If superpowers were real: Immortality - Joy Lin

如果超能力是真的：長生不老 - Joy Lin

譯者: Alice Tong 審譯者: Marssi Draw

Immortality.

長生不老

In movies, kings are always searching for the secret to immortality.

在電影裡，帝王們總是希望找到

長生不老的祕密

But is immortality really a good thing?

但永生真是一件好事嗎？

To a ten-year-old boy, one year is the same as 10% of his life.

對一個十歲的男孩來說

一年等於他10%的生命

To his forty-year-old mother, one year is merely 2.5% of her life.

對他四十歲的母親來說

一年只是她2.5%的生命

The same year, 365 days,

同樣的一年，365日

can feel differently to different people.

不同的人也可以有不同的感受

If we live until we're 82,

如果我們活到82歲

that's about 30,000 days.

那大概是三萬天

If this boy lives for 30,000 years, a year to him could feel like a day.

如果這男孩活了三萬年

一年對他來說就像是一天

And if this boy's emotions sustain

還有，如果這男孩的心靈要忍受

through the potential boredom of living for millions of years,

活上百萬年有可能導致的

沈悶無聊

he might become extremely lonely and sad,

他可能會變得很孤獨和不快樂

knowing he has and always will outlive everyone he has ever loved.

因為他知道他已經比別人活得久

以後也會活得比他愛過的人久

But what if everyone were immortal?

但假如每個人都有永生，那又如何？

Well, first off, Earth is only so big.

首先，地球就只是這麼大

So, where would we all live?

那麼，我們該住在哪兒？

(Grunts)

"Excuse me!" "That's my face!"

「請借過！」

「那是我的臉呢！」

"Stop it!" "Pardon me."

「停止！」

「對不起。」

"Tight in here!"

「這裡好擠！」

Do you remember what you did last year or when you were five?

你記得去年做過什麼事嗎？

那在你五歲那時呢？

How much of your past have you forgotten?

過去有多少事情你遺忘了呢？

If you have trouble remembering what you did when you were five,

如果你無法記起

你五歲的時候做過什麼

how will you remember what happened if you were alive a thousand years ago?

你又怎能回憶過去發生的事

當你已經活了一千年？

或一百萬年？

A million years ago?

We don't remember every single detail of our past

我們記不起往事的每個細節

because our brains have a limited capacity

因為我們的大腦容量有限

and we replace useless memories,

所以無用的記憶會被取代

like middle school locker combinations,

例如中學的貯物櫃密碼

取而代之的是有用的資訊

with relevant information.

If this immortal boy finds a companion

如果這個長生不老的男孩每一百年

to fall in love with once every hundred years,

都會有一個愛侶

he would have ten thousand girlfriends in a million years.

在一百萬年內 他一共會有一萬個女朋友

And how many of those ten thousand girls' names

而這一萬個女朋友的名字當中

will he be able to remember?

他又能記得多少個呢？

This changes what a meaningful relationship means, doesn't it?

這改變了人們對於重要關係的定義

不是嗎？

Another tricky thing about immortality:

另一個長生不老會造成的有趣現象是

人類的外觀是不斷改變的

Human beings have not always looked the same.

This can be explained by Darwin's theory of evolution.

我們可以從達爾文的演化論中得知

For instance, if women find taller men more attractive,

例如：如果女性覺得 高的男人比較有吸引力

then more tall men would mate and have children,

那麼較多高的男人會結婚、生小孩

putting more tall genes in the gene pool.

更多高個子的基因 會被注入基因池裡面

That means, in the next generation,

換句話說，下一個世代中

人們會趨向有「高個子」的基因

more children will have the genes to be taller.

Repeat that process for a million years

這樣的過程重複數百萬年後

人們的平均身高相較於過去

and the average height will be a lot taller

會高出許多

than the average height today,

assuming there's no natural disaster that wipes out all the tall people.

假如沒有天災

毀滅長比較高的人

我們的祖先是矮小又多毛的猿類

Our ancestors were short, hairy apes.

We still have body hair, but we don't look like apes any more.

人類身上仍有毛髮

但我們不再和猿類長得一樣

If you're the only person who is immortal,

假如你是世界上唯一長生不老的人

while everyone else keeps evolving,

當周遭的人持續演化

generation after generation,

經過幾個世代後

you will eventually look quite different than the people who surround you.

到最後你會發現

自己與別人「差很大」

"Hi, how you doing?"

「嗨，你好嗎？」

If one of our ancestors, apes, is still alive today,

就像假如我們的某個猿類祖先還活在現代

how many people will make friends with it

有多少人會想和他當朋友

instead of calling the Museum of Natural History?

而不是通知自然歷史博物館呢？

And one more physical consideration for immortality:

還有一個長生不老

會在生理上造成的問題：

Scars.

傷疤

After all, immortality doesn't automatically translate to invincibility,

畢竟長生不老並不等於

刀槍不入

it just means you cannot die.

只是死不了

But it doesn't guarantee what condition you'll be alive in.

不保證你會在什麼環境中生存

Look at your body and count how many scars you have.

所以看看你的身上

數數有多少傷疤在上面

這些永久性傷疤累積

If you have made this many permanent scars

大半輩子後

within your life,

想想看假如你活了一千年

imagine how much damage you would have if you were one thousand years old!

你會受幾次傷

Now, there are approximately

而每年在美國的醫院裡

約有十八萬五千個

185,000 amputation-related hospital discharges

every year in the U.S.

截肢案例

These injuries are due to accidents or illnesses.

這些傷可能是意外或疾病造成

Certainly the percentage is low comparing to the total population

雖然整體百分比

比起總人數並不起眼

if you only live for a hundred years.

假如你只活了一百年

However, if you've been alive for over one million years,

然而，假如你活了

超過一百萬年

the odds of still having all your limbs are pretty slim.

你還好手好腳的機率會是微乎其微

What about little accessories,

那其他身體部位又如何？

like your eyes, your nose, your ears,

像是眼睛

鼻子

耳朵

fingers or toes?

手指腳趾

What about your teeth?

牙齒呢？

What are the odds of you keeping your dental health

幾百年後

你還保有健康牙齒的機率有多少？

for a hundred years?

A thousand years?

幾千年後呢？

One million years?

幾百萬年後又如何？

You might end up looking like a horribly scuffed-up Mr. Potato Head

最後你可能會變成

一個嚴重磨損的大頭娃娃

with missing pieces and dentures.

缺了手腳也缺了牙齒

So, are you sure you want to live forever?

所以，你確定你還想長生不老嗎？

現在，哪種超能力

Now, which superpower physics lesson will you explore next?

你還想了解更多呢？

Shifting body size and content,

伸縮自如

super speed,

閃電俠般的速度

flight,

飛行能力

super strength,

力大無窮

immortality,

長生不老

and --

以及

invisibility.

隱形能力