The surprising (and invisible) signatures of sea creatures - Kakani Katija

翻译人员: YuFei Liang 校对人员: Coco Shen

So my name is Kakani Katija, and I'm a bioengineer.

我的名字是卡卡妮.卡缇塔， 我是一名生物工程学家。

I study marine organisms in their natural environment.

我研究海洋中的生物有机体。

And what I want to point out,

而在此我要点出的是，

and at least you can see this in this visualization,

你可以看到，

is that the ocean environment is a dynamic place.

海洋是一个充满活力的地方，

What you're seeing are the kinds of currents,

你所看到的是各种水流，

as well as the whirls,

以及漩涡，

that are left behind in the ocean because of tides

这些东西都因海潮的涨落或风的改变

or because of winds.

而改变。

And imagine a marine organism as living in this environment,

想象海洋生物们就生活在这些地方，

and they're trying to undergo their entire lives

它们穷其一生，

while dealing with currents like these.

都在企图适应这些洋流。

But what I also want to point out

同时，我也要指出，

is that small organisms also create small fluid motions, as well.

小型有机体也会制造出小的流体运动。

And it's these fluid motions that I study.

而我研究的就是这些小型流体运动。

And we can think about them like being footprints.

我们可以把它们想象成脚印。

So this is my dog Kieran, and take a look at her footprints.

这是我的狗狗珂润， 看看它的脚印。

Footprints provide a lot of information.

脚印给予我们许多线索。

Not only do they tell us what kind of organism left them,

它们不止告诉我们 这是哪种生物留下的脚印，

they might also tell us something about when that organism was there,

同时也可能告诉我们 那个生物是什么时候经过的，

but also what kind of behavior, were they running or were they walking?

同时也会提供它们的习性， 以及它们是走还是跑过去的？

And so terrestrial organisms, like my cute dog Kieran,

陆地上的动物们， 像我可爱的狗狗珂润，

might be leaving footprints behind in dirt or in sand,

可能会在泥地或者沙地上留下脚印，

but marine organisms leave footprints in the form of what we call wake structures,

但海洋生物的脚印，据其形态， 我们叫它尾流结构，

or hydrodynamic signatures,

或者水动力结构，

in fluid.

这被包含于流体概念中。

Now imagine, it's really hard to see these kinds of structures

现在，想想看， 想要看到这些结构是非常难的，

because fluid is transparent.

因为液体是透明的。

However, if we add something to the fluid, we get a completely different picture.

但是，如果我们在液体里加点什么， 我们就能看到完全不同的画面。

And you can see that these footprints that marine organisms create

你可以看到这些海洋生物的“脚印”

are just dynamic.

是充满活力的。

They are constantly changing.

它们在不断地改变。

And marine organisms also have the ability to sense these signatures.

而海洋生物也有能力感知这些“脚印。”

They can also inform decisions,

它们可以做出决定，

like whether or not they want to continue following a signature like this

是否要继续追随一个这样的“脚印”

to find a mate or to find food,

以期找到配偶或食物，

or maybe avoid these signatures to avoid being eaten.

或者避开这些“脚印”以避开被吞噬。

So imagine the ability to be able

想象拥有一些能力，

to not only see or visualize these kinds of signatures,

不只是看或是使这些“脚印“可视化，

but to also measure them.

同时也测量它们。

This is the engineering side of what I do.

这就是我正在做的， 力学方面的工作。

And so what I've done is I actually took a laboratory technique

我的研究实际上就是将实验室里的技术

and miniaturized it and basically shrunk it down

缩小，等比例缩小它们

into the use of underwater housings

使得这些技术在水下也可以使用，

to make a device that a single scuba diver can use.

是一个潜水员就可以操控的大小。

And so a single scuba diver can go anywhere from the surface to 40 meters,

这样潜水员就可以到达 水下40米以内的任何地方，

or 120 feet deep,

120英尺深的任何地方，

to measure the hydrodynamic signatures that organisms create.

去记录生物体留下的流体力学的痕迹。

Before I begin,

在开始之前，

I want to immerse you into what these kinds of measurements require.

我想告诉你这类观测都需要些什么。

So in order to work, we actually dive at night,

为了工作顺利， 我们在夜晚下潜，

and this is because we're trying to minimize any interactions

这是因为我们希望

between the laser and sunlight

降低镭射与阳光的影响

and we're diving in complete darkness

我们在完全的黑暗中下潜

because we do not want to scare away the organisms we're trying to study.

因为你不会想吓跑 想要研究的生物体，

And then once we find the organisms we're interested in,

而一旦我们找到了想要研究的生物，

we turn on a green laser.

我们就会打开绿色的镭射光。

And this green laser is actually illuminating a sheet of fluid,

而通过绿色镭射光， 我们可以看见一小片水流被照亮，

and in that fluid,

这一小片水流，

it's reflecting off of particles that are found everywhere in the ocean.

会反射出海洋中随处可见的物质颗粒。

And so as an animal swims through this laser sheet,

所以当动物游过这片区域时，

you can see these particles are moving over time,

你可以看见那些小颗粒在移动，

and so we actually risk our lives to get this kind of data.

实际上，我们冒着危险记录下这些数据。

What you're going to see

你将看到的是

is that on the left these two particles images

在左边的这两个图像

that shows the displacement of fluid over time,

展现了水流的变化，

and using that data,

使用这些数据，

you can actually extract what the velocity of that fluid is,

你可以计算出这些水流的速度，

and that's indicated by the vector plots that you see in the middle.

你可以在中间的帧量图中看到这点，

And then we can use that data

之后，我们使用这些数据

to answer a variety of different questions,

来回答一系列问题，

not only to understand the rotational sense of that fluid,

不只是水流体的转速，

which you see on the right,

就如你在右图看到的，

but also estimate something about energetics,

同时也对动力相关的力做出预估，

or the kinds of forces that act on these organisms or on the fluid,

以及其他任何 加载于水流或生物体上的力，

and also evaluate swimming and feeding performance.

同时记录生物体的游动轨迹及其进食表现，

We've used this technique on a variety of different organisms,

我们在各类生物体上都运用了此类技术，

but remember, there's an issue here.

但是要记得，这个技术有一个局限。

We're only able to study organisms that a scuba diver can reach.

我们只能研究潜水员 能到达的海域中的生物体，

And so before I finish, I want to tell you what the next frontier is

所以在我结束之前， 我想要告诉大家我们的下一步

in terms of these kinds of measurements.

不再只是这样简单的观测。

And with collaborators at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute,

我们与蒙特雷湾水族馆研究所合作，

we're developing instrumentation to go on remotely opperated vehicles

建造可远程操控的测量仪器，

so we can study organisms anywhere from the surface down to 4000 meters,

以达到海面之下 4000米以内的任何地方，

or two and a half miles.

也就是2.5英里内。

And so we can answer really interesting questions about this organism,

这样我们就能探寻并了解这个生物体，

this is a larvacean,

这是一只尾海鞘

that creates a feeding current and forces fluids through their mucus house

它通过尾部摆动，将水流导入被囊， 过滤得到食物，及前进动力，

and extracts nutrients.

和额外的营养物质。

And then this animal,

然后这只动物，

this is a siphonophore,

这是一只管水母，

and they can get to lengths about half the size of a football field.

它们体长可以达到半个足球场的长度，

And they're able to swim vertically in the ocean

它们也可以依靠喷射水流

推进自己在海中垂直游动，

by just creating jet propulsion.

And then finally we can answer these questions

最后我们终于可以解答这些问题

about how swarming organisms, like krill,

问题如：一大群生物体，诸如磷虾，

are able to affect mixing on larger scales.

在很大程度上 的确影响了海洋混合。

And this is actually one of the most interesting results so far

而这个答案是迄今为止最有趣的，

that we've collected using the scuba diving device

我们用潜水装备收集的生物体们，

in that organisms, especially when they're moving in mass,

特别是它们大量聚集移动时收集的样本，

are able to generate mixing

可以在很大程度上影响海洋混合

at levels that are equivalent to some other physical processes

该程度甚至可以和某些

由风和潮汐导致的物理改变过程媲美。

that are associated with winds and tides.

But before I finish,

但在我结束之前，

I want to leave you all with a question

我想留给大家一个问题

because I think it's important to keep in mind

因为我觉得这很重要，

that technologies today that we take for granted

如今我们被授予使用的技术

started somewhere.

起源于某些地方。

It was inspired from something.

由某些东西启发而来。

So imagine scientists and engineers were inspired by birds

所以想象一下科学家和 工程学家被鸟类启发，

to create airplanes.

建造飞机。

And something we take for granted,

而某些我们使用的，

flying from San Francisco to New York,

载着我们从三藩市飞到纽约的东西，

is something that was inspired by an organism.

是被某种生物启发的。

And as we're developing these new technologies

而我们使用这些新技术

to understand marine organisms,

来更深入的了解海洋生物们，

what we want to do is answer this question:

我们想要回答这个问题：

how will marine organisms inspire us?

海洋生物会如何启迪我们？

Will they allow us to develop new underwater technologies,

它们会使我们发展出新的水下技术，

like underwater vehicles that look like a jellyfish?

比如一个长得很像水母的水下机械么？

I think it's a really exciting time in ocean exploration

我想那会是海洋科考一个激动人心的时刻

because now we have the tools available to answer this kind of question,

因为我们现在有趁手的工具 用以找到这些问题的答案，

and with the help of you guys at some point,

从某种程度上，也会对大家有所帮助，

you can apply these tools to answer this kind of question

你可以使用这些工具来回答这些问题

and also develop technologies of the future.

并在未来创造出新的技术。

Thank you.

谢谢。