熊貓吃竹子而不跟隨直覺進食。科學家解釋原因

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Pandas eat bamboo instead of going with their gut. Scientists explain why

Chris Lau, CNN

Thu, February 27, 2025 at 11:13 p.m. PST·2 min read

Pandas famously love bamboo but the fluffy mammals actually have digestive systems typical of animals that eat a meat-based diet - and Chinese scientists now think they know why.

They say gorging on the tall, fast-growing plant can influence the covert carnivores’ behavior and regulate the bears’ sense of smell and taste.

Native to southwest China, pandas spend up to 16 hours a day devouring bamboo, absorbing a genetic material called microRNA (miRNA) into their bloodstream, according to research published Friday in the journal Frontiers.

The molecule can influence how genetic information is transferred across pandas’ bodies, shaping the way they act, said the research led by China West Normal University in Sichuan province.

MiRNA plays “a role in regulating the gene expression of giant pandas,” said Dr Li Feng, a senior author from the university, in a statement.

Li and his colleagues found that the molecule can shape physiological processes in pandas’ bodies, including growth, biological rhythms, behavior and immune responses.

“MiRNA in bamboo is also involved in the regulation of smell, taste, and dopamine pathways of giant pandas, all of which are related to their feeding habits,” he said.

The researchers believe that by the time a baby panda grows up, it will develop the ability to pick the freshest and most nutritious bamboo, which enables them to adapt to a plant-based diet.

The study was based on blood samples from six adult pandas and a juvenile. Among those samples, scientists detected 57 traces of miRNAs likely derived from bamboo.

They hope the discovery can help scientists further understand the effect of plant miRNA on animals, potentially paving the way for the treatment or prevention of diseases, according to the study.

Though the panda’s diet consists almost entirely of bamboo leaves, stems and shoots, about 1% of their food comes from other plants - and even meat such as small rodents, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

About 1,800 pandas live in the wild, roaming mountain ranges in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, WWF says.

Habitat loss and fragmentation pose the biggest threats to wild pandas, while their lukewarm desire to reproduce has made preserving them a challenge. When mothers finally give birth, newborn pandas are extremely fragile.

China has drastically scaled up efforts to save the bears over the past decades, boosting the number of panda reserves from 12 to 67.

Translation

熊貓吃竹子而不跟隨直覺進食。科學家解釋原因

眾所周知，大貓熊喜愛吃竹子，但這種毛茸茸的哺乳動物實際上擁有典型的肉食動物的消化系統 - 中國科學家現在認為他們知道了其中的原因。

他們表示，大量食用這種高大、快速生長的植物可以影響隱性肉食者的行為，並調節熊貓的嗅覺和味覺。

根據週五發表在《前沿》雜誌上的一項研究顯示，大貓熊原產於中國西南部，每天要花 16 個小時進食竹子，將一種名為微小核糖核酸 (miRNA) 的遺傳物質吸收到血液中。

四川省華師範大學主導的研究顯示，這種分子可以影響大熊貓體內遺傳訊息的傳遞方式，進而塑造它們的行為方式。

該大學資深作者 Li Feng 博士在聲明中表示，miRNA「在調節大熊貓基因表現方面發揮作用」。

Li 和他的同事發現這種分子會影響熊貓體內的生理過程，包括生長、生物節律、行為和免疫反應。

他說： “竹子中的miRNA也參與調節大熊貓的嗅覺、味覺和多巴胺通路，這些都與它們的飲食習慣有關。”

研究人員認為，在大熊貓寶寶長大後，它們將具備挑選最新鮮、最有營養的竹子的能力，這使它們能夠適應以植物為基礎的飲食。

研究以六隻成年大熊貓和一隻幼年大熊貓的血液樣本為基礎。在這些樣本中，科學家檢測到了 57 種可能來自竹子的 miRNA 痕跡。

根據研究，他們希望這項發現能幫助科學家進一步了解植物 miRNA 對動物的影響，為治療或預防疾病鋪平道路。

根據世界野生動物基金會 (WWF) 介紹，雖然大貓熊的食物幾乎全部由竹葉、竹莖和竹筍組成，但其約 1% 的食物來自其他植物，甚至還有細小的囓齒動物的肉。

世界自然基金會稱，約有 1,800 隻大熊貓生活在野生環境中，漫遊於中國四川、陝西和甘肅省的山脈中。

棲息地喪失和破碎化對野生大熊貓構成了最大的威脅，而它們冷淡的繁殖慾望也使去保育它們成為一項挑戰。當熊貓媽媽最終生產時，新生的熊貓是極其脆弱的。

過去幾十年來，中國大大提升了拯救熊貓的力度，大熊貓保護區的數量從 12 隻增加到 67 隻。

So, a study based on blood samples from pandas has detected 57 traces of miRNAs likely derived from bamboo. They hope the discovery can help scientists further understand the effect of plant miRNA on animals, potentially paving the way for the treatment or prevention of diseases.