The brilliance of bioluminescence - Leslie Kenna

神奇的生物螢光 - 萊斯莉．肯納（Leslie Kenna）

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

譯者: Hao-Wei Chang 審譯者: Marssi Draw

Imagine a place so dark

想像在黑暗的海底

you can't see the nose on your face.

你連自己的鼻子都看不清楚

Eyes opened or closed, it's all the same

開眼或閉眼沒有差別

because the sun never shines there.

因為陽光照不到這裡

Up ahead, you see a light.

抬頭一看，你見到亮光

When you creep in to investigate,

當你游去一探究竟

a blue light flits around you.

發現一抹藍光在眼前漂蕩

"I could watch this forever," you think.

你覺得自己可以一直這樣看下去

But you can't

但你不行

because the mouth of an anglerfish has just sprung open

因為一隻鮟鱇魚正張開大嘴

and eaten you alive.

將你活生生地一口吞下

You are just one of many creatures

你只是一隻

at the bottom of the ocean who learn too late

太晚意識到生物螢光力量的海底生物

to appreciate the power of bioluminescence.

Bioluminescence refers to the ability

生物螢光是指

特定生物體產生光的能力

of certain living things to create light.

The human body can make stuff

人體可以製造耳垢和腳指甲

like ear wax and toe nails,

but these organisms can turn

但這些生物可以

parts of their body into glow sticks.

將身體一部份變成螢光棒

It's like nature made them ready to rave.

好像大自然賦予牠們在派對狂歡的能力

Why?

為什麼呢？

In one way or another,

不論如何

bioluminescence improves a living thing's chances of survival.

生物螢光增加個體存活機會

Take the firefly.

以螢火蟲為例

It's ability to glow green

它們發出綠色螢光的能力

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

幫助牠們在仲夏吸引伴侶

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

但牠們只是諸多發光生物的一員

The railroad worm, Phrixothrix hirtus,

鐵道蟲 (phrixothrix hirtus)

can light up its body in two colors:

可以發出紅色和綠色螢光

red and green.

你會吃這種像是機場跑道的東西嗎？

Would you eat something

that looks like an airport runway?

Neither would any sensible predator.

其它意識正常的掠食者也不會

The flashing lights keep the worm safe.

螢光讓毛毛蟲存活下來

Then there's the deep sea shrimp,

還有一種深海蝦

Acantherphyra purpurea.

學名為 Acanthephyra purpurea

When it feels threatened,

當牠們面臨威脅時

it spews a cloud of glowing goo from its mouth.

會從口中噴出螢光液體

誰被這種東西噴到不會想要逃走呢？

Who doesn't run the other way

when they've just been puked on?

Plus, that puke attracts bigger predators

而且，螢光還會吸引其它更大型

who want to eat the shrimp's enemy.

想吃蝦子天敵的掠食者

So what if you can't bioluminesce?

那如果本身不能發光怎麼辦？

No problem!

沒關係

There are other ways for living things

即使沒有與生俱來的發光工具

to make bioluminescence work for them,

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

還是有其它方式可以利用螢光

Let's revisit the anglerfish

再讓我們看看

鮟鱇魚要把你吃下肚前

moments before it tried to eat you.

That glowing bait on top of its head?

牠頭上吊著的發光餌

It comes from a pocket of skin called the esca.

這個由一層皮包覆

並被稱為餌球 (esca) 的東西

The esca holds bioluminescent bacteria.

餌球裝著可以發螢光的細菌

The anglerfish can't glow there by itself,

鮟鱇魚自己不能發光

so it holds a sack of glowing bacteria instead.

所以牠們會帶著一袋螢光細菌

Remember the firefly?

記得螢火蟲嗎？

牠們是真的會自己發光

It can actually make itself glow.

在牠們的小燈籠中

Inside its lantern are two chemicals,

有螢光素 (luciferin) 和螢光酶 (luciferase) 兩種物質

a luciferin and a luciferase.

When firefly luciferase and luciferin mix together

當兩者在有氧環境中混合

in the presence of oxygen

and fuel for the cell, called ATP,

並加上生物中用來提供能量的

腺苷三磷酸 (ATP)

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

化學反應會釋放出光能

Once scientists figured out

有科學家發現螢火蟲

how the firefly creates its luciferase and luciferin,

製造螢光素和螢光酶的祕密

they used genetic engineering

他們用基因工程技術

to make this light-producing reaction

讓原本不能發光的生物體也能發光

occur inside other living things that can't glow.

例如：將細胞製造螢光素和螢光酶的基因

For example, they inserted the genes,

or instructions, for a cell

to create firefly luciferase and luciferin into a tobacco plant.

送到煙草中

Once there, the tobacco plant followed the instructions

一但成功，煙草就會依據

這些基因上面記載的訊息

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

把自己點亮成一株聖誕樹

The beauty of bioluminescence,

生物螢光的美在於

unlike the light from the sun or an incandescent bulb,

不同於日光或燈泡

is that it's not hot.

生物螢光並不會產熱

It takes place in a range of temperatures

它能在生物能忍受的溫度範圍下作用

that don't burn a living thing.

而且不會燒死任何生物

而且不像螢光棒

And unlike a glow stick,

which fades out as the chemicals inside get used up,

會因為裡面螢光物質用盡而變暗

bioluminescent reactions use replenishable resources.

生物螢光具再生性

That's one reason engineers

這是科學家們想培養螢光樹的原因

are trying to develop bioluminescent trees.

試想：若將這螢光樹在高速公路旁

Just think, if planted on the side of highways,

they could light the way, using only oxygen

只需要氧氣和

其它免費、乾淨的資源就能發光

and other freely available, clean resources to run.

Talk about survival advantage!

說到生存優勢

That could help our planet live longer.

這能讓我們永續經營環境

Do you find yourself thinking of other ways

你有想到其它生物螢光的用法嗎？

to put bioluminescence to good use?

手上的螢光棒

That glow stick you swing at a rave

或許可以幫你在舞會中找到伴侶

may help you find a mate,

但是螢光如何增加你的生存能力？

but how else can bioluminescence improve your survival?

If you start thinking in this way,

如果你是這樣想

you have seen the light.

你已經看到創意的火花