The brilliance of bioluminescence - Leslie Kenna

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

翻译人员: Cissy Yun 校对人员: Linlin Zhou

Imagine a place so dark

想像一个十分黑暗的地方

you can't see the nose on your face.

伸手不见五指

Eyes opened or closed, it's all the same

眼睛睁与闭没什么区别

because the sun never shines there.

因为阳光从未照进那儿

Up ahead, you see a light.

在你的上方，有光亮出现

When you creep in to investigate,

当你慢慢想去探究

a blue light flits around you.

一阵蓝光笼罩在你的身旁

"I could watch this forever," you think.

“我可以一直欣赏这美景”， 你想到

But you can't

但已为时太晚

because the mouth of an anglerfish has just sprung open

一条鮟鱇鱼的大嘴刚刚张开

and eaten you alive.

并将你吞噬

You are just one of many creatures

你只是海洋底部的一种生物

at the bottom of the ocean who learn too late

知道的太晚

to appreciate the power of bioluminescence.

生物荧光的威力

Bioluminescence refers to the ability

生物荧光指的是某些生物

of certain living things to create light.

产生光的能力

The human body can make stuff

人的身体可以产生很多东西

like ear wax and toe nails,

比如说耳蜡，或是指甲

but these organisms can turn

但是，那些生物可以把

parts of their body into glow sticks.

它们身体的一部分转变成“荧光棒”

It's like nature made them ready to rave.

好像是自然让它们随时准备好狂欢一样

Why?

这又是为什么呢？

In one way or another,

无论如何

bioluminescence improves a living thing's chances of survival.

生物荧光增加了一种生物存活的可能性

Take the firefly.

就拿萤火虫来说

It's ability to glow green

它发出绿光的能力

helps it attract a mate on a warm, summer night,

让它在炎热的夏夜找到一位伴侣

but it's just one of many living things that can glow.

但它只是无数会发光生物之一

The railroad worm, Phrixothrix hirtus,

苹果蝇蛆

can light up its body in two colors:

可以发出两种颜色的光

red and green.

红与绿

Would you eat something

你会吃像

that looks like an airport runway?

机场滑翔道一样的东西吗？

Neither would any sensible predator.

明智的捕猎者也不会吃这样的生物

The flashing lights keep the worm safe.

这些闪着的光保护着虫子的安全

Then there's the deep sea shrimp,

还有深海虾

Acantherphyra purpurea.

Acantherphyra purpurea

When it feels threatened,

当它受到威胁时

it spews a cloud of glowing goo from its mouth.

它会从口中喷出一团发光的粘性物质

Who doesn't run the other way

谁不会落荒而逃

when they've just been puked on?

当它们被吐了一身时呢？

Plus, that puke attracts bigger predators

而且，那团呕吐物还会吸引更大的捕猎者

who want to eat the shrimp's enemy.

那些想吃虾的对手的生物

So what if you can't bioluminesce?

那，如果你无法产生生物荧光呢？

No problem!

没问题！

There are other ways for living things

生物还有其他的方式

to make bioluminescence work for them,

来利用生物荧光

even if they weren't born with the equipment to glow.

即使它们没有与生俱来的发光能力

Let's revisit the anglerfish

让我们回到鮟鱇鱼

moments before it tried to eat you.

它想将你吃掉的那一刻

That glowing bait on top of its head?

那在它头顶的一个发光的诱饵

It comes from a pocket of skin called the esca.

它来源于叫做“钓饵”的袋状皮肤

The esca holds bioluminescent bacteria.

”钓饵“装着生物荧光的细菌

The anglerfish can't glow there by itself,

鮟鱇鱼无法自身发光

so it holds a sack of glowing bacteria instead.

所以它带有一袋发光的细菌

Remember the firefly?

还记得萤火虫吗？

It can actually make itself glow.

它可以自己发光

Inside its lantern are two chemicals,

在它身体中的“小灯笼”中有两种化学物质

a luciferin and a luciferase.

荧光素和荧光素酶

When firefly luciferase and luciferin mix together

当萤火虫的荧光素和荧光素酶混合在一起

in the presence of oxygen

呈现为氧气

and fuel for the cell, called ATP,

和细胞之燃料，ATP时

the chemical reaction gives off energy in the form of light.

这种化学反应产生了能量，并以光的形式出现

Once scientists figured out

当科学家发现了

how the firefly creates its luciferase and luciferin,

萤火虫是如何产生它的荧光素与荧光素酶时

they used genetic engineering

他们通过基因工程

to make this light-producing reaction

来创造这个产生光的化学反应

occur inside other living things that can't glow.

在其他无法自己发光的生物体内

For example, they inserted the genes,

比如说，他们将这种萤火虫的基因

or instructions, for a cell

或是对于细胞的“指令”放置到

to create firefly luciferase and luciferin into a tobacco plant.

烟草植物中，发生荧光素和荧光素酶的反应

Once there, the tobacco plant followed the instructions

然后，这烟草植物就会跟随指令

slipped into its DNA and lit up like a Christmas tree.

跟着DNA，并想一棵圣诞树一样闪闪发光

The beauty of bioluminescence,

生物荧光之美

unlike the light from the sun or an incandescent bulb,

不像太阳光或白炽灯光

is that it's not hot.

在于它并不发热

It takes place in a range of temperatures

它的温度在于一个

that don't burn a living thing.

并不会灼伤生物的范围中

And unlike a glow stick,

它也不像荧光棒

which fades out as the chemicals inside get used up,

当里面的化学物质都用完后就暗下去

bioluminescent reactions use replenishable resources.

生物发光反应用的是可被补充的资源

That's one reason engineers

这也是工程师

are trying to develop bioluminescent trees.

在尝试研发生物荧光树的原因

Just think, if planted on the side of highways,

试想一下，如果将它们种在公路旁

they could light the way, using only oxygen

它们可以照明公路，只需氧气

and other freely available, clean resources to run.

和其他一些易得到，干净的资源来运作

Talk about survival advantage!

看看对于生存的益处！

That could help our planet live longer.

这可以帮助我们的地球再活得久一些

Do you find yourself thinking of other ways

你发现自己开始从其他方面

to put bioluminescence to good use?

来思考如何好好得利用生物荧光了吗？

That glow stick you swing at a rave

你手中挥舞的荧光棒

may help you find a mate,

也许会帮你觅到一位伴侣

but how else can bioluminescence improve your survival?

但生物荧光怎样可以增加你生存的几率呢？

If you start thinking in this way,

如果你开始从这个角度去想

you have seen the light.

明光就在你的眼前