The world’s most painful insect sting - Justin Schmidt

翻译人员: Annie Hu 校对人员: Helen Chang

Welcome to It Hurts!

欢迎来到好疼呀！

One of these creatures is thought to possess

其中的一个昆虫好像有

the world’s most painful insect sting.

世界上最疼的叮咬。

If you were to guess, would it be:

要是要猜，你会猜是：

the ant that forages in rainforest canopies?

雨林的蚂蚁？

The bee that protects a hive of delectable honey?

保护自己美味蜂蜜的蜜蜂？

Or the wasp that paralyzes tarantulas?

还是猜瘫痪狼蛛的黄蜂？

Let’s find out!

让我们看看吧！

Ant, bee, and wasp venoms contain a variable cocktail of compounds

蚂蚁、蜜蜂，和黄蜂的毒液 有各种各样的化合物，

designed to incite unsavory sensations and even compromise bodily functions.

会造成不痛快的感觉， 甚至还损害身体的机能。

Entomologist Justin O. Schmidt’s sting pain index

昆虫学家 Justin O. Schmidt 的 疼痛指数

describes and ranks the pain of around 100 kinds of insect stings.

描述和排列差不多一百种 昆虫叮咬的疼痛。

One of our three competitors claims the nastiest one.

三者之一有最疼的刺。

First, let’s consider the Western honeybee’s sting,

首先，让我们看一下西方蜜蜂的刺，

Schmidt says it’s like “a flaming match head has landed on your arm

Schmidt 说就像 “正在燃烧的 火柴头掉到你的胳膊上，

and is quenched first with lye and then sulfuric acid.”

先灌满碱液，然后硫酸。“

This discomfort is accomplished with venom

痛楚伴随着毒液，

that’s packed with a pain-causing peptide called “melittin”

名为“梅利疼”， 是一种会造成疼痛的肽，

and flesh-softening enzymes that disperse the venom.

还有会分散毒液的肉軟化酶。

These enzymes may also cause allergic reactions

这些酶还能造成过敏反应，

and even lead to fluid buildup in the lungs.

甚至导致肺部积液。

Because worker honeybees have barbed stingers that burrow into certain victims,

因为蜜蜂有能够钻进身体的毒刺，

they usually can't sting without leaving part of their bodies behind,

叮咬后必然会留下其身体的一部分，

which ultimately kills them.

最终造成它们死亡。

Since only the queen bee has the ability to reproduce,

因为只有女王蜂可以繁殖，

a worker bee’s self-sacrifice helps ensure that the colony— and their genes—

一只工蜂的自我牺牲能确保

群体和基因获胜。

will prevail.

But before they go,

但是它们死去之前

they release an alarm pheromone that activates a mass attack

会释放发动攻击的劲爆信息素，

and often targets some of the most vulnerable sites on their victim’s body.

通常针对受害者身上最脆弱的地方。

The tarantula hawk wasp sting is, as Schmidt says,

Schmidt 说被狼蛛鹰黄蜂刺

“blinding, fierce, shockingly electric ... A bolt out of the heavens.

“会致盲，极为剧烈，就被电击， 天上打下来的电击，

Lie down and scream.”

会倒地惨叫。“

The sensation might last just 5 agonizing minutes for humans,

刺在人身上， 可能会惨痛地持续5分钟，

but it leaves tarantulas— the wasp’s preferred target— permanently paralyzed.

但如果叮在黄蜂最喜爱的目标—— 狼蛛——的身上，狼蛛会永远瘫痪。

After the wasp stings a tarantula, aiming for a crucial bundle of nerves,

黄蜂叮狼蛛会瞄准关键的神经束，

it lays an egg on the immobilized spider.

在瘫痪的蜘蛛上下蛋。

Once hatched, the wasp’s larva spends its formative days

孵化后，黄鹰的幼虫在成长期

in the bountiful environment of the tarantula’s body—

有蜘蛛身体提供的丰富营养，

devouring it alive.

生吃活蛛。

Aside from paralyzing the tarantula,

除了瘫痪狼蛛之外，

the wasp’s sting doesn’t seem to do further harm.

黄蜂的刺看似没有什么其他的伤害。

This functions to preserve the spider as fresh meat for the wasp’s offspring.

功用是为蜂的后代提供生鲜肉食。

The rainforest-dwelling bullet ant’s sting yields

住在雨林的子弹蚁的刺会造成

“pure, intense, brilliant pain.

“纯、激烈，和绝妙的疼痛。

Like walking over a flaming bed of charcoal

像走在燃烧的木炭堆上，

with a 3-inch nail embedded in your heel,” according to Schmidt.

脚跟还踩着3寸的钉子“ Schmidt 说。

And this torture often lasts more than 12 hours.

这种这么经常会持续超过12个小时。

A neurotoxic peptide called poneratoxin

我们的身体很难降解 一种叫红霉素的神经毒素

that our bodies struggle to degrade is what makes the pain last so long.

是造成持久疼痛的原因。

In addition to agony, poneratoxin can induce trembling, cold sweats,

除了痛苦之外，红霉素 还会造成发抖、冒冷汗、

nausea, vomiting, and even an abnormal heartbeat.

恶心、呕吐，还有心跳异常。

The bullet ant is, in fact, crowned with the most painful insect sting.

子弹蚁蛰伤其实最让人疼痛的。

It's thought that they may have evolved such an excruciating defense

人们认为它们进化 如此疼痛的防备，有可能是因为

because they forage in rainforest canopies loaded with predators

它们活在藏满了捕食者的环境下，

looking for proteinaceous snacks.

那些捕食者都在找有营养的零食。

They can’t simply jump or fly away,

它们不能简简单单地跳走或飞走，

so perhaps they’re better off with this reliable, rather off-putting weapon.

所以还不如有这种靠谱、勿近的武器。

The tarantula hawk wasp’s formidable sting

狼蛛鹰黄蜂强大的刺

clocks in as the second most painful on the scale.

让它排在疼痛量表的第二名。

And it’s likely the reason this wasp has no known predators.

这个原因很可能是 它没有已知捕食者的原因。

Honeybee stings are in the middle of the pain scale.

蜜蜂刺在疼痛量表中排名在中间。

But when many sting simultaneously,

但是许多蜜蜂同时叮的时候，

what might’ve felt manageable at first becomes all the more dangerous.

原可忍受的疼痛 就突然变得更危险了。

In fact, insect stings helped enable the evolution of complex colonies

其实，昆虫的叮咬起到了 发展复杂的群体的作用，

that would otherwise represent an easy feast to predators.

要不然，这些群体就容易被捕食了。

Some stinging insects are, of course, more aggressive than others,

当然，有些带刺的昆虫 比其它的更具侵略性，

but most of the time, they only sting us when we provoke them.

但通常只在我们激怒它们时 才叮咬我们。

The truth hurts.

真相很伤人。