在車諾比核電廠以西幾公里，穆索步行穿越諾瓦席普里奇村的森林，他的輻射偵測器發出的嗶嗶訊號聲越來越響。

As he stopped to examine a spider web on a tree branch, the display on the device showed 25 microsieverts an hour. That is typical, Dr. Mousseau said, for this area near one of the hundreds of villages that were abandoned after radioactive fallout from the 1986 reactor explosion.

他停下來查看樹枝上的一張蜘蛛網，偵測器顯示輻射量是每小時25微西弗。穆索博士說，那很正常，因為當地接近1986年車諾比核電廠反應爐爆炸造成輻射塵外洩後數百座廢棄的村莊之一。

Dr. Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina, has been coming to the contaminated area around the disabled Chernobyl nuclear power plant since 1999. The list of creatures he has studied is long: chiffchaffs, blackcaps, barn swallows ; insects, including bumblebees and butterflies ; spiders and bats; small rodents.

穆索是美國南卡羅來納大學生物學家，他從1999年起經常到車諾比核電廠附近輻射汙染區做研究。他研究的物種很多：棕柳鶯、黑色莓、家燕，包括大黃蜂和蝴蝶在內的昆蟲，蜘蛛和蝙蝠，以及小型齧齒動物。

Over the years Dr. Mousseau and his colleagues have reported evidence of radiation’s toll since the nuclear explosion : higher frequencies of tumors and physical abnormalities like deformed beaks, for example, and a decline in the populations of insects and spiders with increasing radiation intensity.

這些年來，穆索和同事已提出車諾比事故發生以來輻射傷害的證據：出現腫瘤和鳥嘴畸型之類肢體異常的頻率較高，以及輻射量越高，昆蟲和蜘蛛數量就越少。

But their most recent findings, published last month, showed something new. Some bird species, they reported in the journal Functional Ecology, appear to have adapted to the radioactive environment by producing higher levels of protective antioxidants, with correspondingly less genetic damage. For these birds, Dr. Mousseau said, chronic exposure to radiation appears to be a kind of “unnatural selection” driving evolutionary change.

但他們上個月發表的最新研究結果，卻有了新發現。他們發表在功能生態學期刊上的報告指出，有些鳥類似乎已適應當地的放射性環境，體內產生更多保護性抗氧化劑，因此出現較少基因傷害。穆索說，對這些鳥類而言，長期暴露在輻射下以乎是一種能驅動演化變遷的「非天擇」（或稱違天擇，非自然選擇，或人為淘汰） 。

Ionizing radiation, like that produced by cesium, strontium and other radioactive isotopes, affects living tissue in several ways, among them by breaking strands of DNA. A high enough dose can cause sickness or death. That is what happened to several dozen technicians and firefighters at the Chernobyl plant when the Unit 4 reactor exploded . They were exposed to lethal doses and died within weeks.

銫、鍶和其他放射性同位素釋出的游離輻射，以幾種方式影響生物組織，其中一種就是讓一股股DNA斷裂。劑量夠高的輻射會致病或致死，那正是車諾比核電廠四號反應爐爆炸時數十名技術員及消防員的遭遇。他們暴露在致命的輻射劑量下，且在數周內死亡。

Relatively low doses of radiation, however, even over a long time, may have little or no effect. But lower doses can cause genetic mutations, leading to cancers and other physical problems that may show up over longer periods and affect breeding and longevity. Studying the effects on animals and insects can lead to a better understanding of the impact on people as well.

然而暴露在較低輻射劑量下，即使是長時間，卻可能影響極微或毫無影響。但較低劑量會造成基因突變，導致癌症或其他更久之後才會顯現的身體問題，且可能影響生育及壽命。研究輻射對動物和昆蟲的影響，會使我們更了解輻射對人的影響。

Some researchers have challenged the studies , arguing that it is difficult to show that radiation levels in the exclusion zone, which covers about 2,600 square kilometers, have had much noticeable effect. There have also been anecdotal reports of abundant populations of some animals in the zone, suggesting that the lack of human activity there has led to the area becoming a haven for wildlife.

有些研究人員挑戰上述研究，他們說，在車諾比核災後約2600平方公里的廢棄區內，很難展現輻射值造成了顯著的影響。還有種有趣的說法指出，廢棄區內某些動物數量大增，表示由於少有人類活動，當地成了野生動植物的天堂。

Dr. Mousseau dismisses the idea that the zone is some kind of post-apocalyptic Eden. But the latest study shows the kind of adaptations that may allow some creatures — chaffinches and great tits in this case — to thrive in the zone.

穆索駁斥廢棄區如今是某種末日後伊甸園的概念，但最新研究顯示，生物適應可能使得部分物種，此處指的是蒼頭燕雀和大山雀，在區內大量繁殖。

The findings also suggest that in some cases radiation levels might have an inverse effect — birds in areas with higher radiation exposure may show greater adaptation, and thus less genetic damage, than those in areas with lower radiation levels.

這些研究結果也表示，在某些案例中，輻射值可能有逆轉效應──相較於暴露在區內輻射值較低處的鳥類，暴露在高輻射值下的鳥類出現較大程度的適應，且因此基因傷害較少。

世上已知蜘蛛有4萬3000種，絕大多數是「獨行俠」：自行結網、甩出套索、液化獵物、攻擊入侵者。但約有25種蜘蛛與眾不同，放棄獨居，改採更具社會性的策略，即數十或數百隻蜘蛛群策群力。

These spiders may offer fresh insight into an array of human mysteries: where our personalities come from, and why they are the way they are.

這些蜘蛛或可為人類一些待解的謎題提供嶄新的認識：我們的個性從何而來，以及那些個性為何是那個樣。

“It’s very satisfying to me that the most maligned of organisms may have something to tell us about who we are,” said Jonathan N. Pruitt, a biologist at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania who studies social spiders.

研究社群型蜘蛛的賓州匹茲堡大學生物學家普魯特說：「這些最有害的生物竟然可能說明我們到底是誰，讓我很高興。」

The new work is part of the expanding field of animal personality research, which seeks to understand the many stylistic differences that have been identified in a vast array of species, including monkeys, minks, bighorn sheep, dumpling squid, stickleback fish and spotted hyenas. Reporting recently in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Dr. Pruitt and Kate L. Laskowski, of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, have determined that character-building in social spiders is a communal affair.

這項新研究是正在擴展中的「動物性格研究」領域的一部分，它試圖了解在大批物種身上出現的風格差異，包括猴子、鼬、大角羊、餃子烏賊、棘魚及斑鬣狗等。

普魯特博士與柏林萊布尼茲淡水生態和內陸漁業研究所的及凱特．拉斯可斯基，最近在《皇家學會報告B》上發表報告指出，他們判定，社群型蜘蛛的性格培養受群體影響。

While they display their predisposition early on — a tendency toward shyness or boldness, irritability or docility — that personality is influenced by the other spiders in the group In laboratory experiments, the researchers showed that spiders exposed to the same group day after day developed stronger and more distinctive personalities than those that were shifted from one set of spiders to the next.

儘管牠們很早就展現個性傾向，有的羞怯，有的大膽，有的易怒，有的順服，但牠們的性格其實受到群體中其他蜘蛛的影響。在實驗室所做實驗中，研究人員證明，與從一個群體移往另一群體的蜘蛛相比，日復一日與同一群體相處的蜘蛛會發展出較強烈而獨特的個性。

Moreover, the spiders in a stable social setting grew ever less like one another over time.

更有甚者，處在穩定社群環境下的蜘蛛，彼此會越來越不相像。

The researchers studied Stegodyphus mimosarum, small social spiders that live in colonies of 20 to 300 individuals, weaving huge communal webs the size of automobiles over the trees and bushes of the Kalahari in southern Africa. The spider communities gain their strength through a division of labor, with some members specializing in web repair, some in attacking and subduing prey. Through team effort and professional expertise, the social spiders thrive.

這些研究人員研究了每群20到300隻的小型社群型蜘蛛「非洲隆頭蛛」，牠們在非洲南部喀拉哈里沙漠的樹木或灌木叢上，織出汽車那麼大的巨型公共蛛網。這個蛛群透過分工增加力量，有些擅長修復蛛網，有些長於攻擊及制伏獵物。透過團隊合作及專業技術，這種社群型蜘蛛得以繁衍茁壯。

“You can capture much larger prey,” Dr. Pruitt said. “I’ve seen the skeletons of birds and rats in some of these colonies.” But how to decide who gets which job? Personality appears to dictate profession. Dr. Pruitt determined that the spiders in charge of defending the colony and capturing prey score high on tests of aggression, while those caring for the young are measurably more docile.

普魯特說：「你會抓到體型大很多的獵物。我曾在幾個非洲隆頭蛛的聚居地看到鳥和老鼠的殘骸。」但如何決定誰做什麼工作？個性似乎決定了職業。普魯特判定，負責防守聚落及捕捉獵物的蜘蛛，在攻擊性測試中分數較高，而照顧幼蛛的蜘蛛顯然比較順從。

To gauge personality development under stable versus shifting social settings, the researchers simulated the approach of a predator by puffing air on the spiders through a bulb-topped syringe, to which the spiders responded by huddling over and pulling their legs in.

為了判斷穩定及變動社群環境下蜘蛛的個性發展，研究人員模擬獵食者接近的狀況，用一個頂端球狀的注射器朝蜘蛛噴氣，蜘蛛的反應是擠成一團且把腳縮起來。

The time it took to become active again served as a measure of their boldness, and the differences could be dramatic. The boldest bounced back from the perceived threat after four or five seconds, while the shyest remained inert for 10 minutes or longer.

從蜘蛛擠成一團到再度活躍的時間，可測出其勇氣，而差異會非常懸殊。最大膽的蜘蛛會在自以為受威脅的四、五秒後恢復正常，最害羞的會維持不動10分鐘或更久。

Equally dramatic was the impact of social conditions on the boldness test. Stable spider groups, composed of six spiders that remained together for up to four weeks, showed the greatest variety between individuals, the greatest mix of bold and shy, as well as the highest individual consistency .

同樣有極大差異的是，勇氣測試中社會情境的影響。由六隻持續在一起長達四星期的蜘蛛組成的穩定蛛群，展現最大的個體多樣性，從大膽到害羞分得最細，同一蜘蛛的一致性也最高。

Alison M. Bell, who studies stickleback fish at the University of Illinois, says the spider work illustrates the mix of plasticity and predilection that underlies personality.

在伊利諾大學研究棘魚的艾莉森．貝爾說，這項研究說明了可塑性與傾向合起來構成了個性。

“I think it’s such an appealing idea that social interactions could cause social niches, and it resonates with our own experience as humans,” she said. “When you go into a group, your behavior changes depending on the nature of that group, but it can only change so far.”

她說：「我認為，社群互動可造就社會處境，這是個非常有趣的概念，而且這種現象與我們人類的經驗吻合。當你進入一個團體，你的行為會隨著團體的本質而改變，但也只能改變那麼多。」