The most notorious scientific feud in history - Lukas Rieppel

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

After the California Gold Rush of 1848,

在 1848 年的加州淘金潮之後，

white settlers streamed west to strike it rich.

白人拓荒者向西方湧進， 希望能大撈一筆。

In addition to precious metals, they unearthed another treasure:

除了貴金屬之外， 他們還挖到了另一種寶藏：

dinosaur bones.

恐龍骨頭。

Two wealthy scientists in particular—

其中有兩位富有的科學家

Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope—

——奧斯尼爾查爾斯馬許 及艾德華德里克柯普——

competed to uncover these prehistoric monsters.

互相較勁去發掘這些史前的怪獸。

Marsh and Cope were first to describe iconic creatures

馬許和柯普是最早對於

雷龍、三角龍，以及劍龍等 代表性生物做出描述的人，

like Brontosaurus, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus.

But they also showcased the destructive whirlwind of profiteering and ambition

但他們也激起了 牟取暴利與野心的毀滅性旋風，

that fueled American science during the late 1800s.

1800 年代末期，就是這股旋風 在推動美國的科學。

Their rivalry, one of the most notorious scientific feuds in history,

這兩人的對抗是歷史上 最惡名昭彰的科學爭鬥之一，

became known as the Bone Wars.

後來被稱為「化石戰爭」。

Marsh was ill-tempered and had a knack for debunking falsehoods.

馬許的脾氣很糟，很善於揭發謊言。

One woman said that getting to know him was “like running against a pitchfork.”

一名女子說，認識他 就像是「撲向乾草叉」；

Cope, on the other hand, was charismatic and given to bold theorizing.

另一方面，柯普則很迷人，

喜歡做大膽的推論。

But he was also sarcastic and temperamental.

但他也很會酸人且喜怒無常。

By his own admission, he wasn’t

他自己承認，他並非

“constructed for getting along comfortably with the general run of people.”

「天生能夠和一般人自在地相處」。

When Marsh and Cope first met in 1864, they were friendly,

馬許和柯普在 1864 年 初次見面時還很友善，

and each named a new species in the other’s honor.

還分別命名一個新物種向對方致敬。

But their relationship soon soured.

但他們的關係很快就變質了。

In 1868, Cope took Marsh to a quarry near his home in New Jersey

1868 年，柯普帶馬許到 他在紐澤西的家附近的採石場，

where one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons to date

至今最完整的恐龍骨骼

had recently been discovered.

才剛在那裡出土。

Sensing an opportunity, Marsh paid the mine operators

為了抓住機會， 馬許買通了礦場作業員，

to send him the most interesting new finds.

把最有趣的新發現寄給他。

Outraged, Cope accused Marsh of bribery.

盛怒之下，柯普控訴馬許賄賂。

That same year, Cope showed Marsh his reconstruction of a new marine reptile

同年，柯普向馬許展示了 他重組出來的新海洋爬蟲類，

called Elasmosaurus.

薄片龍。

Marsh immediately noticed that something was wrong:

馬許馬上察覺到不對勁：

Cope had mistaken the creature’s long neck for its tail.

柯普誤把長頸當作尾巴了。

When Cope's mentor sided with Marsh, Cope was mortified.

柯普的導師也站到馬許這一邊， 讓柯普顏面盡失。

He tried to buy and destroy every copy of the article containing his blunder,

他試圖買下並銷毀

每份報導他出漏子的文章，

but to no avail.

卻徒勞無功。

Their mutual resentment blossomed.

他們對彼此的怨恨越演越烈。

After the transcontinental railroad was completed the following year,

在隔年橫貫大陸的鐵路完工之後，

Cope and Marsh began scouring the American West for fossils.

柯普和馬許開始搜遍 美國西部，尋找化石。

They found riches the likes of which neither had dreamed.

他們所找到的財富 是兩人都夢想不到的。

Relying on the help of Native American guides,

靠著美國原住民嚮導的協助，

Marsh made some especially significant discoveries,

馬許有一些特別重大的發現，

like ancient birds with teeth that are still celebrated

比如有牙齒的遠古鳥類， 這個發現至今仍然備受讚譽，

as a missing link between dinosaurs and modern birds.

因為牠為恐龍和現代鳥類之間 遺失的連結搭起橋樑。

Cope made important discoveries, too,

柯普也有重要的發現，

but Marsh successfully invalidated many of them,

但馬許成功讓他的許多發現 都被認定為無效，

showing them to be redundant with other known species.

證明牠們和許多已知的物種重複。

Enraged, Cope tried to secure priority for new findings

被觸怒的柯普 試著用電報搶在馬許之前

by announcing them via telegram.

公布他的新發現。

He even purchased a respected journal

他甚至買下一份受敬重的期刊，

so future publications could be rushed into print.

這麼一來，將來在必要時 就可以趕著印刷出版。

But Marsh used his personal fortune to gain the upper hand,

馬許則用他個人的財產來取得優勢，

hiring a small army of fossil hunters to out-compete his rival.

他僱用一小群化石獵人 以打敗他的對手。

In 1878, Marsh bought an especially promising quarry in Como Bluff, Wyoming,

1878 年，

馬許在懷俄明州的科摩崖 買下了一座特別被看好的採石場，

from two frontier collectors.

賣家是兩位專在偏遠地區 探索的收集者。

It yielded tons of fossils,

這個採石場產出數公噸的化石，

including the near-complete skeleton of a gigantic dinosaur

包括一種巨大恐龍近乎完整的骨骼，

that Marsh named Brontosaurus.

馬許將牠命名為雷龍。

Over the next 10 years, his men shipped him more than 480 boxes

在接下來十年，

他的人光是從科摩崖就寄了

of dinosaur bones from Como alone.

四百八十箱的恐龍骨頭給他。

Marsh named dozens of new species.

有數十種新發現的恐龍 都是馬許命名的。

But his assistants could be ruthless in their quest

但他的助理為了滿足馬許 在科學上的野心，

to further Marsh’s scientific ambitions.

時而會使用無情的手段。

They sometimes destroyed fossils just to prevent them

有時，他們為了避免化石 落入科普手中

from falling into Cope’s hands.

而將之破壞。

Desperate to catch up with Marsh,

因為急著想要趕上馬許，

Cope invested his dwindling fortune into silver mining.

柯普把他越來越少的財產 投入銀礦開採。

The gamble failed, and he was left nearly destitute.

他押錯了賭注， 落到幾乎赤貧的下場。

While Cope contemplated selling his precious collection,

當柯普考慮要賣掉 他珍貴的收藏品時，

Marsh was named lead paleontologist for the US Geological Survey.

馬許被任命為美國地質調查局 首席古生物學家。

This well-funded branch of the government often sponsored Westward expeditions,

這個資金充足的政府部門，

經常贊助西進的遠征隊，

giving Marsh even more resources to vanquish his rival.

讓馬許有更多資源擊敗他的對手。

The Bone Wars spilled into public view when Cope had a tabloid newspaper

柯普找上小報，刊出一篇文章， 指控馬許抄襲、詐欺、腐敗，

publish an article accusing Marsh of plagiarism, fraud, and corruption.

化石戰爭就此被揭露，遭大眾檢視。

Marsh fired back and the two further tarnished each other’s reputations.

馬許反擊，兩人更進一步 詆毀彼此的名聲。

Neither ever relented.

兩人始終都不退讓。

When Cope died, he donated his skull to science,

柯普死時將自己的頭骨 捐贈做科學研究，

hoping to prove that his brain was larger than that of his enemy.

希望能證明他的大腦 比他的敵人更大。

Marsh never accepted the challenge.

馬許始終沒有接受這個挑戰。

Although Marsh named more species than Cope,

雖然馬許命名的物種比柯普多，

both men greatly expanded our understanding of evolution.

兩個人都大大拓展了 我們對於演化的了解。

But their egotistical one-upmanship reminds us that,

但他們那種自許高人一等的自大作風 給了我們一個警惕：

in spite of its ideals,

儘管目的在實踐理想，

science is a personal enterprise conducted by individual—

科學仍然是個人的志業，

而從事的是個體的、時而充滿瑕疵的

and at times deeply flawed— human beings.

人類。