一鼻子甩出2.8公斤毒品！大象立大功

近日，云南西双版纳勐满边境派出所接到群众报警，有4头野生亚洲象在辖区村寨附近活动。象群行进中，其中1头大象突然停下脚步，用鼻子在草丛堆里闻了又闻，用力将一个背包甩了出去。

Border police of Mengman township, Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture received a report recently that four wild Asian elephants were roaming around a village in the town. When the police arrived at the site, they found that one of the elephants stopped and carefully sniffed in an area of grass, and then used its trunk to toss a backpack out of the grass, while also making some "calls."

民警打开背包发现其中竟藏匿着毒品鸦片，共计2.8公斤。目前该案正在进一步办理中。

The police immediately checked the backpack and found the opium. The case is currently under further investigation.

Internet users have praised the elephant, leaving comments such as "The elephant has made a significant contribution!" and "It deserves some fruits as a reward!"

Dogs, most of us think, have the best noses on the planet. But a study reveals that this honor actually goes to elephants.

据美国《科学》（Science）杂志网报道，哺乳动物嗅觉的能力取决于其嗅觉受体基因的数量和类型。这些基因在鼻腔内专门用于检测气味分子。当被触发时，它们会从鼻子到大脑发出一系列信号，使动物能够识别特定的气味。

The power of a mammal's sniffer hinges on the number and type of its olfactory receptor genes. These genes are expressed in sensory cells that line the nasal cavity and are specialized for detecting odor molecules. When triggered, they set off a cascade of signals from the nose to the brain, enabling an animal to identify a particular smell.

In a study, scientists identified and examined olfactory receptor genes from 13 mammalian species. The African elephant has the largest number of such genes—nearly 2000. In contrast, dogs have only 1000, and humans and chimpanzees, less than 400.

卓越的嗅觉对于这些庞然大物来说非常重要。例如，对于大象来说，只需轻轻闻一下就能区分两个肯尼亚部落——会用矛刺向它们的马赛族和很少构成威胁的坎巴族。它们还可以根据尿液识别出多达 30 名不同的家庭成员。

Other research has also shown just how important a superior sense of smell is to the behemoths. A slight whiff is all that's necessary for elephants to distinguish between two Kenyan ethnic groups—the Maasai, who sometimes spear them, and the Kamba, who rarely pose a threat. They can also recognize as many as 30 different family members from cues in their urine.

这些聪明的“嗅觉王者”你爱了吗？“象象特工队”好样的！

编辑：朱迪齐‍

实习生：谭馨‍‍‍

来源：人民日报 环球时报 《科学》杂志 21世纪英文报