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In the time it takes you to listen to this story, an elephant could empty its bladder about three times.
這個故事中你需要留意下時間，一頭大象需要3次才能將膀胱完全騰空。
And, despite being much smaller, so could an adult cat.
然而，雖然相比之下成年貓的膀胱較小，但也是如此。
And a goat. Also a cow.
羊如此。牛也是這樣。
Because researchers find that all mammals that weigh more than six-and-a-half pounds or so take about the same time to pee:
因為研究人員們發(fā)現(xiàn)所有體重超過6.5磅左右的哺乳類動物小便花費的都是同樣長的時間：
21 seconds, plus or minus 13 seconds.
21秒正負(fù)不超過13秒誤差。
The researchers videoed various mammals urinating at Zoo Atlanta.
研究人員們將亞特蘭大動物園各類哺乳動物的排尿過程用視頻的方式記錄下來。
And they found that, once you get above the squirrel-mouse-shrew level, tinkle-time does not scale with body size.
然后他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，一旦達(dá)到松鼠-老鼠-地鼠級別以上，排尿時間并不會隨著身材的增加而增加。
Good news for elephants, who could otherwise spend all day going number one.
這對大象來講是個好消息，否則它估計要花整天時間排尿，因此雄霸第一的寶座。
Seems that larger animals have a longer urethra, the conduit that whisks the wee-wee away.
大型動物雖然看起來尿道更長，但導(dǎo)管結(jié)構(gòu)使得排尿過程很快。
That difference in size is big enough that gravity starts to really weigh in.
而體型的區(qū)別決定了重力方面的相關(guān)作用。
As a result, when Jumbo answers nature's call he has a much faster flow than does Mittens.
結(jié)果就是，當(dāng)大象有了生理上的需求，速度會比小貓咪快很多。
Given the urethra's structure, the researchers say that the mammalian urinary system can be “scaled up by a factor of 3,600 in volume without compromising its function.”
而且通過尿道結(jié)構(gòu)，研究人員們表示，哺乳動物的泌尿系統(tǒng)如果排除了功能差異，隨體型遞增的相關(guān)因子大概是體積的3600倍。
The study is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
該研究已在《國家科學(xué)研究進(jìn)展》雜志上發(fā)表。
This hydrodynamic finding could help engineers design systems that rapidly drain reservoirs, regardless of size.
這項流體動力學(xué)的發(fā)現(xiàn)也許有助于工程師們設(shè)計出任何尺寸可快速排水的蓄水池。
It also means if Mittens and Jumbo hit the head together, they can come out at the same time.
這同時意味著如果小貓和大象在方便的時候碰巧同時開始，也能同時結(jié)束。
