Do we have a movement signature?

As humans, we have several qualities that separate us from one another, such as our fingerprints. 【小题1】

According to a recent study, each person has a unique movement signature (鲜明特征). Depending on the person, these differences can be subtle or pronounced.

【小题2】 For the study, scientists attached electrodes (电极) to muscles in the legs of volunteers. The volunteer were then asked to perform activities such as walking on walking machines and riding stationary bikes (健身车), which were adjusted according to each person’s physical appearance in order to make sure everyone was judged using the same standards.

Scientists fed the information to a computer along with the volunteer’s name. 【小题3】 Next, the computer was fed information without the user’s name and it could identity the person correctly 99% of the time. The outcomes of the study showed that each of us does have something unique about our general movements.

【小题4】 Since this is just a pilot study, scientists will do more tests to see if the signature changes with age and weight changes. But with a deeper understanding of the science of movement, doctors could possibly develop more intricate prosthetics (复杂精细的假肢). 【小题5】 Whether that’s cool or frightening is up to you to decide.

A lifetime of active exercise will let you keep the body of a 20-year-old well into your 70s, scientists have found.

The physical decline (衰退) thought to be an unavoidable part of ageing is actually the result of not exercising enough, according to the research, which found that regular cyclists kept the muscles, lungs, and even the immune system (免疫系统) of people years younger. Besides, many serious health problems could be prevented if people became more active, researchers insist.

Janet Lord, a leading researcher, said, “Our findings prove the false belief that ageing automatically(自动地) makes us weaker. We now have strong evidence that encouraging people to do regular exercise throughout their lives can solve the problem that we are living longer but not healthier.”

She looked at 125 cyclists aged 55 to 79 who had been exercising regularly for 25 years and compared them with 75 ordinary people of a similar age and 55 people aged 20 to 36. On a series of physical measures, the cyclists showed no difference from people much younger in their immune systems and making T cells.

Now Professor Lord aims to discover how much exercise people need to do to stay young. “You needn’t work out a lot. It may be intensity (强度) that helps—like going up and down the stairs ten times a day.”

While there is no magic method of staying mentally and physically fit in later life, the benefits of keeping active can never be ignored, whatever your age or state of health.