TED演讲 第10期:从20马赫的滑翔机到蜂鸟无人机的感想(5)

 Each lightning bolt¹ heats the air to 44,000 degrees Fahrenheit² hotter than the surface of the Sun.  每一道闪电都能把空气。加热到44,000华氏度比太阳表面还热。

What if we could use these electromagnetic pulses as beacons,beacons in a moving network of powerful transmitters?  我们能不能利用这些电磁脉冲作为信标呢，一个强大传输器移动网络中的信标呢？

Experiments suggest that lightning could be the next GPS.  实验表明闪电能成为下一代GPS（全球定位系统）。

Electrical pulses form the thoughts in our brains.  电脉冲在我们的大脑里形成思想。

Using a grid³ the size of your thumb,with 32 electrodes on the surface of his brain,Tim uses his thoughts to control an advanced prosthetic arm.  蒂姆在他的大脑表面上，用一个网格，大拇指大小，有32个电极，他通过他的思想控制一个高级的义肢。

And his thoughts made him reach for Katie.  而他的思想使他联系到了凯蒂。

This is the first time a human has controlled a robot with thought alone. 这是人类首次用思想单独控制机器人。

And it is the first time that Tim has held Katie's hand in seven years.  这也是七年来蒂姆第一次与凯蒂握手。

That moment mattered to Tim and Katie,and this green goo may someday matter to you.  这一刻对蒂姆和凯蒂来说都非同寻常的。这个绿色粘质也许有一天会对你很重要。

This green goo is perhaps the vaccine⁴ that could save your life.  这个绿色粘质也许是能救你性命的疫苗。

It was made in tobacco plants.  它是用烟草植物制作的。

Tobacco plants can make millions of doses of vaccine in weeks instead of months,and it might just be the first healthy use of tobacco ever.  烟草能在短短几周而不是几个月内制成数百万剂疫苗。而且这大概是有史以来烟草第一次被用于健康用途。

And if it seems far-fetched that tobacco plants could make people healthy,what about gamers that could solve problems that experts can't solve?  如果你觉得烟草能使人健康有些牵强。那么，对游戏玩家解决了专家都束手无策的问题，你有什么想法呢？

Last September,the gamers of Foldit solved the three-dimensional structure of the retroviral protease that contributes to AIDS in rhesus monkeys. 去年九月份蛋白质折叠电子游戏（Foldit）的玩家就解决了逆转录病毒蛋白酶的三维结构这对猕猴身上艾滋病毒的治疗作出了贡献。

Now understanding this structure is very important for developing treatments.  现在，理解这个结构对治疗手段的发展非常重要。

For 15 years,it was unsolved in the scientific community.  15年来科学界都无法解决这个问题。

The gamers of Foldit solved it in 15 days.  而蛋白质折叠电子游戏（Foldit）的玩家15天就搞定了。

Now they were able to do so by working together.  现在，他们能共同协作来解决这个问题。

They were able to work together because they're connected by the Internet.  他们能够协作是因为互联网把他们联结起来。

And others, also connected to the Internet,used it as an instrument of democracy⁵.  而其他一样通过互联网联系的很多人把互联网当作民主的武器。

And together they changed the fate⁶ of their nation.  他们在一起改变了他们国家的命运。

The Internet is home to two billion people,or 30 percent of the world's population.  互联网是20亿人或者世界30％的人口的家园。

It allows us to contribute and to be heard as individuals. 它使我们能以个人名义发言，并被聆听。

It allows us to amplify⁷ our voices and our power as a group.  它使我们放大群体的声音和力量。

But it too had humble⁸ beginnings.  但它也是出身卑微的。

1 bolt   

n.螺栓；插销；vt.闩，栓住；vi.冲出去，逃跑

参考例句：

• It is a bad habit to bolt your food.狼吞虎咽地吃东西是个不良习惯。
• That door refuses to bolt.那扇门关不牢。

2 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

3 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

4 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

5 democracy   

n.民主政治，民主制度；民主精神，民主作风

参考例句：

• Democracy is based on good will and mutual understanding.民主建立在善意和相互理解的基础上。
• Did democracy have its beginnings in Athens? 民主制度是创始于雅典吗？

6 fate   

n.命运；结局，结果；将来，前景

参考例句：

• The Titanic met her fate by crashing into a huge iceberg.泰坦尼克号客轮因撞上一个大冰山而沉没。
• Your future is bound up with the fate of your motherland.你的前途同祖国的命运紧密相联。

7 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

8 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。