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AomawaShields_2015U-_我们如何寻找地外生命_
I am in search of another planet in the universe where life exists. 我正在宇宙中寻找另一颗有生命的行星。
I can't see this planet with my naked eyes or even with the most powerful telescopes we currently possess . 靠肉眼肯定看不到, 将来自太阳的热量牢牢锁住,将金星地表变成一片焦土。 也看不到。
naked:adj.裸体的;无装饰的;无证据的;直率的; telescopes:n.望远镜; v.套叠; (telescope的第三人称单数) currently:adv.当前;一般地; possess:vt.控制;持有;迷住;具备;
But I know that it's there. 但我坚信它的存在。
And understanding contradictions that occur in nature will help us find it. 了解自然界的矛盾法则, 能帮助我们找到它。
contradictions:n.不一致,矛盾,对立;反驳;驳斥;(contradiction的复数) occur:v.发生;出现;存在于;出现在;
On our planet, where there's water, there's life. 在我们地球上, 哪里有水,哪里就有生命。
So we look for planets that orbit at just the right distance from their stars. 因此我们将目光锁定在那些与恒星的距离 正合适的行星。
orbit:n.轨道;眼眶;势力范围;生活常规;vi.盘旋;绕轨道运行;vt.绕…轨道而行;
At this distance, shown in blue on this diagram for stars of different temperatures, planets could be warm enough for water to flow on their surfaces as lakes and oceans where life might reside . 这一距离, 在这张示意图中以蓝色表示,根据恒星温度的高低而不同, 能保证行星足够温暖,使水保持液态, 形成湖泊和海洋, 就有可能孕育生命。
reside:vi.住,居住;属于;
Some astronomers focus their time and energy on finding planets at these distances from their stars. 一些天文学家将时间和精力投入到搜寻那些 与其所围绕恒星的距离在这一范围内的行星。
astronomers:天文学家;
What I do picks up where their job ends. 而我的工作紧随其后。
I model the possible climates of exoplanets . 我建立这些系外行星的气候模型。
exoplanets:外星行星;
And here's why that's important: there are many factors besides distance from its star that control whether a planet can support life. 这项工作很重要: 因为要决定行星上是否有生命存在, 除了与恒星的距离外,还有许多其他因素。
factors:n.因素(factor的复数); v.做代理商; besides:adv.此外;而且;prep.除…之外;
Take the planet Venus . 以金星为例。
Venus:n.[天]金星;维纳斯(爱与美的女神);
It's named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, because of its benign , ethereal appearance in the sky. 它以罗马（神话中）爱和美之女神的名字命名, 因为它看起来如此优雅而美丽。
Roman:n.罗马人;古罗马语;adj.罗马的;罗马人的; benign:adj.良性的;和蔼的,亲切的;吉利的; ethereal:adj.优雅的;轻飘的;缥缈的;超凡的; appearance:n.外貌;外观;外表;
But spacecraft measurements revealed a different story. 然而宇宙飞船测量的结果完全不是这么回事。
spacecraft:n.[宇]宇宙飞船;航天器; measurements:n.测量值,尺寸(measurement的复数); revealed:v.揭示;显示;露出;(reveal的过去分词和过去式)
The surface temperature is close to 900 degrees Fahrenheit , 500 Celsius . 金星表面的温度接近900华氏度, 也就是500摄氏度。
Fahrenheit:adj.华氏的;华氏温度计的;n.华氏温度计;华氏温标; Celsius:adj.摄氏的;n.摄氏度;
That's hot enough to melt lead. 这温度足以融化铅。
melt:v.融化;(使)软化;
Its thick atmosphere , not its distance from the sun, is the reason. 原因并不在于它与太阳的距离,而在于它厚厚的大气层。
atmosphere:n.大气;气氛;气压;风格;
It causes a greenhouse effect on steroids , trapping heat from the sun and scorching the planet's surface. 金星的大气层引发的温室效应, 将来自太阳的热量牢牢锁住,将金星地表变成一片焦土。
greenhouse effect:n.温室效应; steroids:n.甾族化合物;类固醇;(steroid的复数) trapping:v.使陷入困境;卡住;夹住;收集;吸收;(trap的现在分词) scorching:adj.灼热的; v.把…烧焦;
The reality totally contradicted initial perceptions of this planet. 这与我们之前对金星的想象完全不一样。
contradicted:反驳;矛盾; initial:adj.最初的; n.(名字的)首字母; v.用姓名的首字母作标记(或签名)于; perceptions:n.认知;观念(perception的复数);理解;
From these lessons from our own solar system , we've learned that a planet's atmosphere is crucial to its climate and potential to host life. 我们太阳系的这个例子告诉我们, 行星的大气层 对于其气候特点和能否孕育生命至关重要。
solar system:[天]太阳系; crucial:adj.重要的;决定性的;定局的;决断的; potential:n.潜能;可能性;[电]电势;adj.潜在的;可能的;势的;
We don't know what the atmospheres of these planets are like because the planets are so small and dim compared to their stars and so far away from us. 我们无法了解那些（可能孕育生命的）行星的大气情况, 因为跟它们围绕的恒星相比,它们又小又暗, 而且离我们非常遥远。
atmospheres:n.[心理]气氛(atmosphere的复数形式); v.使有…的氛围(atmosphere的单三形式); dim:adj.暗淡的,昏暗的; v.使暗淡,使失去光泽; n.笨蛋,傻子; compared:adj.比较的,对照的; v.相比; (compare的过去式和过去分词)
For example, one of the closest planets that could support surface water -- it's called Gliese 667 Cc -- such a glamorous name, right, nice phone number for a name -- it's 23 light years away . 比如,离我们最近的,可能有液态水存在的行星之一, 叫做“格利泽667Cc”—— 多美的名字啊,对吧,做电话号码应该不错—— 离我们23光年。
glamorous:adj.迷人的,富有魅力的; light years away:光年以外;似水流年;个光年已过去;
So that's more than 100 trillion miles. 也就是超过100万亿英里。
trillion:n.[数]万亿;adj.万亿的;num.[数]万亿;
Trying to measure the atmospheric composition of an exoplanet passing in front of its host star is hard. 想要在一颗系外行星从它的主恒星前经过时, 测量它的大气成分太难了。
atmospheric:adj.大气的,大气层的; composition:n.成分;作文;构成;创作;
It's like trying to see a fruit fly passing in front of a car's headlight . 就好比要看清一只 从车头灯前飞过的果蝇一样。
fruit fly:n.果蝇;实蝇; headlight:n.汽车等的前灯;船上的桅灯;矿工和医生用的帽灯;
OK, now imagine that car is 100 trillion miles away, and you want to know the precise color of that fly. 而且,这辆车还远在100万亿英里之外, 你还想看清这只果蝇的颜色。
precise:adj.准确的;确切的;精确的;明确的;
So I use computer models to calculate the kind of atmosphere a planet would need to have a suitable climate for water and life. 因此我用计算机建模, 来计算一颗行星要形成适宜水和生命存在的气候, 需要何种大气类型。
suitable:adj.合适的;适宜的;适当的;适用的;
Here's an artist's concept of the planet Kepler-62f, with the Earth for reference . 这是一张“开普勒62f”行星的概念图, 旁边是用来做对比的地球。
reference:n.参考,提及;参考书目;证明书;v.引用;
It's 1,200 light years away, and just 40 percent larger than Earth. 它距离我们1200光年, 体积只比地球大40%。
Our NSF-funded work found that it could be warm enough for open water from many types of atmospheres and orientations of its orbit. 我们的研究——由国家科学基金会资助——发现它温度适宜,可能存在液态水, 它的大气拥有多种成分,还有它的公转轨道（都可能证明这一点）。
orientations:方向;[测]定向;适应;情况介绍(orientation的复数);
So I'd like future telescopes to follow up on this planet to look for signs of life. 因此我希望未来的望远镜能继续观测这颗行星, 寻找生命存在的迹象。
Ice on a planet's surface is also important for climate. 行星表面的冰层对于气候同样重要。
Ice absorbs longer, redder wavelengths of light, and reflects shorter, bluer light. 冰能吸收波长较长、更靠近红端的光, 反射波长较短、更靠近蓝端的光。
absorbs:v.吸收;吸引…的注意(absorb的第三人称单数形式); wavelengths:n.[物]波长(wavelength的复数); reflects:v.反映;映出(影像);反射;表明,表达;(reflect的第三人称单数)
That's why the iceberg in this photo looks so blue. 这就是为什么这张照片里的冰山看起来这么蓝。
iceberg:n.[地理]冰山;显露部分;
The redder light from the sun is absorbed on its way through the ice. 阳光里偏红的光在穿过冰层时被吸收。
absorbed:adj.被…吸引住; v.吸收(液体、气体等); (absorb的过去分词和过去式)
Only the blue light makes it all the way to the bottom. 只有蓝色的光一路走到底。
Then it gets reflected back to up to our eyes and we see blue ice. 然后反射到我们的眼睛里, 我们就看到了蓝色的冰。
reflected:adj.反射的;得自他人的;v.反射;思考;(reflect的过去式和过去分词)
My models show that planets orbiting cooler stars could actually be warmer than planets orbiting hotter stars. 我的模型显示,恒星温度越低,其行星反而更温暖, 恒星温度越高,其行星反而更寒冷。
orbiting:v.[航][天]轨道运行;轨道运动;转圈(orbit的ing形式);
There's another contradiction -- that ice absorbs the longer wavelength light from cooler stars, and that light, that energy, heats the ice. 这又是一个矛盾之处—— 冰层吸收来自温度较低恒星发出的波长较长的光, 而这些光,这些能量,又加热了冰层。
Using climate models to explore how these contradictions can affect planetary climate is vital to the search for life elsewhere . 运用气候模型 来研究这些矛盾,看它们如何影响行星的气候, 对于寻找地外生命至关重要。
explore:v.探索:探测:探险: planetary:adj.行星的; vital:adj.至关重要的;生死攸关的;有活力的; elsewhere:adv.在别处;到别处;
And it's no surprise that this is my specialty . 而我命中注定要从事这个行业。
specialty:n.专业,专长;特产;特性;招牌菜;adj.特色的;专门的;独立的;
I'm an African-American female astronomer and a classically trained actor who loves to wear makeup and read fashion magazines, so I am uniquely positioned to appreciate contradictions in nature -- 我是一名非裔美籍女天文学家, 也是受过古典艺术训练的演员, 我喜欢化妆,喜欢时尚杂志, 所以上帝派我来理解这些矛盾——
African-American:非洲裔美国人(指美国黑人); female:adj.女性的;雌性的;柔弱的,柔和的;n.女人;[动]雌性动物; classically:adv.拟古地;古典主义地; makeup:n.化妆品;组成;补充;补考; uniquely:adv.独特地;珍奇地; appreciate:v.欣赏;感激;感谢;理解;
(Laughter) （笑声）
(Applause) （掌声）
... and how they can inform our search for the next planet where life exists. 并利用它们来寻找下一个有生命的行星。
inform:v.通知;告诉;报告;告发;告密;
My organization , Rising Stargirls, teaches astronomy to middle-school girls of color, using theater, writing and visual art. 我成立的“新星女孩”组织, 通过戏剧、写作和视觉艺术的方式, 向非白人女中学生传授天文学知识。
organization:n.组织;机构;体制;团体; astronomy:n.天文学; visual:adj.视觉的,视力的;栩栩如生的;
That's another contradiction -- science and art don't often go together, but interweaving them can help these girls bring their whole selves to what they learn, and maybe one day join the ranks of astronomers who are full of contradictions, 这也是一对矛盾——科技和艺术看起来不同路, 但两者的交融可以帮助这些姑娘们实现自我, 学有所成, 也许有一天她们也能成为那些充满矛盾的 天文学家中的一员,
interweaving:n.交织性;v.使交织;使混杂(interweave的ing形式);
and use their backgrounds to discover, once and for all , that we are truly not alone in the universe. 运用自身所学,彻底证明 我们在茫茫宇宙中并不孤独。
once and for all:一劳永逸地;彻底地;最后一次;
Thank you. 谢谢大家。
(Applause) （掌声）