TED演讲:论生物多样性(4)

 Soon we will be in a position to go forth¹ in the field with sequencers on our backs to hunt bacteria in tiny crevices² of the habitat's surface,  不久的将来，我们还将可以通过便携式的测序机完成这样的操作,直接寻找到那些隐藏在细小的缝隙里的细菌,

in the way you go watching for birds with binoculars³.  就像你用双筒望远镜来观鸟一样。

What will we find as we map the living world, as, finally, we get this underway seriously?  那么，假如我们真的去对现实世界中的生物进行测序，将会带来什么？

As we move past the relatively⁴ gigantic mammals, birds, frogs and plants to the more elusive⁵ insects and other small invertebrates⁶ and then beyond, 从大型哺乳动物到鸟类到青蛙到植物一直到昆虫以及其他非脊椎动物，

to the countless⁷ millions of organisms in the invisible living world, 再到无数的肉眼不可见的生物，

enveloped⁸ and living within humanity? 它们就在人体内发展、生存？

Already what were thought to be bacteria for generations have been found to compose, instead, two great domains⁹ of microorganisms: 过去科学家曾认定是细菌的生物现在的发现则显示，它们实际上是由两种微生物组成的:

true bacteria and one-celled organisms the archaea,  即真细菌和单细胞的古细菌，

which are closer than other bacteria to the eukaryota, the group that we belong to.  它比其他的细菌更接近真核生物，人也是真核生物。

Some serious biologists, and I count myself among them,  一些严肃的科学家，包括我，

have begun to wonder that among the enormous and still unknown diversity of microorganisms,  就开始怀疑，在多元与未知的微生物世界中，

one might just might find aliens among them.  也许还能找到外星生物的存在。

True aliens, stocks that arrived from outer space.  我说的是真正的外星生物，来自外太空的生物。

They've had billions of years to do it,  它们有数十亿年时间到达地球，

but especially during the earliest period of biological evolution on this planet.  特别是地球上出现生物进化的原始阶段。

We do know that some bacterial¹⁰ species that have earthly origin are capable of almost unimaginable extremes of temperature and other harsh changes in environment,  我们知道，有些发源自地球的细菌竟然可以在极端的温度下生存,也能适应非常恶劣的环境变化，

including hard radiation strong enough and maintained long enough to crack the Pyrex vessels¹¹ around the growing population of bacteria.  包括经受足以穿透Pyrex玻璃箱的强辐射的作用,这个在细菌的家族里很常见。

There may be a temptation to treat the biosphere¹² holistically¹³ and the species that compose it as a great flux¹⁴ of entities¹⁵ hardly worth distinguishing one from the other.  也许有些人会走捷径，用一种整体的视角来看待整个生物圈,将其中的物种看成是个体的流动,无须区分出它们之间的细微差别。

But each of these species, even the tiniest Prochlorococci,are masterpieces of evolution. 但是每一个这样的物种，即使是最细小的原绿球菌，都是进化之杰作。

Each has persisted for thousands to millions of years.  它们都在地球上存活了千百万年。

Each is exquisitely¹⁶ adapted to the environment in which it lives,  都能很好的融入到其生活环境当中，

interlocked with other species to form ecosystems¹⁷ upon which our own lives depend in ways we have not begun even to imagine.  并且与其他的物种相互作用，构成我们赖以生存的生态系统,而这些我们十年前还未曾想象得到。

We will destroy these ecosystems and the species composing them at the peril¹⁸ of our own existence and unfortunately we are destroying them with ingenuity¹⁹ and ceaseless energy.  假如我们破坏这些生态系统以及生活于其间的物种,我们终将自食其果,可悲的是，我们罔若无知，肆无忌惮的继续这样的行为。

My own epiphany as a conservationist came in 1953, while a Harvard graduate student,  我的灵光一现出现在1953年，那时我是哈佛大学的一位研究生，

searching for rare ants found in the mountain forests of Cuba,  我去古巴的大山和森林里寻找罕见的蚂蚁种类，

ants that shine in the sunlight metallic²⁰ green or metallic blue, according to species, and one species, I discovered, metallic gold.  这些蚂蚁在阳光照射之下会发光,金属绿、金属蓝，甚至是黄金的颜色。

I found my magical ants, but only after a tough climb into the mountains where the last of the native Cuban forests hung on, 经过一段艰难的山地跋涉，我终于找到了我的神奇蚂蚁，那里也是古巴仅存的一块原始森林地带，

and were then and still are being cut back.  但后来，直到现在，那片森林不断遭受砍伐。

I realized then that these species and a large part of the other unique, marvelous animals and plants on that island and this is true of practically every part of the world, 我意识到像这些蚂蚁以及那个岛上生活的其他独特且多姿的动植物，这对于世界任何一个地方都是一样的,

which took millions of years to evolve, are in the process of disappearing forever.  经过数百万年的进化，才有今天，但它们一旦消失，就有可能永远不会再次出现了。

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 crevices   

n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It has bedded into the deepest crevices of the store. 它已钻进了店里最隐避的隙缝。 来自辞典例句
• The wind whistled through the crevices in the rock. 风呼啸着吹过岩石的缝隙。 来自辞典例句

3 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

6 invertebrates   

n.无脊椎动物( invertebrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Insects and worms are all invertebrates. 昆虫和蠕虫都是无脊椎动物。 来自辞典例句
• In the earthworm and many other invertebrates, these excretory structures are called nephridia. 在蚯蚓和许多其它无脊椎动物中，这些排泄结构称为肾管。 来自辞典例句

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 domains   

n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产

参考例句：

• The theory of thermodynamics links the macroscopic and submicroscopic domains. 热力学把宏观世界同亚微观世界联系起来。 来自辞典例句
• All three flow domains are indicated by shading. 所有三个流动区域都是用阴影部分表示的。 来自辞典例句

10 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

11 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 biosphere   

n.生命层，生物圈

参考例句：

• The entire biosphere was becoming more transparent.整个生物圈越来越透明。
• The impact of modern technology on the biosphere is evident worldwide.现代技术对生物圈的影响在全世界是明显的。

13 holistically   

adv.holistic（整体的，全盘的）的副词形式

参考例句：

• Menu items and dialogs, when they are translated, to be considered holistically. 在翻译菜单项和对话框时，需要全盘考虑，确保翻译的界面保持整体的一致性很重要。 来自互联网
• If we examine this entity holistically, we can discover how incredible it really is. 如果我们整体检查这实体，我们可以发现它真的是多么让人难以置信。 来自互联网

14 flux   

n.流动；不断的改变

参考例句：

• The market is in a constant state of flux.市场行情在不断变化。
• In most reactors,there is a significant flux of fast neutrons.在大部分反应堆中都有一定强度的快中子流。

15 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

16 exquisitely   

adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地

参考例句：

• He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服，还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分

17 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

18 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

19 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

20 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。