Bodies changing shape

未来人类进化或受电子设备影响

Our reliance on technology may change how we look

对科技的依赖可能会改变我们的外表

From checking social media every minute to being lost in computer games, we tend to overuse technology.

每时每刻查看社交媒体、沉迷于电脑游戏，这些行为现象可以看出，人们越来越依赖电子设备。

“For many people, a moment without your phone or laptop in sight can feel like a lifetime,” the Daily Mail commented.

《每日邮报》评论道：“对许多人来说，如果身边没有手机或笔记本电脑，一分钟就像一辈子那么漫长。”

A computer model called Mindy may persuade many people to think twice.

然而，一个名为“明迪”（Mindy）的计算机模型提醒大家面对现代科技时要保持警惕。

A team from the US-based company Toll Free Forwarding built a three-dimensional model to uncover the negative effects technology can have on human bodies in less than 800 years.

来自美国Toll Free Forwarding公司的一个研究小组制作了一个未来人类的三维模型，该模型揭示了科技在不到800年的时间里可能对人体产生的负面影响。

“Spending hours looking down at your phone strains your neck and throws your spine off balance,”

“长时间低头看手机会拉伤颈部，使脊柱失去平衡，”

explained Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert in the US.

美国健康保健专家凯勒·巴克（Caleb Backe）解释道。

Then, the muscles in our neck need to spend extra effort to support the head, making our back hunched and neck wide.

这时，颈部肌肉就需要人体其他肌肉协助支撑头部，从而造成驼背，人的颈部也变得宽大。

“The way we hold our phones can cause strain in certain points of contact – causing text claw,”

“我们握手机的方式会让手部部分肌肉产生压力，造成“手机手”。

Nikola Djordjevic, a practicing physician in Serbia, told the team.

塞尔维亚执业医师尼古拉·乔尔杰维奇（Nikola Djordjevic）告诉研究小组：

It affects the elbows too, causing pain in the arm.

同时也会影响肘部，导致手臂疼痛，

Scientifically, it is called cubital tunnel syndrome.

科学上称之为肘管综合征。

That’s why Mindy has a 90-degree elbow, and her hands look like she’s always holding a mobile phone.

这就是为什么明迪（Mindy）模型的肘关节呈90度，而且她的手部弯曲，看起来像总是拿着手机。

Some people also commented that human evolution may not work this way.

有人认为，明迪（Mindy）模型并不能反映出未来人类的进化方向，

They believe that only features with actual benefits would be kept throughout the years.

人类反而会随着进化过程逐步优化，

For example, features that can increase the rate of survival, instead of the negative impact of technology.

例如，保留提高生存率等有益特征，淘汰掉技术带来的负面影响。

However, current human lifestyles still raise concerns.

然而，人类目前的生活方式仍然令人担忧。

A model called Emma was built by researchers in the UK in 2019 to show how the way people work at their desks could change them in 20 years.

2019 年，英国研究人员制作了一个名为“艾玛”（Emma）的人类模型，展示了人类当下在办公桌前工作的方式，在二十年后可能会对人体产生的影响。

The research team built Emma based on the health issues mentioned by over 3,000 workers in France, Germany and the UK.

研究小组根据法国、德国和英国3000多名工人提到的健康问题制作了“艾玛”（Emma）。

Emma’s back stays bent, and her legs are swollen due to the time people spend in front of computers.

由于长时间面对电脑，艾玛的背部弯曲，双腿肿胀；

With little time spent outdoors and in the sun, her skin is pale, too.

而过少的户外活动和晒太阳，也让她的皮肤很苍白。

以上文章内容选自 《21世纪英文报》高二891期