What Do Insects Do When Nature Calls? | Saad Bhamla | TED

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

I love bugs.

我爱虫子。

I think of them as nature’s tiny engineers

我认为它们就是 自然界的小小工程师，

because they come up with the most extraordinary and incredible solutions

因为它们会为生活中的问题 想出最特别、最惊艳的解决方法。

to life’s problems.

我很喜欢观察它们，

And I just love observing them

because they're so full of surprises and curiosities.

因为它们充满了惊喜和好奇心。

During my career, I studied spiders that use their webs as a slingshot

在我的职业生涯中，我研究了 一种亚马逊雨林深处的蜘蛛，

to capture prey deep in the Amazon rainforest,

把蜘蛛网用作弹弓，捕捉猎物，

worms that tangle up with each other

我研究了一种蠕虫， 它们互相缠绕，

and form knots to form these shape-shifting blobs

缠成结，形成 形状魔幻莫测的一团，

to survive in harsh environments such as sewers and caves,

让它们得以在严酷环境， 如下水道和洞穴中生存，

and tiny aquatic beetles that bring their own scuba gear when they dive,

还有小小的水生甲虫， 潜水时屁股上还有自带的潜水装备。

on their butts.

But today, I'm going to tell you a story

但是今天， 我想讲的是关于

about one of nature's most extraordinary engineers

自然界最神奇的 工程师之一的故事，

that pushes the limits of fluid mechanics and bioengineering

它拓宽了流体力学 和生物工程的边界，

and, arguably, solves their number one problem --

可以说是解决了 这两个领域的头号问题——

how insects pee.

昆虫是如何排尿的。

A few years ago, my student, Elio Challita, and I

几年前，我和我的学生 艾利欧·查利塔（Elio Challita）

observed this tiny insect having a private moment

在我们亚特兰大的自家后院 观察了这只小虫

in our own backyards in Atlanta,

享受独处时光的样子，

and we couldn't believe our eyes.

我们都不敢相信自己的眼睛。

This insect was peeing for hours,

这只虫子连着尿了几个小时，

and it was so quick we could barely see it.

但是尿得太快了， 我们差点都没看见。

And we were blown away -- we had never seen anything like this.

看到时我们都惊呆了—— 之前从未见过这样的事。

We had never seen an insect pee.

我们从未见过昆虫排尿。

So today, I'm going to tell you how insects pee,

于是，今日我就要告诉大家， 昆虫是如何排尿的，

why they pee so much and in this way,

为什么它们尿得这么多， 为什么这么撒尿，

and finally, why you should care about insect pee.

还有，为什么你得关心 昆虫是如何排尿的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So sit back and relax -- you're in for a treat.

放轻松，你不会白来的。

(Laughter and applause)

（笑声、掌声）

(Laughs) So one of the first things we had to discuss

（笑）我们要讨论的第一件事是

is "Wait a second -- insects pee?"

“等等，昆虫会撒尿？”

And it turns out that almost all insects pee,

其实几乎所有的昆虫都会排尿，

in one form or another.

通过各种各样的方式。

It's a closed system -- what goes in must come out.

这是个封闭系统， 吃进去的必须拉出来。

But the protagonist of today's story, Homalodisca vitripennis,

但是今天这个故事的主角， 褐透翅尖头叶蝉

or a glassy-winged sharpshooter --

或称玻璃翅叶蝉——

isn't it gorgeous?

好看吗？

You can see where it gets its name from, it's got these transparent wings.

顾名思义，它有透明的翅膀。

This insect specializes in feeding on xylem fluid from plants.

这种昆虫善于吸取 植物的木质部汁液。

It’s a sapsucker.

就是个吸汁寄生虫。

But I think of it as a plant's mosquito.

但是我觉得它像是 对植物而言的蚊子。

And just after a mosquito sucks your blood,

蚊子吸了你的血之后，

it leaves behind a parting gift --

它会给你留下分手礼，

so do these sharpshooters

这种蝉也是如此，

that spread bacteria into these plants,

它们把细菌传染给这些植物，

and it causes devastating and deadly diseases in plants,

给植物带来毁灭性的致命疾病，

killing them.

杀死植物。

This is a huge problem in agriculture, including here in California,

这是个农业上的大问题， 在加州这里也是一样，

where it caused millions of dollars in damage to vineyards.

给葡萄园造成了 上百万美元的损失。

And you can appreciate what they lack in size,

你能体会到，它们微小的体型，

they make up in numbers.

会用众多的数量弥补。

This is what millions of insects feeding and peeing looks like.

几百万只昆虫吃喝拉撒 就会出现这个场面。

If only this woman knew where that water was coming from.

要是这位女士知道 这水是从哪儿来的就好了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, don't worry, this insect's pee is just water.

但是别担心， 这种虫子的尿液只是水而已。

And so for the first time, I'm going to show you this behavior,

这是我第一次 给大家看这个动作，

slowed down with our high-speed cameras,

经过高速相机的放慢，

and this is what we discovered.

我们看到了这样的结果。

We realized that this insect forms a droplet of pee,

我们发现，这种昆虫 尿出了一滴尿，

and then it flings them at extreme accelerations,

然后以超高加速度 把它喷了出去，

of 40 g-forces.

加速度为 40 个 g。

That's 40 times faster than the sprint of a cheetah.

比猎豹的冲刺加速度快 40 倍。

These insects are really packing a punch from their butts.

这种昆虫真的 是在用屁股重拳出击。

And we wanted to under-- (Laughs)

我们想理——（笑）

We wanted to take a closer look at this flicker,

我们想仔细观察一下 这个一闪而过的喷射过程，

so we put this insect and took a look under a microscope at its business end,

于是我们把虫子放在显微镜下 观察它喷射的那一端，

and this beautiful structure has a scientific name:

这个美丽的部位 有着一个“学名”：

it's called a butt flicker.

肛门喷射器。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And this is what we discovered.

我们得到了这样的结果。

We realized that this insect had evolved springs and latches,

我们发现，这种昆虫 进化出了弹簧和弹簧锁，

just like a catapult, so that it could efficiently hurl its droplets of pee,

和弹射器差不多， 所以它可以高速喷出尿滴，

repeatedly, at these high accelerations.

反复喷射，保持高加速度。

Now, we wanted to measure the speed at which this flicker was moving,

我们想测量 这个喷射器摆动的速度

and the droplets,

和尿滴移动的速度，

so we measured the speed of both the droplets and the flicker.

于是对两个速度都进行了测量。

And this is where we made a puzzling observation.

我们得出了一个令人困惑的结果。

The speed of the droplets in the air was faster than the flicker.

尿滴在空气中移动的速度 比喷射器摆动得快。

So if you take a ratio of that, we were expecting it to be 100 percent,

如果以比率计算， 结果本该是 1:1，

but turns out that the speed of the droplets

但结果是尿滴的速度

are about 150 to 200 [percent] faster than the flicker itself.

是喷射器摆动速度的 150 到 200%。

This is why this is counterintuitive:

这就是为什么你会觉得不符合常理：

imagine a Yankees baseball player throwing a ball at 100 miles an hour.

假如一名纽约洋基队棒球手 以 100 英里每小时的速度投球。

At some point during that throw,

在这一投的某一瞬间，

their hands and fingers are moving at 100 miles an hour.

这位投手的手和手指会以 100 英里每小时的速度挥动。

Say an amateur ballplayer throws a ball at 50 miles an hour,

假设一名业余球员 以 50 英里每小时的速度投球，

and if you measure the speed of the ball

你测量了一下球速，

and it's 100 miles an hour in midair,

结果在空中的速度是 100 英里每小时，

we’d be surprised -- where would that extra speed come from, right?

那我们就会很惊讶： 这额外的速度是哪里来的，对吧？

This is exactly what these insects are doing.

这就是这些虫子身上出现的现象。

So to solve this puzzle, we went back and looked at our videos.

为了解开这个谜题， 我们又返回去看了视频。

And we’ll play this a couple of times --

我们多放几遍——

see if you can figure this out.

看看你能不能看出玄机。

Did you catch it?

看到了吗？

Let me grab a frame.

我来截一帧。

We realized that unlike a baseball that’s rigid ...

我们发现， 与硬质棒球不同，

due to surface tension, these tiny droplets are squishy,

表面张力会让这些小尿滴软软的，

and we had an “aha” moment.

于是我们恍然大悟。

We were wondering if this insect is storing energy

我们在思考这种虫子是不是

due to the surface tension just before launch.

会在发射尿液之前 依靠表面张力储存能量。

And to test this, we did, naturally, what any of us would do --

为了验证这个想法，我们自然而然 采取了一个约定俗成的做法：

we converted our kitchen tables into a lab to test this.

把餐桌当成实验室测试一下。

So now, we're going to place droplets on a speaker,

我们把水滴放置在扩音器上，

to squish them at high speeds,

这样可以高速挤压水滴，

and this is what we discovered.

我们得出了这样的结果。

We realized that water that flows in our faucets like a liquid,

我们发现从水龙头 流出来的液态水，

at these tiny scales, due to surface tension,

如果体积非常小， 那么由于表面张力，

with the right timing, can get a kick, store energy,

加上合适的时机， 就会被激活，储存能量，

and if you time it just right,

如果时机刚刚好，

you can launch these off at extremely high speeds,

就可以以超高速发射这些水滴，

just like a child on a trampoline.

就像蹦床上的小朋友。

And to test this idea of timing, we even built a catapult.

为了验证关于时机的想法， 我们甚至做了一个投石机。

Our should I say a "cata-pee"?

或者叫“投尿机”？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And it reinforced this idea: too slow, the droplets don’t go off,

这巩固了这个观点： 投得太慢了，水滴飞不出去，

and then if you move at the right speed, you've flung this.

如果摆动的速度刚刚好， 你就能把水滴丢出去。

So I've told you today

我刚刚已经告诉了大家

how these insects use this catapulting structure

这种虫子如何通过 这个弹射器结构

to store energy and surface tension

储存能量，储存表面张力，

and throw these droplets at record-breaking speeds

以石破天惊的速度把尿液喷射出去，

to be, really, number one ...

勇夺桂冠，

at number one.

拔得头筹。

(Laughs) But why have these insects evolved this remarkable ability?

（笑）但是为什么这种虫子 会进化出这种惊人的能力呢？

And there are two reasons for this.

有两个原因。

Number one is they are on a zero-calorie diet.

第一，它们的摄入是零卡的。

These tiny bugs are feeding from the xylem fluid

这些小虫子靠木质部汁液生存，

that comes up through the roots, through the soil,

来源于根茎，通过土壤，

and goes to the rest of the plant.

流经植物的其余部位。

It's very, very poor in nutrients --

汁液里的营养相当匮乏，

it's just water and some minerals.

只有水和一些矿物质。

This is unlike the phloem fluid, which is rich in sugar,

木质部汁液与富含糖类的 韧皮部汁液不同，

coming through photosynthesis at the leaves

韧皮部汁液会 通过叶片上的光合作用，

and going through the rest of the plant.

流经植物的其余部位。

这就类似于一个人

This is akin to a human

purely sustaining themselves on a diet of diet lemonade.

只喝健怡柠檬水过活。

Very low energy source --

这是非常低的能量来源，

you'd have to constantly drink, but you'd have to constantly pee as well.

你得不停地喝， 但你也得不停地撒尿。

This still doesn't explain why these insects pee in droplets,

但这依然没有解释 为什么这些昆虫的尿液是液滴，

and not in jets, like you and I would,

而不是我们上厕所时都有的尿柱。

if you were to take a bio break.

Let's take a look at cicadas.

我们来看看蝉的情况。

These are the cousins of these sharpshooters.

它们是这些“神枪手”的近亲。

They're also xylem fluid feeders ...

它们也依靠木质部汁液生存，

and they pee in jets.

但它们尿出的是尿柱。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I love this video.

好喜欢这个视频。

This shows cicadas doing two of their favorite things

展示了蝉蛰伏过后

when they come out of hibernation --

最喜欢干的两件事：

singing at the top of their lungs and peeing in the wind.

放声高歌和顶风撒尿。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And the second reason why these insects pee in droplets is size --

这些昆虫的尿液呈液滴的 第二个原因是体积——

these things are tiny, they're smaller than my pinky.

这些虫子很小， 比我的小拇指还小。

In fact, the surface tension that enables them to store energy

事实上，尿滴内含有的使它们 能够储存喷射能量的表面张力，

in these droplets to launch

is actually an impediment,

其实是个阻碍，

because gravity doesn't matter,

因为重力起不到什么作用，

and surface tension sticks these droplets to their bodies.

而表面张力把尿滴 吸在了它们的身上。

So they actually have to flick these droplets away --

这就说明它们得把尿滴抛出去，

it's actually very difficult for these tiny bugs to pee.

也就意味着这些小虫子 尿尿是非常困难的。

And that's why I just love studying bugs.

这就是为什么我很喜欢研究虫子。

This tiny engineer has figured out how to survive on barely just water

这位小小工程师找到了 仅仅依靠来自木质部汁液的水

through the xylem fluid.

生存下去的方式。

And it’s figured out to do so, it has to drink a lot,

它找到了这么做的方式， 它得喝很多，

and pee a lot.

又尿很多。

In that sense, it's not so different from other engineers I know

这么说的话，和我认识的

周五晚上酒吧里的工程师们 也没什么差别。

on a Friday night at a bar.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But to do so,

但是要做到这一点，

it’s figured out it had to evolve this catapulting structure

它发现它得进化出 一个弹射器结构，

and fling these droplets at high speeds.

再以高速把尿滴丢出去。

And that’s why I always tell my students when we explore new bugs,

也就是为什么我总是会在 研究新虫子的时候告诉我的学生：

"It's not a bug, it's a feature."

“这不是个故障（英同“虫子”）， 这是个功能点。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

OK, so why should you care about insect pee,

那么，为什么你要关心昆虫排尿，

and what’s the practical application of this work?

这种行为有什么实际应用呢？

Maybe, maybe one day,

也许有朝一日，

these ideas, these principles could help us design

这些想法，这些原理 有助于我们设计出

more efficient water-ejector systems

用于智能手机、 手表和助听设备的

for our smartphones, our watches and hearing aids.

更高效的水力喷射器系统。

But I have to be honest,

但老实讲，

that's not really why I've obsessed over insect pee

这不是我在过去四年里

沉迷于研究 昆虫排尿的真正原因。

for the last four years.

I do this because when I share my work with kids,

我做这些是因为 当我与孩子分享我的工作时，

it ignites their curiosity.

这勾起了他们的好奇心。

When I talk about insect pee, it makes their eyes light up.

我在谈论昆虫排尿时， 他们兴奋不已。

They laugh, they run around in their backyards,

他们大笑，在后院里跑来跑去，

looking at bugs and asking questions.

观察虫子，提出问题。

It reminds them and us that we can discover marvelous in the mundane,

这提醒了他们、我们，日常生活中 也有奇妙之处等待我们的发掘，

even in our own backyards.

甚至可以是在我们自己的后院里。

We just have to look closely.

我们只需要细细观察。

Thank you so much.

非常感谢。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼声、掌声）

I've got to go pee.

我得去撒尿了。