纪录片《进化缺环》 第9期 过渡型物种（在线收听）

The missing link had to be what Charles Darwin called a transitional form.

进化缺环必须是达尔文所谓的“过渡型物种”

These lie at the very heart of his Theory of Evolution because they show how one animal can mutate into another.

它们是进化论的核心，因为它们表明一种动物能够进化成另一种动物

Transitions occur in evolution when there is a dramatic environmental change.

进化史上的演变通常发生在环境剧变时期

Creatures that cannot adapt to the new environment die out.

无法适应新环境的物种灭绝了

but chance mutations often turn out to be the key to survival.

可是偶然的突变却往往成为生存的关键

There is an explosion of bizarre forms as a host of mutants experiment with living in the new environment.

新环境中有如此多的生存突变试验，势必造成了各种奇怪物种的大爆发

These freaks of nature will die out quickly and just some will become transitional forms,

这些大自然的畸形儿很快便消亡了，只有一部分成为了过渡型物种

creatures that are half one animal and half another which bridge the old way of living and the new.

它们一半是一只动物，一半是另一只动物，在新旧生存方式之间架起了桥梁

Transitional forms are the most crucial fossils in all evolution.

过渡型物种是所有进化中最关键的化石物证

They're important to the zoologist, to the palaeontologist because they,

它们对动物学家和古生物学家来说非常重要

they show you what the process actually was.

因为它们表现了进化的过程，

I think they're very important to the public as,

我认为它们对大家来说都很重要

as being direct evidence that there was a process of change that you can document.

因为它们是你用以证明演化过程的直接证据