A Giant Jurassic Sea Dragon, Unearthed | Dean R. Lomax | TED

翻译人员: Jincheng Lou 校对人员: Yan Li Xiao

Paleontology.

古生物学。

I know what you're all thinking.

我知道你们在想什么。

"Jurassic Park."

《侏罗纪公园》

Maybe Ross from "Friends."

也许是《老友记》里面的罗斯。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Perhaps even Indiana Jones?

或者印第安纳·琼斯 （Indiana Jones） (《夺宝奇兵》系列电影的主角)？

But that's archaeology.

但那是考古学。

Let me show you some real paleontology.

让我给你看一些真正的古生物学。

Now, first of all,

那么，首先，

let's take a step back in time.

让我们把时间往前拉一点。

Not quite to the Jurassic, at least not yet,

不是拉到侏罗纪时代， 至少不用往前拉那么多，

but to January 21, 2021,

就在 2021 年的 1 月 21 日，

when I received an email

我收到了一封邮件，

about a curious discovery made in Rutland in the Midlands.

关于在中部地区拉特兰 的一个奇怪的发现。

As a paleontologist, you can probably imagine,

作为一个古生物学家，你应该能想像得到 我曾收到过很多短信和邮件，

I get countless messages and emails from people saying,

"Oh, we've made a cool fossil discovery."

说：“我发现了一个超酷的化石。”

Being completely honest, most of the time,

老实说，它们中的绝大多数

it turns out to be, well, a weird shaped rock,

其实，只是一块奇形怪状的石头，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But, little did I know this email would change my life.

但是，当时我并不知道 这封邮件会改变我的生活。

The find had been made Rutland Water Nature Reserve by Joe Davis,

乔·戴维斯 （Joe Davis） 在拉特兰水域自然保护区发现了它，

who works for the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

他在莱斯特郡和拉特兰 野生动物信托组织工作，

who run the reserve in partnership with Anglian Water, who own the land.

并且他与拥有这片土地的盎格鲁水务 公司合作管理着这片保护区。

Whilst doing some routine maintenance in one of the Reserve's lagoons,

当时他在对保护区中的一个泻湖 做一些日常的管理，

he'd lowered the water levels

当他把水位降低的时候，

and Joe had spotted by chance this structure.

他偶然间发现了这样一个特殊的结构。

Unsure of what to make of it, he thought,

由于不确定是什么东西，他想：

"Could this be a bit of old pipe, maybe?

“可能是一些水管？

Or perhaps,

或者

is this a dinosaur skeleton?” he joked.

“这是一个恐龙的骨头？” 他笑着想道。

Luckily,

幸运的是，

Joe thought to himself, "Well,

乔自言自语道：

could it be an important discovery?"

“这会是一个重要的发现吗？”

So crucially, he sought expert advice.

最重要的是，他寻求了专家的建议。

When these photos pinged into my inbox,

当这些照片发送到我邮箱里的时候，

I immediately recognized them as large vertebrae

我立刻就认出来 它们是来自鱼龙，

from the spine of an ichthyosaur,

也就是大家所熟知 的海龙的椎骨的

or as it’s colloquially known as a sea dragon.

一些巨大的椎骨。

Now, I do need to clear that name up just a little bit,

现在我必须澄清一下这个名字，

because, I'm sorry to say, they're not dragons.

因为，很遗憾地说，它们不是龙。

Sorry.

对不起。

They're also not swimming dinosaurs.

它们也不是游泳的恐龙。

They’re not the Loch Ness Monster on tour either.

它们也不是正在巡演的尼斯湖水怪。

And they're most definitely not, as the BBC dubbed them

当然，它们也不是 BBC 所说的那样

"Sea dragon dinosaur dolphin fossils."

“海龙－恐龙－海豚化石。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Terrible.

真糟糕。

Ichthyosaurs are in fact

鱼龙其实是

an awesome group of ancient marine reptiles

很神奇的一种古代海洋爬行动物。

that lived in the prehistoric seas as dinosaurs reigned supreme on the land.

当恐龙正在统治着大陆时， 它们生活在史前海域。

Like modern-day whales and dolphins,

就像现代的鲸鱼和海豚一样，

they gave birth to live young, and they breathed air.

他们生出新的生命， 并且呼吸着空气。

Unfortunately, ichthyosaurs went extinct around 90 million years ago.

不幸的是，鱼龙大概在 九千万年前就灭绝了。

Our Rutland ichthyosaur lived during the early Jurassic,

我们的拉特兰鱼龙 生活在侏罗纪早期，

around about 180 million years ago.

大概一亿八千万年前。

This is a time when Rutland was deep underwater,

那里拉特兰还在海底深处，

covered by an ancient tropical sea.

被古老的热带海洋所覆盖。

Now I spent most of my professional career

我大部分的职业生涯，

of around 14 years

大概有 14 年，

studying thousands of ichthyosaurs.

都在研究着数以千计的鱼龙。

And this has been a great pleasure to travel around the world,

并且，研究着许许多多的鱼龙 同时还能环游世界，是一件很快乐的事。

study lots and lots of ichthyosaurs.

And so when I received these photos,

因此，当我一看到这些照片，

I immediately knew that this could be something very special indeed.

我立刻就能知道 这些东西确实很特别。

But of course, just looking at photos,

当然，只是看图片的话，

it's hard to know exactly whether this is going to be something unique

很难看出这些究竟是一些特别的东西，

or is it just a few vertebrae?

还是说只是一些椎骨？

After speaking to fellow marine reptile expert Dr. Mark Evans,

在和同样收到照片的海洋爬行动物专家 马克·埃文斯 （Mark Evans）博士讨论之后，

who was also sent details of the find,

we decided to visit the site in February.

我们决定前去一探究竟。

And I led a mini excavation,

我领导了一次小型挖掘，

a bit of an exploratory dig to see what we could uncover.

一种探索性的挖掘 来看看我们能挖出什么。

On a cold day in February,

在二月寒冷的一天，

where the ground was literally frozen right beneath our feet,

我们脚下的地面被冻得十分僵硬，

after spending so much time meticulously removing the Jurassic clay

花了很长时间清理掉骨头上 来自侏罗纪时代的泥土以后，

from around the skeleton,

we were blown away

我们都兴奋了起来，

because we revealed what appeared to be a gigantic skeleton

因为我们挖出来的像巨大骨头的东西

unlike anything ever found in Britain before.

跟我们之前在英国 挖出来的完全不一样。

Clearly, this was a big deal.

很明显，这是一件大事。

But we had to be very quick to contain our excitement.

但是我们必须迅速 抑制住我们的兴奋。

Because due to the damp wintery conditions

因为冬季非常潮湿，

and the fact that this was a super fragile skeleton,

并且这是一个超级大的骨架，

it meant it wasn't the right time to collect this ichthyosaur.

这意味着现在并不是 发掘这条鱼龙的时候。

So unfortunately, might seem a little bit counterintuitive,

所以，虽然看起来有点反直觉，

but we had to rebury the ichthyosaur.

但是我们不得不把鱼龙重新埋起来。

And we had to cover it with plastic sheets and then Jurassic clay.

我们不得不用塑料把它包裹起来， 然后用侏罗纪时期的泥土盖起来。

Because you have to remember, this, of course, is an active nature reserve.

因为得知道：这是一个 “活的” 保护区。

And so the nature reserve,

并且这个保护区

they had to raise the water levels.

还得把水位升上去。

Then the ichthyosaur went back under the water,

然后，这条鱼龙就重新回到水里去了，

but it was actually protected.

至少它被保护起来了。

And then waiting for what felt like millions of years.

假装它等了几百万年。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

In six months we were back on site,

六个月后我们又回到了现场，

but this time with a superb team of paleontologists.

但这次我们带来了更专业 的古生物学家的队伍。

When we arrived on site, we had to pick up where we left off.

当我们到现场的时候， 我们不得不从上次中断的地方重新开始。

And so we removed those plastic sheets, remove the Jurassic clay,

打开塑料袋，把侏罗纪时期的土移开，

and start to expose some more of the skeleton.

然后再开始挖掘出更多的骨架。

We were overly ambitious in February.

我们在二月份的时候太过自信了。

We thought, based on that little dig that we did,

我们想：在我们已经挖掘的基础上，

the one-day excavation,

就是上次挖了一天，

we thought, OK, we could probably get the entire skeleton out of the ground

我们想：行吧，我们可能只需要 一星期就能把整个骨架给挖出来吧。

in just one week.

Yeah, we were wrong.

对的，我们错了。

The skeleton was much larger, more important and more complete

这个骨架比我们所有人想像 的都更大，更重要，更完整。

than any of us would have imagined.

And it doubled our time on site.

它使我们在现场的时间增加了一倍。

We spent 14 and a half days altogether, spread over three weeks,

在三周的时间里我们 一共花费了十四天半，

and this was also working very long hours, from sunrise to sunset.

并且每天工作很长时间， 从日出到日落。

Whilst the team was excavating the ichthyosaur,

并且在我们在发掘鱼龙的时候，

we also had to look out for all sorts of other pieces

我们还得小心它在

in the surrounding matrix of the ichthyosaur.

这条鱼龙附近的基石里的其他部分。

So in my hand here,

在我手里拿着的

I'm actually holding one of the isolated teeth from this ichthyosaur.

其实是鱼龙的一颗牙齿。

We also found hundreds of these squid-like ammonites,

我们还发现了几百个 像鱿鱼一样的菊石，

we found lots of fossil shells,

我们发现了许多化石贝壳，

and these are all really important

而且它们都非常非常重要

because they help to build up this bigger picture

因为它们帮助我们来建立 古侏罗纪生态系统，

of the ancient Jurassic ecosystem in which this ichthyosaur lived.

也就是这个鱼龙生活的地方的图景。

The team also had to move fast as well.

考古队伍还必须要尽快。

This really was quite a race against time, because once we exposed the skeleton,

这真的是一场与时间的赛跑， 因为一但我们把骨架发掘出来，

there was more chance that it could end up degrading further.

它们就更有可会进一步分解。

So team members like Dr. Emma Nicholls here, had to apply a consolidant,

所以队伍中的成员，像艾玛·尼科尔斯 （Emma Nicholls）博士不得不加固它，

a thin glue that seeps into the bones

为了能把骨架完整地从地上移开，

and helps them to become more robust to remove the skeleton out of the ground.

向骨架中渗入一层薄薄的胶水。

Once we fully exposed the skeleton,

一旦我们把完整的骨架发掘出来了，

we then could eventually record all of our measurements and get a full data set.

我们才能得到完整的 数据并把它记录下来，

For example, like for the skull.

例如，像这个骨头。

Nigel here, who I co-led the excavation with,

奈杰尔 （Nigel）在这与我共同领导挖掘，

so Nigel focused on the conservation side of things,

奈杰尔负责这里的保护工作，

ensuring that the ichthyosaur remains safe and secure

为了确保鱼龙在整个挖掘过程中

throughout the entire excavation,

都是安全的。

Nigel is holding

奈杰尔拿着的

an ichthyosaur, a regular-size ichthyosaur skull.

是一个常规尺寸的鱼龙头骨。

Look at the size comparison

看看它和我们正在挖掘的 这只侏罗纪巨兽的体型对比。

to this Jurassic giant that we're excavating.

Pretty phenomenal.

相当惊人。

And this ichthyosaur, I should say, that Nigel's holding,

这条鱼龙，就是奈杰尔拿着的，

this is actually of a species I named after him a few years ago,

实际上是我几年前以 他的名字命名的一种鱼龙，

called Ichthyosaurs larkini.

叫作拉基尼鱼龙。

Whilst on site,

同时在现场的

one of the team members, Steve Dey,

队伍中的一名成员， 史蒂夫·戴伊（Steve Dey），

created a wonderful photogrammetry model,

制作出了一个非常 厉害的摄影测量模型，

which, photogrammetry is an interesting technique

摄影测量是一个有趣的技术，

where you take thousands of photos

你拍摄几千张图片，

and put them together and build a three-dimensional model.

然后把它们放一起， 建一个三维模型。

Now what you're looking at first of all here,

你所看到的第一个

is a base model that we made back in February.

是我们在二月份做的一个基础模型。

But watch this little video.

但是看这条短片。

As we begin to zoom in,

当我们开始放大的时候，

you can see some of the spine that we exposed in February.

你可以看到一些我们 在二月份发掘的脊椎。

It's pretty cool, it's three-dimensional.

看起来很酷，它是三维的模型。

But now watch, you can superimpose the entire skeleton

但现在，你可以把我们 在夏天发现的整个骨架叠加起来。

that we'd revealed in the summer.

Here's the main excavation.

这是主要发掘的部分。

Now we can zoom in

现在我们可以放大，

and you can look at all of the finer details of the bones

然后你可以看到骨骼更多的细节，

and the three-dimensionality of them.

以及它们的三维模型。

And like magic, now we remove the Jurassic clay.

现在我们移开侏罗纪时期的泥土。

Now we zoom out

我们再缩小画面

and are able to see just how complete this ichthyosaur is.

就能看到这条鱼龙有多么完整。

So you start from the very tip of the snout

你可以从最前面的鼻尖

all the way down to the penny-sized vertebrae.

一直往下到硬币大小的椎骨。

Pretty cool.

非常酷。

And we're even able to pick out individual bones

我们甚至能够挑出其中的一个骨头，

and look at them in three dimensions like this.

然后像这样观察它们的三维模型。

This is the sort of techniques

这是一种技术，

that are sort of revolutionizing paleontology.

一种能够彻底改变古生物学的技术。

We're able to capture all of this data whilst the ichthyosaur sat in the ground.

鱼龙还在地上 我们就能获得所有的数据。

So before we've even removed anything.

我们甚至都不需要移开任何东西。

Now we've taken that out of the ground,

我们就把它从地上 “拿” 起来了，

we still have this data,

我们还拥有这些数据，

and we can send that to our colleagues all around the world.

我们就能把它发给 我们世界各地的同事。

Of course, now fully uncovered --

现在，已经完全发掘出来了—

it’s me taking a nap --

这是我在打盹—

It's time to literally get this Jurassic giant out of the ground.

现在是时候把这个侏罗纪的 庞然大物从地下发掘出来了。

Much easier said than done

当你在应对这个重达几吨 并且的完整的化石时，

when you're dealing with such a complete

and very heavy fossil weighing several tons.

你会发现说的比做的简单。

The first port of call

要做的第一件事

was to create a trench all the way around the skeleton.

就是围着骨架旁边挖一个壕沟。

And the reason for that is that we needed to get right on underneath the skeleton

因为我们需要在整个骨架的下方，

so that we could begin the process of plaster jacketing.

这样我们就可以开始做石膏护套了。

So those white bits you can see in the image, that's not snow,

所以你在图片上看到的 这些白点，它们不是雪，

although it was very cold a few days on site,

虽然在现场的那几天很冷，

that's actually plaster.

那些其实是石膏。

Plaster jacketing is an important process in the field of paleontology.

石膏护套是古生物学中 一个重要的过程。

We use these protective plaster jackets

我们使用这些石膏护套

that essentially care for and secure the bones and the surrounding matrix

本质上是保护周围的基石，

so that we can take them out of the field and into the lab

这样我们才能把它们 从野外带到实验室，

so that we can analyze the fossil and the matrix

才能分析化石以及基石，

and work out what's going on.

然后再推演出发生了什么事。

We also had to, for the bigger skull block and the body block,

我们为了得到更大的骨块和躯块，

we also had to create a wooden frame to help support the immense weight.

有时候也不得不做一个木制框架。

After various challenges on site,

经过现场的各种挑战，

we finally managed to remove the entire skeleton

在将其分解成更容易处理的几块后， 我们终于移出了整个骨架。

after dissecting it into several more manageable blocks.

But this one block here, which is the main body block,

但是在这里的这一块， 是躯体的主要部分，

this weighed one and a half tons.

这一块重达一吨半。

It's actually being removed, which is quite nice,

它正在被我们移出来，这非常好，

it's actually being removed by Joe Davis, who found the ichthyosaur.

其实是它的发现者乔·戴维斯 （Joe Davis）把它移出来的。

And this was an interesting moment for the team

现在是在非常有趣的一刻，

because it's quite an emotional moment,

因为这是令人激动的一刻，

because we'd spent and invested so much time and energy

因为我们已经花费了很多时间和精力

into this ichthyosaur excavation

来发掘这条鱼龙，

that this moment captured that final piece

这时候我们从这条鱼龙

where we're removing this from its final resting place,

在一亿八千万年前最后安息的地方 得到了最后一部分。

180 million years ago.

On January 10, 2022,

在 2022 年 1 月 10 日，

this is almost one year after Joe had made that incredible discovery,

这几乎是在乔做出重大发现的一年后，

Angling Water and the University of Manchester

保护区和曼彻斯特大学

issued a joint press release announcing the find.

发布了联合新闻稿，宣布这一发现。

Here’s Joe and I on the BBC Breakfast Studio chatting about this discovery

这是乔和我在 BBC 早间新闻工作室讨论这一发现，

and revealing it to the world.

并且展示给全世界。

Amazingly, this story went viral.

令人惊讶的是， 这个故事在网上疯传。

We were picked up on a multitude of different platforms,

我们在很多不同的平台被提到，

TV, radio, newspaper, it went viral all across social media.

电视、广播、报纸， 在所有的媒体疯传。

We were thrilled to bits with this, it was amazing,

我们对此兴奋不已，

amazing response about our beautiful ichthyosaur.

这是对我们美丽的鱼龙的惊人反应。

But one of the things is,

但是其中的问题是，

is why do you think exactly did this ichthyosaur get so much interest?

你认为为什么这只鱼龙 会引起这么大的兴趣呢?

First of all,

首先，

everybody loves a cool fossil,

每个人都喜欢很酷的化石，

especially when it's big and it's complete.

尤其是当化石很大并且很完整的时候。

So you've got a massive tick there.

所以你才会有这么大的反应。

But genuinely, this ichthyosaur was an apex predator

但是说真的， 这条鱼龙是一个顶级捕食者，

at the very top of its food chain in the Jurassic sea.

在侏罗纪时代的海中 处于食物链的顶端。

So again, another big tick.

所以，这又是一个原因。

And admittedly the photograph is very cool,

诚然，照片很酷，

although it is me again laying down.

尽管还是我躺下的那张照片。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But on top of that, one thing it's important to highlight

但是有一件更重要的事

is the very fact that Britain is the birthplace of ichthyosaurs.

是事实上，英国是鱼龙的发源地。

This ichthyosaur specimen in the photo,

照片中的鱼龙标本

this was the first ichthyosaur specimen

是第一个引起科学界 注意的鱼龙标本，

brought to the attention of science,

found by Mary and Joseph Anning more than 200 years ago

是玛丽和约瑟夫·安宁 （Joseph Anning） 200 多年前

in the Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast.

在多塞特海岸的莱姆里吉斯发现的。

Nowadays, finding ichthyosaur fossils in the UK,

如今，在英国发现鱼龙化石

generally they're found on the Somerset,

通常是在萨默塞特， 多塞特郡和约克郡的海岸线。

the Dorset and the Yorkshire coastlines.

And that's because you have the constant erosion of the foreshore and the cliffs.

这是因为前滩和悬崖不断受到侵蚀。

You might be lucky to find, say,

如果你去找，你可能会在海滩 幸运地发现一两个椎骨。

the isolated one or two vertebrae on the beach if you go looking.

But still finding a complete skeleton,

但是，发现一个完整的骨架，

and especially anything large on the coastline is incredibly rare.

特别是在沿线上发现巨大的东西， 还是很罕见的。

This is why finding the Rutland ichthyosaur in the center of the UK

这就是为什么以如此罕见 的方式在英国的中心

in an unusual exposure is so extraordinarily rare.

发现拉特兰鱼龙是如此不同寻常。

So what next for this significant specimen?

那么，我们下一步该对 这个如此重要的标本做什么呢？

Well, despite ongoing plans

好吧，除了把拉特兰水域自然保护区改成 “侏罗纪公园” 这个正在进行中的计划—

to try to replace the Rutland Water Nature Reserve with “Joerassic Park” --

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

对不起，对不起。

I apologize.

抱歉。

Compose myself.

让我自己平静一下。

No, the next major step

不，下一个重要的步骤是

is for Nigel to clean and conserve the entire skeleton.

让奈杰尔清洁并保存整个骨架。

And this is going to take at least two years

这可能要花费两年的时间

to get to that point.

才能做到这一点。

At that stage, then,

在这个阶段，

me and the rest of the team are able to study the ichthyosaur

我和我们队伍中的 其他成员会尽可能多地

in as much detail as possible

学习古生物学更多的细节，

and then prepare it for its eventual display at Rutland,

然后准备它在拉特兰的最终展览。

where it will then attract,

希望在那里，

hopefully millions of people will travel around the world

它会吸引世界各地的数百万人

to come and see this specimen, marvel at this Jurassic giant,

来这里参观这个标本， 并惊叹于这个侏罗纪时期的巨物，

and understand the hidden history right beneath their feet.

并且了解，就隐藏在他们脚下的历史。

What an incredible journey.

多么不可思议的旅程啊。

With most fossil finds,

在大多数的化石发现中，

there's always an element of luck involved.

总有一些幸运的因素在里面。

You know, being in the right place at the right time.

就像，对的地点，在对的时间。

People search their entire lives for something like this

有的人一生都在寻找这样的东西，

and never even come close.

但是他们甚至永远都没有机会接近。

The funny thing is, Joe wasn't even looking for this.

有趣的是，乔没有在找这些东西。

He genuinely stumbled upon this exceptional discovery.

这真的是他偶然间的发现。

At ten meters long,

这个十米长的

the Rutland ichthyosaur is the most complete skeleton

拉特兰鱼龙，是在英国发现的 最完整的史前爬行动物的骨架。

of a large prehistoric reptile ever found in the UK.

This once-in-a-lifetime discovery

这个千载难逢的发现

represents one of the greatest finds in British paleontological history.

代表着英国古生物学 史上最伟大的发现之一。

On a personal level,

在个人层面上，

leading this excavation

领导这次发掘，

and revealing this Jurassic giant has been one of the highlights of my career.

并且揭开这个侏罗纪巨兽的面纱 是我事业中的高光时刻之一。

Thank you all very much for letting me share this journey with you.

非常感谢各位能够 让我跟你们分享这个旅程。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）