The real reason why mosquitoes buzz | DIY Neuroscience, a TED series

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Krystian Aparta

翻译人员: Wing Hu 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

(Mosquito buzzing)

(蚊子嗡嗡叫声）

Greg Gage: We've all heard the annoying sound of a mosquito,

格雷格 · 盖奇（Greg Gage）： 我们都听过蚊子烦人的声音，

and we will stop at nothing to make it go away.

我们会不惜一切赶走它。

While this sound may be maddening to us,

虽然这种声音可能会让我们抓狂，

perhaps it's music to a mosquito's ears.

但对蚊子来说，这可能是音乐。

The mosquito's nervous system has almost as many sensory auditory cells as we do.

蚊子的神经系统有着 与我们几乎同样多的听觉细胞。

But why would they have so many in such a small body,

但它们如此瘦小的身躯里 怎么会有如此多的听觉细胞？

and why would they need to be so sensitive to sounds?

为什么它们需要对声音如此敏感？

答案就是爱。

The answer is love.

[DIY Neuroscience]

【DIY神经科学】

(Music)

（音乐）

As humans, we do a lot to attract each other.

作为人类，我们会 做很多事来互相吸引彼此。

Some things are conscious --

有些是有意识的——

我们化妆， 并且确保自己闻起来不错。

we put on makeup and make sure we smell nice.

而有些是无意识的——

And some are unconscious.

你的身体可能会不自觉地面向， 甚至会坐近你喜欢的人。

You may unconsciously point your body or even sit closer to someone you like.

这就是很多动物共有的求偶行为。

These are courtship behaviors, and a lot of animals have them.

And mosquitoes are no different.

蚊子也不例外。

因此，海莉（Haley）整个夏天 都在勇敢地听着蚊子的叫声，

So Haley's been spending her summer bravely listening to mosquitoes,

她的观察可能会让你大吃一惊。

and what she observed may surprise you.

So we want to investigate how the mosquitoes make their song.

我们想研究蚊子是如何发声的。

So Haley, how do we record their wing beats?

所以，海莉，我们该怎么 记录它们翅膀的振动？

Haley Smith: We need to tether them.

海莉 · 史密斯（Haley Smith）： 我们需要把它们拴住。

First, we anesthetize them in a fridge or a bed of ice.

首先，我们要麻痹蚊子， 把它们放进冰箱或是冰上，

然后把它们转移到冰培养皿中，

And then I transfer them to this petri dish of ice,

just to get them even more anesthetized.

以便进一步麻醉它们。

Next, I take an insect pin,

接下来，我拿一支昆虫针，

再在这根针上涂一点点强力胶。

and what I do is put a tiny little dab of superglue on this pin.

I want to make sure that I get it on his thorax above his wings

我要确保涂在它翅膀上方的胸部，

这样，当它被吊起时， 它的翅膀仍然可以自由移动。

so that when he is suspended, his wings are still free to move.

So here's one down.

好了，搞定了一只。

在野外很难捕捉到雄蚊，

It's really hard to catch male mosquitoes in the wild

because females are the only mosquitoes that are attracted to humans.

因为只有雌蚊才会对人类感兴趣，

They feed on human blood.

它们吃人血。

And now, we can try to get some recordings from them.

现在，我们可以尝试录下它们的声音。

So this is the stand that I use to hold them.

这是我用来拴住它们的架子。

我喜欢把它放在麦克风的正上方，

I like to place it right over the microphone

这样我就能录下你听到的嗡嗡声。

so that I can get a recording of the buzzing that you hear.

这种声音是由它们 拍打翅膀的速度而产生的。

That sound is generated by how fast they're beating their wings.

这是一只雄蚊。

This is a male.

The males have very bushy antennae, and they look kind of feathery.

雄性蚊有着浓密的看似羽毛的触须，

而且它们更加纤细。

And they are also much smaller.

GG: So he's flying at around 600 hertz.

GG：所以它翅膀拍打 频率大约是 600 赫兹。

Can we try a female mosquito?

我们可以试试雌蚊吗？

HS：当然，我们来看看。

HS: Sure, here we go.

(Mosquito buzzing, lower pitch)

（蚊子嗡嗡叫声，低音）

GG：哇哦！

GG: Wow.

HS：这比雄蚊的频率低得多。

HS: This is a much lower frequency than the male.

GG: Yeah, it sounds completely different.

GG：是的，听起来完全不同。

（雄蚊叫声）

(Mosquito buzzing)

（雌蚊叫声）

(Mosquito buzzing, lower pitch)

So is it because they're two different mosquitoes,

是因为它们是两种不同的蚊子，

or because they're male and female?

还是因为它们 一个是雄性，一个是雌性？

HS: It's because they're male and female.

HS：这是因为它们的性别。

GG：好吧，我们来验证一下。

GG: Alright, let's verify that.

Can you bring in another female and see if she sounds

你能再找一只雌蚊听听它的声音

like mosquito A or mosquito B?

像蚊子 A 还是蚊子 B 吗？

HS: Yeah.

HS：好。

(Mosquito buzzing, lower pitch)

（蚊子嗡嗡叫声，低音）

And again, she is much lower than the male.

再次，它比雄蚊的音调低很多。

GG: Yeah, she sounds different.

GG：没错，这只雌蚊听起来不一样。

(Mosquito buzzing, lower pitch)

（蚊子嗡嗡叫声，低音）

Yeah, she's spot-on 400.

没错，她恰好是 400 赫兹。

HS: She really is. GG: That's really bizarre.

HS：真的。 GG：这真是太奇怪了。

HS: The females are at a much lower pitch. They were around 400 hertz.

HS：雌蚊的音调要低得多， 大约是 400 赫兹。

HS: And all of the females were around that, too.

而且所有的雌蚊都差不多 在这个数值上下浮动。

They were much larger than the males,

它们比雄蚊大得多，

so they didn't have to flap their wings as fast to stay in free flight.

所以它们不需要快速地 拍动翅膀来保持自由飞行。

GG: So they have larger wings, so they're flapping slower.

GG：它们的翅膀较大， 所以它们拍动得比较慢。

And you noticed that all the females have the same frequency, roughly?

你注意到所有雌蚊的频率 是大致相同的吗？

And the males do, too. That's kind of interesting.

雄蚊也是如此，真有趣。

所以这当中一定存在某种意义。

So that must mean something.

Well, let's see what happens when we put the male and the female together.

我们来看看把雄蚊 和雌蚊放在一起会怎样。

（蚊子嗡嗡叫声，音调变化）

(Mosquitoes buzzing; pitch varies)

HS: When I put them into the same hearing range,

HS：当我把它们放在相同的听力范围，

I noticed that they were kind of changing their tones.

我注意到它们的音调在改变。

几乎更迟钝了。

It was kind of more dull, almost.

(Mosquitoes buzzing)

（蚊子嗡嗡叫声）

And when I put it back in my spectrogram to see their interaction,

当我把它放回光谱图中 观察它们相互作用时，

they were meeting at the same tone.

它们最终达到了相同的音调。

GG: OK, pause.

GG：好，暂停。

The males and females are singing a duet,

雄蚊和雌蚊在二重唱，

意味着它们会调整翅膀拍打速度 以发出相同的音调。

meaning that they adjust their wings to be able to produce a common tone.

You have the male singing up here at G,

雄蚊在唱 G 调，

and you have the female singing down here at D,

雌蚊在唱比 G 低的 D 调，

当它们在一起时，

and when they get together,

you're saying that they change the frequency of their wings

你是说它们会改变翅膀的频率，

such that they come together?

这样它们就能变到一起？

HS：是的，就是这样。 GG：它们有点像在二重唱。

HS: Yeah, exactly. GG: And they sort of sing a duet.

(Mosquitoes gradually adjusting to identical pitch)

（蚊子们慢慢调整至统一音调）

HS: They're communicating to let each other know

HS：它们通过交流让对方知道

它们已找到了潜在伴侣。

that they've basically found a potential mate.

GG：所以换句话说，

GG: So in other words,

the female tends to choose a male that best sings her duet.

雌蚊倾向于选择能和她唱 最佳二重唱的雄蚊。

And studies have found that if she's pregnant,

而且研究发现，若它怀孕了，

she doesn't even bother.

它甚至无需选择。

So if we can understand the mosquito mating behavior,

因此，若我们能够了解 蚊子的交配行为，

we may be able to disrupt it in the wild and prevent diseases like malaria.

我们也许能够在野外破坏此行为 并预防疟疾等疾病。

But for now, the next time you hear a mosquito buzzing,

但目前来说， 当你下次听到蚊子嗡嗡叫的时候，

停下来，想想它可能在热恋中，

just pause and remember she may be in love

and she may be singing her song,

而且它可能在唱自己的歌

looking for her perfect match.

寻找着它的完美伴侣。

（蚊子嗡嗡叫声）

(Mosquito buzzing)

（拍打）

(Smack)