How tall are you? Do you tower over your friends and family – or are they people you literally have to look up to? Obviously, we’re not all the same, and size doesn’t really matter. But did you know that there’s a possibility that we’re all getting taller?

你有多高？你是否凌驾于你的朋友和家人之上——或者他们是你真正需要仰望的人？显然，我们并不完全相同，大小并不重要。但是你知道我们都有可能长高吗？

Of course, our height is out of our control – it’s a biological fact, influenced partly by genetics. The idea that being taller gives you more power and authority might be a tall story, but according to David Robson, writing for BBC Future, “on the basis of first impressions alone, taller people may have the edge.” He adds that despite some slight risks to your health, various studies have found that the greater your height, the higher you score on measures of happiness and enjoyment of life.

当然，我们的身高是我们无法控制的——这是一个生物学事实，部分受遗传学影响。认为个子高的人会拥有更多的权力和权威的想法可能是一个荒谬的故事，但根据为 BBC Future 撰稿的大卫·罗布森 (David Robson) 的说法，“仅根据第一印象，个子较高的人可能具有优势。”他补充说，尽管对你的健康有一些轻微的风险，但各种研究发现，你的身高越高，你在幸福感和生活享受方面的得分就越高。

If this makes you want to become loftier, it’s good to know that all of us are taller than we were 150 years ago – by as much as ten centimetres. Scientists have known for a long time that humans with good diets and reliable access to food tend to grow taller and mature more quickly. Adult height in some countries has rocketed as they transformed into a developed society.

如果这让你想要变得更高，那么知道我们所有人都比 150 年前高了 10 厘米是件好事。长期以来，科学家们就知道，拥有良好饮食和可靠食物来源的人往往会长得更高、成熟得更快。一些国家的成人身高在转变为发达社会后急剧上升。

In a recent study, scientists have discovered a brain receptor, called MC3R, linked to our growing process. It’s thought to be the crucial link between food and sex development and growth. Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly from Cambridge University told the BBC: “It tells the body we’re great here, we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly, have puberty soon and make lots of babies.” This discovery could lead to drugs to improve muscle mass and treat delayed growth, UK researchers say.

在最近的一项研究中，科学家们发现了一种名为 MC3R 的大脑受体，它与我们的成长过程有关。它被认为是食物与性发育和生长之间的关键联系。剑桥大学的史蒂芬·奥拉希利教授告诉 BBC：“它告诉我们的身体，我们这里很棒，我们有很多食物，所以长得很快，很快就会进入青春期，并且会生很多孩子。”英国研究人员表示，这一发现可能会导致开发出改善肌肉质量和治疗生长迟缓的药物。

For those aspiring to be taller, we need to look at the Dutch, who stand head and shoulders above the rest of us as the tallest people in the world. But there is a ceiling for height, and it’s reached when people achieve their genetic potential. But, of course lanky people have to stoop through doorways and struggle to fit in cars and can have joint and cardiovascular problems, so maybe we should be careful for what we wish for.

对于那些渴望长高的人，我们需要看看荷兰人，他们作为世界上最高的人比我们其他人高出一头。但身高是有上限的，当人们发挥其遗传潜能时就会达到上限。但是，当然，瘦长的人必须弯腰穿过门口，费力才能坐进车里，而且可能会有关节和心血管问题，所以也许我们应该谨慎对待自己想要的东西。

词汇表

tower over 比…高
look up to someone 仰望（某人），敬仰某人
height 身高
biological 生理的
genetics 遗传
tall story 无稽之谈
the edge 优势
lofty 高的
mature 发育成熟的
rocket 迅速增长
brain receptor 脑受体
growing 生长的
puberty 青春期
muscle mass 肌肉量
head and shoulders above 比…高出一大截，远远高于
ceiling 上限
lanky 瘦高的
stoop 弯腰