In a report in the journal Current Biology, researchers claim that the brain interprets a tool, such as a hammer, as a temporary extention of your physical body.

    研究者们发表在《当代生物》（Current Biology）杂志上的一篇报道称，大脑把工具（比如锤子）认为是我们身体的一个临时延伸。

    Tools Are Body Parts To Brain

    If all you have is a hammer, they say that everything looks like a nail. But when you use that hammer, it looks like your arm-to your brain, anyway. A report in the June 23rd issue of the journal Current Biology shows that the brain interprets tools as just an extension of your physical self.

    To move our bodies around in space, the brain builds what's called a "body schema," a representation of all our various parts. And this so-called schema is frequently updated to keep up with our ever-changing bodies. Otherwise, you'd think you were still a bitty baby. Now scientists have taken this body-image overhaul a step further. They've shown that when we use a tool, even for a few minutes, the brain sees it as a temporary body part.

    Subjects were asked to pick up a block. They then used a long, mechanical grabber to pick up the same block. Then they tried to snag the block barehanded again. And it took longer than their initial grab. That's because they were briefly behaving like their arms were still augmented. So next time you feel like a total tool, you might just be hitting the nail on the head.

    大脑认为工具是身体的一部分

    如果你手头仅仅只有锤子的话，那么每样东西看起来都像是钉子。不过，对你的大脑来说，当你使用锤子的时候，锤子就像是你手臂的一部分。发表在6月23日的《当代生物》（Current Biology）杂志上的一篇报道表明，大脑认为工具是身体的一种延伸。

    在空间中移动我们身体的时候，大脑构建起一个"身体纲要",它是我们所有身体各部分的一种表现。这种所谓的"纲要"经常更新以便跟上我们随时变换的身体。否则的话，你会认为你仍然是个协调能力欠缺的婴儿。目前科学家们对这种身体-影像的认识又深入了一步。他们发现，当我们使用工具的时候，即便只使用几分钟的时间，我们的大脑认为工具是身体临时的一部分。

    科学家们让实验参与者拿起一块东西。然后这些参与者使用一个长的机械爪来拿起这块同样的东西。这之后，他们再尝试徒手拿起这块东西，这时候与他们第一次拿起这块东西相比，他们需要花更多的时间。这是因为他们认为他们的手臂上仍然像是有机械爪存在一样。因此，如果下一次你感觉你完全像是一个工具的话，也许你的感觉一点不错呢！

    Vocabulary:

    Interpret: 解释

    Hammer: 锤子

    Temporary:暂时的

    Extention: 扩展

    Nail: 钉子

    Representation: 表现；代表

    Schema:（计划或理论的）提要。纲要

    Bitty: 零散的；支离破碎的

    Overhaul: 大修；改造

    Snag: （名词）问题；（动词）抓住；抢先获得

    Barehanded: 徒手的

    Augment: 增大

    英语点滴：

    hit the nail on the head这个习语的意思是"一语中的；切中要害".