跟著城市嚮導「老臺北胃」，用味道認識臺北

很多朋友來臺北，
都會問我同一個問題：
「臺北小吃那麼多，到底該從哪裡開始吃？」
夜市裡攤位一字排開、老店藏在巷弄轉角，
看起來都很有名，卻又怕吃錯、踩雷，
結果行程走完，反而沒真正記住臺北的味道。
我常被朋友笑說是「老臺北胃」。
不是因為特別會吃，而是因為在這座城市待久了，
知道哪些味道是陪著臺北人成長的日常。
這篇文章，就是我整理的一份清單。
如果你第一次來臺北，
我會帶你從這 10 樣最具代表性的臺北小吃開始，
不追一時爆紅、不走浮誇路線，
而是讓你吃完後能真正理解
原來，這就是臺灣的小吃文化。
跟著老臺北胃走，
用最簡單的方式，
把臺北的味道，一樣一樣記在心裡。

我怎麼選出這 10 大臺北小吃？

在臺北，
你隨便走進一條夜市或老街，
都可以輕易列出 30 種以上的小吃。
所以這份清單，
不是「臺北最好吃」的排名，
 而是我站在「第一次來臺北的旅客」角度，
做的推薦。
身為一個被朋友稱作「老臺北胃」的人，
我選這 10 樣小吃時，心裡一直放著幾個原則。

一吃就知道：這就是臺灣味

燒烤、火鍋很好吃，
但換個城市、換個國家，也吃得到。
我挑的，是那種
只要一入口，就會讓人聯想到的臺灣味。
 不需要解釋太多，舌頭就能懂。

不只是好吃，而是有「臺北日常感」

臺北的小吃迷人，
不只在味道，
而在它融入生活的方式。
我在意的是：

1. 會不會出現在早餐、宵夜、下班後
2. 有沒有陪伴這座城市很久的記憶

吃完之後，你會記得臺北

最後一個標準很簡單。
如果你回到家，
還會突然想起某個味道、某碗熱湯、某個攤位的香氣
那它就值得被放進這份清單裡。

接下來的 10 樣臺北小吃，
就是我會親自帶朋友去吃的在地美食。
不趕行程、不拚數量，
而是一口一口，
慢慢認識臺北。

第 1 家：饌堂－黑金滷肉飯（雙連店）｜一碗就懂臺灣人的日常

如果只能用一道料理，
 來解釋臺灣人的日常飲食，
 那我一定會先帶你吃滷肉飯。
在臺北，滷肉飯不是什麼特別的節慶料理，
 而是從早餐、午餐到宵夜，
 默默陪著很多人長大的味道。
而在眾多滷肉飯之中，
饌堂－黑金滷肉飯（雙連店），
 我很常帶第一次來臺北的朋友造訪的一家。

為什麼第一站，我會選饌堂？
饌堂的滷肉飯，走的是**「黑金系」路線**。
滷汁顏色深、香氣厚，
卻不死鹹、不油膩。
滷肉切得細緻，
肥肉入口即化，搭配熱騰騰的白飯，
每一口都是很完整、很臺灣的味道。
對第一次吃滷肉飯的旅客來說，
這種風味夠經典、也夠穩定，
不需要太多心理準備，就能理解為什麼臺灣人這麼愛它。

不只是好吃，而是「現在的臺北感」
饌堂並不是那種躲在深巷裡的老攤，
空間乾淨、節奏俐落，
卻沒有失去滷肉飯該有的靈魂。
這也是我會推薦給旅客的原因之一：
它保留了臺灣小吃的核心味道，
同時也讓第一次來臺北的人，
吃得安心、坐得舒服。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
如果是第一次來：

1. 一定要點招牌黑金滷肉飯
   
2. 可以加一顆滷蛋，風味會更完整
3. 搭配簡單的小菜，就很有臺灣家常感

這不是那種吃完會驚呼「哇！」的料理，
而是會讓你在幾口之後，
慢慢理解
原來，臺灣人的日常，就是這樣被一碗飯照顧著。

地址：103臺北市大同區雙連街55號1樓

電話：0225501379

菜單：https://bio.site/ZhuanTang

第 2 家：富宏牛肉麵｜臺北深夜也醒著的一碗熱湯

如果說滷肉飯代表的是臺灣人的日常，
 那牛肉麵，
 就是很多臺北人心中最有份量的一餐。
而在臺北提到牛肉麵，
 富宏牛肉麵，
 幾乎是夜貓族、加班族、外地旅客一定會被帶去的一站。

為什麼老臺北胃會帶你來吃富宏？
富宏最讓人印象深刻的，
不是華麗裝潢，
而是那鍋永遠冒著熱氣的紅燒湯頭。
湯色濃而不混，
帶著牛骨與醬香慢慢熬出的厚度，
喝起來溫潤、不刺激，
卻會在嘴裡留下很深的記憶點。
牛肉給得大方，
燉到軟嫩卻不鬆散，
搭配彈性十足的麵條，
每一口都很直接、很臺北。

不分時間，任何時候都適合的一碗麵
富宏牛肉麵最迷人的地方，
在於它陪伴了無數個臺北的夜晚。
不管是深夜下班、看完演唱會、
或是剛抵達臺北、還沒適應時差，
這裡總有一碗熱湯在等你。
對旅客來說，
這種不用算時間、不用擔心打烊的安心感，
本身就是一種臺北特色。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次來富宏，我會這樣點：

1. 紅燒牛肉麵是首選
   
2. 如果想吃得更過癮，可以加點牛筋或牛肚
3. 湯先喝一口原味，再視情況調整辣度

這不是精緻料理，
卻是一碗能在任何時刻撐住你的牛肉麵。
在臺北，
很多夜晚，
就是靠這樣一碗熱湯走過來的。

地址：108臺北市萬華區洛陽街67號

電話：0223713028

菜單：https://www.facebook.com/pages/富宏牛肉麵-原建宏牛肉麵/

第 3 家：士林夜市・吉彖皮蛋涼麵｜臺北夏天最有記憶點的一口清爽

如果你在夏天來到臺北，
 一定會很快發現一件事
 這座城市，真的很熱。
也正因為這樣，
 臺北的小吃世界裡，
 才會出現像「涼麵」這樣的存在。
而在士林夜市，
 吉彖皮蛋涼麵，
 就是我很常帶旅客來吃的一家。

為什麼在夜市，我會帶你吃涼麵？
很多人對夜市的印象，
都是炸物、熱湯、重口味。
但真正的臺北夜市，
其實也很懂得照顧人的胃。
吉彖的涼麵，
冰涼的麵條拌上濃郁芝麻醬，
再加上切得細緻的皮蛋，
入口的第一瞬間，
就是一種「被降溫」的感覺。
那種清爽，
不是沒味道，
而是在濃香與清涼之間取得剛剛好的平衡。

皮蛋，是靈魂，也是臺灣味的關鍵
對很多外國旅客來說，
皮蛋是既好奇、又有點猶豫的存在。
但我常說，
如果要嘗試皮蛋，
涼麵是一個非常溫柔的起點。
芝麻醬的香氣會先接住味蕾，
皮蛋的風味則在後段慢慢出現，
不衝、不嗆，
反而多了一層深度。
很多人吃完後，
都會露出那種「原來是這樣啊」的表情。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次點吉彖皮蛋涼麵，我會建議：

1. 一定要選皮蛋款，才吃得到特色
2. 醬料先拌勻，再吃，風味會更完整
3. 如果天氣真的很熱，這一碗會救你一整晚

這不是華麗的小吃，
卻非常臺北。
在悶熱的夜晚，
站在夜市人潮裡，
吃著一碗涼麵，
你會突然明白——

原來臺北的小吃，連氣候都一起考慮進去了。

地址：111臺北市士林區基河路114號

電話：0981014155

菜單：https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064238763064

第 4 家：胖老闆誠意肉粥｜臺北人深夜最踏實的一碗粥

如果你問我，
 臺北人在深夜、下班後，
 最容易感到被安慰的食物是什麼——
 我會毫不猶豫地說：肉粥。
而提到肉粥，
 胖老闆誠意肉粥，
 就是很多老臺北人口中的那一味。

為什麼這一碗粥，會被叫做「誠意」？
胖老闆的肉粥，看起來很簡單。
白粥、肉燥、配菜，
沒有華麗擺盤，也沒有複雜作法。
但真正坐下來吃，你會發現：
這碗粥，不敷衍任何一個細節。
粥體滑順、不稀薄，
肉燥香而不膩，
搭配各式家常小菜，
一口一口吃下去，
很自然就會放慢速度。
這種味道，
不是要你驚艷，
而是要你安心。

這不是觀光小吃，而是臺北人的生活片段
胖老闆誠意肉粥，
最迷人的地方，
就是它的客人。
你會看到：

1. 剛下班的上班族
2. 熬夜後來吃一碗熱粥的人
3. 熟門熟路、點菜不用看菜單的老客人

這些畫面，
比任何裝潢都更能說明這家店在臺北的位置。
對旅客來說，
這是一個走進臺北人日常的入口。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次來吃，我會這樣建議：

1. 肉粥一定要點，這是主角
2. 配幾樣小菜一起吃，才有完整體驗
3. 不用急，慢慢吃，這碗粥就是要你放鬆

這不是為了拍照而存在的小吃，
而是那種
**會讓人記得「那天晚上，我在臺北吃了一碗很溫暖的粥」**的味道。

地址：10491臺北市中山區長春路89-3號

電話：0913806139

菜單：https://lin.ee/xxbYZyS

第 5 家：圓環邊蚵仔煎｜夜市裡最不能缺席的臺灣經典

如果要選一道
 最常出現在旅客記憶裡的臺灣小吃，
 蚵仔煎一定排得上前幾名。
而在臺北，
 圓環邊蚵仔煎，
 就是那種很多臺北人從小吃到大的存在。

為什麼蚵仔煎，這麼能代表臺灣？
蚵仔煎的魅力，
不在於精緻，
而在於它把幾種看似簡單的食材，
煎成了一種獨特的口感。
新鮮蚵仔的海味、
雞蛋的香氣、
地瓜粉形成的滑嫩外皮，
最後再淋上甜中帶鹹的醬汁，
一口下去，
就是夜市的完整畫面。
這種味道，
很難在其他國家找到替代品。

圓環邊，吃的是記憶感
圓環邊蚵仔煎，
沒有多餘的包裝，
也不刻意迎合潮流。
它留下來的原因很簡單
味道夠穩、節奏夠快、
讓人一吃就知道「對，就是這個」。
對旅客來說，
這是一家
不需要研究、不需要比較，就能安心點蚵仔煎的地方。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次吃蚵仔煎，我會這樣建議：

1. 趁熱吃，口感最好
   
2. 不用急著加辣，先吃原味
3. 醬汁是靈魂，別急著把它拌掉

蚵仔煎不是細嚼慢嚥的料理，
它屬於人聲鼎沸、鍋鏟作響的夜市時刻。
站在人群裡，
吃著一盤熱騰騰的蚵仔煎，
你會很清楚地感受到
這，就是臺北的夜晚。

地址：103臺北市大同區寧夏路46號

電話：0225580198

菜單：https://oystera.com.tw/menu

第 6 家：阿淑清蒸肉圓｜第一次吃肉圓，就該從這裡開始

說到臺灣小吃，
 很多人腦中一定會出現「肉圓」兩個字。
但真正吃過之後才會發現，
 肉圓，從來不只有一種樣子。
在臺北，
 阿淑清蒸肉圓，
 就是我很常拿來介紹「清蒸派肉圓」的一家。

清蒸肉圓，和你想像的不一樣
不少旅客對肉圓的第一印象，
來自油炸版本，
外皮厚、口感重。
而阿淑的清蒸肉圓，
完全是另一個方向。
外皮晶瑩、滑嫩，
帶著自然的彈性，
不油、不膩，
一入口反而顯得清爽。
內餡扎實，
豬肉香氣清楚，
搭配特製醬汁，
味道層次簡單卻很乾淨。

為什麼我會推薦給第一次來臺北的旅客？
因為這顆肉圓，
不需要適應期。
它不刺激、不厚重，
即使是第一次嘗試臺灣小吃的人，
也能輕鬆接受。
對旅客來說，
這是一顆
「吃得懂、也記得住」的肉圓。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次來阿淑，我會這樣吃：

1. 直接點一顆清蒸肉圓，吃原味
2. 醬汁先別全部拌開，邊吃邊調整
3. 放慢速度，感受外皮的口感變化

這不是夜市裡熱鬧喧囂的料理，
而是那種
安靜地展現臺灣小吃功夫的味道。
當你吃完這顆肉圓，
會更明白一件事
臺灣小吃的魅力，
往往藏在這些細節裡。

地址：242新北市新莊區復興路一段141號

電話：0229975505

第 7 家：胡記米粉湯｜一碗最貼近臺北早晨的味道

如果說前面幾樣小吃，
 是臺北的熱鬧與記憶，
 那麼米粉湯，
 就是這座城市最真實的日常。
而在臺北，
 胡記米粉湯，
 是很多人從小吃到大的存在。

為什麼米粉湯，這麼「臺北」？
米粉湯不是重口味料理，
它靠的不是刺激，
而是一碗清澈卻有深度的湯。
胡記的湯頭，
用豬骨慢慢熬出香氣，
喝起來清爽、不油，
卻能在喉嚨留下溫度。
米粉細軟，
吸附湯汁後入口順滑，
簡單到不能再簡單，
卻正是臺北人習以為常的早晨風景。

配菜，才是這一碗的靈魂延伸
在胡記吃米粉湯，
主角雖然是湯，
但真正讓人滿足的，
往往是那些小菜。
紅燒肉、豬內臟、燙青菜，
隨意點上幾樣，
湯一口、菜一口，
就是很多臺北人記憶中的早餐組合。
對旅客來說，
這是一種
不需要解釋，就能融入的臺北生活感。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次來胡記，我會這樣建議：

1. 一定要點米粉湯，湯先喝
2. 再配 1～2 樣小菜，體驗會完整很多
3. 這一餐適合慢慢吃，不用趕

這不是為了觀光而存在的小吃，
而是一碗
每天準時出現在臺北人生活裡的湯。
當你坐在店裡，
聽著湯勺碰撞的聲音，
你會突然感覺到——
原來，臺北的早晨，
就是從這樣一碗米粉湯開始的。

地址：106臺北市大安區大安路一段9號1樓

電話：0227212120

第 8 家：藍家割包｜一口咬下的臺灣街頭記憶

如果要選一道
 外國旅客一看到就會好奇、吃完又會記住的小吃，
 割包，一定在名單裡。
而在臺北，
 藍家割包，
 就是我很放心帶旅客來認識這道經典的一站。

割包，為什麼被叫做「臺灣漢堡」？
割包的結構其實很簡單：
鬆軟的白饅頭、
燉得入味的滷五花肉、
酸菜、花生粉、香菜。
但真正迷人的，
是這些元素組合在一起時，
形成的層次感。
肉香、甜味、鹹味、清爽度，
在一口之間同時出現，
沒有誰搶戲，
卻彼此剛好。
這種平衡感，
正是臺灣小吃很迷人的地方。

藍家割包不是走浮誇路線，
它給人的感覺很直接
就是你期待中的割包樣子。
饅頭柔軟不乾，
五花肉肥瘦比例恰到好處，
入口即化卻不膩口，
花生粉的甜香收尾，
讓整體味道非常完整。
對第一次吃割包的旅客來說，
這是一個
不會出錯、也很容易愛上的版本。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次吃藍家割包，我會這樣建議：

1. 直接點招牌割包，不要改配料
2. 如果有香菜，建議保留，味道會更完整
3. 趁熱吃，饅頭口感最好

割包不是精緻料理，
卻非常有記憶點。
站在街頭，
拿著一顆熱騰騰的割包，
邊走邊吃，
你會很清楚地感受到
這一口，就是臺灣的街頭生活。

地址：100臺北市中正區羅斯福路三段316巷8弄3號

電話：0223682060

菜單：https://instagram.com/lan_jia_gua_bao?utm_medium=copy_link

第 9 家：御品元冰火湯圓｜臺北夜晚最溫柔的一碗甜

吃了一整天的臺北小吃，
 到了這個時候，
 胃其實已經差不多滿了。
但只要天氣一涼，
 或夜色慢慢降下來，
 你還是會想找一碗——
 不是為了吃飽，而是為了舒服的甜點。
這時候，我通常會帶你來 御品元冰火湯圓。

為什麼叫「冰火」？這碗湯圓的關鍵就在這裡
御品元最有特色的地方，
就在於它的「冰火交錯」。
熱騰騰的湯圓，
外皮軟糯、內餡濃香，
搭配冰涼清甜的桂花蜜湯，
一口下去，
溫度在嘴裡交替出現。
不是衝突，
而是一種很細膩的平衡。
這樣的吃法，
也正是臺灣甜點很擅長的地方——
不張揚，但很有記憶點。

這是一碗，會讓人慢下來的甜點
和夜市裡熱鬧的甜品不同，
御品元的冰火湯圓，
更像是一個讓人停下腳步的存在。
你會發現，
坐在這裡吃湯圓的人，
說話聲都會不自覺地變小。
對旅客來說，
這不只是吃甜點，
而是一個
把白天的熱鬧慢慢收進回憶裡的時刻。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次吃御品元，我會這樣建議：

1. 點招牌冰火湯圓，體驗完整特色
2. 先單吃湯圓，再搭配湯一起吃
3. 放慢速度，這一碗不適合趕時間

這不是為了拍照而存在的甜點，
而是一碗
會讓你記得「那天晚上在臺北，很舒服」的湯圓。

地址：106臺北市大安區通化街39巷50弄31號

電話：0955861816

菜單：https://instagram.com/lan_jia_gua_bao

第 10 家：頃刻間綠豆沙牛奶專賣店｜把臺北的味道，留在最後一口清甜

走到這一站，
 其實已經不需要再吃什麼大份量的東西了。
這時候，
 最適合的，
 是一杯不吵鬧、不張揚，
 卻會默默留在記憶裡的飲品。
頃刻間綠豆沙牛奶，
 就是我很常用來替一天畫下句點的選擇。

綠豆沙牛奶，為什麼這麼「臺灣」？
在臺灣，
飲料不只是解渴，
而是一種生活節奏。
綠豆沙牛奶看起來簡單，
但真正好喝的版本，
靠的是火候、比例，
還有耐心。
頃刻間的綠豆沙，
口感細緻、不粗顆，
甜度自然、不膩口，
牛奶的加入，
讓整杯變得柔順而溫和。
這不是衝擊味蕾的飲料，
而是一種
喝完之後，會覺得剛剛那一刻很舒服的甜。

為什麼我會用它當作最後一站？
因為它很臺北。
你可以外帶，
邊走邊喝；
也可以站在店門口，
慢慢把杯子喝空。
沒有儀式感，
卻很真實。
對旅客來說，
這杯綠豆沙牛奶，
就像是把今天吃過的所有味道，
溫柔地整理好，
帶走。

老臺北胃的帶路小提醒
第一次喝頃刻間，我會這樣建議：

1. 直接點招牌綠豆沙牛奶
   
2. 正常甜就很剛好，不用特別調整
3. 找個角落慢慢喝，別急著趕路

這一杯，
不會讓你驚呼，
卻會在回程的路上，
突然想起來。
原來，臺北的味道，是這樣結束一天的。

地址：111臺北市士林區小北街1號

電話：0228818619

菜單：https://instagram.com/chill_out_moment?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

如果只有 3 天的自助旅行在臺北，怎麼吃這 10 家？

第一次來臺北，
時間有限、胃容量也有限，
與其每一家都趕，不如照著節奏吃。
這份 3 天小吃路線，
是老臺北胃會帶朋友實際走的版本：
不爆走、不硬塞，
讓你每天都吃得剛剛好。

臺北 3 天小吃推薦行程表（老臺北胃版本）

天數	時段	店家名稱	小吃類型
Day 1	午餐	饌堂－黑金滷肉飯（雙連店）	滷肉飯
Day 1	下午	阿淑清蒸肉圓	肉圓
Day 1	晚餐	富宏牛肉麵	牛肉麵
Day 1	宵夜	胖老闆誠意肉粥	粥品
Day 2	早餐	胡記米粉湯	米粉湯
Day 2	下午	藍家割包	割包
Day 2	晚上	士林夜市－吉彖皮蛋涼麵	涼麵
Day 2	夜市	圓環邊蚵仔煎	蚵仔煎
Day 3	下午	御品元冰火湯圓	甜點
Day 3	收尾	頃刻間綠豆沙牛奶專賣店	飲品

雖然每個小吃的地點都有一點距離，但是你也知道，好吃的小吃，是值得你花一點時間前往品嘗
老臺北胃的小提醒

1. 不需要每一家都點到最滿
2. 留一點餘裕，才會想再回來
3. 臺北小吃的魅力，不在於吃多少，而在於記住了什麼味道
   

當你照著這 3 天走完，
你會發現，
臺北不是靠一兩道名菜被記住的，
而是靠這些看似日常、卻很真實的小吃。
下次再來，老臺北胃再帶你吃更深的那一輪。

老臺北胃帶路｜這 10 口，就是我心中的臺北

寫到這裡，
 其實已經不是在推薦哪一家小吃了。
而是在回頭看，
 這座城市，是怎麼用食物陪著人生活的。
滷肉飯、牛肉麵、肉粥、米粉湯，
 不是為了成為觀光名單而存在，
 而是每天默默出現在臺北人的日子裡。
夜市裡的蚵仔煎、涼麵、割包，
 熱鬧、吵雜、節奏很快，
 卻也正是臺北最真實的樣子。
而最後那碗湯圓、那杯綠豆沙牛奶，
 則是在一天結束時，
 替味蕾留下一個溫柔的句點。

如果你問我，
「這 10 家是不是臺北最好吃的小吃？」
我會說，
它們不一定是排行榜第一名，
卻是我真的會帶朋友去吃的版本。
因為它們吃得到：

1. 臺北人的日常
2. 巷弄裡的熟悉感
3. 不需要解釋，就能被理解的味道

如果你是第一次來臺北，
跟著這份清單走，
你不一定會吃得最飽，
但你一定會記得——
臺北，是什麼味道。
而如果有一天，
你又再回到這座城市，
走進熟悉的街口、
看到冒著熱氣的小攤，
你也會開始懂得，
為什麼老臺北胃，
總是記得這些看似平凡的滋味。
因為，真正留在心裡的，
從來不是吃過多少，
而是哪一口，讓你想起臺北。

饌堂－黑金滷肉飯（雙連店）真的好吃嗎？

走完這 10 家，

你可能會發現一件事饌堂－黑金滷肉飯（雙連店）當宵夜適合嗎？

臺北的小吃，其實不急著被你記住。

它們就安靜地存在在街角、夜市、轉彎處，藍家割包會不會太甜？

等你有一天，再回到這座城市。圓環邊蚵仔煎有名是真的嗎？

如果你是第一次來臺北，胖老闆誠意肉粥不加辣好吃嗎？

希望這份「老臺北胃帶路」的清單，

能幫你少一點猶豫、多一點安心。

不用擔心踩雷，藍家割包值得專程去吃嗎？

也不用為了排行而奔波，胖老闆誠意肉粥好吃嗎？

只要照著節奏走，

你就會吃到屬於自己的臺北味道。

而如果你已經來過臺北，

那更希望這篇文章，胡記米粉湯原味就好嗎？

能帶你走進那些

你可能錯過、卻一直都在的日常小吃。

因為真正迷人的旅行，

從來不是把清單全部打勾，

而是某一天，

你突然想起那碗飯、那口湯、那杯甜，阿淑清蒸肉圓在地人推薦嗎？

然後在心裡對自己說一句：胖老闆誠意肉粥會不會太油？

「下次再去臺北，還想再吃一次。」

把這篇文章存起來、分享給一起旅行的人，

或是在規劃行程時，再回來看看。

讓味道，成為你認識臺北的方式。

下一次來臺北，

別急著走遠。

老臺北胃，富宏牛肉麵冬天適合吃嗎？

會一直在這些地方，

等你再回來。

A ciliate, or cilia-propelled microorganism, belonging to the genus Halteria. New research led by Nebraska’s John DeLong has revealed that ciliates can feed on water-dwelling viruses — and even grow on a virus-only diet. Credit: Proyecto Agua via flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Study First To Investigate and Demonstrate the Effects of ‘Virovory’ Over a single day, in the placid waters of a single pond, a million virus particles might enter a single-celled organism known for the minuscule hairs, or cilia, that propel it through those waters. Over the last three years, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s John DeLong has been busy discovering a potential tide-turning secret: Those virus particles are a source not just of infection, but nutrition. In a turnabout worthy of Pac-Man, DeLong and his colleagues have found that a species of Halteria —microscopic ciliates that populate freshwater worldwide — can eat huge numbers of infectious chloroviruses that share their aquatic habitat. For the first time, the team’s lab experiments have also shown that a virus-only diet, which the team calls “virovory,” is enough to fuel the physiological growth and even population growth of an organism. Chloroviruses and Their Role in Carbon Cycling Chloroviruses, a career-defining discovery by Nebraska’s James Van Etten, are known to infect microscopic green algae. Eventually, the invading chloroviruses burst their single-celled hosts like balloons, spilling carbon and other life-sustaining elements into the open water. That carbon, which might have gone to predators of the tiny creatures, instead gets vacuumed up by other microorganisms — a grim recycling program in miniature and, seemingly, in perpetuity. Chlorovirus particles infecting microscopic green algae. Credit: Kit Lee and Angie Fox “That’s really just keeping carbon down in this sort of microbial soup layer, keeping grazers from taking energy up the food chain,” said DeLong, associate professor of biological sciences at Nebraska. But if ciliates are having those same viruses for dinner, then virovory could be counterbalancing the carbon recycling that the viruses are known to perpetuate. It’s possible, DeLong said, that virovory is aiding and abetting carbon’s escape from the dregs of the food chain, granting it an upward mobility that viruses otherwise suppress. “If you multiply a crude estimate of how many viruses there are, how many ciliates there are and how much water there is, it comes out to this massive amount of energy movement (up the food chain),” said DeLong, who estimated that ciliates in a small pond might eat 10 trillion viruses a day. “If this is happening at the scale that we think it could be, it should completely change our view on global carbon cycling.” ‘Nobody Noticed It’ DeLong was already familiar with the ways that chloroviruses can entangle themselves in a food web. In 2016, the ecologist partnered with Van Etten and virologist David Dunigan to show that chloroviruses gain access to algae, which are normally encased in a genus of ciliates called Paramecia, only when tiny crustaceans eat the Paramecia and excrete the newly exposed algae. That finding put DeLong in “a different headspace” when it came to thinking about and studying viruses. Given the sheer abundance of viruses and microorganisms in the water, he figured it was inevitable that — even setting aside infection — the former would sometimes wind up inside the latter. “It seemed obvious that everything’s got to be getting viruses in their mouths all the time,” he said. “It seemed like it had to be happening, because there’s just so much of it in the water.” So DeLong dove into the research literature, intent on surfacing with any studies on aquatic organisms eating viruses and, ideally, what happened when they did. He emerged with precious little. One study, from the 1980s, had reported that single-celled protists were capable of consuming viruses, but delved no further. A handful of papers from Switzerland later showed that protists seemed to be removing viruses from wastewater. “And that was it,” DeLong said. There was nothing about the potential consequences to the microorganisms themselves, let alone the food webs or ecosystems they belonged to. That surprised DeLong, who knew that viruses were built not only on carbon but other elemental cornerstones of life, too. They were, at least hypothetically, anything but junk food. “They’re made up of really good stuff: nucleic acids, a lot of nitrogen and phosphorous,” he said. “Everything should want to eat them. “So many things will eat anything they can get ahold of. Surely something would have learned how to eat these really good raw materials.” As an ecologist who spends much of his time using math to describe predator-prey dynamics, DeLong wasn’t entirely sure how to go about investigating his hypothesis. Ultimately, he decided to keep it simple. First, he’d need some volunteers. He drove out to a nearby pond and collected samples of the water. Back at his lab, he corralled all of the microorganisms he could manage, regardless of the species, into drops of the water. Finally, he added generous portions of chlorovirus. Evidence of Virovory in Action After 24 hours, DeLong would search the drops for a sign that any species seemed to be enjoying the company of the chlorovirus — that even one species was treating the virus less like a threat than a snack. In Halteria, he found it. “At first, it was just a suggestion that there were more of them,” DeLong said of the ciliates. “But then they were big enough that I could actually grab some with a pipette tip, put them in a clean drop, and be able to count them.” The number of chloroviruses was plummeting by as much as 100-fold in just two days. The population of Halteria, with nothing to eat but the virus, was growing an average of about 15 times larger over that same timespan. Halteria deprived of the chlorovirus, meanwhile, wasn’t growing at all. To confirm that the Halteria was actually consuming the virus, the team tagged some of the chlorovirus DNA with a fluorescent green dye before introducing the virus to the ciliates. Sure enough, the ciliate equivalent of a stomach, its vacuole, was soon glowing green. It was unmistakable: The ciliates were eating the virus. And that virus was sustaining them. “I was calling up my co-authors: ‘They grew! We did it!’” DeLong said of the findings, now detailed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “I’m thrilled to be able to see something so fundamental for the first time.” Predator-Prey Dynamics and Insights DeLong wasn’t done. The mathematical side of him wondered whether this particular predator-prey dynamic, as strange as it seemed, might share commonalities with the more pedestrian pairings he was accustomed to studying. He started by charting the decline of the chlorovirus against the growth of the Halteria. That relationship, DeLong found, generally fits with those ecologists have observed among other microscopic hunters and their hunted. The Halteria also converted about 17% of the consumed chlorovirus mass into new mass of its own, right in line with percentages seen when Paramecia eat bacteria and millimeter-long crustaceans eat algae. Even the rate at which ciliates preyed on the virus, and the roughly 10,000-fold disparity in their sizes, match up with other aquatic case studies. “I was motivated to determine whether or not this was weird, or whether it fit,” DeLong said. “This is not weird. It’s just that nobody noticed it.” DeLong and his colleagues have since identified other ciliates that, like Halteria, can thrive by dining on viruses alone. The more they uncover, the more likely it seems that virovory could be occurring in the wild. It’s a prospect that fills the ecologist’s head with questions: How might it shape the structure of food webs? The evolution and diversity of species within them? Their resilience in the face of extinctions? Again, though, he’s opted to keep it simple. As soon as Nebraska’s winter relents, DeLong will head back to the pond. “Now,” he said, “we have to go find out if this is true in nature.” Reference: “The consumption of viruses returns energy to food chains” by John P. DeLong, James L. Van Etten, Zeina Al-Ameeli, Irina V. Agarkova and David D. Dunigan, 27 December 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215000120

Reconstruction of the appearance in life of a gorgonopsian in a floodplain of the Permian of Mallorca. Credit: Henry Sutherland Sharpe ©, edited An extinct carnivorous group known as gorgonopsians, which lived between 270 and 250 million years ago, laid eggs and had saber teeth. Recent findings in Mallorca suggest the discovery of the oldest gorgonopsian, featuring unique limb anatomy indicative of efficient locomotion. Gorgonopsians were an extinct group of synapsids that lived during the Permian period, between 270 and 250 million years ago. They are part of the evolutionary lineage that eventually led to the first mammals about 50 million years later. Like modern mammals, gorgonopsians were warm-blooded, but unlike most mammals today, they laid eggs. These carnivorous predators were the first animals to develop saber-like teeth, making them the dominant hunters of their ecosystems. Their appearance might have resembled a dog, though they lacked ears and fur. Discovery in Mallorca In Mallorca, researchers uncovered the remains of a small to medium-sized gorgonopsian, approximately one meter long, at a site near Banyalbufar in the Serra de Tramuntana region of Spain. Excavations took place over three field campaigns, yielding an impressive number of fossils. “The large number of bone remains is surprising. We have found everything from fragments of skull, vertebrae, and ribs to a very well-preserved femur. In fact, when we started this excavation, we never thought we would find so many remains of an animal of this type in Mallorca,” said Rafel Matamales, curator of the Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals (MUCBO | MBCN) and research associate at the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), as well as the study’s lead author. Replica of the saber tooth fossil. Credit: Anna Solé / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont The location of the specimen in the Balearic Islands is an unusual fact in itself. The known remains of gorgonopsians prior to this discovery belonged to very high latitudes such as Russia or South Africa. Its age has also surprised the researchers who conducted the study. “It is probably the oldest gorgonopsian on the planet. The one we found in Mallorca is at least 270 million years old, and the other records of this group worldwide are, at the very least, slightly younger,” points Josep Fortuny, senior author of the article and leader of the Computational Biomechanics and Evolution of Life History research group at the ICP. The silhouette of the described animal showing the different anatomical elements recovered during the excavation. Credit: Eudald Mujal / SMNS Anatomy and Movement Analysis Among the excavated fossil remains, a nearly complete leg stands out, which has allowed researchers to study how the animal moved. Unlike reptiles, which have a more ancestral locomotion with their legs more spread out, gorgonopsians had their legs positioned more vertically and, therefore, moved in a way that was intermediate between reptiles and mammals. This system is more efficient for walking and especially for running. The recovered saber teeth confirm its diet. “We know that this is a carnivorous animal, a characteristic shared by all gorgonopsians worldwide. The saber teeth are a common feature in large predators of ecosystems, and what we have found was likely one in the environment in which it lived,” emphasizes Àngel Galobart, researcher at the ICP and director of the Museu de la Conca Dellà. Replica of some of the postcranial elements of the gorgonopsian from Mallorca. Credit: Anna Solé / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont When Mallorca Was Not an Island During the Permian, approximately 270 million years ago, Mallorca was not an island but was part of the supercontinent Pangaea. It was located at an equatorial latitude, where countries like Congo or Guinea can be found today. The climate was monsoonal, alternating between wet and very dry seasons. It has been found that the site where the fossils were found was a floodplain with temporary ponds where gorgonopsians and other fauna drank. Among the animals that cohabited in this ecosystem were moradisaurine captorhinids, an ancient group of herbivorous reptiles to which the Tramuntanasaurus tiai belongs, which may have been part of the gorgonopsians’ diet. Replica of the left femur of the gorgonopsian from Mallorca. Credit: Anna Solé / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont Rich Fossil History of the Balearic Islands Despite the small area that occupy, the Balearic Islands have an exceptional fossil record. The most studied and well-known fossils are from the Pleistocene and Holocene. However, the fossil record from other periods is considerably less known. Nonetheless, remarkable fossils have been found, such as the world’s oldest mosquito, nearly a thousand species of ammonoids (cephalopods related to squids), ancestors of horses and hippos, giant sharks, and large coral reefs. For more on this discovery, see Scientists Discover Prehistoric Saber-Toothed Predator That Predates the Dinosaurs. Reference: “Early–middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsian suggests an equatorial origin of therapsids” by Rafel Matamales-Andreu, Christian F. Kammerer, Kenneth D. Angielczyk, Tiago R. Simões, Eudald Mujal, Àngel Galobart and Josep Fortuny, 17 December 2024, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54425-5 In addition to Matamales, Fortuny, and Galobart, the study also involved Eudald Mujal, researcher at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart (Germany), Tiago Simões, from the Princeton University (USA), Christian Kammerer from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (USA), and Kenneth Angielczyk from the Field Museum of Natural History (USA). The study has been supported by the project “Mallorca abans dels dinosaures: estudi dels ecosistemes continentals del Permià i Triàsic amb especial èmfasi en les restes de vertebrats” from the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) and funded by the Departament de Cultura i Patrimoni (Consell Insular de Mallorca) and the CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Marrying artificial intelligence with advanced experimental methods, the Machine Biology Group has mined the ancient past for future medical breakthroughs, bringing extinct molecules back to life. Credit: Ella Marushchenko Researchers have used AI to resurrect antimicrobial peptides from extinct human ancestors, opening new doors for antibiotic development while raising critical bioethical considerations. Researchers have delved into molecular “de-extinction,” studying ancient genomes for potential antibiotics. Their work unearthed antimicrobial molecules from Neanderthals and Denisovans, challenging traditional notions of protein functions and raising bioethical queries. “We need to think big in antibiotics research,” says Cesar de la Fuente. “Over one million people die every year from drug-resistant infections, and this is predicted to reach 10 million by 2050. There hasn’t been a truly new class of antibiotics in decades, and there are so few of us tackling this issue that we need to be thinking about more than just new drugs. We need new frameworks.” De la Fuente is Presidential Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science. He holds additional primary appointments in Psychiatry and Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine. De la Fuente’s lab, the Machine Biology Group, creates these new frameworks using potent partnerships in engineering and the health sciences, drawing on the “power of machines to accelerate discoveries in biology and medicine.” Marrying artificial intelligence with advanced experimental methods, the group has mined the ancient past for future medical breakthroughs. In a recent study published in Cell Host and Microbe, the team has launched the field of “molecular de-extinction.” Our genomes – our genetic material – and the genomes of our ancient ancestors, express proteins with natural antimicrobial properties. “Molecular de-extinction” hypothesizes that these molecules could be prime candidates for safe new drugs. Naturally produced and selected through evolution, these molecules offer promising advantages over molecular discovery using AI alone. Resurrecting Antibiotic Molecules from Extinct Ancestors In this paper, the team explored the proteomic expressions of two extinct organisms –Neanderthals and Denisovans, archaic precursors to the human species – and found dozens of small protein sequences with antibiotic qualities. Their lab then worked to synthesize these molecules, bringing these long-since-vanished chemistries back to life. “The computer gives us a sequence of amino acids,” says de la Fuente. “These are the building blocks of a peptide, a small protein. Then we can make these molecules using a method called ‘solid-phase chemical synthesis.’ We translate the recipe of amino acids into an actual molecule and then build it.” The team next applied these molecules to pathogens in a dish and in mice to test the veracity and efficacy of their computational predictions. “The ones that worked, worked quite well,” continues de la Fuente. “In two cases, the peptides were comparable – if not better – than the standard of care. The ones that didn’t work helped us learn what needed to be improved in our AI tools. We think this research opens the door to new ways of thinking about antibiotics and drug discovery, and this first step will allow scientists to explore it with increasing creativity and precision.” Surprising Insights into Immunity and Protein Function This new universe of research is especially rich. In addition to offering an entirely new framework for drug discovery, their work has yielded unexpected insights into our immune system. Remarkably, some of the peptide sequences in question had no previously known role in immunity. In fact, the group’s previous research had already shown that some of the antimicrobial molecules they found were hidden away, encrypted within proteins associated with completely different systems and functions in the body. “One thing that surprised me,” says de la Fuente, “is that our lab found sequences in every system of the body – cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, etc. What we didn’t recognize before is that proteins or peptides playing roles in one system could also be contributing to immunity in general.” The traditional view in biology is that one gene encodes for one protein, and each protein has one function. But what the team and their talented collaborators found is that one protein can have multiple functions. “We are opening an entirely new avenue for learning about the ways our bodies prevent and fight diseases,” says de la Fuente. With de-extinction established for these molecules, the Penn Engineering research team is now thoughtfully exploring the consequences of resurrecting the past. The Bioethical Dilemmas of Resurrecting Molecular Life “We’re in conversation with bioethicists about what it means to bring genetic material back to life,” says de la Fuente. “We’re doing it for medicine, but what if someone else resurrects something toxic or harmful? We’re also collaborating with patent lawyers. Current peptide sequences are not patentable by law. But what about those we recreate from extinct organisms?” A simple molecule, thousands of years old, lives – and is helping us ask questions we’ve never asked before. Reference: “Molecular de-extinction of ancient antimicrobial peptides enabled by machine learning” by Jacqueline R.M.A. Maasch, Marcelo D.T. Torres, Marcelo C.R. Melo and Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez, 28 July 2023, Cell Host & Microbe. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.07.001

RE98915RGPOIOKJ

圓環邊蚵仔煎推薦必點嗎？ 》台北小吃美食2026餐廳推薦｜10家值得一吃再吃御品元冰火湯圓口味會太重嗎？ 》台北小吃餐廳大賞｜10家特色名店推薦士林夜市－吉彖皮蛋涼麵年輕人會喜歡嗎？ 》台北小吃美食餐廳推薦Top10｜吃貨實測大公開，這些店真的值得再訪嗎？