Four billion years of evolution in six minutes | Prosanta Chakrabarty

翻译人员: Fish Mobius 校对人员: Homer Li

如果我们从猴子进化而来， 为什么现在仍然有猴子？

If we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Well, because we're not monkeys,

因为我们并不是猴子进化来的，

we're fish.

我们是鱼。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, knowing you're a fish and not a monkey

了解你是一条鱼而不是一只猴子，

对于理解我们从哪里来非常重要。

is actually really important to understanding where we came from.

I teach one of the largest evolutionary biology classes in the US,

我在教的一个班，是在美国学习 生物进化论的最大的班级之一。

当我的学生们最终理解了 为什么我总叫他们鱼的时候，

and when my students finally understand why I call them fish all the time,

then I know I'm getting my job done.

我明白我的目的达到了。

But I always have to start my classes by dispelling some hardwired myths,

但我总是不得不通过打破一些 根深蒂固的传说来开始我的授课，

because without really knowing it, many of us were taught evolution wrong.

因为在没有真正了解进化论前，我们 大多数人都被灌输了错误的进化观念。

For instance, we're taught to say "the theory of evolution."

比如，我们被教导使用“进化论”这个词。

There are actually many theories, and just like the process itself,

实际上，有非常多的理论， 就像这个过程本身，

the ones that best fit the data are the ones that survive to this day.

最能反映真实数据的理论 就是那些被保存至今的理论。

The one we know best is Darwinian natural selection.

其中最广为人知的理论之一就是 达尔文的自然选择论。

That's the process by which organisms that best fit an environment

在这种进化方式中， 最适应环境的生物生存下来，

survive and get to reproduce,

并且得到繁衍，

while those that are less fit slowly die off.

而那些相对来说不太适应环境的 生物，会渐渐走向消亡。

And that's it.

就是这样。

Evolution is as simple as that, and it's a fact.

进化就是这么简单， 它是一种事实。

Evolution is a fact as much as the "theory of gravity."

进化就像重力理论一样，是一种事实。

You can prove it just as easily.

你可以很容易地证明它。

你只需要看看你的肚脐，

You just need to look at your bellybutton

那是你和其他胎生 哺乳动物一样的地方，

that you share with other placental mammals,

or your backbone that you share with other vertebrates,

或者看看你的脊椎骨， 那是你和其他脊椎动物一样的地方；

or your DNA that you share with all other life on earth.

又或者你的DNA，那是你和 地球上其他生物相似的地方。

Those traits didn't pop up in humans.

这些特征并不会让人类与众不同。

They were passed down from different ancestors

它们被不同的祖先 遗传给它们所有的后代。

to all their descendants, not just us.

并不仅仅是我们。

但这些并不是我们最早 了解到的生物学，不是吗？

But that's not really how we learn biology early on, is it?

We learn plants and bacteria are primitive things,

我们知道植物和细菌是原生生物，

and fish give rise to amphibians followed by reptiles and mammals,

然后是鱼类，进一步到两栖类， 再到爬行动物和哺乳动物，

and then you get you,

之后到人类自己，

this perfectly evolved creature at the end of the line.

在进化的时间轴终点 成为完美进化了的生物。

但生物并不是在一条轴线上进化的，

But life doesn't evolve in a line,

and it doesn't end with us.

也不是在我们这里终结的。

But we're always shown evolution portrayed something like this,

但我们总是被灌输这样的 关于进化论的描述：

a monkey and a chimpanzee,

猴子，大猩猩，

some extinct humans,

一些消失的类人猿，

all on a forward and steady march to becoming us.

通过稳定的进化，最终成为了我们。

But they don't become us any more than we would become them.

但它们并不会成为我们， 我们也不会成为它们。

We're also not the goal of evolution.

我们也不是进化的终极目标。

But why does it matter?

但为什么这一点这么重要呢？

Why do we need to understand evolution the right way?

为什么我们需要 用正确的方式来理解进化呢？

Well, misunderstanding evolution has led to many problems,

对进化的误解已经产生了很多问题，

但当你没有以正确的方式理解进化时，

but you can't ask that age-old question,

"Where are we from?"

你不会问这样古老的问题，

without understanding evolution the right way.

“我们从哪里来？”

Misunderstanding it has led to many convoluted and corrupted views

对进化的误解，已经导致了许多关于 我们如何对待地球上其他生物，

of how we should treat other life on earth,

以及如何站在 种族和性别的角度

and how we should treat each other

对待彼此的方式上的

in terms of race and gender.

破坏性的，扭曲的观念。

So let's go back four billion years.

让我们回到四十亿年前。

This is the single-celled organism we all came from.

这些单细胞有机体是我们的起源。

At first, it gave rise to other single-celled life,

首先，它们演变成其它的单细胞生命，

but these are still evolving to this day,

但这些单细胞生物今天仍在进化，

and some would say the Archaea and Bacteria

而有些人会说古细菌和细菌组成了

that make up most of this group

这颗星球上

最成功的种群。

is the most successful on the planet.

They are certainly going to be here well after us.

它们在我们消失后一定还会存在的。

About three billion years ago, multicellularity evolved.

大约在三十亿年前， 出现了多细胞生物。

This includes your fungi and your plants and your animals.

这包括真菌，植物和动物。

第一种进化出脊椎的动物是鱼类。

The first animals to develop a backbone were fishes.

So technically, all vertebrates are fishes,

科学地说，所有的脊椎动物都是鱼。

so technically, you and I are fish.

所以，科学地说， 你和我都是鱼。

So don't say I didn't warn you.

所以别说我没有提醒过你们。

One fish lineage came onto land

一些鱼类来到岸上，然后演变成

and gave rise to, among other things, the mammals and reptiles.

其他的生物，哺乳动物，爬行动物。

Some reptiles become birds, some mammals become primates,

一些爬行动物变成了鸟类， 一些哺乳动物变成了灵长动物，

some primates become monkeys with tails,

一些灵长动物变成了有尾巴的猴子，

and others become the great apes, including a variety of human species.

另一些变成了猿类，包括不同的人种。

So you see, we didn't evolve from monkeys,

所以我们并不是猴子演变而来的，

but we do share a common ancestor with them.

但我们和它们拥有同一个祖先。

All the while, life around us kept evolving:

与此同时，我们周围的 生命也在持续进化：

more bacteria, more fungi, lots of fish, fish, fish.

出现了更多真菌，更多细菌， 以及更多的鱼，各种各样的鱼。

If you couldn't tell -- yes, they're my favorite group.

可能你不知道—— 是的，它们是我最喜欢的种群。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As life evolves, it also goes extinct.

生命在进化，也在消亡。

Most species just last for a few million years.

大多数的动物 仅仅存在了几百万年。

So you see, most life on earth that we see around us today

所以你看，今天我们在地球上 看到的周围的大多数生物

are about the same age as our species.

和我们都有着差不多的年纪。

So it's hubris, it's self-centered to think,

我们却因此骄傲自大地认为：

"Oh, plants and bacteria are primitive,

“噢，植物和细菌是原生生物，

and we've been here for an evolutionary minute,

而我们已经进化了一阵子，

所以我们是特别的物种。”

so we're somehow special."

Think of life as being this book, an unfinished book for sure.

想想生命这部书， 一定是一本尚未完成的书。

We're just seeing the last few pages of each chapter.

我们仅仅看到了每一章的最后几页。

If you look out on the eight million species

如果你注意到和我们 共享这颗星球的

that we share this planet with,

八百万种生物，

think of them all being four billion years of evolution.

想想它们已经有了 四十亿年的进化历程。

They're all the product of that.

它们都是进化的产物。

Think of us all as young leaves on this ancient and gigantic tree of life,

想想我们只是这古老的巨大的 生命之树中年轻的叶子，

all of us connected by invisible branches not just to each other,

我们被看不见的枝干所连接， 它们不仅仅连接了我们彼此，

but to our extinct relatives and our evolutionary ancestors.

更连接了我们已经灭绝的近亲， 以及我们进化了的祖先。

As a biologist, I'm still trying to learn, with others,

作为一名生物学家， 我仍然在和他人一起探究，

how everyone's related to each other, who is related to whom.

我们每个人是如何与其他人 产生联系的，谁又和谁相关联。

Perhaps it's better still

也许这样想更好，

to think of us as a little fish out of water.

我们只是离开水的小小的鱼。

Yes, one that learned to walk and talk,

是的，一条学习了走路和说话的鱼。

but one that still has a lot of learning to do

但仍然有许多事情需要探究，

about who we are and where we came from.

关于我们是谁，

我们从哪里来。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）