蛇通過變成黑色來吸收陽光

In the southern United States, snakes can be vibrant and bright. In the North, they tend to be dark and drab. A dark coat may seem a bit depressing. It may, however, help northern snakes soak up heat from the sun more quickly than their southern kin, a teen finds. And a quick solar heating could prove an advantage in colder climes.

在美國南部，那裏的蛇能夠發出響聲，而且很顏色鮮豔。在北方，這些蛇會傾向於變成黑色或者淺褐色。黑色的蛇皮或會看起來有點了無生氣。但是，一名青少年發現，與南方的同類蛇相比，黑色皮膚能幫助北方的蛇更快地吸收太陽的溫度。在較爲寒冷的氣候下，快速吸收太陽的熱量，對蛇比較有利。

Gianna Fantell, 15, presented the results of her serpentine research, here, at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

15歲的吉安娜·範泰爾，在英特爾國際科學與工程博覽會上，展示了自己對蛇紋石的研究結果。

Snake fan Gianna Fantell showed that more northerly snakes tend to be darker than those in the South. Darker colors might help snakes soak up the sun’s warmth.

吉安娜·範泰爾對蛇非常感興趣，她發現蛇所處的地點越是往北，它們的顏色比南方的蛇就越深。更深的顏色或許可以幫助蛇更好地獲取太陽的溫度。

The freshman at Colonia High School in New Jersey has loved snakes for most of her life. “I remember I was trick-or-treating, and this woman came out [of her house] with an albino corn snake,” she recalls. Gianna instantly became fascinated with the creatures.

新澤西州科洛尼亞高中的一名新生在生活中酷愛蛇。她回憶說“我記得有一次我在萬聖節搗蛋，一位女士就拿着一條白色的玉米蛇走出了房間。”吉安娜立馬對這一生物產生了濃厚的興趣。

When it came time to design a research project for school, snakes were a natural focus. Flipping through a field guide, she noticed a pattern. “Farther north, the pigmentation of snakes is darker.”

當學校需要我設計一個研究項目的時候，蛇自然成了我研究的重點。通過研究一份野外工作指南，她發現一個規律。“越是往北，蛇的顏色越深。”