdom.
本週新聞就分享到這裡。我們下週三會再來探討動物界令人驚訝的性別多元性。
Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Emily Makowski, Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.
科學快訊（Science Quickly）由我 Rachel Feltman 和 Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper 和 Jeff DelViscio製作。本集由 Alex Sugiura 編輯。 Emily Makowski、Shayna Posses 和 Aaron Shattuck 負責事實查核。我們的主題音樂由 Dominic Smith 創作。訂閱《科學美國人》獲取更多最新、最深入的科學新聞。
For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. Have a great week!
我是《科學美國人》的 Rachel Feltman。祝您一週愉快！
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