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EdYong_2014-_一段由自杀蟋蟀、殭尸蟑螂和其他寄生体交织而成的故事_
A herd of wildebeests , a shoal of fish, a flock of birds. 一群角马,一群鱼, 一群鸟。
herd:n.兽群,畜群;放牧人;vi.成群,聚在一起;vt.放牧;使成群; wildebeests:n.羚羊的一种;牛羚(产于非洲); shoal:n.浅滩;鱼群;潜在危险;vi.变浅;vt.使变浅;驶入;adj.浅的; flock:v.聚集;群集;蜂拥;n.(羊或鸟)群;(尤指同类人的)一大群;
Many animals gather in large groups that are among the most wonderful spectacles in the natural world. 许多动物群居生活 那些都是大自然中 最令人惊叹的奇观。
spectacles:n.眼镜;精彩的表演;大场面;(spectacle的复数)
But why do these groups form? 但是为什么形成这些群落？
The common answers include things like seeking safety in numbers or hunting in packs or gathering to mate or breed , and all of these explanations, while often true, make a huge assumption about animal behavior, 通常的说法包括 获得安全,或者方便捕猎 或者聚集交配繁殖, 这些所有解释 虽然通常正确 但对动物行为做出了一个重要假设,
seeking:v.寻找;寻求;谋求;争取;(向人)请求(seek的现在分词) mate:n.助手,大副; v.使配对; breed:v.繁殖;孕育;培育(动植物);导致;以…方式教育;n.品种; assumption:n.假定;设想;担任;采取;
that the animals are in control of their own actions, that they are in charge of their bodies. 那就是动物掌控它们的行为, 并掌控它们的身体。
in charge of:负责;主管;
And that is often not the case. 但是通常事实并不是这样。
This is Artemia, a brine shrimp . 这是卤虫,一种盐水虾。
brine:n.卤水;盐水;海水;vt.用浓盐水处理(或浸泡); shrimp:n.虾;小虾;矮小的人;vi.捕虾;adj.有虾的;虾制的;
You probably know it better as a sea monkey. 你们也许更通常地称它为海猴子。
It's small, and it typically lives alone, but it can gather in these large red swarms that span for meters, and these form because of a parasite . 它很小,典型的独居类型, 但是它可以聚集在这些大的红色群落中 其范围可达数米, 这些的产生是因为一种寄生虫。
typically:adv.代表性地;作为特色地; swarms:n.(昆虫等)群;[蜂]蜂群(swarm的复数);v.蜂拥;云集(swarm的第三人称单数); span:n.持续时间; v.持续; parasite:n.寄生虫;食客;
These shrimp are infected with a tapeworm . 这些虾子被一种绦虫寄生了。
infected:adj.带菌的; v.传染; (infect的过去分词和过去式) tapeworm:n.[基医]绦虫;
A tapeworm is effectively a long, living gut with genitals at one end and a hooked mouth at the other. 绦虫实际上是一条长长的活着的肠子 它一端是生殖器,另一端是钩状的嘴。
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 genitals:n.生殖器;外阴部; hooked:adj.弯曲的; v.(使)钩住,挂住; (hook的过去分词和过去式)
As a freelance journalist , I sympathize . 作为一个自由撰稿人,我对它感到同情。
freelance:n.自由作家;自由记者;adj.自由投稿的; journalist:n.新闻工作者;报人;记日志者; sympathize:v.同情;赞同;支持;
(Laughter) （笑声）
The tapeworm drains nutrients from Artemia's body, but it also does other things. 绦虫从卤虫的体内摄取养分 但它也做别的事情
drains:n.排水沟(drain的复数);吸血;v.放出,排出(drain的第三人称单数); nutrients:营养盐;[食品]营养素;
It castrates them, it changes their color from transparent to bright red, it makes them live longer, and as biologist Nicolas Rode has found, it makes them swim in groups. 它阉割卤虫, 它将卤虫从透明变为赤红色, 它延长卤虫的寿命, 就像考古学家尼古拉斯·罗德所发现的 绦虫让它们成群出没.
castrates:vt.阉割;删除;去掉最重要的部分;使丧失力量; transparent:adj.透明的;显然的;坦率的;易懂的; biologist:n.生物学家;
Why? Because the tapeworm, like many other parasites , has a complicated life cycle involving many different hosts . 为什么呢？因为绦虫像很多别的寄生虫一样, 有着复杂的生命周期 其中包括不同的寄主.
parasites:n.[基医]寄生虫;[生物]寄生生物(parasite的复数); complicated:adj.复杂的;难懂的;v.使复杂化;(complicate的过去分词和过去式) life cycle:n.生命周期;寿命(产品等从开发到使用完毕的一段时间); involving:v.包含;需要;牵涉;牵连;影响;(使)参加;(involve的现在分词) hosts:n.主人; v.主办,主持(活动); (host的第三人称单数和复数)
The shrimp are just one step on its journey . 这些虾子只是它们旅程中的一步.
journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行;
Its ultimate destination is this, the greater flamingo . 它们最终的目标是 更大的火烈鸟。
ultimate:adj.最终的;极限的;根本的;n.终极;根本;基本原则; flamingo:n.[鸟]火烈鸟;
Only in a flamingo can the tapeworm reproduce , so to get there, it manipulates its shrimp hosts into forming these conspicuous colored swarms that are easier for a flamingo to spot and to devour , and that is the secret of the Artemia swarm. 绦虫只有在火烈鸟体内才可以繁殖, 所以为了去那里,它操纵虾子寄主们 形成这些显眼的有色群落 让火烈鸟更容去发现 并吞食。 这就是卤虫群的秘密。
reproduce:v.繁殖;复制;再现;生育; manipulates:vt.操纵;操作;巧妙地处理;篡改; conspicuous:adj.显著的;显而易见的; devour:v.狼吞虎咽地吃光;津津有味地看;吞没;毁灭;
They aren't sociable through their own volition , but because they are being controlled. 他们不是因为自身意志而聚集起来的, 而是因为被操纵。
sociable:adj.社交的;好交际的;友善的;n.联谊会; volition:n.意志,意志力;决断力;
It's not safety in numbers. 这不是用大数量去获得安全。
It's actually the exact opposite. 这恰恰相反。
The tapeworm hijacks their brains and their bodies, turning them into vehicles for getting itself into a flamingo. 这些绦虫劫持了卤虫们的大脑和身体, 把它们变成交通工具 以便于让它们进入到一只火烈鸟的体内。
hijacks:vt.抢劫;揩油;vi.拦路抢劫;n.劫持;威逼;敲诈; vehicles:n.车辆;飞行器;运行工具;(vehicles是vehicle的复数)
And here is another example of a parasitic manipulation . 这里有另外一个关于 寄生操控的例子.
parasitic:adj.寄生的(等于parasitical); manipulation:n.操作;管理措施;处理;操纵证券市场;变换;
This is a suicidal cricket . 这是一个自杀蟋蟀。
suicidal:adj.自杀的,自杀性的;自我毁灭的;自取灭亡的; cricket:n.蟋蟀;板球;
This cricket swallowed the larvae of a Gordian worm, or horsehair worm. 这只蟋蟀吞下了戈尔迪乌斯线虫 或是马鬃虫的幼虫。
swallowed:v.吞下;咽下;吞没;淹没;侵吞(swallow的过去分词和过去式) larvae:n.幼虫;幼体(larva的复数形式); horsehair:n.马毛;马鬃;
The worm grew to adult size within it, but it needs to get into water in order to mate, and it does that by releasing proteins that addle the cricket's brain, causing it to behave erratically . 虫子在蟋蟀体内长大成年, 但是它需要到水中进行交配, 为了完成繁殖,它通过释放一种 扰乱蟋蟀大脑的蛋白质, 使其行为不定。
releasing:n.释放;松释动作;脱扣释放;v.释放;排放;(release的现在分词); proteins:n.[生化]蛋白质(protein复数); addle:vt.使腐坏;使混乱;vi.变质;变混乱;adj.腐坏的;糊涂的,昏乱的; behave:v.表现;(机器等)运转;举止端正;(事物)起某种作用; erratically:adv.不定地;不规律地;
When the cricket nears a body of water, such as this swimming pool , it jumps in and drowns , and the worm wriggles out of its suicidal corpse . 当蟋蟀靠近水体时, 例如这个游泳池, 它会跳入,并溺死, 然后虫子从自杀蟋蟀尸体内 蠕动出来。
nears:v.接近; v.接近; prep.接近; adj.接近的; (口)危险的; swimming pool:n.游泳池;游泳场;游泳馆; drowns:v.淹没;把…淹死;淹死;溺死; wriggles:vi.蠕动;蜿蜒而行;vt.使蠕动;蠕动到;不知不觉地潜入;n.蠕动;扭动; corpse:n.尸体;
Crickets are really roomy . Who knew? 蟋蟀总是胸怀宽广。谁知道呢？
Crickets:n.[昆]蟋蟀(cricket的复数形式); roomy:adj.宽敞的;广阔的;宽大的;
The tapeworm and the Gordian worm are not alone. 绦虫和毛细线虫并不孤单。
They are part of an entire cavalcade of mind-controlling parasites, of fungi , viruses, and worms and insects and more that all specialize in subverting and overriding the wills of their hosts. 它们是全部 专于暗中破坏,压倒寄主意志 操控真菌,病毒,蠕虫,昆虫和更多其它生物的, 寄生虫 中的一部分。
cavalcade:n.行列,队伍;骑兵队; fungi:n.真菌;菌类;蘑菇(fungus的复数); worms:n.蠕虫;寄生虫;幼虫;v.蠕动,曲折行进;(worm的第三人称单数和复数) specialize in:专门研究…; subverting:vt.颠覆;推翻;破坏; overriding:adj.高于一切的,最重要的;v.践踏;压垮;不顾(override的ing形式);
Now, I first learned about this way of life through David Attenborough's "Trials of Life" 在二十年前 我通过大卫·阿滕伯勒的纪录片《生命的审判》
about 20 years ago, and then later through a wonderful book called "Parasite Rex" by my friend Carl Zimmer . 首次了解到到关于这种生活方式, 之后通过我的朋友卡尔 基默写的 一本叫做《寄生虫雷克斯》书的对其进一步了解。
Zimmer:n.齐默(商标名),年老,体弱者使用的助行金属架;
And I've been writing about these creatures ever since. 从那时起我就一直在写关于这些生物。
creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数)
Few topics in biology enthrall me more. 没有别的什么生物学话题能更让我着迷。
biology:n.(一个地区全部的)生物;生物学; enthrall:vt.迷住,使着迷;
It's like the parasites have subverted my own brain. 这就像寄生虫已经颠覆了我的大脑。
subverted:vt.颠覆;推翻;破坏;
Because after all, they are always compelling and they are delightfully macabre . 因为毕竟,它们总是在控制 并且令人欣喜的毛骨肃然。
compelling:adj.引人入胜的; v.强迫; (compel的现在分词) delightfully:adv.欣然地,快乐地; macabre:adj.可怕的;以死亡为主题的;令人毛骨悚然的(等于macaber);
When you write about parasites, your lexicon swells with phrases like " devoured alive" and " bursts out of its body." 当你描写寄生虫时, 你的用词里充满了这样的短语, ”活活吞吃“和“从它的身体里炸出”。
lexicon:n.词典,辞典; swells:v.涌浪;胀罐(swell的第三人称单数形式);n.肿胀(swell的复数); devoured:v.狼吞虎咽地吃光;津津有味地看;吞没;毁灭;(devour的过去分词和过去式) bursts:[天]爆发;破裂(burst的第三人称单数);
(Laughter) （笑声）
But there's more to it than that. 但是远远不止这些。
I'm a writer, and fellow writers in the audience will know that we love stories. 我是一个作家,观众席中的作家同伙们 知道我们热爱故事。
Parasites invite us to resist the allure of obvious stories. 寄生虫使我们去排斥 浅而易见的故事的诱惑。
resist:v.抵制;阻挡;反抗;回击;抵抗;忍住;n.防染剂;防蚀用涂料;防腐剂; allure:v.引诱,诱惑;吸引;n.诱惑力; obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;
Their world is one of plot twists and unexpected explanations. 它们的世界充满着 扭曲的情节,和出人意料解释。
plot:n.情节;阴谋;布局;小块土地;v.密谋;暗中策划;(在地图上)标出;绘制(图表); twists:n.[力]扭曲,一扭(twist的复数形式);v.[力]扭曲,拧(twist的三单形式); unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的;
Why, for example, does this caterpillar start violently thrashing about when another insect gets close to it and those white cocoons that it seems to be standing guard over? 举个例子,为什么 这只毛毛虫 当另外一直昆虫靠近它时 开始剧烈地颤动 并且像那些白色茧的 护卫一样？
caterpillar:n.[无脊椎]毛虫;履带车;adj.有履带装置的; violently:adv.猛烈地,激烈地;极端地; thrashing:n.鞭打;打谷;v.打扑(thrash的ing形式); cocoons:蚕茧;
Is it maybe protecting its siblings ? 难道它在保护兄弟姐妹？
siblings:n.兄;弟;姐;妹;(sibling的复数)
This caterpillar was attacked by a parasitic wasp which laid eggs inside it. 这只毛毛虫受到了一只其在体内产卵的 寄生蜂的攻击。
wasp:n.黄蜂;[昆]胡蜂;易怒的人;vi.黄蜂似的直扑;
The eggs hatched and the young wasps devoured the caterpillar alive before bursting out of its body. 卵孵化后,幼蜂们 将其活活地吞吃 再冲破其身体出来。
hatched:v.孵出;出壳;孵化;破壳;(hatch的过去分词和过去式) wasps:n.[昆]黄蜂;[昆]胡蜂(wasp的复数形式);马蜂; bursting:adj.充满的;渴望的;v.爆炸;猛然打开;突然开始(burst的现在分词);
See what I mean? 现在知道（我之前）什么意思了吧？
Now, the caterpillar didn't die. 但是,毛毛虫没有死。
Some of the wasps seemed to stay behind and controlled it into defending their siblings which are metamorphosing into adults within those cocoons. 有些马蜂们留了下来, 并继续控制毛毛虫去保护它们 正在变态到成虫过程中茧内的 兄弟姐妹们。
stay behind:留下来;
This caterpillar is a head-banging zombie bodyguard defending the offspring of the creature that killed it. 这只毛毛虫是一个保护着 杀死它的生物的后代的 甩头僵尸保镖。
head-banging:撞头; zombie:n.行尸走肉;蛇神;木讷呆板的人; bodyguard:n.保镖;v.护送; offspring:n.后代,子孙;产物;
(Applause) （掌声）
We have a lot to get through. I only have 13 minutes. (Laughter) 我们还有很多要说。我只有13分钟.（笑声）
Now, some of you are probably just desperately clawing for some solace in the idea that these things are oddities of the natural world, that they are outliers , and that point of view is understandable , because by their nature, parasites are quite small and they spend a lot of their time inside the bodies of other things. 现在,你们中有些人大概正 因为这样的一些 自然中的怪异的事物 和局外者,绝望地搜寻一些安慰 这个观点是可以理解的, 因为,寄生虫体型微小 并且很大一部分时间生活在 在其他动物的体内。
desperately:adv.拼命地;绝望地;不顾一切地;极度地; clawing:v.(用爪子或手指甲)抓,撕,挠;(claw的现在分词) solace:n.安慰;慰藉;安慰之物;vt.安慰;抚慰;使快乐; oddities:n.古怪反常的人(或事物);怪现象;古怪;反常;(oddity的复数) outliers:n.[分化]异常值;离群值;离开本体的东西;局外人(outlier的复数); point of view:观点;见地;立场; understandable:adj.可以理解的;可以了解的;
They're easy to overlook , but that doesn't mean that they aren't important. 它们容易被忽略, 但这不意味着它们不重要。
overlook:v.忽略;俯视;视而不见;眺望;
A few years back, a man called Kevin Lafferty took a group of scientists into three Californian estuaries and they pretty much weighed and dissected and recorded everything they could find, and what they found were parasites in extreme abundance . 几年前,一个叫做凯文·拉弗蒂的人 带领一组科学家前往三个加州的河口 它们基本上将所有发现的东西 称重,解剖,并记录, 他们所发现的是 寄生虫的数量极为巨大。
estuaries:n.河口(estuary的复数); dissected:v.解剖;仔细研究;详细评论;剖析;(dissect的过去式和过去分词) extreme:adj.极端的;极度的;偏激的;尽头的;n.极端;末端;最大程度;极端的事物; abundance:n.丰度;丰富;大量;富足;
Especially common were trematodes , tiny worms that specialize in castrating their hosts like this unfortunate snail . 最常见的是吸虫, 它们是小小的蠕虫,专阉割它们寄主 就像这只不幸的蜗牛。
Especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; trematodes:n.吸虫(trematode的复数形式);吸虫类; castrating:vt.阉割;删除;去掉最重要的部分;使丧失力量; snail:n.蜗牛;迟钝的人;vi.缓慢移动;vt.缓慢移动;
Now, a single trematode is tiny, microscopic , but collectively they weighed as much as all the fish in the estuaries and three to nine times more than all the birds. 单单一条吸虫是小的,微观的 但是它们集合起来 和河口中的鱼等重 并且是所有鸟重量的三至九倍。
microscopic:adj.微观的;用显微镜可见的; collectively:adv.共同地,全体地;
And remember the Gordian worm that I showed you, the cricket thing? 还记得我之前向你们展示的戈尔迪乌斯线虫, 和那个蟋蟀么？
One Japanese scientist called Takuya Sato found that in one stream, these things drive so many crickets and grasshoppers into the water that the drowned insects make up some 60 percent of the diet of local trout . 一位叫佐藤拓也的日本科学家 在一条溪流中发现, 这些条虫使这么多 蟋蟀和蚱蜢淹死在水中 以至于为当地的鲤鱼 提供了百分之六十的日常饮食.
grasshoppers:n.草蜢; v.像蚱蜢似地跳; drowned:v.(使)淹死,溺死;浸透;淹没;浸泡;(drown的过去分词和过去式) trout:n.鳟鱼;鲑;鲑鳟鱼;恶婆子;v.钓(捕)鳟鱼;
Manipulation is not an oddity . 操控不是一种异常的现象
oddity:n.奇异;古怪;怪癖;
It is a critical and common part of the world around us, and scientists have now found hundreds of examples of such manipulators , and more excitingly , they're starting to understand exactly how these creatures control their hosts. 这是我们身边普遍 并且至关重要的一部分, 科学家现在已近发现 成百上千这样操控者的例子, 更让人激动的是,他们开始去理解 这些生物是具体是如何控制它们的寄主的。
critical:adj.鉴定的;[核]临界的;批评的,爱挑剔的;危险的;决定性的;评论的; manipulators:操纵器; excitingly:adv.刺激地;振奋人心地;
And this is one of my favorite examples. 这我最喜欢的例子之一,
This is Ampulex compressa, the emerald cockroach wasp, and it is a truth universally acknowledged that an emerald cockroach wasp in possession of some fertilized eggs must be in want of a cockroach. 这是扁头泥蜂, 翡翠蟑螂蜂, 载有受精卵的蟑螂蜂 肯定需要一只蟑螂 是一个 被普遍接受的事实。
emerald:n.绿宝石;[宝]祖母绿;翠绿色;adj.翠绿色的; cockroach:n.蟑螂 universally:adv.普遍地;人人;到处; in possession of:拥有,占有; fertilized:v.使受精;使受粉;使受胎;使受孕;施肥于;(fertilize的过去分词和过去式) in want of:需要,缺少;
When she finds one, she stabs it with a stinger that is also a sense organ . 当蟑螂蜂找到一只蟑螂, 她会用刺蛰蟑螂, 那根刺又是一个感觉器官。
stabs:v.刺;刺伤;戳;刺穿;直入;n.刺;戳;尝试;突发的一阵; stinger:n.讽刺者;好讽刺人的人;针,刺;有刺的动物;鸡尾酒; organ:n.[生物]器官;机构;风琴;管风琴;嗓音;
This discovery came out three weeks ago. 这个发现三周前才出来。
She stabs it with a stinger that is a sense organ equipped with small sensory bumps that allow her to feel the distinctive texture of a roach's brain. 她用具感觉器官的刺蛰蟑螂 这个器官上有着小的突起物 可以让蟑螂蜂感觉到 蟑螂大脑中不同的质地。
sensory:adj.感觉的;知觉的;传递感觉的; bumps:碰撞(bump的第三人称单数);碰撞(bump的复数); distinctive:adj.独特的;特别的;有特色的; texture:n.质地;纹理;结构;本质,实质;
So like a person blindly rooting about in a bag, she finds the brain, and she injects it with venom into two very specific clusters of neurons. 就像一个人在袋子里盲目地乱摸, 蟑螂蜂找到蟑螂的大脑,将毒液注射到 两簇非常具体的神经元中。
blindly:adv.盲目地;轻率地;摸索地; injects:vt.注入;注射; venom:n.毒液;恶意;vt.使有毒;放毒; specific:adj.特殊的,特定的;明确的;详细的;[药]具有特效的;n.特性;细节;特效药; clusters:n.[植]簇;丛(cluster的复数形式);[计]群集;
Israeli scientists Frederic Libersat and Ram Gal found that the venom is a very specific chemical weapon . 以色列科学家弗雷德里克拉波塞特和莱姆加尔 发现这个毒液是一种非常特别的化学武器。
Israeli:adj.以色列的;以色列人的;n.以色列人; Ram:v.相撞;挤进;n.公羊; chemical weapon:n.化学武器;
It doesn't kill the roach, nor does it sedate it. 它不会杀死蟑螂,也不会让其昏昏欲睡。
sedate:adj.镇静的;宁静的;不慌不忙的;庄重的;v.给…服镇静剂;
The roach could walk away or fly or run if it chose to, but it doesn't choose to, because the venom nixes its motivation to walk, and only that . 蟑螂如果想的话 可以选择走开,飞走,或跑开, 但是它没有选择这样做, 因为那个毒液使其丧失了走的意愿, 只是那样。
motivation:n.动机;积极性;推动; only that:只是;要不是;
The wasp basically un-checks the escape-from-danger box in the roach's operating system , allowing her to lead her helpless victim back to her lair by its antennae like a person walking a dog. 蟑螂蜂大体上关闭了 蟑螂神经系统中逃避危险的本能, 让蟑螂蜂能够借助蟑螂的触角 领着她无助的受害者回到她巢穴, 就像一个人遛狗一样。
basically:adv.主要地,基本上; operating system:n.(计算机)操作系统; helpless:adj.无助的;无能的;没用的; victim:n.受害人;牺牲品;牺牲者; lair:n.(野兽的)[动]巢穴; vi.进入兽穴; vt.使陷入泥潭; antennae:n.[电讯]天线(等于aerial);[昆]触须;[植]蕊喙;直觉;
And once there, she lays an egg on it, egg hatches , devoured alive, bursts out of body, yadda yadda yadda, you know the drill . 蟑螂一到那里,蟑螂蜂就在其体内产一个卵, 卵孵化了,幼虫将蟑螂活生生吞吃,并从其身体中迸发出来, 吧啦吧啦叭啦叭啦,你们知道的。
hatches:n.孵化;[船][航]舱口(hatches的复数形式);v.孵出(hatch的第三人称单数); know the drill:知道一件事该怎么做;
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑声）（掌声）
Now I would argue that, once stung , the cockroach isn't a roach anymore. 我认为,蟑螂一旦被刺 它就不再是一只蟑螂了。
stung:刺,使疼痛(sting的过去式及过去分词)
It's more of an extension of the wasp, just like the cricket was an extension of the Gordian worm. 它更像是蟑螂蜂的一个延伸体, 就像蟋蟀是戈尔迪乌斯线虫的延伸体一样。
extension:n.延长;延期;扩大;伸展;电话分机;
These hosts won't get to survive or reproduce. 这些寄主们不能生还和繁殖。
They have as much control over their own fates as my car. 它们对命运的掌握 就像我的车的命运被我掌握一样。
Once the parasites get in, the hosts don't get a say. 一旦寄生虫进入其体内, 寄主就失去了发言权。
Now humans, of course, are no stranger to manipulation. 当然人类对于操控 并不陌生。
We take drugs to shift the chemistries of our brains and to change our moods , and what are arguments or advertising or big ideas if not an attempt to influence someone else's mind? 我们用药物移动我们大脑中的化学物质 去改变我们的心情, 有什么辩论或者广告或者伟大的想法
shift:n.移动;变化;手段;轮班;v.移动;转变;转换; moods:n.情绪(mood的复数); advertising:n.做广告;广告业;广告活动;v.做广告;(advertise的现在分词) attempt:n.企图,试图;攻击;v.企图,试图;尝试; influence:n.影响;势力;感化;有影响的人或事;v.影响;改变;
But our attempts at doing this are crude and blundering compared to the fine-grained specificity of the parasites. 但是我们对其的尝试 和那些寄生虫天衣无缝的专一性相比 是不成熟的。
attempts:n.企图,试图;尝试(attempt的复数);v.试图;努力去做(attempt的三单形式); crude:adj.粗略的;简略的;大概的;粗糙的;n.原油;石油; blundering:adj.浮躁的;粗笨的; compared:adj.比较的,对照的; v.相比; (compare的过去式和过去分词) fine-grained:adj.细粒的;有细密纹理的; specificity:n.[免疫]特异性;特征;专一性;
Don Draper only wishes he was as elegant and precise as the emerald cockroach wasp. 唐德雷珀只是希望他可以像翠绿的蟑螂蜂 一样优雅和精确。
Draper:n.布商;服装商; elegant:adj.高雅的,优雅的;讲究的;简炼的;简洁的; precise:adj.准确的;确切的;精确的;明确的;
Now, I think this is part of what makes parasites so sinister and so compelling. 我认为这是让寄生虫 如此险恶并如此引人注意一部分原因。
sinister:adj.阴险的;凶兆的;灾难性的;左边的;
We place such a premium on our free will and our independence that the prospect of losing those qualities to forces unseen informs many of our deepest societal fears. 我们如此珍视我们的自由意志 和独立 以至于我们在不可见力下 失去那些品质的可能性。 揭示了许多我们最深处的社会恐慌。
premium:n.额外费用;奖金;保险费;(商)溢价;adj.高价的;优质的; free will:n.自由意志; independence:n.独立;独立性;自恃心;独立不羁的精神; prospect:n.展望;前景;希望;前途;v.勘探;探矿; unseen:adj.看不见的,未看见的;未经预习的;n.(事前未看过原文的)即席翻译; informs:v.通知:通告:了解:熟悉(inform的第三人称单数)) societal:adj.社会的;
Orwellian dystopias and shadowy cabals and mind-controlling supervillains -- these are tropes that fill our darkest fiction, but in nature, they happen all the time. 奥威尔反乌托邦作品,神出鬼没的阴谋组织 和会大脑操控的超级恶棍-- 这些都是充斥着我们邪恶小说中的比喻, 但是在自然中,它们无时无刻不在发生。
shadowy:adj.朦胧的;有阴影的;虚无的;暗黑的; tropes:n.比喻;修辞;转义;(trope的复数)
Which leads me to an obvious and disquieting question: 这让我提出了一个明显 又令人不安的问题:
disquieting:adj.令人不安的;使人忧虑的;v.使担心;使焦急;(disquiet的现在分词)
Are there dark, sinister parasites that are influencing our behavior without us knowing about it, besides the NSA? 除了美国国家安全局 还有没有邪恶的寄生虫 在我们不知道的情况下 影响着我们的行为？
influencing:v.影响;对…起作用;支配;左右(influence的现在分词) besides:adv.此外;而且;prep.除…之外;
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑声）（掌声）
I've got a red dot on my forehead now, don't I? 现在估计有人想把我灭了吧？
forehead:n.前额;
(Laughter) （笑声）
If there are any, this is a good candidate for them. 如果有,这是一个非常好的候选人。
This is Toxoplasma gondii, or Toxo, for short, because the terrifying creature always deserves a cute nickname . 这是弓形虫,简称弓虫 令人毛骨悚然的生物 总是值得有一个可爱的名字。
Toxoplasma:n.弓浆虫;弓形体; terrifying:adj.令人恐惧的;骇人的;极大的;v.使害怕,使恐怖;(terrify的现在分词) deserves:v.值得;应得;应受;(deserve的第三人称单数) nickname:n.绰号;昵称;v.给…取绰号;叫错名字;
Toxo infects mammals , a wide variety of mammals , but it can only sexually reproduce in a cat. 弓虫会感染哺乳类动物, 各种各样哺乳动物, 但是它只可以在猫体内有性繁殖。
infects:vt.感染,传染; mammals:n.哺乳动物;(mammal的复数) variety:n.多样;种类;杂耍;变化,多样化; sexually:adv.性,性欲
And scientists like Joanne Webster have shown that if Toxo gets into a rat or a mouse, it turns the rodent into a cat-seeking missile . 像乔安妮 韦伯斯特这样的科学家已经证明了 如果弓虫进入到老鼠体内 它会将这个捏齿类动物变成寻猫导弹。
Webster:n.编织者; rodent:adj.啮齿类的;咬的,嚼的;侵蚀性的;n.[脊椎]啮齿动物; missile:n.导弹;发射物;投掷物;
If the infected rat smells the delightful odor of cat piss , it runs towards the source of the smell rather than the more sensible direction of away. 如果被感染的老鼠问到了美妙的 猫尿的味道, 它就会跑向那气味的发源地 而不是聪明的逃跑。
odor:n.气味;名声; piss:int.(美俚)呸;n.撒尿;v.撒尿; source:n.来源;水源;原始资料; sensible:adj.明智的; n.可感觉到的东西;
The cat eats the rat. Toxo gets to have sex. 猫吃了老鼠。弓虫去交配。
It's a classic tale of Eat, Prey , Love. 这是饮食,猎物,和爱情之间的经典故事。（笑点在于:这三个词的发音与一本畅销小说《美食、祈祷和恋爱》相似）
classic:n.名著;优秀的典范;adj.最优秀的;第一流的;有代表性的;典型的; Prey:n.猎物;受害者;受骗者;v.折磨;掠夺;捕食(on,upon);损害(on,upon);
(Laughter) (Applause) （笑声）（掌声）
You're very charitable , generous people. 你们都是善良慷慨的人啊。
charitable:adj.慈善事业的;慷慨的,仁慈的;宽恕的; generous:adj.慷慨的,大方的;宽宏大量的;有雅量的;
Hi, Elizabeth, I loved your talk. 嗨,伊丽莎白（《美食,祈祷和恋爱》的作者),我很喜欢你的演讲。
How does the parasite control its host in this way? 寄生虫是怎样 在这种方式下操纵其寄主的？
We don't really know. 我不真正了解。
We know that Toxo releases an enzyme that makes dopamine , a substance involved in reward and motivation. 但我们知道弓虫释放一种酶 这种酶制造 一种涉及奖励与动机的物质--多巴胺
releases:n.释放; vt.释放; enzyme:n.[生化]酶; dopamine:n.[生化]多巴胺(一种治脑神经病的药物); substance:n.物质;实质;主旨;物品; involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) reward:n.[劳经]报酬;报答;酬谢;v.[劳经]奖励;奖赏;
We know it targets certain parts of a rodent's brain, including those involved in sexual arousal . 我们知道这种酶把老鼠大脑中特定的部分作为目标 包括那些涉及性冲动部分。
arousal:n.觉醒;激励;
But how those puzzle pieces fit together is not immediately clear. 但这些拼图的碎片是怎样拼在一起的 现在还不是很清楚。
puzzle:n.谜;疑问;智力游戏;不解之谜;v.迷惑;使困惑;
What is clear is that this thing is a single cell. 清楚的是,弓虫 是单细胞生物。
This has no nervous system . 它没有神经系统。
nervous system:n.神经系统;
It has no consciousness . 它没有意识。
consciousness:n.意识;知觉;觉悟;感觉;
It doesn't even have a body. 它甚至连一个身体都没有。
But it's manipulating a mammal? 但是它却在操控一只哺乳动物？
manipulating:v.(暗中)控制,操纵,影响;正骨;治疗脱臼;(manipulate的现在分词)
We are mammals. 我们都是哺乳动物。
We are more intelligent than a mere rat, to be sure , but our brains have the same basic structure , the same types of cells, the same chemicals running through them, and the same parasites. 毫无疑问,我们比老鼠更加智慧 但是我们大脑有着相同的基础构造, 同类型的细胞, 同样的在其中穿梭的化学物质, 以及同样的寄生虫。
intelligent:adj.有才智的;悟性强的;聪明的;有智力的 mere:adj.仅仅的;只不过的;n.小湖;池塘; to be sure:诚然;的确;哎呀(表惊奇); structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造; chemicals:n.化学制品;化学品;(chemical的复数)
Estimates vary a lot, but some figures suggest that one in three people around the world have Toxo in their brains. （对其的）推测各不相同,但数据显示 全世界三分之一的人 大脑里有弓虫。
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) vary:vi.变化;变异;违反;vt.改变;使多样化;变奏;
Now typically, this doesn't lead to any overt illness. 很典型的是,它们不会导致任何显性病症。
overt:adj.明显的;公然的;蓄意的;
The parasite holds up in a dormant state for a long period of time. 寄生虫在很长的一段时间里 保持休眠状态。
dormant:adj.休眠的;静止的;睡眠状态的;隐匿的;
But there's some evidence that those people who are carriers score slightly differently on personality questionnaires than other people, that they have a slightly higher risk of car accidents, 但是有一些证据显示, 那些是寄生虫载体的人在性格调查问卷中 和其他人得分略有不同, 他们有稍微高一些车祸风险,
evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; personality:n.性格;个性;人格;魅力;气质;名人;特色; questionnaires:n.问卷,调查表(questionnaire的复数形式);
and there's some evidence that people with schizophrenia are more likely to be infected. 有些证据显示精神分裂症的人 更容易被感染。
schizophrenia:n.[内科]精神分裂症;
Now, I think this evidence is still inconclusive , and even among Toxo researchers, opinion is divided as to whether the parasite is truly influencing our behavior. 我认为这个证据是没有什么结果的, 而且在弓虫的调查人员之间 对于是否寄生虫真正影响我们的行为 存在着争议。
inconclusive:adj.不确定的;非决定性的;无结果的;
But given the widespread nature of such manipulations , it would be completely implausible for humans to be the only species that weren't similarly affected. 但鉴于这种操控的普遍性, 人类作为唯一没有 相同症状的物种 是难以置信的。
widespread:adj.普遍的,广泛的;分布广的; manipulations:n.操作;管理措施;处理;操纵证券市场;变换;(manipulation的复数) implausible:adj.难以置信的,不像真实的; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; similarly:adv.同样地;类似于;
And I think that this capacity to constantly subvert our way of thinking about the world makes parasites amazing. 我认为这种能够颠覆 我们对这个世界思想方式的能力 让寄生虫十分迷人。
capacity:n.能力;容量;资格,地位;生产力; constantly:adv.不断地;时常地;
They're constantly inviting us to look at the natural world sideways , and to ask if the behaviors we're seeing, whether they're simple and obvious or baffling and puzzling , are not the results of individuals acting through their own accord but because they are being bent to the control of something else. 它们不停地使我们从侧面去看大自然 并使我们去质疑所目睹的行为, 无论它们是简单明了, 还是令人费解的, 是否不是我们我们按照自己意愿 去行动的结果, 而是因为它们被歪曲 进而去控制别的东西的结果。
sideways:adv.往一侧;侧着;侧面朝前; baffling:adj.令人困惑的; v.使困惑; puzzling:adj.使为难的;费解的;v.迷惑;使困惑;(puzzle的现在分词) individuals:n.[经]个人;[生物]个体(individual的复数); accord:n.协议;协定;一致;和谐;v.一致;给予;相符;协调;
And while that idea may be disquieting, and while parasites' habits may be very grisly , 当这个想法令人不安时 当寄生虫的行为冷人毛骨悚然时,
grisly:adj.可怕的;厉害的;严重的;
I think that ability to surprise us makes them as wonderful and as charismatic as any panda or butterfly or dolphin . 我想那个让我们惊讶的能力 使它们像任何熊猫,蝴蝶,或是海豚 一样美好和有魅力。
charismatic:adj.超凡魅力的;神赐能力的; dolphin:n.海豚;
At the end of "On the Origin of Species," 在“关于物种起源”的结尾,
Origin:n.起源;起因;源头;出身;
Charles Darwin writes about the grandeur of life, and of endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful, and I like to think he could easily have been talking about a tapeworm that makes shrimp sociable or a wasp that takes cockroaches for walks. 查尔斯·达尔文写到了关于生命 的辉煌,和无尽的最美丽的 最美好的形态的辉煌。 我认为,他很有可能在说 让虾子社会化的绦虫, 或者是带着蟑螂散步的马蜂。
grandeur:n.壮丽;庄严;宏伟; endless:adj.无止境的;连续的;环状的;漫无目的的; cockroaches:n.[昆]蟑螂(cockroach的复数);
But perhaps, that's just a parasite talking. 但是,也许我所说的只是被寄生虫操控的结果罢了。
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) (掌声)