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DavidChristian_2011-_宏观历史_
First, a video. 首先,来段录像。
Yes, it is a scrambled egg. 对,这是个被搅拌的鸡蛋。
scrambled:v.爬,攀登;争抢;抢占;争夺;(scramble的过去式和过去分词)
But as you look at it, 但是,当你看它的时候,
I hope you'll begin to feel just slightly uneasy . 我希望你能开始感受到 有一点点的怪异。
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; uneasy:adj.担心的;忧虑的;不安的;不稳定的;
Because you may notice that what's actually happening is that the egg is unscrambling itself. 因为你可能注意到了正在发生的 是这个鸡蛋搅拌的反序过程。
unscrambling:v.整理(unscramble的ing形式);
And you'll now see the yolk and the white have separated. 并且你可以看到蛋黄和蛋白分开了。
yolk:n.蛋黄;[胚]卵黄;羊毛脂;
And now they're going to be poured back into the egg. 现在它们将返回到蛋壳中。
poured:v.使(液体)连续流出;倾倒;倒出;喷发;(pour的过去分词和过去式)
And we all know in our heart of hearts that this is not the way the universe works. 并且我们内心深处都知道 这不是宇宙的运行方式。
A scrambled egg is mush , tasty mush , but it's mush. 一个被搅拌的鸡蛋是糊状的,好吃的糊状,但是它是糊状的。
mush:n.感伤的话;浓粥;软块;胆怯;v.带狗撬在雪上前进;粉碎;int.走！; tasty:美味的
An egg is a beautiful, sophisticated thing that can create even more sophisticated things, such as chickens. 鸡蛋是一个美丽而复杂的东西 它能创造出更加复杂的东西, 比如说小鸡。
sophisticated:adj.复杂的;老练的;见多识广的;水平高的;
And we know in our heart of hearts that the universe does not travel from mush to complexity . 并且我们内心深处知道 宇宙形成并不仅仅是 从混沌到复杂的跨度。
complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势
In fact, this gut instinct is reflected in one of the most fundamental laws of physics, the second law of thermodynamics , or the law of entropy . 实际上,这宇宙形成感觉上 是受一种最基本的物理学原理的影响, 热力学第二定律,又称熵定律。
gut:n.勇气;肠道;内脏;v.损毁内部;取出…的内脏;adj.非理性的;本能的 instinct:n.本能;天性;直觉;adj.充满的; 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) fundamental:n.基础; adj.十分重大的; thermodynamics:n.热力学; entropy:n.[热]熵(热力学函数);
What that says basically is that the general tendency of the universe is to move from order and structure to lack of order, lack of structure -- in fact, to mush. 它主要阐述了 宇宙的总体趋势 是从有序的 有架构的 到无序的,无架构的-- 事实上,相对于混沌。
basically:adv.主要地,基本上; tendency:n.倾向,趋势;癖好; structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造;
And that's why that video feels a bit strange. 也是为什么这段录像 感觉有一点点奇怪。
And yet, look around us. 然而 看看我们周遭。
What we see around us is staggering complexity. 我们周遭所见的 是那么惊人的复杂。
staggering:adj.惊人的; v.蹒跚; (stagger的现在分词)
Eric Beinhocker estimates that in New York City alone there are some 10 billion skus, or distinct commodities , being traded. 艾瑞克·比因霍克估计光纽约一个城市 就有100亿的不同货物正在被交易。
estimates:n.估计;估价;估计的成本;v.估价;估算(estimate的第三人称单数和复数) distinct:adj.明显的;独特的;清楚的;有区别的; commodities:n.商品(commodity的复数);日用品;商品期货;
that's hundreds of times as many species as there are on Earth. 这比 现存于地球上的物种数量要多成百倍。
species:n.[生物]物种;种类;
And they're being traded by a species of almost seven billion individuals who are linked by trade, travel, and the Internet into a global system of stupendous complexity. 而且,它们是由一种 近七十亿个体 以交易,游历和网络相互联系 到一个 极其庞大复杂的全球体系交易。
individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数); global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; stupendous:adj.惊人的;巨大的;
So here's a great puzzle : 所以,这就是个大谜团:
puzzle:n.谜;疑问;智力游戏;不解之谜;v.迷惑;使困惑;
In a universe ruled by the second law of thermodynamics, how is it possible to generate the sort of complexity I've described -- the sort of complexity represented by you and me and the convention center? 在宇宙中 在被热力学第二定律规范下, 怎么样才有可能 产生这种我刚才论述的那种复杂性-- 那种你,我 和这个演讲厅所呈现的复杂性？
generate:v.产生;引起; described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) represented:v.代表; (represent的过去式和过去分词) convention:n.习俗;惯例;协定;常规;
Well the answer seems to be, the universe can create complexity, but with great difficulty. 这答案似乎是, 宇宙本生能创造复杂性, 但是有极大的困难。
In pockets, there appear what my colleague , Fred Spier, calls " Goldilocks conditions" -- not too hot, not too cold; just right for the creation of complexity. 总的来说, 这种情况会发生,用我同事,弗雷德·施皮尔的 说法“黄金条件”-- 不太热,不太冷; 就那么刚刚好能创造复杂性。
colleague:n.同事,同僚; Goldilocks:n.金发姑娘,金凤花; creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物;
And slightly more complex things appear. 同时一些更加复杂的事情发生了。
And where you have slightly more complex things, you can get slightly more complex things. 就在那一点发生更加复杂的事, 你可能发现更加复杂的东西。
And in this way, complexity builds stage by stage. 就这样,复杂性就这样形成了 一步一步的。
Each stage is magical because it creates the impression of something utterly new appearing almost out of nowhere in the universe. 每个阶段都是奇迹 因为它创造出了完全新的东西 出现在几乎什么都没有的宇宙中。
impression:n.印象;影响;效果;感想; utterly:adv.完全地;绝对地;全然地;彻底地,十足地; nowhere:v.无处; n.无处; adj.不存在的;
We refer in big history to these moments as threshold moments. 这个瞬间我们将标记为宏观历史中 的起始瞬间。
refer:v.参考;涉及;提到;查阅; threshold:n.入口;门槛;开始;极限;临界值;
And at each threshold, the going gets tougher. 在这些起始点, 条件将更加苛刻。
The complex things get more fragile , more vulnerable , the Goldilocks conditions get more stringent , and it's more difficult to create complexity. 复杂的东西变得更弱小, 更脆弱。 黄金条件变的更苛刻, 而且条件会变的更难 来创造复杂性。
fragile:adj.脆的;易碎的; vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的,易受…的攻击;易受伤害的;有弱点的; stringent:adj.严格的;严厉的;紧缩的;短缺的;
Now we as extremely complex creatures desperately need to know this story of how the universe creates complexity, despite the second law, and why complexity means vulnerability and fragility . 现实中我们是极度复杂的个体 渴望了解这个 关于宇宙怎么创造复杂性的故事, 不管那个第二法则, 以及为什么复杂性 意味着脆弱 和弱小。
extremely:adv.非常,极其;极端地; creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数) desperately:adv.拼命地;绝望地;不顾一切地;极度地; despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; vulnerability:n.易损性;弱点; fragility:n.脆弱;[力]易碎性;虚弱;
And that's the story that we tell in big history. 我们讲的历史这件事就是这个故事。
But to do it, you have do something that may, at first sight , seem completely impossible. 但是开始前,你必须做一些事 那些可能第一眼看起来完全不可能的事。
at first sight:乍一看;初看之下;
You have to survey the whole history of the universe. 你必须纵观整个宇宙的历史。
survey:n.调查;测量;审视;纵览;vt.调查;勘测;俯瞰;vi.测量土地;
So let's do it. 那,让我们开始吧。
(Laughter) （笑声）
Let's begin by winding the timeline back 13.7 billion years to the beginning of time. 让我们开始追溯到过去 137亿年前 到时间开始的地方。
timeline:n.时间轴,时间线;大事年表;
Around us there's nothing. 我们周围都是虚无。
There's not even time or space. 甚至没有时间和空间。
Imagine the darkest, emptiest thing you can and cube it a gazillion times and that's where we are. 尽你的可能想象那最黑暗,最空无的情况 然后这种情况放大无数无数倍 那就是现在我们处在的时间点。
gazillion:n.极大量;
And then suddenly, bang ! A universe appears, an entire universe. 然后突然, 轰！宇宙出现了,一整个的宇宙。
bang:n.猛敲; v.猛敲; v.正好;
And we've crossed our first threshold. 我们就这样穿过了我们第一个起始点。
The universe is tiny; it's smaller than an atom . 这时候的宇宙是微小的,比一个原子还小。
atom:n.原子;
It's incredibly hot. 它极度的炽热。
incredibly:adv.难以置信地;非常地;
It contains everything that's in today's universe, so you can imagine, it's busting , and it's expanding at incredible speed. 它包含了今天这个宇宙的所有, 但是你也知道,它是混沌的, 并且它以一种难以置信的速度膨胀。
busting:v.打破;摔碎;突击搜查;(使)降级;(bust的现在分词) expanding:v.扩大,增加,增强细谈;详述;(expand的现在分词) incredible:adj.难以置信的,惊人的;
And at first it's just a blur , but very quickly distinct things begin to appear in that blur. 一开始它只是一团混沌, 但是十分迅速而且各不相同的事发生在这片混沌。
blur:v.涂污;使…模糊不清;使暗淡;玷污;n.污迹;模糊不清的事物;
Within the first second, energy itself shatters into distinct forces including electromagnetism and gravity. 就在那第一秒, 能量本生粉碎进入不同的力场当中 包括电磁场以及重力场。
shatters:vt.粉碎; vi.粉碎; n.碎片; electromagnetism:n.电磁;电磁学;
And energy does something else quite magical, it congeals to form matter -- quarks that will create protons and leptons that include electrons . 而且能量也产生一些其它奇妙的现象, 它凝固从而形成物质-- 夸克,这种可以形成带点的质子 和轻子。
congeals:vi.凝结;凝固;vt.使…凝结;使…冻结; quarks:n.[高能][天]夸克(quark的复数形式); protons:n.[物]质子;氢核(proton的复数); electrons:n.[物]电子(electron的复数形式);
And all of that happens in the first second. 所有的一切发生在第一秒。
Now we move forward 380,000 years. 现在让我们跨越38万年。
That's twice as long as humans have been on this planet. 这是人类在这个星球存在时间的两倍。
as long as:conj.只要;长达;如果;既然;
And now simple atoms appear of hydrogen and helium . 现在普通原子 氢,氦出现了。
atoms:n.[物]原子(atom的复数); hydrogen:n.氢;氢气; helium:n.[化学]氦(符号为He,2号元素);
Now I want to pause for a moment, 380,000 years after the origins of the universe, because we actually know quite a lot about the universe at this stage. 现在我想暂停一会儿, 在宇宙起源之后的38万年里, 因为我们实际上了解很多 关于这个阶段的宇宙。
origins:n.起源; (origin的复数)
We know above all that it was extremely simple. 我们知道,首先它是一个极度简单的宇宙。
It consisted of huge clouds of hydrogen and helium atoms, and they have no structure. 它包含了大量的氢,氦原子 的大片云, 而且它们没有架构。
consisted:vi.组成;在于;符合;
They're really a sort of cosmic mush. 它们确实是某种宇宙混沌。
cosmic:adj.宇宙的;
But that's not completely true. 但是这不是完全正确的。
Recent studies by satellites such as the WMAP satellite have shown that, in fact, there are just tiny differences in that background. 现有 根据卫星的研究,比如威尔金森微波各向异性探测器卫星 表明,实际上,在那个背景下有一点点不同。
What you see here, the blue areas are about a thousandth of a degree cooler than the red areas. 你现在看到的, 蓝色的区域 相比于红色的区域要冷上大约一千度。
These are tiny differences, but it was enough for the universe to move on to the next stage of building complexity. 这就是一点不同之处, 但是这足够让宇宙继续演变 到下一个阶段创造的复杂性。
And this is how it works. 这就是它怎么运作的。
Gravity is more powerful where there's more stuff . 重力场的作用力更大 拥有比较多的物质。
stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
So where you get slightly denser areas, gravity starts compacting clouds of hydrogen and helium atoms. 所以这里我们有个密度稍微大的区域, 重力场开始凝结成 氢氦原子的原子云。
denser:adj.密集的; (dense的比较级) compacting:n.压缩;致密化;v.压缩;组成(compact的ing形式);adj.压实的;
So we can imagine the early universe breaking up into a billion clouds. 我们能想象早起宇宙散布 在十亿的原子云中。
And each cloud is compacted , gravity gets more powerful as density increases, the temperature begins to rise at the center of each cloud, and then at the center of each cloud, the temperature crosses the threshold temperature of 10 million degrees, protons start to fuse , there's a huge release of energy, and, bang! 每片云都是紧凑的, 重力场就随着密度的增加而效果更加明显, 在每片云的中心温度开始升高, 而且在每片云的中心, 温度超过了阈温度 之上一千万度, 质子开始融合, 这释放出大量的能量, 接着,轰！
compacted:v.把…紧压在一起(或压实);(compact的过去分词和过去式) density:n.密度; fuse:n.保险丝;导火线;v.(使)融合,熔断;熔接; release:v.释放;发射;让与;允许发表;n.释放;发布;让与;
We have our first stars. 我们就有了第一颗恒星。
From about 200 million years after the Big Bang, stars begin to appear all through the universe, billions of them. 大约距离大爆炸之后的2亿年, 恒星开始在整个宇宙出现, 成千上万的恒星。
And the universe is now significantly more interesting and more complex. 宇宙现在开始相当的有趣 也更加复杂。
significantly:adv.意味深长地;值得注目地;
Stars will create the Goldilocks conditions for crossing two new thresholds . 恒星开始创作黄金条件 来超越两个新的起始点。
thresholds:n.阈值;[建]门槛;临界值值(threshold的复数);
When very large stars die, they create temperatures so high that protons begin to fuse in all sorts of exotic combinations , to form all the elements of the periodic table . 当巨大的星系泯灭的时候, 它们有着很高的温度 以至于质子开始融合进入各种奇异混合物中, 来形成在元素周期表上的所有元素。
exotic:adj.异国的;外来的;异国情调的; combinations:n.[数]组合;制品(combination的复数);合谱; elements:n.要素;基本部分;少量;一群;(element的复数) periodic table:n.元素周期表;
If, like me, you're wearing a gold ring, it was forged in a supernova explosion . 就好像,你正带着一个黄金的戒指, 它是天体爆炸而铸就的。
forged:v.艰苦干成;努力加强;假冒;制作;(forge的过去分词和过去式) supernova:n.超新星; explosion:n.爆炸;爆发;激增;
So now the universe is chemically more complex. 所以现在的宇宙在化学程度上是更加复杂的。
chemically:adv.用化学;以化学方法;
And in a chemically more complex universe, it's possible to make more things. 对于一个化学程度上更加复杂的宇宙而言, 就有可能做更多的事情。
And what starts happening is that, around young suns, young stars, all these elements combine, they swirl around, the energy of the star stirs them around, they form particles , they form snowflakes , they form little dust motes , they form rocks, they form asteroids , and eventually they form planets and moons. 然后要开始产生的 是新生的太阳, 新生的恒星, 所以的元素结合,它们在一起旋转, 星球的能量搅拌它们, 它们形成微粒,形成雪花, 形成微小的灰尘微粒, 它们形成岩石,形成小行星, 最后它们形成行星和月亮。
swirl:n.漩涡;打旋;涡状形;vi.盘绕;打旋;眩晕;大口喝酒;vt.使成漩涡; stirs:n.搅拌;轰动;vt.搅拌;激起;惹起;vi.搅动;传播;走动; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式); snowflakes:n.雪花;雪片;(snowflake的复数) motes:n.微粒(mote的复数); asteroids:n.[天]小行星(asteroid的复数); eventually:adv.最后,终于;
And that is how our solar system was formed, four and a half billion years ago. 这就是我们太阳系形成的过程, 在45亿年前,
solar system:[天]太阳系;
Rocky planets like our Earth are significantly more complex than stars because they contain a much greater diversity of materials. 岩石型的行星比如地球 比起其他恒星就明显更加复杂了 因为它们包含了更加多样性的物质。
Rocky:adj.岩石的;多岩石的;困难的;难以维持的; diversity:n.差异(性):多样性:多样化:
So we've crossed a fourth threshold of complexity. 因此我们已经穿过了第四个复杂性的起始点。
Now, the going gets tougher. 现在,（变化的条件）就更加苛刻了。
The next stage introduces entities that are significantly more fragile, significantly more vulnerable, but they're also much more creative and much more capable of generating further complexity. 下一个阶段是初次形成的个体 个体是明显更加弱小, 更加脆弱的, 但是它们也更加有创造力 也更加有能力创造更多的复杂性。
entities:n.实体;存在(entity的复数形式);字符实体; creative:adj.创造性的; capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的; generating:v.产生;引起;(generate的现在分词)
I'm talking, of course, about living organisms . 当然,我说的 是生命个体。
organisms:n.[生物]生物体(organism的复数);[生物]有机体;
Living organisms are created by chemistry. 生命个体是有化学物质组成的。
We are huge packages of chemicals . 我们是大量化学物质的集合。
chemicals:n.化学制品;化学品;(chemical的复数)
So chemistry is dominated by the electromagnetic force. 化学是被电子磁场力所控制。
dominated:v.支配;控制;左右;影响;(dominate的过去式和过去分词) electromagnetic:adj.电磁的;
That operates over smaller scales than gravity, which explains why you and I are smaller than the stars or planets. 这运用在比重力场更小范围的地方, 这也解释了为什么你和我 要比那恒星和行星小。
scales:n.规模范围; v.攀登; (scale的第三人称单数和复数)
Now what are the ideal conditions for chemistry? 现在,什么才是化学物质的理想环境呢？
What are the Goldilocks conditions? 什么才是黄金条件呢？
Well the first, you need energy, but not too much. 首先,你需要能量, 但是不需要太多。
In the center of a star, there's so much energy, that any atoms that combine will just get busted apart again. 在恒星的内部,有着巨大的能量, 以至于任何原子结合之后就会重新分开。
busted:adj.被当场逮住;v.打破;突击搜查;(使)降级;(bust的过去分词和过去式)
But not too little. 但是也不要太少。
In intergalactic space, there's so little energy that atoms can't combine. 在银河系中,只有一点点的能量 以至于原子都无法结合。
intergalactic:adj.星系间的;银河间的;
What you want is just the right amount, and planets, it turns out, are just right, because they're close to stars, but not too close. 你要的就是那刚刚好的量, 它也证明,行星的适量是刚刚适中的, 因为它们接近恒星了,但也不是太接近。
You also need a great diversity of chemical elements, and you need liquid such as water. 你也需要各种化学元素, 同时你也需要液体比如水。
Why? 为什么？
Well in gasses, atoms move past each other so fast that they can't hitch up. 因为在气体的环境,相互间原子的运动如此的快 以至于它们不能结合。
hitch:n.故障; vt.搭便车; vi.被钩住;
In solids, atoms are stuck together, they can't move. 在固体的环境下, 原子被固定在一起,它们不能运动。
In liquids, they can cruise and cuddle and link up to form molecules . 在液体环境下, 它们能游动和碰撞 也能结合形成分子。
cruise:v.巡航;乘船游览;慢速行驶,巡行;猎艳;n.航行;乘船游览; cuddle:v.拥抱;偎依;舒服地贴著身睡;n.搂抱,拥抱; molecules:n.[化学]分子,微粒;[化学]摩尔(molecule的复数);
Now where do you find such Goldilocks conditions? 那在哪里你才能找到这些黄金条件呢？
Well planets are great, and our early Earth was almost perfect. 那行星就是不错的, 我们早期的地球 几乎就是完美的。
It was just the right distance from its star to contain huge oceans of open water. 它和其他恒星之间距离适中 来形成大量的液态水的海洋。
And deep beneath those oceans at cracks in the Earth's crust , you've got heat seeping up from inside the Earth, and you've got a great diversity of elements. 在这些海洋下方 地壳的断层中, 你能从地球内部渗透出热量, 而且你也能得到各种原子。
beneath:prep.在…之下;adv.在下方; cracks:n.裂纹; v.破裂; (crack的第三人称单数和复数) crust:n.壳;表面;厚颜无耻;[美国]雪壳;v.用外皮覆盖;结成硬皮;生痂儿;形成硬壳; seeping:v.渗;渗透;(seep的现在分词)
So at those deep oceanic vents , fantastic chemistry began to happen, and atoms combined in all sorts of exotic combinations. 所以在这些深海的开口上, 奇妙的化学变化开始进行, 原子结合成奇异的混合物。
oceanic:adj.海洋的;海洋产出的;在海洋中生活的;广阔无垠的; vents:n.[矿业]通风孔(vent的复数);排空(气)阀;通风管;管乐类; fantastic:奇异的,空想的
But of course, life is more than just exotic chemistry. 但是当然,生命不仅仅 是奇异的化学物质。
How do you stabilize those huge molecules that seem to be viable ? 那是怎么稳定 那些大量的 似乎有存活的分子的呢？
stabilize:vt.使稳固,使安定;vi.稳定,安定; viable:adj.可行的;能养活的;能生育的;
Well it's here that life introduces an entirely new trick. 这就是生命呈现的 一个全新的窍诀。
You don't stabilize the individual; you stabilize the template , the thing that carries information, and you allow the template to copy itself. 不能稳定个体; 只能稳定模板, 那是携带信息的东西, 让模板复制自己。
template:n.模板,样板;
And DNA, of course, is the beautiful molecule that contains that information. 当然,DNA 是美丽的分子, 包含着信息。
You'll be familiar with the double helix of DNA. 你熟悉双螺旋型的DNA。
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友; double helix:双螺旋;
Each rung contains information. 每个链都包含信息。
rung:n.横档,脚蹬横木;地位;v.给…打电话(ring的过去式和过去分词);
So DNA contains information about how to make living organisms. 所以DNA就包含 关于如何创造生命体的信息。
And DNA also copies itself. 同时DNA也能自我拷贝。
So it copies itself and scatters the templates through the ocean. 所以它自我拷贝 同时把模板扩散到海洋中。
scatters:vi.分散,散开; vt.使散射; n.分散; templates:n.模板;范本(template的复数);属性单元;
So the information spreads. 因此信息也传递开了。
Notice that information has become part of our story. 值得注意的是信息已经成为我们故事中的一部分。
The real beauty of DNA though is in its imperfections . DNA真正的魅力在于 它的不完美。
imperfections:n.不合格折贴(imperfection的复数);
As it copies itself, once in every billion rungs , there tends to be an error. 当它自我拷贝的时候, 在每十亿个链中有一个链, 可能产生错误。
rungs:n.[建]梯级(rung的复数形式);
And what that means is that DNA is, in effect, learning. 也就是说 实际上,DNA在进化。
It's accumulating new ways of making living organisms because some of those errors work. 它在积累创造生命体的新方法 因为有些错误是可以运作的。
accumulating:n.[数]累加;v.积累(accumulate的ing形式);
So DNA's learning and it's building greater diversity and greater complexity. 所以DNA是在进化 它在呈现丰富多样性和大量的复杂性。
And we can see this happening over the last four billion years. 我们看到这进化持续发生了四十多亿年。
For most of that time of life on Earth, living organisms have been relatively simple -- single cells. 对于地球上的生物大部分这段时间内, 生物已经进化的相对简单-- 单细胞生物。
relatively:adv.相当程度上;相当地;相对地;
But they had great diversity, and, inside, great complexity. 但是它们是十分多样的, 而且,内部结构,极其复杂。
Then from about 600 to 800 million years ago, multi-celled organisms appear. 然后6亿年到8亿年之前, 多细胞生物出现。
You get fungi , you get fish, you get plants, you get amphibia , you get reptiles , and then, of course, you get the dinosaurs. 你会发现菌类,鱼, 植物, 两栖类,爬行类, 然后,当然,你会发现恐龙。
fungi:n.真菌;菌类;蘑菇(fungus的复数); amphibia:n.两栖类,两栖纲; reptiles:n.爬行动物(reptile的复数);[脊椎]爬行类;爬虫类;
And occasionally , there are disasters . 接着,偶然间,发生了灾难。
occasionally:adv.偶尔;有时候;偶然; disasters:n.灾难(disaster的复数);
65 million years ago, an asteroid landed on Earth near the Yucatan Peninsula , creating conditions equivalent to those of a nuclear war, and the dinosaurs were wiped out. 6500万年之前, 一颗陨石撞击地球 在犹卡坦半岛附近, 引发的情况相当于一场核战争, 恐龙就被彻底灭绝了。
Peninsula:n.半岛; equivalent:adj.等价的,相等的;同意义的;n.等价物,相等物; nuclear:adj.原子能的;[细胞]细胞核的;中心的;原子核的;
Terrible news for the dinosaurs. 对于恐龙来说是可怕的消息。
But great news for our mammalian ancestors who flourished in the niches left empty by the dinosaurs. 但是这是好消息对于 在恐龙遗留下的空旷之地 蓬勃发展的哺乳类祖先来说。
mammalian:adj.哺乳类动物的;n.哺乳类; flourished:v.繁荣;昌盛;兴旺;茁壮成长;(flourish的过去式和过去分词) niches:n.[生态]生态位; v.把…放置在壁龛中;
And we human beings are part of that creative evolutionary pulse that began 65 million years ago with the landing of an asteroid. 我们人类 就是这次 始于6500万年前 随着陨石撞击后,生物进化狂潮的一部分。
evolutionary:adj.进化的;发展的;渐进的; pulse:n.脉冲;脉搏;脉率;强劲的音乐节拍;v.搏动;跳动;震动;洋溢着;
Humans appears about 200,000 years ago. 人类起源于20万年前。
And I believe we count as a threshold in this great story. 我相信我们认定 作为这个宏观的故事的一个起始点。
Let me explain why. 让我解释一下为什么。
We've seen that DNA learns in a sense , it accumulates information. 我们已经看到DNA某种意义上的进化, 它积累信息。
in a sense:在某种意义上; accumulates:vi.累积;积聚;vt.积攒;
But it is so slow. 但是这十分缓慢。
DNA accumulates information through random errors, some of which just happen to work. DNA累积信息 伴随着随机的差错, 有些差错也可以运作。
random:adj.[数]随机的;任意的;胡乱的;n.随意;adv.胡乱地;
But DNA had actually generated a faster way of learning; it had produced organisms with brains, and those organisms can learn in real time . 但是DNA已经发展成一种更快的进化方式; 它产生了有大脑的生物, 那些生物能及时的进化。
generated:v.产生;引起;(generate的过去式和过去分词) real time:adj.实时的;接到指示立即执行的;
They accumulate information, they learn. 它们积累信息,它们进化。
The sad thing is, when they die, the information dies with them. 但是遗憾的是, 当它们死亡,信息也随着它们死亡。
Now what makes humans different is human language. 让人类特别的是 人类的语言。
We are blessed with a language, a system of communication, so powerful and so precise that we can share what we've learned with such precision that it can accumulate in the collective memory. 我们有幸能有语言,一种交流方式。 如此的强大和准确 以至于我们可以准确的分享我们学到的事 它就积累成为集体记忆。
blessed:adj.神圣的; v.求上帝降福于; (bless的过去分词和过去式) precise:adj.准确的;确切的;精确的;明确的; precision:n.精度,[数]精密度;精确;adj.精密的,精确的; collective:adj.集体的;共同的;集合的;集体主义的;n.集团;集合体;集合名词;
And that means it can outlast the individuals who learned that information, and it can accumulate from generation to generation. 这就意味着 它能比学到信息的个体存在的更长久, 而且它也能一代一代的积累。
outlast:vt.比…长久;从…中逃生;
And that's why, as a species, we're so creative and so powerful, and that's why we have a history. 这就是为什么,作为一个物种,我们如此的有创造力 如此强大, 这就是为什么我们有历史。
We seem to be the only species in four billion years to have this gift. 我们似乎是在40亿年中唯一的 拥有这种天赋的生物。
I call this ability collective learning. 我把这个叫做 集体学习的能力。
It's what makes us different. 这使我们如此特殊。
We can see it at work in the earliest stages of human history. 我们可以看到 在人类历史早期的阶段这种能力的运作。
We evolved as a species in the savanna lands of Africa, but then you see humans migrating into new environments -- into desert lands, into jungles, into the ice age tundra of Siberia -- tough, tough environment -- into the Americas, into Australasia. 我们作为一种物种 在非洲的草原上演化, 但是然后你看到人类迁徙到一个新的环境-- 进入到沙漠,进入雨林, 进入西伯利亚冻土带-- 艰苦,艰苦的环境中-- 进入美洲,澳洲。
evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式) savanna:n.[生态]热带草原;热带的稀树大草原; migrating:v.迁移;迁徙;移居(migrate的现在分词); tundra:n.[生态]苔原;[地理]冻原;冻土地带; Siberia:n.西伯利亚;
Each migration involved learning -- learning new ways of exploiting the environment, new ways of dealing with their surroundings . 每次迁徙都涉及到学习-- 学习新的方法来利用环境, 新的方法来适应环境。
migration:n.迁移;迁徙;转移;移居; involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) exploiting:v.利用…为自己谋利;剥削;压榨;运用;发挥;(exploit的现在分词) surroundings:n.周围的环境;环境;(surrounding的复数)
Then 10,000 years ago, exploiting a sudden change in global climate with the end of the last ice age, human's learned to farm. 然后一万年前, 全球环境突然发生变化 在冰河世纪晚期, 人类学会耕种。
Farming was an energy bonanza . 农业是一个能量密集型产业。
bonanza:n.富矿带;带来好运之事;幸运;
And exploiting that energy, human populations multiplied . 同时利用这个能量, 人口增长。
multiplied:v.乘;乘以;成倍增加;(使)繁殖,增殖;(multiply的过去分词和过去式)
Human societies got larger, denser, more interconnected . 人类社会变的更庞大,更密集, 更加相互交流。
interconnected:adj.连通的;有联系的;v.互相连接(interconnect的过去式);
And then from about 500 years ago, humans began to link up globally through shipping, through trains, through telegraph , through the Internet, until now we seem to form a single global brain of almost seven billion individuals. 然后大约500年之前 人类开始全球化的联系 通过轮船,通过铁路, 通过电报,通过网络, 直到现在我们似乎已经形成 一个单独的全球性大脑 它包含着近70亿个个体。
telegraph:n.[通信]电报机,电报;vt.电汇;流露出;打电报给…;vi.打电报;
And that brain is learning at warp speed . 这个大脑以一种超速学习着。
warp speed:快速变形;飞行速度;
And in the last 200 years, something else has happened: we've stumbled on another energy bonanza in fossil fuels. 在过去200年,有一些事发生了: 我们偶然发现另外一个能量源 石油。
stumbled:v.绊脚;跌跌撞撞地走;蹒跚而行;(stumble的过去分词和过去式) fossil:n.化石;老人;老古董;adj.从地下发掘出来的;化石的;属于旧时代的;陈腐的;
So fossil fuels and collective learning together explain the staggering complexity we see around us. 所以石油以及集体学习进化一起 解释了 我们周围的让人吃惊的复杂性。
So, here we are back at the convention center. 那么,这儿我们现在 回到演讲厅。
We've been on a journey , a return journey , of 13.7 billion years. 我们已经在一个旅行,一个追溯 137亿年的旅行中。
journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行;
I hope you agree that this is a powerful story. 我希望你认同这是一个震撼人心的故事。
And it's a story in which humans play an astonishing and creative role. 同时这也是有关人类 发挥惊人能力和创造性作用的故事。
astonishing:adj.令人十分惊讶的;v.使十分惊讶;使吃惊;(astonish的现在分词)
But it also contains warnings. 但是这同时也有警告。
Collective learning is a very, very powerful force, and it's not clear that we humans are in charge of it. 集体学习是一种十分,十分强大的力量, 而且还不能确定 它能否被我们人类控制。
in charge of:负责;主管;
I remember very vividly as a child growing up in England, living through the Cuban Missile Crisis . 当我从小在英格兰长大, 我对古巴导弹危机下的生活记忆犹新。
vividly:adv.生动地;强烈地; Cuban:n.古巴人;古巴产雪茄;adj.古巴的; Missile:n.导弹;发射物;投掷物; Crisis:n.危机;危险期;决定性时刻;adj.危机的;用于处理危机的;
For a few days, the entire biosphere seemed to be on the verge of destruction . 有几天, 整个生物圈 好像在毁灭的边缘。
biosphere:n.生物圈; on the verge of destruction:危在旦夕;岌岌可危;
And the same weapons are still here, and they are still armed. 同样的武器还是在那里, 他们同样还是武装着。
If we avoid that trap , others are waiting for us. 如果我们避免那些陷阱, 其他的还在等着我们。
trap:v.使陷入困境;卡住;夹住;收集;吸收;n.陷阱;圈套;捕捉器;诡计;
We're burning fossil fuels at such a rate that we seem to be undermining the Goldilocks conditions that made it possible for human civilizations to flourish over the last 10,000 years. 我们如此快速地燃烧着石油 以至于我们似乎暗中在破坏 让人类文明 繁荣了一万年之久的黄金条件。
undermining:v.逐渐削弱;使逐步减少效力;从根基处破坏;(undermine的现在分词) civilizations:n.文明(civilization的复数形式);
So what big history can do is show us the nature of our complexity and fragility and the dangers that face us, but it can also show us our power with collective learning. 因此宏观的历史能做的 是展示给我们,我们自身复杂性和脆弱性的一面 以及我们面对的危机, 但是它也展现给我们, 我们集体学习的力量。
And now, finally , this is what I want. 现在,最后的, 是我怎么想的。
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地;
I want my grandson Daniel and his friends and his generation, throughout the world, to know the story of big history, and to know it so well that they understand both the challenges that face us and the opportunities that face us. 我想我的孙子丹尼尔 和他的朋友,他这代, 遍布全球的一代, 知道这个宏观的故事, 以及它如此伟大 能让他们了解 不仅仅是我们面临的挑战 同时也是我们面对的机遇。
throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及;
And that's why a group of us are building a free online syllabus in big history for high school students throughout the world. 这也是为什么我们这一群人 正在建立一个免费在线的 宏观的历史教学纲要 为了全世界高等教育的学生。
syllabus:n.教学大纲,摘要;课程表;
We believe that big history will be a vital intellectual tool for them, as Daniel and his generation face the huge challenges and also the huge opportunities ahead of them at this threshold moment in the history of our beautiful planet. 我们相信这宏观的历史 将会是一个重要的智慧工具, 对于丹尼尔和他那一代 得面临巨大挑战 同时也是巨大机遇 在他们之前的这个起始点 在我们美丽星球的历史长河中。
vital:adj.至关重要的;生死攸关的;有活力的; intellectual:n.知识分子;脑力劳动者;adj.智力的;脑力的;理智的;有才智的;
I thank you for your attention. 感谢大家。
(Applause) （掌声）