Dogs versus cats: Scientists reveal
which one is smarter
狗和貓：科學家揭示誰更聰明
A dog's bark is only a ruff means of communication. Instead, we should be looking at its wiggles and squirms.
狗的叫聲只不過是一種交流的方式。而更重要的是，我們應該注意他的搖擺和蠕動。
wiggle：[ˈwɪɡəl] vt.& vi.擺動;扭動
squirm：[skwɜ:rm] vi.局促不安;蠕動，扭動;難為情
Jumping up. Rolling over. Lifting paws.
It’s all doggie behavior that makes them so endearing.
But they’re actually trying to talk to us.
跳躍，打滾，抬起爪子。這些都是讓狗狗們看起來很可愛的行為。但事實上，他們是在試圖與我們交流。
Researchers from the University of Salford, in Manchester, have been attempting to figure out what humanity’s greatest friends have been trying to tell us all these years. Their results have been published in the science journal Animal Cognition.
來自於曼徹斯特索爾福德大學的研究人員們，多年來一直致力於探究這個人類最好的朋友試圖想告訴我們什麼。他們的研究成果發表在《動物認知》科學雜誌上。
They』ve identified some 47 different potential gestures they use in an attempt to communicate. They』ve managed to 『translate』 19 of them.
Surprisingly, most of them mean 『scratch me』. Not 『feed me』 - though that’s right up there. But others communicate your canine’s desire to go outside, and play.
Here’s a quick dog-to-human dictionary to help you translate your pup’s desires:
他們辨認出了47種不同的潛在的手勢，都是試圖和我們交流的。他們想方設法翻譯了其中的19種。令人驚訝的是，它們中的大多數是「撓撓我」的意思，而不是「喂喂我」的意思，儘管看上去像是。其他的就是你的狗狗想要跟你說他想出去，去玩。 以下是翻譯了你的狗狗想法的狗-人詞典：
gesture [ˈdʒɛstʃɚ] n.手勢，姿勢;舉止，動作;〔古語〕儀態;[計算機]光筆指令
canine：[ˈkenaɪn] n. 犬齒;犬科動物;犬牙
FEED ME: 餵我
— Using its snout and head to move your hand on to its body
用他的鼻子和頭把你的手移到他的身體上。
— Holding one paw in the air while sitting
在他坐著的時候舉起一隻爪子。
— Turning its head from side-to-side, looking between a human and another object
把他的頭在人和一個物體之間轉來轉去。
— Standing on its hind legs
只用後腿站起來。
— Using its mouth to throw a toy forwards
用嘴把玩具向前扔。
snout：snout /snaʊt/ n. 鼻子；豬嘴；菸草；鼻口部；口吻狀物
hind：hind /haɪnd/ adj. 後部的
SCRATCH ME: 幫我撓撓
— Rolling over in front of you
在你前面打滾。
— Pressing its nose against you or another object
用鼻子頂住你或其它物品。
— Licking you or an object
舔你或其它物品。
— Lifting a paw and placing it on you
舉起一隻爪子並放在你身上。
— Gently biting your arm
輕輕地咬你的手臂。
— Short shuffles along the ground while rolling over
打滾時拖著腿短距離移動。
— Lifting a back leg while laying on its side
側臥的時候舉起一條後腿。
— Rubbing its head against you while leaning against you
用頭頂著你的同時蹭他的頭。
PLAY WITH ME: 跟我玩
— Briefly touching a person with a single paw
用一隻爪子輕輕觸摸一個人
— Diving headfirst under a person or object
一頭向著一個人或一個物品紮下去
— Reaching a paw towards an object of interest
對這一個感興趣的物體伸出爪子
— Wiggling its body underneath a person or object
在一個人或物體的下面扭動身體
OPEN THE DOOR FOR ME: 幫我打開門
— Lifting both paws off the ground and placing them on its owner or a nearby object
把兩個爪子抬起來並放在主人身上或某個物體的上面。
— Jumping up and down, either on to an object or not, while in the same location.
在同一個位置上不停地跳，可能是跳上跳下某個物體。
The study comes as new evidence emerges to invigorate the 『cat versus dog』 debate. Specifically, which one is smarter.
這項研究為正在進行的貓狗之爭帶來了新的證據。特別是，他們誰更聰明呢。
invigorate：[ɪnˈvɪɡəˌret] vt. 使生氣勃勃，使精力充沛，使健壯
DOGS VERSUS CATS 貓狗對決
Dog owners say their pets are smartest because their pet is loyal, joyous and can be trained. Cat owners say it’s their pet — for exactly the opposite reasons. But it now appears, that when it comes to raw brain power, dogs are clearly ahead.
狗的主人說他們的寵物是最聰明的，因為他們的寵物忠誠，快樂並且可以訓練。而貓的主人說他們的寵物最聰明，原因卻是正相反的。但目前看來，一旦涉及大腦的原始動力，狗無疑是領先的。
Their cerebral cortex is particularly dense. What’s the surprise about dogs being dense, cats say? It’s all about efficiency when it comes to hunting. It seems dogs have about 530 million neurons calculating their behavior, as opposed to 250 million in cats.
他們的大腦皮層特別的密集。那貓會問，大腦皮層密集有什麼可吃驚的？關鍵是在狩獵的時候能否高效了。狗狗們大約有5億3千萬個神經元來計算他們的行為，而貓咪們則只有2億5千萬個。
cerebral：[səˈri:brəl] adj. 腦的;大腦的;理智的;非感情方面的
cortex：[ˈkɔ:rteks] n. 皮質;
neuron：[ˈnʊrɑ:n] n.神經元;神經細胞
「I believe the absolute number of neurons an animal has, especially in the cerebral cortex, determines the richness of their internal mental state and their ability to predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience,」 neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel from Vanderbilt University says.
來自凡德比特大學的神經學專家Suzana Herculano-Houzel說：「我認為一個動物的神經元的絕對數量，特別是在大腦皮層的，決定了他們內在的精神狀態的豐富性以及他們根據以往經驗在所在環境中預測未知的能力」，
Dogs had the most neurons of any carnivore — even though they didn’t have the biggest brains. Brown bears had roughly the same number as cats.
在食肉動物中狗的神經元是最多的，儘管他們的大腦不是最大的。而棕熊的神經元數量和貓咪的數量大致相等。
carnivore [ˈkɑ:rnɪvɔ:(r)] n.食肉動物，食蟲植物
And previous studies indicating carnivores needed greater brain capacity than prey appears to be unfounded. There doesn’t appear to be much difference at all.
之前的研究顯示食肉動物需要比獵物有更大腦容量這一點顯然沒有找到。他們應該沒有太大的區別。
「I’m 100 percent a dog person,」 Herculano-Houzel confessed, 「but, with that disclaimer, our findings mean to me that dogs have the biological capability of doing much more complex and flexible things with their lives than cats can.」
「我是個百分之百的愛狗者。」Herculano-Houzel承認到：「有了這個免責聲明，我就可以說我們的發現意味著，從生物學能力上說，在生命中狗狗比貓咪能做更複雜和更靈活的事情。」
But, cats argue, is that REALLY being smart?
但是貓咪反對了，那真的就叫聰明嗎？
disclaimer [dɪsˈklemɚ] n.否認聲明;放棄;放棄者
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