Edith Widder: Glowing life in an underwater world

翻译人员: kaye mao 校对人员: Xiaoqiao Xie

In the spirit of Jacques Cousteau, who said,

雅克 库拉多曾经说过：

"People protect what they love,"

“人们都会保护自己所喜爱的事物。“

I want to share with you today what I love most in the ocean,

本着这样的精神，我想将我的海洋之爱与你分享。

and that's the incredible number and variety

那就是这些品种繁多，不计其数的

of animals in it that make light.

会发光的海洋生物。

My addiction began with this strange looking diving suit called Wasp;

我对海洋的热爱始于这件怪模样的，名为Wasp（黄蜂）的潜水衣，

that's not an acronym -- just somebody thought it looked like the insect.

这并不是首字母缩略词，只是有人觉得它长得像黄蜂。

It was actually developed for use by the offshore oil industry

实际上它是由海上石油工业开发，

for diving on oil rigs down to a depth of 2,000 feet.

用于海下2000英尺油井作业的潜水服。

Right after I completed my Ph.D.,

当我刚博士毕业

I was lucky enough to be included with a group of scientists

我有幸加入一个科研小组。

that was using it for the first time

这个科研小组首次将这种潜水服

as a tool for ocean exploration.

应用于探索海洋。

We trained in a tank in Port Hueneme,

我们在休尼梅港的一个水池中接受了训练，

and then my first open ocean dive

接着我的第一次公海潜水

was in Santa Barbara Channel.

就在圣巴巴拉海峡开始了。

It was an evening dive.

这是一次夜间潜水，

I went down to a depth of 880 feet

到达海下880英尺，

and turned out the lights.

我就关掉了所有的灯光。

And the reason I turned out the lights is because I knew I would see

之所以关灯是因为我知道我将看到

this phenomenon of animals making light

生物体发光的现象

called bioluminescence.

科学上称为“生物性光”

But I was totally unprepared

但它的壮观程度

for how much there was

和绚丽多彩

and how spectacular it was.

是远远出乎我的意料的。

I saw chains of jellyfish called siphonophores

我看到了名为“管水母”的水母链，

that were longer than this room,

比这屋子的长度还长。

pumping out so much light

它们发出相当多的光，

that I could read the dials and gauges

即使潜水器里没有灯光，

inside the suit without a flashlight;

我也能读出拨号盘和测量仪的数据。

and puffs and billows

还有或大或小的云状发光体

of what looked like luminous blue smoke;

看起来就像是明亮蓝雾一样，

and explosions of sparks

也有一些像是从助推器涡旋而出的

that would swirl up out of the thrusters --

火光。

just like when you throw a log on a campfire and the embers swirl up off the campfire,

这些火光就像你把一根木头扔进篝火中，火花四溅，

but these were icy, blue embers.

但不同的是这些是冰冷的蓝色火花。

It was breathtaking.

让人兴奋不已。

Now, usually if people are familiar with bioluminescence at all,

通常熟悉生物性光这个概念的人知道的，

it's these guys; it's fireflies.

是这些小东西，萤火虫，

And there are a few other land-dwellers that can make light --

以及少数陆居生物，

some insects, earthworms, fungi --

比如某些昆虫，蚯蚓和真菌等。

but in general, on land, it's really rare.

总体来说，陆居发光生物体是很少见的。

In the ocean, it's the rule

但在海洋里，这是生存法则，

rather than the exception.

并非特例。

If I go out in the open ocean environment,

试想，我进到公海区域，

virtually anywhere in the world,

世界上哪里的海域都可以，

and I drag a net from 3,000 feet to the surface,

在海峡3000英尺处撒张网，一直拽上海面，

most of the animals --

大多数捕到的生物，

in fact, in many places, 80 to 90 percent

实际上，在很多地方，

of the animals that I bring up in that net --

80%-90%捕到的生物

make light.

都可以发光。

This makes for some pretty spectacular light shows.

这足以组成一场盛大的灯展了。

Now I want to share with you a little video

接下来我想分享一段

that I shot from a submersible.

我从潜水器里拍摄的短片。

I first developed this technique working from a little

首先我将这项技术应用于

single-person submersible called Deep Rover

名为“深海漫游者”的单人潜水器上，

and then adapted it for use on the Johnson Sea-Link,

随后便运用于你现在所看到的

which you see here.

琼森海洋连接器

So, mounted in front of the observation sphere,

请看，安装在观察区前的是

there's a a three-foot diameter hoop

一个直径为三英尺的铁环，

with a screen stretched across it.

环上铺设了一层屏幕。

And inside the sphere with me is an intensified camera

在潜水器内我架设了一架高敏相机，

that's about as sensitive as a fully dark-adapted human eye,

其敏感度不亚于完全适应黑暗的人眼

albeit a little fuzzy.

唯一美中不足的是图像稍微有一点模糊。

So you turn on the camera, turn out the lights.

然后打开摄像机，关上光设备

That sparkle you're seeing is not luminescence,

你现在看到的并不是生物性光，

that's just electronic noise

是高敏相机上的

on these super intensified cameras.

电子噪音。

You don't see luminescence until the submersible

当潜水器在水中前行时

begins to move forward through the water,

就可以看到荧光了。

but as it does, animals bumping into the screen

但正如所设计的那样，这些生物无意中撞到屏幕上

are stimulated to bioluminesce.

受了刺激而发了光。

Now, when I was first doing this,

起初使用设备拍摄时，

all I was trying to do was count the numbers of sources.

我只想去统计发光体的数量。

I knew my forward speed, I knew the area,

我知道潜水器的前行速度，也知道（这个屏幕的）面积

and so I could figure out how many hundreds of sources

我就能算出

there were per cubic meter.

每立方米有几万个发光体。

But I started to realize that I could actually identify animals

后来我开始意识到，我能通过这些发光体所产生的不同类型的光

by the type of flashes they produced.

去辨别这些生物的种类。

And so, here, in the Gulf of Maine

然后我就这样做了，

at 740 feet,

缅因湾海下740英尺，

I can name pretty much everything you're seeing there to the species level.

你能看到的发光生物我差不多都能叫出它们的种类

Like those big explosions, sparks,

比如这些大爆炸，蓝焰

are from a little comb jelly,

都来自一种小栉水母。

and there's krill and other kinds of crustaceans,

还有这些是磷虾，甲壳类动物

and jellyfish.

以及水母，

There was another one of those comb jellies.

这里看到的也是栉水母的一种。

And so I've worked with computer image analysis engineers

接着我和计算机图形分析工程师合作，

to develop automatic recognition systems

共同开发出一种自动识别系统，

that can identify these animals

这个系统能够辨别出这些生物种类，

and then extract the XYZ coordinate of the initial impact point.

并提取原始碰撞点的立体坐标。

And we can then do the kinds of things that ecologists do on land,

然后就能和生态学家研究陆地生物一样（来研究海洋生物），

and do nearest neighbor distances.

做最邻近搜索（NNS）。

But you don't always have to go down to the depths of the ocean

但你不必为看这些灯展

to see a light show like this.

而总潜到深海去。

You can actually see it in surface waters.

实际上水面上就可以了。

This is some shot, by Dr. Mike Latz at Scripps Institution,

这是由SCRIPPS机构的麦克 拉兹博士拍摄的一段

of a dolphin swimming through bioluminescent plankton.

海豚在发光浮游生物间穿行的录像。

And this isn't someplace exotic

而且拍摄地也不像PURTO RICO湾

like one of the bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico,

有那么多奇特怪异的发光体。

this was actually shot in San Diego Harbor.

实际上这段录像拍摄于圣地亚哥港。

And sometimes you can see it even closer than that,

其实你还可以更近距离地观察这种发光现象。

because the heads on ships --

因为“船头”（heads on ships）

that's toilets, for any land lovers that are listening --

对许多在听的不熟悉海上生活的人来说，其实就是厕所——

are flushed with unfiltered seawater

是用未经过滤的海水来冲马桶的。里面通常

that often has bioluminescent plankton in it.

都含有发光浮游生物。

So, if you stagger into the head late at night

当某个晚上你跌撞的冲进厕所

and you're so toilet-hugging sick

难受的太厉害，恨不得抱着马桶大吐。

that you forget to turn on the light,

忘记了开灯，

you may think that you're having a religious experience. (Laughter)

那是你也许会觉得自己看到了神明下凡呢。

So, how does a living creature make light?

那么这些生物是怎么样发光的呢。

Well, that was the question that 19th century

唔，这是十九世纪研究的问题。

French physiologist Raphael Dubois,

法国生理学家Raphael Dubois

asked about this bioluminescent clam.

对这些发光蛤进行了探索研究。

He ground it up and he managed to get out a couple of chemicals;

他将这些蛤碾碎，并成功的从中提取出几种化学物质。

one, the enzyme, he called luciferase;

其中之一是一种酶，Dubois命名为荧光素酶，

the substrate, he called luciferin

依据素有“明亮之星”之称的金星，

after Lucifer the Lightbearer.

他将这种发现的酶作用物称之为“荧光素”。

That terminology has stuck, but it doesn't actually refer to specific chemicals

这些化学术语沿用至今，但事实上由于这些荧光化学物质

because these chemicals come in a lot of different shapes and forms.

种类繁多，形态各异，这个术语并不代表任何具体的化学物质。

In fact, most of the people

其实，当代从事生物性光研究的学者

studying bioluminescence today

都将化学性质作为研究重点。

are focused on the chemistry, because these chemicals

因为这些化学性质

have proved so incredibly valuable

在很多领域都有宝贵的应用。

for developing antibacterial agents,

比如用此开发些抗病毒药剂，

cancer fighting drugs,

抗癌药物，

testing for the presence of life on Mars,

测试火星生命体迹象，

detecting pollutants in our waters --

或测试生活用水中的污染物。

which is how we use it at ORCA.

这项探测技术正用于ORCA。

In 2008,

2008年，

the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

诺贝尔化学奖

was awarded for work done

的研究成果是一种

on a molecule called green fluorescent protein

名为绿荧光蛋白的分子，

that was isolated from the bioluminescent chemistry

这种分子是从

of a jellyfish,

水母的发光物质里提取出来的。

and it's been equated to the invention of the microscope,

从其对细胞生物学和基因工程

in terms of the impact that it has had

的影响来看，

on cell biology and genetic engineering.

这无异于显微镜的发明。

Another thing all these molecules are telling us

所有的这些分子还告诉我们，

that, apparently, bioluminescence has evolved

显然，发光性生物至少进化过40次。

at least 40 times, maybe as many as 50 separate times

有可能进化了

in evolutionary history,

50次也说不定。

which is a clear indication

这也很清楚的表明，

of how spectacularly important

这种发光能力，

this trait is for survival.

对生存是及其重要的。

So, what is it about bioluminescence

那么，究竟是什么，

that's so important to so many animals?

使得这种生物性光对深海生物如此重要。

Well, for animals that are trying to avoid predators

为了躲避捕食者，

by staying in the darkness,

他们躲在黑暗里。

light can still be very useful

然而为了生物体的存活，

for the three basic things that animals have to do to survive:

光的重要性至少能体现在最基本的三件事上

and that's find food,

那就是寻找食物，

attract a mate and avoid being eaten.

吸引异性，以及躲避天敌。

So, for example, this fish

请看，这条鱼眼背后

has a built-in headlight behind its eye

有一个内嵌灯，

that it can use for finding food

可以用来发现食物

or attracting a mate.

或吸引异性。

And then when it's not using it, it actually can roll it down into its head

当不需要光时，鱼就能将其翻向颅内

just like the headlights on your Lamborghini.

类似你的兰博基尼汽车的车头灯。

This fish actually has high beams.

再看这条鱼，装备的还是远光灯。

And this fish, which is one of my favorites,

这条，也是我最喜欢的鱼之一，

has three headlights on each side of its head.

头的两侧各有三个灯。

Now, this one is blue,

这个灯发蓝光，

and that's the color of most bioluminescence in the ocean

蓝色也是深海生物性光最普遍的颜色。

because evolution has selected

优胜劣汰，适者生存，

for the color that travels farthest through seawater

蓝色是海水中传播最远的光束，

in order to optimize communication.

也借此来优化深海信息传播。

So, most animals make blue light,

大部分深海生物发蓝光，

and most animals can only see blue light,

而且大多数只能看到蓝光。

but this fish is a really fascinating exception

但这条鱼却异常奇特

because it has two red light organs.

因为它有两个红光器官。

And I have no idea why there's two,

我不知道为什么是两个，

and that's something I want to solve some day --

这也是我将来想研究的问题。

but not only can it see blue light,

这样看来，他们不仅能看到蓝光，

but it can see red light.

还可以看见红光。

So it uses its red bioluminescence like a sniper's scope

所以，这种生物性红光就像狙击手的瞄准仪

to be able to sneak up on animals

让这类鱼偷偷靠近看不到红光的生物，

that are blind to red light

在不被看见的情况下，

and be able to see them without being seen.

看见其他生物。

It's also got a little chin barbel here

在这，下巴须这还有一个蓝色诱饵，

with a blue luminescent lure on it

在这，下巴须这还有一个蓝色诱饵，

that it can use to attract prey from a long way off.

借此来吸引远距离猎物。

And a lot of animals will use their bioluminescence as a lure.

其实很多生物都用它们的生物性光来吸引猎物。

This is another one of my favorite fish.

这是另一条我喜欢的鱼。

This is a viperfish, and it's got a lure

毒蛇鱼

on the end of a long fishing rod

在它长长背鳍上有一个捕食诱饵，

that it arches in front of the toothy jaw

这个诱饵从它长满牙的下巴拱起，

that gives the viperfish its name.

这也是它名字的来源。

The teeth on this fish are so long

这条鱼的牙齿很长，

that if they closed inside the mouth of the fish,

如果这些牙齿合在这条鱼的嘴里，

it would actually impale its own brain.

它会刺穿自己的脑袋。

So instead, it slides in grooves

所以，它的牙齿

on the outside of the head.

只能在头部外滑动。

This is a Christmas tree of a fish;

这个毒蛇鱼像一棵圣诞树，

everything on this fish lights up,

它身上的每处都会发光。

it's not just that lure.

它不光是有那个会发光的捕食诱饵，

It's got a built-in flashlight.

它（还在头上）长了个手电筒。

It's got these jewel-like light organs on its belly

它(还)在腹部发出这些珠宝般的亮光，

that it uses for a type of camouflage

来当作一种保护色，

that obliterates its shadow,

因为这种亮光能使它的影子消失。

so when it's swimming around and there's a predator looking up from below,

当有捕食者从下往上看这条游鱼时，

it makes itself disappear.

它能(通过这种腹部的亮光)让自己消失。

It's got light organs in the mouth,

在它的嘴内也有发光器官，

it's got light organs in every single scale, in the fins,

它身上每处都有发光器官，

in a mucus layer on the back and the belly,

鳍上，在背部的粘液层上，腹部等。

all used for different things --

它们的作用都各不相同，

some of which we know about, some of which we don't.

有些为我们所知，有些则不然。

And we know a little bit more about bioluminescence thanks to Pixar,

对于在生物性光研究取得的进步，要归功于皮克斯公司，

and I'm very grateful to Pixar for sharing

是皮克斯公司让我与大家分享我喜欢的主题。

my favorite topic with so many people.

对此，我感激不尽。

I do wish, with their budget,

我也希望，

that they might have spent just a tiny bit more money

他们给研究生的预算可以多那么一点点。

to pay a consulting fee to some poor, starving graduate student,

要知道，这些经费不足，求知欲强的大学生

who could have told them that those are the eyes

本来可以向他们展示这些

of a fish that's been preserved in formalin.

保存在福尔马林里的鱼眼。

These are the eyes of a living anglerfish.

这是一条活琵琶鱼(安康鱼)的眼睛。

So, she's got a lure that she sticks out

她有针尖的牙齿，

in front of this living mousetrap

活像一个生物捕鼠器。

of needle-sharp teeth

它的发光器官从牙齿上突出，

in order to attract in some unsuspecting prey.

从而吸引这些未设防的猎物。

And this one has a lure

这条鱼的发光器官

with all kinds of little interesting threads coming off it.

是从这里穿出的针，相当有意思。

Now we used to think that the different shape of the lure

我们过去认为这些形状各异的发光器光

was to attract different types of prey,

是为吸引不同类型的猎物.

but then stomach content analyses on these fish

但科学家，更多的是他们的研究生，

done by scientists, or more likely their graduate students,

对这些鱼的内容物进行分析，

have revealed that

发现

they all eat pretty much the same thing.

他们吃的东西几乎一模一样。

So, now we believe that the different shape of the lure

所以现在我们认为在琵琶鱼上这些不同类型的发光器官,

is how the male recognizes the female

是为了让雄性鱼能够

in the anglerfish world,

识别雌性鱼的。

because many of these males

因为很多雄性鱼

are what are known as dwarf males.

都有"侏儒男"之称。

This little guy

这些小东西

has no visible means of self-support.

没有可见的自给工具。

He has no lure for attracting food

他们没有诱饵吸引食物，

and no teeth for eating it when it gets there.

即使食物就在嘴边，他们也没牙去咬。

His only hope for existence on this planet

在这种环境里，他的一线生机

is as a gigolo. (Laughter)

就是吃软饭。

He's got to find himself a babe

他要为自己找到一个

and then he's got to latch on for life.

可以依附一生的伴侣。

So this little guy

自然，

has found himself this babe,

这个小东西找到了伴侣，

and you will note that he's had the good sense

你会注意到，这条矮雄鱼还挺聪明的，“他“这么一粘上去，

to attach himself in a way that he doesn't actually have to look at her.

这辈子“他“连瞅也不用瞅“她“了。

(Laughter)

（笑）

But he still knows a good thing when he sees it,

但当他看到雌鱼时，他还是挺积极的。

and so he seals the relationship with an eternal kiss.

他通过给她一个永恒的“吻“，

His flesh fuses with her flesh,

通过和她血肉相连，

her bloodstream grows into his body,

巩固下它们之间的联系。

and he becomes nothing more than a little sperm sac.

他现在活似一个精囊了。

(Laughter)

（笑）

Well, this is a deep-sea version of Women's Lib.

嗯，这是妇女解放运动的深海版。

She always knows where he is,

雌鱼总知道雄鱼的所在，

and she doesn't have to be monogamous,

而且她也不需要嫁夫随夫，

because some of these females

因为很多雄鱼都会依附于

come up with multiple males attached.

一条雌鱼。

So they can use it for finding food, for attracting mates.

所以说，这些生物会利用发光特性来寻找食物，吸引异性。

They use it a lot for defense, many different ways.

更多的是它们用发光特性来防御天敌，具体的方法多种多样。

A lot of them can release their luciferin or luferase in the water

许多生物都能释放他们的荧光素，或者荧光酶

just the way a squid or an octopus will release an ink cloud.

就好像乌贼或章鱼释放的墨团。

This shrimp is actually

很神奇，这条虾

spewing light out of its mouth

会从嘴里射出一道光，

like a fire breathing dragon

像喷火龙一样，

in order to blind or distract this viperfish

这样毒蛇鱼就看不见了，或者注意力被分散了。

so that the shrimp can swim away into the darkness.

然后这条虾就能蹿回黑暗里。

And there are a lot of different animals that can do this:

很多种类各异的生物都有这种能力。

There's jellyfish, there's squid,

水母，章鱼，

there's a whole lot of different crustaceans,

以及各种各样的甲壳类生物。

there's even fish that can do this.

甚至鱼类也有这种能力。

This fish is called the shining tubeshoulder

这条鱼被称为“光亮肩管”鱼。

because it actually has a tube on its shoulder

因为在它的肩上

that can squirt out light.

有一个能喷光的管子。

And I was luck enough to capture one of these

我很有幸能捕到这样一条鱼

when we were on a trawling expedition

那是在非洲西北岸进行的一次捕捞作业，

off the northwest coast of Africa for "Blue Planet,"

是为了（探索频道的）“蓝色星球”的节目做的。

for the deep portion of "Blue Planet."

准确地说是“蓝色星球”节目的深海探险部分。

And we were using a special trawling net

当时我们使用了一种特殊的捕捞网，

that we were able to bring these animals up alive.

这些网可以把生物活着捞上来。

So we captured one of these, and I brought it into the lab.

我们这样捕捞到了这条鱼。我把它带进了实验室。

So I'm holding it,

这是我正捉着它，

and I'm about to touch that tube on its shoulder,

我现在要触碰它肩上的管子，

and when I do, you'll see bioluminescence coming out.

当碰到以后，大家就看到有生物光流出来。

But to me, what's shocking

对我来说，让我惊讶的

is not just the amount of light,

不只是有大量的光喷出，

but the fact that it's not just luciferin and luciferase.

而是，这些光不仅仅是由荧光素和荧光素酶组成，

For this fish, it's actually whole cells

这些鱼喷出的，

with nuclei and membranes.

是具有细胞核和细胞膜的完整细胞。

It's energetically very costly for this fish to do this,

这样看来，喷光对这条鱼来说是极其消耗能量的，

and we have no idea why it does it --

我们也不明白为什么它要这样做，

another one of these great mysteries that needs to be solved.

这也是需要解决的谜团之一。

Now, another form of defense

另外，

is something called a burglar alarm --

还有一种名为“防盗警钟”的防御模式。

same reason you have a burglar alarm on your car;

因为它的原理同你私家车上的防盗报警器是一样的。

the honking horn and flashing lights

鸣笛和闪灯，

are meant to attract the attention of, hopefully,

满怀希望地想吸引警察的注意，

the police that will come and take the burglar away --

警察来了就可以带走这个偷车贼。

when an animal's caught in the clutches of a predator,

当一个生物落入它的天敌的魔爪中，

its only hope for escape may be

这个生物唯一的潜逃机会

to attract the attention of something bigger and nastier

就是去吸引更大的，更危险的，

that will attack their attacker,

能够袭击自己天敌的生物，

thereby affording them a chance for escape.

这样就能为他们提供潜逃机会。

This jellyfish, for example, has

比如这条水母，

a spectacular bioluminescent display.

上演了一场精彩的发光秀。

This is us chasing it in the submersible.

这是我们在潜水器里的追捕画面，

That's not luminescence, that's reflected light from the gonads.

这里（你看到）的光并不是生物性光，而是来自生殖腺的反射光。

We capture it in a very special device on the front of the submersible

我们在潜水器前方安装了一种特殊的装置来捕捉水母，

that allows us to bring it up in really pristine condition,

这个装置能让我们捕获最原始状态的水母，

bring it into the lab on the ship.

并带到船上的实验室。

And then to generate the display you're about to see,

然后就产生了大家即将看到的。

all I did was touch it once per second

我用像鱼牙齿一样的尖状物，

on its nerve ring with a sharp pick

以每秒一次的频率

that's sort of like the sharp tooth of a fish.

去刺激它的神经环。

And once this display gets going, I'm not touching it anymore.

开始发光之后，我就不再去刺激它了。

This is an unbelievable light show.

这是一场难以置信的光展，

It's this pinwheel of light,

这像是光做的风车。

and I've done calculations that show that this could be seen

我曾经计算过，

from as much as 300 feet away by a predator.

300英尺以外的捕食者也能看到这些光。

And I thought, "You know,

所以我认为，

that might actually make a pretty good lure."

这些光着实是相当不错的诱饵。

Because one of the things that's frustrated me

因此，作为一名深海探索者，

as a deep-sea explorer

有一个问题一直困扰着我，

is how many animals there probably are in the ocean that we know nothing about

那就是，海洋里究竟有多少生物， 是由于我们的探索手段的问题，

because of the way we explore the ocean.

而使我们对他们一无所知的？

The primary way that we know about what lives in the ocean

我们认识了解海洋生物的主要方法就是

is we go out and drag nets behind ships.

出海，撒网，

And I defy you to name any other branch of science

我不认为任何其他的科学研究领域

that still depends on hundreds of year-old technology.

还在使用这么老掉牙的技术。

The other primary way is we go down

其它主要途径就是乘潜水器下海，

with submersibles and remote-operated vehicles.

以及使用遥控的工具。

I've made hundreds of dives in submersibles.

我曾随潜水器下水几百次，

When I'm sitting in a submersible though,

即使当我只坐在潜水器里

I know that I'm not unobtrusive at all --

什么都不干，我也是非常招摇的。

I've got bright lights and noisy thrusters --

随我而来的是很亮的探照光，推进器产生的噪音。

any animal with any sense is going to be long gone.

任何稍有知觉的生物都躲得远远的了。

So, I've wanted for a long time

所以，很长一段时间内

to figure out a different way to explore.

我一直想研究出一种别的探索方法。

And so, sometime ago, I got this idea for a camera system.

接着，前不久，我想到了利用摄像系统来探索。

It's not exactly rocket science. We call this thing Eye-in-the-Sea.

这其实并没那么复杂，我们称这个系统为“海洋之眼”。

And scientists have done this on land for years;

科学家们多年来在陆地上已经用类似的手段，

we just use a color that the animals can't see

我们只是换了一种深海生物看不到的，

and then a camera that can see that color.

但摄像机却可以识别的颜色。

You can't use infrared in the sea.

海洋里无法使用红外线，

We use far-red light, but even that's a problem

因而我们使用的是远红光。但还有个问题就是，

because it gets absorbed so quickly.

光被吸收的太快了。

Made an intensified camera,

所以我们设计了高敏相机，

wanted to make this electronic jellyfish.

来制造这只“电水母”。

Thing is, in science,

问题是作科研，

you basically have to tell the funding agencies what you're going to discover

你得告诉筹资机构你能发现什么，

before they'll give you the money.

然后你才能得到科研资金。

And I didn't know what I was going to discover,

我不知道我能发现什么，

so I couldn't get the funding for this.

自然也没能得到资金。

So I kluged this together, I got the Harvey Mudd Engineering Clinic

所以我就只好七拼八凑。起初我委托哈维姆德工程院

to actually do it as an undergraduate student project initially,

将（这个假水母的研究）作为本科生的研究项目。

and then I kluged funding from a whole bunch of different sources.

再后来，通过各种各样的渠道，我终于凑得了科研基金。

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

蒙特利湾水族馆研究中心

gave me time with their ROV

将他们的水下机器人给了我。

so that I could test it and we could figure out,

然后我就能进行些测试和研究。

you know, for example, which colors of red light we had to use

比如，应该用什么样的红光，使让我们看到海洋生物，

so that we could see the animals, but they couldn't see us --

而他们看不到我们，

get the electronic jellyfish working.

还得确保这台电水母顺利工作。

And you can see just what a shoestring operation this really was,

大家可以看到我们的预算确实有限，

because we cast these 16 blue LEDs in epoxy

因为，当我把这16个蓝色二极管粘到这个塑料圈上时——

and you can see in the epoxy mold that we used,

这里你可以看见我们用的塑料模子，

the word Ziploc is still visible.

你还看得见ZIPLOC（生产厨房用品的厂家）的字样。

Needless to say, when it's kluged together like this,

不用说，在对各种光进行组合搭配时，

there were a lot of trials and tribulations getting this working.

我们经历了许多尝试和失败，才得以研究出这种符合条件的光。

But there came a moment when it all came together,

这样的时候，就是所有工作就绪，

and everything worked.

所有设备都能投入使用，

And, remarkably, that moment got caught on film

我们兴奋不已。而这弥足珍贵的一刻

by photographer Mark Richards,

被刚好在那里的摄像师

who happened to be there at the precise moment

马克 瑞查德拍摄了下来。

that we discovered that it all came together.

这时刻我们知道整个事情成了。

That's me on the left,

左边的是我，

my graduate student at the time, Erika Raymond,

然后是我带的毕业生 艾丽卡 莱蒙德

and Lee Fry, who was the engineer on the project.

以及该项目的工程师 李 弗莱

And we have this photograph posted in our lab in a place of honor

我们把相片挂在实验室最显著的地方，

with the caption: "Engineer satisfying two women at once." (Laughter)

图注为“工程师同时满足了两个女人”

And we were very, very happy.

当时真的是太开心了。

So now we had a system

现在终于有了能将我们带到

that we could actually take to some place

海底天堂的设备了。

that was kind of like an oasis on the bottom of the ocean

而这片海底天堂很可能是

that might be patrolled by large predators.

大型捕食者的天下。

And so, the place that we took it to

所以，我们将设备

was this place called a Brine Pool,

安置在墨西哥湾北部的

which is in the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico.

盐池区内。

It's a magical place.

这个地方很神奇。

And I know this footage isn't going to look like anything to you --

我猜这段录像不足以吸引大家的眼球，

we had a crummy camera at the time --

鉴于那时逊色的摄像机

but I was ecstatic.

但我却狂喜不已。

We're at the edge of the Brine Pool,

这是在盐池边上，

there's a fish that's swimming towards the camera.

有条鱼正向相机游来，

It's clearly undisturbed by us.

显然，我们没打扰到它。

And I had my window into the deep sea.

这样子我找到了通向深海的窗口。

I, for the first time, could see what animals were doing down there

这是第一次。我看到这些不受任何人影响的

when we weren't down there disturbing them in some way.

深海生物究竟在干什么。

Four hours into the deployment,

四个小时的准备工作之后，

we had programmed the electronic jellyfish

我们第一次

to come on for the first time.

将电水母投入使用

Eighty-six seconds after

我们的电水母开始发光，（就像前面提到的真的水母所作的光风车一样，）86秒之后，

it went into its pinwheel display,

我们拍摄到了

we recorded this:

这个画面。

This is a squid, over six feet long,

这是条章鱼，足有六英尺长。

that is so new to science,

我们对它没有一点了解，

it cannot be placed in any known scientific family.

所以不能将它归入任何现存的动物种类中去。

I could not have asked for a better proof of concept.

这是我能得到的最好的证据，来说明我的研究方法是正确的。

And based on this, I went back to the National Science Foundation

依靠拍摄到的内容，我又回头找到国家科学基金1，

and said, "This is what we will discover."

并告诉他们，“（如果你们给我们资金）这就是我们会发现的”。

And they gave me enough money to do it right,

他们就给了我足够的资金去更好地做这项研究，

which has involved developing the world's first deep-sea webcam --

其中也包括开发第一架深海网络摄像头，

which has been installed in

这个摄像头

the Monterey Canyon for the past year --

去年被安装在蒙特利的海底峡谷。

and now, more recently,

现在，也就是最近，

a modular form of this system,

我们开发出了比这个摄像头

a much more mobile form

更为灵活的模型。

that's a lot easier to launch and recover,

这个模型更便于水下作业，而且能够再回收。

that I hope can be used on Sylvia's "hope spots"

我希望这个装置可以用来

to help explore

探索和保护

and protect these areas,

西维亚所说的“希望之地”。

and, for me, learn more about

同时让我加深对

the bioluminescence in these "hope spots."

“希望之地”的更多生物性光的了解。

So one of these take-home messages here

有一点需要指出的是

is, there is still a lot to explore in the oceans.

海洋里我们需要探索的东西仍然很多。

And Sylvia has said

西维亚曾说，

that we are destroying the oceans before we even know what's in them,

我们尚未弄清海洋里究竟有些什么却已经在破坏它了。

and she's right.

她说的很对。

So if you ever, ever get an opportunity

如果你非常有幸

to take a dive in a submersible,

可以乘潜水器下水，

say yes -- a thousand times, yes --

请一定把握机会。就算你有一千次机会，每次都请下水。

and please turn out the lights.

你会关上灯。

I promise, you'll love it.

我保证，你会爱上那番景象。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

鼓掌