独立行政法人産業技術総合研究所（英語名：National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST))が発行するAIST Today (2010-1 issue)の記事に憶えたい単語が一つありました。 タイトルと記事の引用します。
An invisible-light-entrainment mechanism of the Drosophila circadian rhythm
Re-entrainment of Drosophila rhodopsin mutants to red-LED light
Like most other insects, Drosophila visual system is insensitive to red light. However, Drosophila circadian rhythms can be entrained by red light. Here, we discovered the corresponding organs and rhodopsins responsible for the circadian entrainment of Drosophila to red light using rhodopsin mutants and red light emitting diodes (LEDs). The entrainment by red light was not observed in eyeless mutants of Drosophila. We also found that double Rhodopsin 1 (Rh1) and Rhodopsin 6 (Rh6) mutants were not entrained to red light, while single Rh1 mutants and single Rh6 mutants were both entrained to red light. These results indicate that Drosophila can entrain the circadian rhythm to red LED light through Rh1 and Rh6 in compound eyes.
専門用語と思われる "rhodopsin" （視紅）は覚える気はありません。 "circadian rhythm" はEnglish Collectionで２年程前の取り上げた（http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2008/01/22）２４時間周期の体内時計の事で、私が覚えたい単語は昆虫の "Drosophila" です。 "Drosophila" を辞書で見ます。
・Compact Oxford English Dictionary: a small fruit fly, used extensively in genetic research because of its large chromosomes, numerous varieties, and rapid rate of reproduction
研究用のショウジョウバエの事を英語では "Drosophila" と言うのですね。 "Drosophila" の実物を見た事がないので、英絵辞書があれば良いなと思ったら気が付きました。 Wikipedia には写真が載っているはずだと。 と言うわけで写真はWikipediaにあったものです。
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