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

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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 麗玲 辛

如果我們消滅掉地球上最致命的 物種之一，未來會變成什麼樣子？

of the deadliest species on Earth?

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

聽我說：我認為有時 我們得要扮演上帝。

Good morning!

早安！

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

這是否表示你決定重新開始工作了？

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

嗯，我在想，如果我回來， 我想擴展我的職責。

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

別告訴我才工作幾個月 你就打算要求加薪了，

of less-than-stellar performance.

且工作表現還不甚理想。

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

事實上，我打算說，我想整理 威赫米娜‧赫利奧特羅普的檔案——

No.

不行。

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

……那我們可以把 這些檔案公諸於世嗎？

No!

不行！

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

嗯，好吧，

那，我想我就不會回來工作了。

I guess not.

我想是不會了。

Right, back to sending resumes it is then.

好吧，那就繼續投履歷吧。

(Slap!)

（啪！）

Mosquitoes are the worst.

蚊子最討厭了。

I wish we could just get rid of them.

真希望能擺脫牠們。

I mean, can we?

我的意思是，有可能嗎？

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

很顯然，我不是第一個這麼想人。

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

但……我們努力試過 要消滅蚊子，都失敗了。

And even with vaccines and medicines and bed nets,

即使有疫苗、藥物，和蚊帳，

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

牠們還是讓一大堆人 感染到疾病，尤其是瘧疾，

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

至今瘧疾每年仍然造成 超過五十萬人死亡。

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

喔！但有一種新方法 可以將蚊子根除，

by genetically modifying them so their female offspring are infertile.

做法是改造牠們的基因， 讓雌性後代沒有生育能力。

But hasn't genetic modification been around for decades?

但是基因改造不是 幾十年前就有了嗎？

Oh, I see.

喔，我懂了。

New gene editing tools like CRISPR can dramatically increase the chance

像 CRISPR 這類新的基因 編輯工具可以大幅提升

that the genetic modification gets passed on,

基因改造被傳到下一代的機會，

until eventually the mosquito population shrinks down to nothing.

直到最後一隻蚊子也不剩。

Why haven't we done this?

為什麼我們還不這麼做？

I guess completely getting rid of mosquitoes

我猜想把蚊子完全消滅 可能會影響到其他物種？

might cause problems for other species?

Ah, sublime!

啊，真棒！

There are thousands of species of mosquitoes,

世界上有數千種蚊子，

and only a few of them carry the malaria parasite.

當中只有少數幾種帶有瘧疾寄生蟲。

I am not particular about which mosquitoes I eat,

我不特別講究要吃哪幾種蚊子，

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

我認識的吃蟲動物也都是如此。

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

如果你擔心生態方面的損害，

I certainly prefer this gene drive idea

我絕對比較喜歡 這個基因驅動的想法，

to those pesticides you humans are always spraying around.

而不是用你們人類總是 到處噴灑的殺蟲劑。

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

但——我們真的可以確保基因驅動

to other mosquito species and kill them off, too?

不會傳播給別種蚊子， 把牠們也通通殺光？

You’re asking me?

你在問我嗎？

Oh... I see... It’s not like a virus—

喔……我了解了……

它和病毒不同——

the gene drive can only spread when a mosquito reproduces

只有在蚊子繁殖時， 基因驅動才會傳播，

and only to its offspring.

且只會傳播給後代。

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

老實說，若不這麼做， 現狀就是每年都有

most of them really little kids dying every year,

數十萬人死亡， 且大部分是年幼的孩子，

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

怎麼看，都不會有比現狀 更糟糕的結果發生。

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

我認為我們必須要這麼做， 但該從何處著手？

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

不論你從何處著手，

都別期望基因驅動會乖乖待在那裡。

The rest of us have no regard

我們其他生物都不在乎

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

你們人類想像出來的那種牆壁， 你們還非常喜愛呢……

what are they called?

叫做什麼來著？

Ah, yes. Borders.

啊，對。邊界。

Okay, I see your point.

好，我了解你的意思。

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

所以我們需要成立委員會，成員包括 來自每個受影響國家的代表，

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

還有投入這個領域的 科學家團隊代表……

and from the international organizations that should be involved

還有負責監控和規範的 國際組織代表。

in monitoring and regulation.

(Yawns)

（打哈欠）

I mean, I can make that happen.

我的意思是，這我能辦到。

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

一旦組成了委員會， 且大家取得了共識，

we’re ready to start the gene drive

我們就準備好可以野放數萬隻 基因改造蚊子，展開基因驅動計畫。

by releasing tens of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes

into the wild.

Within five years, almost all malaria-carrying mosquitoes

五年內，非洲幾乎所有 帶有瘧疾的蚊子都會被根除。

in Africa have been eradicated.

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

因為這個計畫的成功，人們迫不及待 把這項科技用在別的地方。

Because it spreads through reproduction,

因為它是透過繁殖來傳播的，

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

用在壽命短暫、繁殖快速的 物種上效果最佳——

so, bugs!

也就是，蟲子！

Agricultural pests are the next target.

下一個目標是農業害蟲。

How do you like Colombia?

你覺得哥倫比亞如何？

I can thrive in many different environments

我可以在許多不同的 環境中都活得很好，

and the local cuisine is delicious.

且當地的料理很美味。

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

好，嗯，別太依戀那種料理。

That's a screwworm.

那是螺旋蠅。

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

且委員會正在考慮 用基因驅動來消滅牠們。

Screwworms eat mammals like cows and sheep and deer alive.

螺旋蠅會吃活的哺乳動物， 如牛、羊，和鹿。

Very well. This looks equally delectable.

那好吧，這隻看起來也同樣美味。

Screwworms are a huge problem for farmers.

對農民來說，螺旋蠅是個大麻煩。

Yes, spare a thought for the profit margins!

是的，想想利潤空間！

Never mind the suffering of the animals being eaten alive.

別管被活吃的動物有多痛苦。

I didn’t say that!

我可沒這麼說！

But the economic considerations are important too, you know.

但要知道，經濟考量也很重要。

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

且經濟考量並不像 你所想的那樣與痛苦完全無關。

The screwworm gene drive is another success.

螺旋蠅基因驅動計畫也成功了。

As the technology advances,

隨著這項技術進步，

the committee considers applying it to the notoriously difficult challenge

委員會考慮應用它來處理 眾所周知的艱難挑戰：

of controlling invasive species.

控制入侵物種。

Ah, what an agreeable climate.

啊，真是宜人的氣候。

So, this is a little awkward,

呃，這有點尷尬，

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

但我們來這裡是為了用基因驅動

來根除入侵毛伊島的變色龍。

Excuse me?

你說啥？

They’re threatening native snails.

牠們會威脅到本地的蝸牛。

And who introduced us to Hawaii, hmm? Humans!

是誰把我們引入夏威夷？是人類！

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

所以人類不就有義務 得著手解決問題？

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

我不懂為什麼你對於 消滅螺旋蠅沒意見，

but now you need to protect the snails.

但現在你又得保護蝸牛。

It’s not just about the snails,

重點不只是關於蝸牛， 還有整個生態系統。

it’s about the whole ecosystem.

We're weighing the benefits and harms to all species

我們在權衡對各物種的益處和傷害。

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

試圖做出絕對大多數 生物最好的選擇。

If you care about all living things,

如果你在乎所有生物，

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

那我不懂物種是不是 入侵的有什麼關係。

Look at these happy, well-fed chameleons.

看看這些快樂、溫飽的變色龍。

It’s not their fault they need to eat.

牠們需要進食並不是牠們的錯。

Okay, I think you’re getting things confused.

好，我覺得你抓錯重點了。

Are you sure you're not confused?

你確定你就有抓對重點嗎？

May I suggest getting rid of humans?

我能否建議把人類消滅？

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

對地球上的部分的生物而言， 這是最好的選擇。

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

嗯，試圖用基因驅動 來消滅人類一點道理也沒有。

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

要花上數千年，且很容易就停下來。

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

毛伊島的基因驅動計畫非常成功，

因此委員會投票同意 在佛羅里達進行類似的計畫。

to run a similar one in Florida.

It starts out well, but the gene drive spread unintentionally

剛開始很順利，

但基因驅動無意間 透過寵物貿易散播開來。

through the pet trade.

Then the native chameleon populations in other parts of the world

接著，世界其他地方的 原生變色龍數量開始減少。

start declining.

The committee decides not to consider any more gene drives

委員會決定不再考慮使用 基因驅動來控制入侵物種。

to control invasive species.

But that’s a cop out!

但那是找藉口推託！

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

很多地方仍有物種入侵的威脅， 造成生態系統崩壞、疾病傳播，

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

或者需挪用本來可以 用來改善人類生活的資源。

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

而且我們一直沒有 其他方式可以除掉它們。

It's good to avoid making mistakes, obviously,

能避免犯錯當然是好事，

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

但我們不能為了避免犯錯， 結果連試都不試。

We’re just opening ourselves to the possibility

這樣其實只會讓我們 有可能犯下另一種錯誤——

of making a different kind of mistake—

mistakes of inaction.

坐視事情發生。

The more I think about it,

越去思考，我就越確信，

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

我們得為我們採取的行動負責， 但若不行動，一樣也有責任。

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

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

我知道你拒絕把威赫米娜—— 赫利奧特羅普博士的論文公開，

papers open to the public.

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

我也知道她不見得希望 她的作品被刊出。

Exactly.

沒錯。

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

但我認為她不該把她的想法保密。

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

要由我們——我是指，要由你——

來盡可能做出最好的決定。

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

她的研究可能啟發他人， 讓世界變得更好。

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

我們無從得知，到現在， 她是否仍不想公開。

You can’t. I actually knew her.

你不會知道。

我其實認識她。

You did?

你認識？

Intimately.

非常熟。

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

喔，這樣的話，你不希望 她遺留下來的東西能延續下去嗎？

I can tell you mean well,

我知道你是好意，

although your demeanor is a bit aggravating.

不過你的舉止有點惹人厭。

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

如果你回來工作， 並把你主要的職責通通做好，

I will consider your proposal.

我就會考慮你的提議。

Deal!

那就說定了！

Return this to the shelves for me.

幫我把這本書放回架上。