Which species would you get rid of? | Ada, Ep. 5

What would the future look like if we got rid of one

翻译人员: Marie Li 校对人员: Liwen Huang

如果我们消灭了地球上 最致命的物种之一，

of the deadliest species on Earth?

未来会是什么样子呢？

Hear me out: I think sometimes we need to play God.

听我说：我想有时候我们需要扮演上帝。

Good morning!

早上好！

Does this mean you’ve decided to start work again?

这是否意味着你决定重新开始工作？

Well, I was thinking. If I come back, I want to expand my responsibilities.

唔，我在想。如果回来， 我想扩大我的职责。

Don’t tell me you’re about to ask for a raise after just a few months

不要告诉我你在表现平平的

of less-than-stellar performance.

短短几个月之后就要要求加薪。

Actually, I was going to say I want to organize Wilhelmina Heliotrope’s archives—

其实，我本来想说我想 整理威廉敏娜·赫利奥特罗普的档案。

No.

不行。

...So we can open them to the public?

.. 那么我们可以向公众开放吗？

No!

不行！

Um, okay, well, I guess I won’t be coming back then.

嗯，好吧，好吧， 我想那我不会回来了。

I guess not.

我想不会。

Right, back to sending resumes it is then.

好吧，那就又来发简历吧。

(Slap!)

（啪！）

Mosquitoes are the worst.

蚊子最讨厌了。

I wish we could just get rid of them.

希望我们可以消灭它们。

I mean, can we?

我的意思是，我们可以吗？

Clearly, I’m not the first person to think of this.

显然，我不是第一个有这种想法的人。

And yet... all our efforts to get rid of them have failed.

但是... 我们为消灭它们 所做的一切努力都失败了。

And even with vaccines and medicines and bed nets,

而且，即使有疫苗、药品和蚊帐，

they're still infecting tons of people with diseases, especially malaria,

它们仍然使许多人 感染疾病，尤其是疟疾，

which still kills well over half a million people every year.

每年仍导致远超 50 万的人死亡。

Oh! But there is a new approach that would eradicate mosquitoes

哦！但是有一种新的方法可以消灭蚊子，

by genetically modifying them so their female offspring are infertile.

即对它们进行基因改造， 使它们的雌性后代不育。

But hasn't genetic modification been around for decades?

但是基因改造不是已经存在几十年了吗？

Oh, I see.

哦，我明白了。

New gene editing tools like CRISPR can dramatically increase the chance

像 CRISPR 这样的新基因编辑工具

that the genetic modification gets passed on,

可以显著增加基因改造传递的机率，

until eventually the mosquito population shrinks down to nothing.

直到蚊子数量最终减少到零。

Why haven't we done this?

为什么我们没有这样做？

I guess completely getting rid of mosquitoes

我想完全消灭蚊子

might cause problems for other species?

可能会给其他物种带来麻烦？

Ah, sublime!

啊，太棒了！

There are thousands of species of mosquitoes,

这有成千上万种蚊子，

and only a few of them carry the malaria parasite.

其中只有几种携带疟疾寄生虫。

I am not particular about which mosquitoes I eat,

我对吃哪种蚊子不挑剔，

and I’ve never met an insect-eater who feels otherwise.

也从未见过挑剔的食虫者。

If it’s ecological damage you’re worried about,

如果你担心的是生态破坏，

I certainly prefer this gene drive idea

我当然更喜欢这种基因驱动的想法，

to those pesticides you humans are always spraying around.

而不是人类总喷洒的杀虫剂。

But— can we really be sure that the gene drive won’t jump

但是——我们真的能确定基因驱动不会

to other mosquito species and kill them off, too?

传到其他蚊子种类并把它们也杀死吗？

You’re asking me?

你在问我？

Oh... I see... It’s not like a virus—

哦...我明白了...它不像病毒，

the gene drive can only spread when a mosquito reproduces

基因驱动只有在蚊子繁殖时才能传播，

and only to its offspring.

并且只能传播给其后代。

And honestly, given the alternative is hundreds of thousands of people,

老实说，鉴于另一种选择 是每年有成千上万的人死亡，

most of them really little kids dying every year,

其中大多数是小孩，

it’s hard to see how it could go wrong in a way that’s worse than the status quo.

很难想象它会怎么出问题，糟过现状。

I think we need to do this. But where to start?

我认为我们需要这样做。 但是从哪里开始呢？

Wherever you start, don’t expect the gene drive to stay there.

无论你从哪里开始， 都不要指望基因驱动会停留在那里。

The rest of us have no regard

我们其他物种根本不关心

for those imaginary walls you humans love so much...

你们人类非常喜欢的那些虚构的墙...

what are they called?

它们叫什么？

Ah, yes. Borders.

啊，对。边界。

Okay, I see your point.

好，我明白你的意思。

So we need a committee with members from every country that would be impacted.

因此，我们需要一个委员会， 它的成员来自每个会受影响的国家。

And from the teams of scientists working on this...

来自研究这个问题的科学家团队...

and from the international organizations that should be involved

以及来自应参与监督和管控的

in monitoring and regulation.

国际组织.

(Yawns)

（打哈欠）

I mean, I can make that happen.

我的意思是，我能让它发生。

Once the committee is assembled and everyone’s in agreement,

一旦委员会成立并且所有人达成共识，

we’re ready to start the gene drive

我们就准备好

by releasing tens of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes

通过向野外释放成千上万的转基因蚊子

into the wild.

来启动基因驱动。

Within five years, almost all malaria-carrying mosquitoes

在五年内，非洲几乎所有携带疟疾的蚊子

in Africa have been eradicated.

都被消灭了。

This success gets people excited about other uses for the technology.

这一成功使人们对 该技术的其他用途感到兴奋。

Because it spreads through reproduction,

由于它通过繁殖传播，

it works best in species with short lifespans that reproduce quickly—

因此在寿命短、 繁殖速度快的物种中效果最好，

so, bugs!

所以，虫子！

Agricultural pests are the next target.

农业害虫是下一个目标。

How do you like Colombia?

你觉得哥伦比亚怎么样？

I can thrive in many different environments

我可以在许多不同的环境中茁壮成长，

and the local cuisine is delicious.

当地的食物也很美味。

Okay, well, don't get too attached to that particular cuisine.

好吧，好吧，不要对那种食物过于执着。

That's a screwworm.

那是旋丽蝇幼虫。

And the committee is considering a gene drive to eliminate them.

该委员会正在考虑 通过基因驱动来消灭它们。

Screwworms eat mammals like cows and sheep and deer alive.

旋丽蝇幼虫把牛、羊和鹿等 哺乳动物活活吃掉。

Very well. This looks equally delectable.

很好。这看起来同样美味。

Screwworms are a huge problem for farmers.

旋丽蝇幼虫对农民来说是一个大问题。

Yes, spare a thought for the profit margins!

是的，想想利润率！

Never mind the suffering of the animals being eaten alive.

别管动物被活活吃掉的痛苦。

I didn’t say that!

我没那么说！

But the economic considerations are important too, you know.

但是，你知道，经济因素也很重要。

And they're not as separate from suffering as you might think.

而且它们与痛苦 不像你想的那样不相关。

The screwworm gene drive is another success.

旋丽蝇幼虫基因驱动又一次成功了。

As the technology advances,

随着技术的进步，

the committee considers applying it to the notoriously difficult challenge

委员会考虑将其应用于控制入侵物种

of controlling invasive species.

这一众所周知的艰巨挑战。

Ah, what an agreeable climate.

啊，多么宜人的气候。

So, this is a little awkward,

呃，这有点尴尬，

but we’re here about a gene drive to eradicate invasive chameleons from Maui.

但我们来这是进行基因驱动 消灭毛伊岛入侵变色龙的。

Excuse me?

你说什么？

They’re threatening native snails.

它们正危及本地蜗牛。

And who introduced us to Hawaii, hmm? Humans!

谁把我们带到夏威夷的，嗯？人类！

So then don’t humans have an obligation to try to fix things?

那么，人类没有义务尝试解决问题吗？

I don’t understand why you were fine with getting rid of screwworms,

我不明白为什么 你们不介意消灭旋丽蝇幼虫，

but now you need to protect the snails.

但现在又要保护蜗牛。

It’s not just about the snails,

这不仅仅是关于蜗牛，

it’s about the whole ecosystem.

还关系到整个生态系统。

We're weighing the benefits and harms to all species

我们正在权衡对所有物种的好处和危害，

and trying to do what's best for the most living things.

并努力做对大多数生物最有利的事情。

If you care about all living things,

如果你关心所有的生物，

then I don’t understand why it matters if species are invasive or not.

那么我不明白物种 是否具有入侵性有什么关系。

Look at these happy, well-fed chameleons.

看看这些快乐、吃得好的变色龙。

It’s not their fault they need to eat.

需要吃东西不是它们的错。

Okay, I think you’re getting things confused.

好吧，我想你把事情搞混了。

Are you sure you're not confused?

你确定你不困惑吗？

May I suggest getting rid of humans?

我可以建议消灭人类吗？

That's what's best for most of us on Earth.

这对我们地球上的大多数来说是最好的。

Well, it wouldn’t make any sense to try to use a gene drive to get rid of humans.

唔，试图用基因驱动 来消灭人类是不明智的。

It would take thousands of years, and it would be easy to stop.

这将要数千年的时间，而且很容易停止。

The Maui gene drive is such a success that the committee votes

毛伊岛的基因驱动非常成功，

to run a similar one in Florida.

委员会投票决定在 佛罗里达州开展类似的活动。

It starts out well, but the gene drive spread unintentionally

起初很好，但是基因驱动无意中

through the pet trade.

通过宠物贸易传播了。

Then the native chameleon populations in other parts of the world

然后，世界其他地区的本地变色龙数量

start declining.

开始减少。

The committee decides not to consider any more gene drives

委员会决定不再考虑使用任何基因驱动

to control invasive species.

来控制入侵物种。

But that’s a cop out!

但那是逃避！

There are still plenty of invasive species that threaten ecosystem collapse,

仍然有许多入侵物种 可能导致生态系统崩溃、疾病传播

spread disease, or divert resources that could be used to improve people’s lives.

或可用于改善人们生活的资源用途改变。

And we haven't been able to get rid of them in other ways.

我们未能通过其他方式将它们消灭。

It's good to avoid making mistakes, obviously,

显然，避免犯错是好事，

but we're not doing that by refusing to even try.

但不是通过甚至不去尝试来避免。

We’re just opening ourselves to the possibility

我们可能会

of making a different kind of mistake—

犯另一种错误——

mistakes of inaction.

不作为的错误。

The more I think about it,

我越想

the more I'm convinced we're just as responsible for the consequences

越确信我们对选择不做什么、

of what we choose not to do as we are for what we do.

做什么的后果都同样负有责任。

I know you said no to making Wilhelmina’s— Dr. Heliotrope’s—

我知道你不同意将威廉敏娜—— 赫利奥特罗普博士——的

papers open to the public.

论文向公众开放。

And I know she didn’t necessarily want her work published, either.

我知道她也不一定希望自己的成果出版。

Exactly.

没错。

But I think she was wrong about keeping her ideas private.

但我认为，她将自己的想法保密是错的。

It’s up to us— I mean up to you— to make those decisions as well as you can.

我们——我的意思是你—— 有责任尽你所能做出这些决定。

Her work could inspire someone to change the world for the better.

她的成果可以激励人们 让世界变得更美好。

And we can’t know she’d still want to keep them private today.

而且我们没法知道 她如今是否仍想将它们保密。

You can’t. I actually knew her.

你没办法知道。我其实认识她。

You did?

你认识？

Intimately.

很熟悉。

Oh, well, in that case, don’t you want to keep her legacy alive?

哦，好吧，那样的话， 你不想保留她的遗产吗？

I can tell you mean well,

我知道你是好意，

although your demeanor is a bit aggravating.

尽管你的行为有点烦人。

If you come back to work and attend to all your main responsibilities,

如果你重返工作岗位并 履行所有主要职责，

I will consider your proposal.

我会考虑你的提议。

Deal!

成交！

Return this to the shelves for me.

帮我把这个放回架子上。