美国航天局模拟“在火星上种土豆”

 　　Do Peru's potatoes have the right stuff?

　　秘鲁的土豆能经受住考验吗？

　　That's the question scientists will be asking in Lima next month, when a selection of tubers will begin undergoing tests to determine whether they're fit to grow on Mars.

　　这是下个月科学家将要在秘鲁首都利马问的一个问题，届时，经过精心挑选的土豆块茎将接受测试，以确定它们能否在火星上种植。

　　NASA, the US space agency, is conducting the pioneering experiment together with Lima's International Potato Center (CIP).

　　美国航天局（NASA）将与利马国际马铃薯中心（CIP）联手，进行这一开创性实验。

　　They will cultivate a hundred selected varieties already subjected to rigorous evaluation¹ in extreme, Mars-like conditions that could eventually pave the way to building a dome² on the Red Planet for farming the vegetable.

　　他们将对100种精心挑选的、已在类火星极端环境下严格评估的品种进行培育，而这最终将为人们在这颗红色星球上建立蔬菜种植“大棚”铺平道路。

　　在火星上种土豆

　　The selection was made from a total of 4,500 varieties registered at CIP, a noNPRofit research facility that aims to reduce poverty and achieve food security.

　　国际马铃薯中心是一个致力于削减贫困、保证粮食安全的非营利研究机构。这些土豆是从在国际马铃薯中心登记注册的4500个品种中挑选出来的。

　　Of the selected candidates, 40 are native to the Andes Mountains, conditioned to grow in different ecological³ zones, withstand sudden climate changes and reproduce in rocky, arid⁴ terrain⁵.

　　在获选土豆中，有40种是安第斯山脉土生土长的品种。这些品种可在不同生态地区生长、对气候的突然变化具有耐受性，并可在多岩石的干旱土壤中生长繁育。

　　The other 60 are genetically⁶ modified varieties able to survive with little water and salt. They are also immune to viruses.

　　另外60种土豆均为转基因品种，能够在缺水和低钠的环境中生存。此外，这些品种还对病毒免疫。

　　Those that pass the tests must meet a final criterion -- they must be able not only to grow well on Mars but also reproduce in large quantities.

　　这些品种最终必须达到一个标准：不仅能在火星上茁壮生长，而且还能被大量繁育。

　　"We're almost 100 percent certain that many of the selected potatoes will past the tests," said Julio Valdivia Silva, a Peruvian NASA astrobiologist who is taking part in the ambitious project.

　　参与美国航天局此项宏伟计划的秘鲁裔太空生物学家胡里奥·瓦尔迪维亚·席尔瓦说：“精选出来的土豆中，将会有不少品种通过测试，对此我们有百分百的把握。”

　　The scientists hope the experiment will also help address the earthly scourges⁷ of hunger and malnutrition⁸ by identifying varieties suited to growing in harsh conditions.

　　科学家还希望通过该实验找出适合在严酷环境下生长的土豆种类，来帮助解决地球人口饥饿和营养不良的难题。

　　"We must be prepared for the future," said virologist Jan Kreuze, a scientist at CIP. "To respond to desertification, rising temperature and high salt content in the soil."“我们必须为未来做准备”，国际马铃薯中心的科学家扬·克鲁兹说。“准备应对沙漠化、气候变暖和高盐分的土壤。”

　　Vegetable of the future

　　未来的蔬菜

　　The soil in La Joya Pampas -- a sector⁹ of the Atacama Desert in southern Peru that's considered one of the driest places on earth -- is very similar to that found on the Red Planet.

　　位于秘鲁南部阿塔卡马沙漠的潘帕斯德拉霍亚地区被认为是地球上最干旱的地方之一，那里的土壤与人们在火星上发现的非常相似。

　　The scientists plan to transport 200 pounds (100 kilos) of it to a CIP laboratory in Lima that will simulate the complex Martian atmosphere -- which contains mostly carbon dioxide -- and expose it to extreme ultraviolet radiation.

　　科学家计划将大约200磅（100千克）土壤运送到利马国际马铃薯中心的实验室中。在那里，他们将模拟火星上二氧化碳居多的复杂大气环境，并将土壤暴露在极端紫外线照射中。

　　"We'll have more concrete results in one or two years, Valdivia said, adding that it will take more than five years to launch an unmanned mission to Mars.

　　瓦尔迪维亚说：“未来一两年内，我们会得出实验的具体结果。我们还将花至少五年的时间向火星发射无人探测器。”

　　The potential future space crop is also one of the oldest.

　　土豆这种未来极有可能占领太空的作物，也是地球上最古老的作物之一。

　　Records of potato cultivation¹⁰ date back to 2500 BC, when the indigenous¹¹ Aymara Indians farmed it in modern-day Peru and Bolivia.

　　种植土豆的记载可以追溯到公元前2500年，那时勤劳的艾马拉族印第安人就在现在的秘鲁和玻利维亚种植土豆了。

　　If the varieties selected for next month's experiment don't adapt to the desert soil, the researchers will introduce nutrients¹² and subject them to radiation.

　　下个月，这些选出的土豆品种将参与实验。如果这些土豆不能适应沙漠土壤，那么研究人员将对它们施以养分并将其置于紫外线照射下。

　　"If that doesn't work," Valdivia said, "we'll administer a new method the CIP is using called aeroponics."瓦尔迪维亚说：“如果还是不行的话，我们会采用国际马铃薯中心使用的一种名叫‘气栽’的新方法。”

　　The technique, used for cultivating plants without soil, would expose roots inside a sphere or cube that is sprayed with nutrients and contains a system for removing toxins¹³.

　　这是一种无土种植技术：将植物的根部置于球体或立方体容器中。容器中原本已喷洒了营养剂，并内置了一套去除毒素的机制。

　　In future years, NASA plans to build a Mars research center in the Peruvian desert.

　　未来，美国航天局还计划在秘鲁沙漠中建造一座火星研究中心。

　　It would create a perfect replica¹⁴ of the Martian landscape and atmosphere for future research into space farming that could serve manned missions to Mars and other planets in the solar system.

　　该研究中心将逼真还原火星的地貌和大气状况，以供未来太空种植研究之用。太空种植将为探测火星等其他太阳系行星的载人任务提供补给。

 

1 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

2 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

3 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

4 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

5 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

6 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

7 scourges   

带来灾难的人或东西，祸害( scourge的名词复数 )； 鞭子

参考例句：

• Textile workers suffer from three scourges -- noise, dust and humidity. 纱厂工人的三大威胁，就是音响、尘埃和湿气。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Believe, if Internet remains great scourges, also won't have present dimensions. 相信，如果互联网仍然是洪水猛兽，也不会有现在的规模。

8 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

11 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

12 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。