People Who Look Young for Their Age Live Longer

People blessed with youthful faces are more likely to live to a ripe old age than those who look more than their years. After studying 387 pairs of twins, Danish scientists say appearance alone can predict survival. The researchers asked nurses, trainee teachers, and peers to guess the ages of the twins from mug shots. Those rated younger-looking tended to outlive their older-looking siblings, the British Medical Journal reports.

The researchers also found a plausible biological explanation for their results. Key pieces of DNA called telomeres, which indicate the ability of cells to replicate, are also linked to how young a person looks. A telomere of shorter length is thought to signify faster aging and has been linked with a number of diseases. In the study, the people who looked younger had longer telomeres.

　　受到眷顾而拥有年轻脸孔的人，可能会比那些看起来较实际年龄成熟的人活得更久。丹麦科学家在研究了 387 对双胞胎后表示，光凭容貌就能预测谁能活得比较久。研究人员要求护士、培训师和同侪藉由脸部的特写照片来猜那些双胞胎的年龄。《英国医学杂志》的报告中指出，那些被认定看起来较年轻的双胞胎一方，往往比看起来显老的兄弟姐妹更长寿。

　　这些研究人员还为他们的研究成果找到一个似乎可信的生物学解释。DNA的关键部分称作端粒，它代表细胞复制的能力，也跟一个人看起来的年轻程度有关。端粒较短被认为会老化得比较快，而且与数种疾病有所关联。在这项研究中，那些看起来较年轻的人有着较长的端粒。

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发表此研究的克里斯汀教授认为，人的一生会显示在他的脸上，那些看起来较老的人，生活也较辛苦，如此应可解释其寿命较短的因果关系。外貌年龄常被医生做为判断病人是否健康的一个指标，对于 70 岁以上的老人，更是几乎能判断其所剩大约寿命。不过，从脸判断寿命，必须是没动过整型手术的原装脸。美容过的山寨版当然是不列入研究结果中。

Scientists Eyeing the Future of Paper Battery

轻薄纸电池　储能新希望

Ordinary paper could one day be used as a lightweight battery to power the devices that are now enabling the printed word to be eclipsed by email, e-books, and online news. Scientists at Stanford University in California reported they have successfully turned paper coated with ink made from silver and carbon nanomaterials into a paper battery that holds promise for new types of lightweight, high-performance energy storage.

"Taking advantage of the mature paper technology, low-cost, light, and high-performance energy storage are realized by using conductive paper as current collectors and electrodes," the scientists said in recently published research. They also said this type of battery could be useful in powering electric or hybrid vehicles, would make electronics lighter in weight and longer lasting, and might even lead to paper electronics someday.

　　普通纸张有朝一日可能会成为轻薄电池以供应各种电子装置电力，这些装置近年来使得书刊文字因电子邮件、电子书和在线新闻等等的问世而节节败退。加州史丹福大学的科学家发表报告指出，他们已成功在纸张上涂满银和碳奈米材料制成的墨水，将纸张变成『纸电池』。纸电池的出现可望成为轻薄、高效能的新型能源储存装置。

　　科学家于近日公布的研究中说：『利用成熟的纸张技术，将具传导性的纸张作为集电器和电极，我们创造出一种低成本、轻质且高效能的能源储备装置。』他们亦表示，纸电池可用来提供动力给电动车或油电混合车，有助减轻电子产品的重量，延长产品寿命，甚至以后还有可能带动纸质电子产品的问世。

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科学家制成的原型纸电池极为轻薄短小，用两只手指即可拿起并弯曲，可是这个纸电池就能够产生 2.5 伏特的电流，足够驱动一个小型电扇或是让灯泡发光。

伦赛莱尔工技学院生物暨化学教授林哈特说：『我们已经试过把 10张纸电池迭放在一起，当然你也可以把 500 张纸电池迭在一起。除此之外，纸电池可以卷起来、弯曲或是折迭成任何形状。纸电池在形状设计方面几乎没有任何限制。』