斑胸草雀是一种来自澳洲的小型鸣禽。
华伦等科学家最近来对斑胸草雀的基因组进行了解码。
The zebra finch recently had its genome decoded by Warren et al.
研究者们基于这些神经细胞的活动模式就可以判定斑胸草雀唱到了哪个音符。
Researchers can determine which note was sung based on the firing patterns of those neurons.
相反，那些存活的斑胸草雀幼鸟所存在的差异似乎取决于它们被父母照顾得好坏程度，不管它们看起来像什么。
Instead, the difference in the survival of chicks appeared to depend on the youngsters being looked after well by their parents, whatever they looked like.
因此他们组织了一场试验，以观察被允许自由择偶的斑胸草雀是否会比配偶由人工搭配的斑胸草雀生活的好些。
So they constructed an experiment to discover if birds allowed to pursue life with a chosen mate fared any better than those forced into an arranged union.
大约在1亿年前，那个独一无二的神经系统装置使得斑胸草雀通过唱歌从鸡的家系中脱离出来成为草雀这一旁支。
The unique neurobiological apparatus that enables the finch to sing developed after the lineage of the zebra finch and chicken diverged, about 100 million years ago.
就我研究的种类——斑胸草雀——而言，它们终其一生只有一位伴侣。因此，对它们来说如何辨认伴侣的声音非常重要。
"In the species that I study, the zebra finch, they make lifelong couples, and it's very important for them to recognize their mate," he says.
图尼森和同事钱宁.摩尔（Channing Moore）认为斑胸草雀的大脑中一定有一个特殊的回路来过滤那些不需要的声音。
Theunissen and his colleague Channing Moore thought there must be brain circuits in a zebra finch that filter out unwanted sounds.
后来研究人员又以同一批的其他斑胸草雀进行了相同的试验，只是这次有三分之二的雌雄斑胸草雀情侣是由人工搭配，只有三分之一的雌雄斑胸草雀是和自己中意的对象待在一起。
The experiment was then repeated with the same birds, this time forcing two-thirds of the couples into arranged matches and allowing only one-third to stay with their chosen mate.
本周的《公共科学图书馆•生物学》杂志上刊登了这次试验，结果显示，那些可以自由择偶的斑胸草雀情侣具有一个明显的优势：其后代的存活率要比由人工搭配的情侣的后代多出37%。
The results, published this week in PLoS Biology, showed a clear advantage for birds who had chosen each other over those who had not: they had 37% more surviving young.
本周的《公共科学图书馆•生物学》杂志上刊登了这次试验，结果显示，那些可以自由择偶的斑胸草雀情侣具有一个明显的优势：其后代的存活率要比由人工搭配的情侣的后代多出37%。
The results, published this week in PLoS Biology, showed a clear advantage for birds who had chosen each other over those who had not: they had 37% more surviving young.
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