纪录片《火星任务》 第36期 地外生命（在线收听）

Even in the best-case scenario,

即使在最好的情况下

the environment on early Mars

早期火星的环境

would still have been pretty hostile.

依然非常恶劣

So to understand if extraterrestrial life could have formed,

想了解地外生命是否曾经出现

astrobiologists like Lewis Dartnell need to find out

刘易斯·达特内尔等天体生物学家要找出

the most extreme conditions

生命可以存活的

in which life could still survive.

最极端条件

They do it by looking for the limits of life here on Earth.

他们要在地球上 探索生命的极限

Searching out harsh, dangerous environments,

搜索危险 恶劣的环境

places where we used to think life could never exist.

我们曾经认为 那里不会有生命存在

A lot of what we're trying to do

我们的主要目标

is understand the limits of terrestrial organisms.

是弄清地球生物的极限

What's the survival envelope of Earth life,

地球生命的生存极限在哪里

so places that are very hot and acidic

是炎热且酸性的土地

or are very cold and dry, like Antarctica,

还是严寒干旱的土地 比如南极洲

or some very high-pressure, very high temperature places,

又或者是高温高压的地方

like the black smokers

像是海底"黑烟囱"

and the hydrothermal vents on the sea floor.

和海床上的深海热泉