Heribert Watzke: The brain in your gut

翻译人员: yuanyuan liang 校对人员: Xu Jiang

This technology

有一项技术

made a very important impact on us.

给我们带来了重大冲击。

It changed the way our history developed.

它改变了我们历史发展的道路。

But it's a technology so pervasive,

但是这项技术非常普遍，

so invisible,

极不明显，

that we, for a long time,

以至于我们在很长时间里，

forgot to take it into account

都忘了把它算入

when we talked about

我们所说的

human evolution.

人类的演化中。

But we see the results of this technology, still.

但是，我们还是看到了这项技术的后果。

So let's make a little test.

那么我们来做个小测验。

So everyone of you turns to their neighbor please.

现在请大家都转过去面对你身边的人。

Turn and face your neighbors.

转过去面对旁边的。

Please, also on the balcony.

楼上的朋友也请照做。

Smile. Smile. Open the mouths.

微笑，微笑。张嘴。

Smile, friendly.

微笑，友善点。

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

Do you --

你是否——

Do you see any Canine teeth?

你能看到犬牙吗？

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

Count Dracula teeth

数数你旁边的人

in the mouths of your neighbors?

有多少吸血鬼尖牙？

Of course not.

当然没有。

Because our dental anatomy

因为我们的牙体解剖学

is actually made,

并不是为了

not for tearing down raw meat from bones

从骨头上扯下生肉

or chewing fibrous leaves for hours.

或花好几个小时咀嚼纤维质的树叶。

It is made for a diet

它是为了进食那些

which is soft, mushy,

柔软的，糊状的东西

which is reduced in fibers,

不含太多纤维，

which is very easily chewable

非常容易咀嚼

and digestible.

和消化。

Sounds like fast food, doesn't it.

听上去像快餐，是不是。

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

It's for cooked food.

它是为了进食烹制过的食品。

We carry in our face the proof

我们的脸上就带着证据表明

that cooking,

烹饪

food transformation,

也就是食物的转化

made us what we are.

造就我们今天的样子。

So I would suggest that we change how we classify ourselves.

所以我建议我们应该改变对自己的分类。

We talk about ourselves as omnivores.

我们称自己是杂食动物。

I would say, we should call ourselves coctivors --

我要说，我们应该称自己为煮食动物——

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

from coquere, to cook.

烹饪，源自拉丁文coquere。

We are the animals

我们这种动物

who eat cooked food.

要吃烹饪的食物。

No, no, no, no. Better --

不不不，更好的说法是——

to live of cooked food.

以烹煮过的食物为生。

So cooking is a very important technology.

所以说烹饪是一项非常重要的技术。

It's technology.

它的确是技术。

I don't know how you feel,

我不知道你们怎么看，

but I like to cook for entertainment.

但是我喜欢把烹饪当成娱乐。

And you need some design

而且你需要一些构思

to be successful.

才能成功。

So, cooking is a very important technology,

那么，烹饪之所以是重要的技术，

because it allowed us to acquire

是因为它让我们获得了

what brought you all here:

令我们演化到今天这个地步的东西：

the big brain,

大的脑子，

this wonderful cerebral cortex we have.

就是我们神奇的大脑皮层。

Because brains are expensive.

因为脑子变大了，

Those have to pay tuition fees know.

所以我们现在必须要为此付费。

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

But it's also, metabolically speaking, expensive.

但是同时，从新陈代谢角度看，这样的脑也很昂贵。

You now, our brain is two to three percent of the body mass,

要知道，我们的大脑占身体总量的2-3%，

but actually it uses 25 percent of the total energy we use.

但事实上它要消耗我们所需的总能量的25%。

It's very expensive.

这是很大的消耗。

Where does the energy come from. Of course, from food.

那能量是从哪来的呢，当然是从食物来的。

If we eat raw food,

如果我们吃生的食物，

we cannot release really the energy.

就不能充分地释放能量。

So this ingenuity of our ancestors,

因此我们的祖先发挥聪明才智，

to invent this most marvelous technology.

发明了这个最不可思议的技术。

Invisible -- everyone of us does it every day, so to speak.

说它是无形的——就是说，我们每天都做饭。

Cooking made it possible

烹饪使得

that mutations,

突变，

natural selections, our environment,

自然选择，我们的环境，

could develop us.

可以令我们发展演变。

So if we think about

所以如果我们想想

this unleashing human potential,

这一未释放的人类潜能，

which was possible by cooking and food,

很可能来自烹饪和食物，

why do we talk so badly about food?

那我们为什么还要说食物的坏话呢？

Why is it always do and don'ts

总是说吃这个，不能吃那个，

and it's good for you, it's not good for you?

这个对你有好处，那个对你没好处？

I think the good news for me

我认为对我来说的好消息

would be if we could go back

就是如果我们回到开头

and talk about the unleashing,

所说的未释放的，

the continuation of the unleashing of human potential.

对释放人类的潜能的延续。

Now, cooking allowed also

现在，烹饪也让我们

that we became a migrant species.

成为迁徙的物种。

We walked out of Africa two times.

我们两次走出非洲。

We populated all the ecologies.

我们在各种生态环境中繁衍。

If you can cook, nothing can happen to you,

如果你能煮食，你就什么也不用怕，

because whatever you find,

因为无论你找到什么，

you will try to transform it.

你都会试图转化它们。

It keeps also your brain working.

它也让你开动脑筋想方设法。

Now the very easy and simple technology

目前所发展出来的非常

which was developed

简单易行的技术

actually runs after this formula.

事实上就是遵循这样的公式。

Take something which looks like food, transform it,

拿来一些看上去像食物的东西，转化它，

and it gives you a good, very easy, accessible energy.

它就提供给你好的，容易获取的能量。

This technology affected two organs,

这个技术影响到两个器官，

the brain and the gut, which it actually affected.

大脑和肠胃，造成了实实在在的影响。

The brain could grow, but the gut actually shrunk.

脑子变大了，但是肠胃却缩小了。

Okay, it's not obvious to be honest.

好吧，老实说这点在我这里并不太明显。

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

But it shrunk to 60 percent

但是它缩小到从前的60%

of primate gut

这是相对于我的体量的

of my body mass.

灵长目动物的肠道而言。

So because of having cooked food,

因为有了熟食，

it's easier to digest.

就更容易消化。

Now having a large brain, as you know,

正如大家所知，有一个较大的脑子，

is a big advantage,

是一个很大的优势，

because you can actually influence your environment.

因为你能确实地影响你的环境。

You can influence your own technologies you have invented.

你可以影响你自己已经发明的厨艺。

You can continue to innovate and invent.

你可以继续发明创造。

Now the big brain did this also with cooking.

现在这个大个的脑子也要在烹饪方面发挥创意。

But how did it actually run this show?

但具体是如何实现的呢？

How did it actually interfere?

事实上它是如何介入的呢？

What kind of criteria did it use?

它采用怎样的条件？

And this is actually taste reward and energy.

而且确实会带来更好的味道和能量。

You know we have up to five tastes,

你知道我们最多能有五种味觉，

three of them sustain us.

其中三种是我们维持生命需要的。

Sweet -- energy.

甜——能量。

Umami -- this is a meaty taste.

鲜——这是肉类的味道。

You need proteins for muscles, recovery.

你需要蛋白质生成肌肉，以及恢复健康。

Salty,

咸，

because you need salt, otherwise your electric body will not work.

因为你需要盐份，否则你身体的电解质无法运作。

And two tastes which protect you --

而另外两种味道是保护你的——

bitter and sour,

苦和酸，

which are against

它们代表了

poisonous and rotten material.

有毒和腐坏的物质。

But of course, they are hard-wired

当然，这些都是与生俱来的，

but we use them still in a sophisticated way.

但是我们还是可以通过精密的方法来利用它们。

Think about bittersweet chocolate;

想想又苦又甜的巧克力。

or think about the acidity

或是酸奶的酸味

of yogurt -- wonderful --

很奇妙地

mixed with strawberry fruits.

混合了草莓。

So we can make mixtures of all this kind of thing

之所以我们可以混合所有这些东西

because we know

是因为我们知道

that, in cooking, we can transform it

通过烹调，我们可以将它们转化

to the form.

成形。

Reward: this is a more complex

奖赏：这是一个更为复杂

and especially integrative

和特别一体化

form of our brain

的形式存在于我们的大脑中

with various different elements --

其中包含了各种各样的因素——

the external states, our internal states,

外部环境，我们的内部状态，

how do we feel, and so on are put together.

我们如何感知以及其它所有这些都放在一起。

And something which maybe you don't like

而且有些东西你可能未必喜欢，

but you are so hungry that you really will be satisfied to eat.

但是你太饿了所以你也可以很满意地吃下去。

So satisfaction was a very important part.

所以满足感是一个非常重要的部分。

And as I say, energy was necessary.

而且正如我说的，能量也是必须的。

Now how did the gut actually

那么事实上肠胃是如何

participate in this development?

参与到这一发展当中呢？

And the gut is a silent voice --

肠胃能在无声中发言。

it's going more for feelings.

它更强调感觉。

I use the euphemism digestive comfort --

我用一种委婉的说法就是消化舒适。

actually -- it's a digestive discomfort,

事实上它是消化不适，

which the gut is concerned with.

而这是肠胃所关心的。

If you get a stomach ache, if you get a little bit bloated,

如果你胃痛，如果你有点腹胀，

was not the right food, was not the right cooking manipulation

要不是食物不对，要不就是烹饪的方式不对。

or maybe other things went wrong.

或者是别的地方出了问题。

So my story is a tale of two brains,

我要讲的是两个大脑的故事，

because it might surprise you,

因为你可能会很惊讶，

our gut has a full-fledged brain.

我们的肠胃有一个训练有素的大脑。

All the managers in the room say,

在座的所有管理层都会说，

"You don't tell me something new, because we know, gut feeling.

“你不用说这是什么新东西，因为我们知道，肚子里有数。

This is what we are using."

我们一直都是这么用的。”

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

And actually you use it and it's actually useful.

而事实上，你的确是在使用它，它真的很有用。

Because our gut is connected to our emotional limbic system,

因为我们的肠胃与我们的脑缘系统相连。

they do speak with each other

它们的确相互沟通

and make decisions.

并作出决定。

But what it means

但是在这里

to have a brain there

拥有一个大脑意味着

is that, not only the big brain

不仅是那个大个的脑子

has to talk with the food,

要与食物交谈，

the food has to talk with the brain,

食物本身也要和大脑说话，

because we have to learn actually

因为我们必须学习

how to talk to the brains.

如何真的和这些大脑交谈。

Now if there's a gut brain,

如果肠胃里真有一个大脑，

we should also learn to talk with this brain.

我们也必须学习和这个脑沟通。

Now 150 years ago,

距今150年前，

anatomists described very, very carefully --

解剖学家做了非常非常仔细的描述——

here is a model of a wall of a gut.

这里是一个胃肠壁的模型——

I took the three elements --

我取其中的三个成员——

stomach, small intestine and colon.

胃，小肠和结肠。

And within this structure,

在这套结构中，

you see these two pinkish layers,

你可以看到这两层粉红色的东西，

which are actually the muscle.

这实际上是肌肉。

And between this muscle, they found nervous tissues,

在这些肌肉之间，他们发现了神经组织，

a lot of nervous tissues,

大量的神经组织，

which penetrate actually the muscle --

它们渗透在整层肌肉中，

penetrate the submucosa,

进入粘膜下层，

where you have all the elements for the immune system.

那里都是免疫系统。

The gut is actually the largest immune system,

肠胃事实上是最大的免疫系统，

defending your body.

保护着你的身体。

It penetrates the mucosa.

它渗入到粘膜。

This is the layer which actually touches the food you are swallowing

这层真正接触到你吞咽下去

and you digest,

以及要消化的食物，

which is actually the lumen.

这就是内腔。

Now if you think about the gut,

现在如果你想想我们的肠胃，

the gut is -- if you could stretch it --

如果你将其伸展开，

40 meters long,

它有40米长，

the length of a tennis court.

相当于一个网球场的长度。

If we could unroll it,

如果我们把它摊开，

get out all the folds and so on,

把所有褶皱都摊平，

it would have 400 sq. meters of surface.

表面积将有400平方米。

And now this brain takes care over this,

现在这个脑子在管理着这一切，

to move it with the muscles and to do defend the surface

调动肌肉使之运动，保护表面，

and, of course, digest our food we cook.

当然，还要消化我们所煮的食物。

So if we give you a specification,

如果要给你们一个更具体的认识，

this brain, which is autonomous,

那么这个独立自主的大脑，

have 500 million nerve cells,

有5亿个神经细胞，

100 million neurons --

一亿个神经元——

so around the size of a cat brain,

这差不多是一只猫的大脑，

so there sleeps a little cat --

所以我们的肚子里正睡着只小猫——

thinks for itself,

自己在那里盘算着，

optimizes whatever it digests.

如何最大化地利用所消化的食物。

It has 20 different neuron types.

它有20种不同的神经元。

It's got the same diversity you find actually in a pig brain,

和你能在猪脑子里发现的神经元种类一样多，

where you have 100 billion neurons.

而猪有一千亿个神经元。

It has autonomous organized microcircuits,

它具有自发组成的微电路，

has these programs which run.

还有各种程序在运转。

It senses the food; it knows exactly what to do.

它感受到食物，知道应该干什么。

It senses it by chemical means

它通过化学方式感受到食物，

and very importantly by mechanical means,

更重要的是机械的方式，

because it has to move the food --

因为它必须要移动这些食物，

it has to mix all the various elements

它必须把我们消化吸收所需的所有不同元素

which we need for digestion.

都搅和在一起。

This control of muscle is very, very important,

对肌肉的控制是非常非常重要的，

because, you know, there can be reflexes.

因为，要知道这里存在着反射作用。

If you don't like a food, especially if you're a child, you gag.

如果你不喜欢某类食物，尤其当你还是小孩时，你会作呕。

It's this brain which makes this reflex.

正是这个大脑令你作出这个反射动作的。

And then finally,

最后还有，

it controls also the secretion of this molecular machinery,

它还控制着分子结构上的分泌作用，

which actually digests the food we cook.

这才是对我们所煮食物的真正消化。

Now how do the two brains work with each other?

那么这两个大脑是如何相互合作的呢？

I took here a model from robotics --

在这里我使用了一个机器人学的模型。

it's called the Subsumption Architecture.

叫做包容结构。

What it means is that we have a layered control system.

也就是说我们所拥有的是一个分层的控制系统。

The lower layer, our gut brain,

较低层次是我们的肠胃大脑。

has its own goals -- digestion defense --

它有着自己的目标——消化和防御——

and we have the higher brain

我们还有一个较高级的大脑，

with the goal of integration

其目标是整合

and generating behaviors.

和引起行动。

Now both look -- and this is the blue arrows --

现在这两个大脑都看到——就是这里的蓝色箭头——

both look to the same food, which is in the lumen

它们都看到同样的食物在内腔里，

and in the area of your intestine.

以及在小肠部分。

The big brain integrates signals,

大个的大脑整合所有信号，

which come from the running programs

这些信号来自较低层大脑

of the lower brain,

所运转的程序，

But subsumption means

但包容意味着，

that the higher brain can interfere with the lower.

高层大脑能够干涉低层次的大脑。

It can replace,

它可以替换，

or it can inhibit actually, signals.

或甚至阻止那些信号。

So if we take two types of signals --

因此如果我们收到两种信号——

a hunger signal for example.

比如一个是饥饿的信号——

If you have an empty stomach,

如果你的胃是空的，

your stomach produces a hormone called ghrelin.

它就会分泌出一种荷尔蒙叫饥饿激素。

It's a very big signal;

这是一个非常强烈的信号。

it's sent to the brain says,

它向你的大脑说，

"Go and eat."

“去吃！”

You have stop signals --

你还收到停止的信号。

we have up to eight stop signals.

我们最多能收到8个停止的信号。

At least in my case,

至少在我这里，

they are not listened to.

这些信号都不管用。

(Laughter)

（观众笑声）

So what happens

那么会怎样？

if the big brain in the integration

如果大的大脑从整体上

overrides the signal?

压制了这个信号？

So if you override the hunger signal,

如果你压制了饥饿的信号，

you can have a disorder, which is called anorexia.

你就会造成失调，叫做神经性食欲缺乏。

Despite generating

尽管出现了

a healthy hunger signal,

一个正常的饥饿信号，

the big brain ignores it

但你的大个大脑却无视它，

and activates different programs in the gut.

并在肠胃里激活不同的程序。

The more usual case

更常见的情况

is overeating.

是过度进食。

It actually takes the signal

大脑确实收到了信号

and changes it,

并改变了它，

and we continue,

然后我们就继续吃，

even [though] our eight signals would say, "Stop, enough.

甚至我们的八种信号都在说，“停！够了。

We have transferred enough energy."

我们已经转化了足够的能量。”

Now the interesting thing is that,

这时有趣的地方就在于，

along this lower layer -- this gut --

在肠胃这个较低的层次上，

the signal becomes stronger and stronger

这个信号会变得越来越强

if undigested, but digestible, material

如果我们吃了一些尚未吸收但是又可以吸收

could penetrate.

的食物。

This we found from bariatric surgery.

这种情况出现在缩减消化道的减肥手术中。

That then the signal would be very, very high.

这种情况下饥饿信号会非常非常强烈。

So now back to the cooking question

现在回到烹饪的问题。

and back to the design.

回到设计菜式的问题。

We have learned to talk to the big brain --

我们已经学习了要和大的大脑交谈——

taste and reward, as you know.

你知道，就是味道和奖赏。

Now what would be the language

那么我们该用什么语言

we have to talk to the gut brain

和肠胃里的大脑交谈？

that its signals are so strong

它发出的信号强烈到

that the big brain cannot ignore it?

让大的大脑都不能无视？

Then we would generate something

这样我们就能得到

all of us would like to have --

我们大家都想要的东西——

a balance between the hunger

处于饥饿和满足之间的

and the satiation.

平衡。

Now I give you, from our research, a very short claim.

通过我们的研究，我可以告诉你们一个小结论。

This is fat digestion.

这就是脂肪消化。

You have on your left

在你的左边

an olive oil droplet,

是一滴橄榄油，

and this olive oil droplet gets attacked by enzymes.

这种橄榄油会被酶类攻击。

This is an in vitro experiment.

这是在试管中进行的实验。

It's very difficult to work in the intestine.

因为很难在肠道里做实验。

Now everyone would expect

现在每个人都知道

that when the degradation of the oil happens,

当油滴开始降解时，

when the constituents are liberated,

当其中的组成成分被释放出来时，

they disappear, they go away

它们会消失，不见掉，

because they [were] absorbed.

因为它们被吸收了。

Actually, what happens is that a very intricate structure appears.

但真正出现的是一个非常复杂的结构。

And I hope you can see

我希望你们可以看到

that there are some ring-like structures in the middle image,

在中间这张图里有一些环状的结构，

which is water.

那就是水。

This whole system generates a huge surface

这整个系统会生成巨大的表面积

to allow more enzymes

可以让更多的酶类

to attack the remaining oil.

去攻击那些剩余的油脂。

And finally, on your right side,

而最后，在你的右边，

you see a bubbly,

你会看到出现了一个泡泡状的，

cell-like structure appearing,

细胞一样的结构，

from which the body will absorb the fat.

身体会从中吸收脂肪。

Now if we could take this language --

现在如果我们能使这种语言——

and this is a language of structures --

而这是一种结构语言——

and make it longer-lasting,

维持更长时间，

that it can go through

让它维持在

the passage of the intestine,

整个肠道内，

it would generate stronger signals.

它就会产生更强烈的信号。

So our research --

因此我们的研究——

and I think the research also at the universities --

而且我想大学里也有类似的研究——

are now fixing on these points

就是在修正这些地方

to say: how can we actually --

也就是说，我们如何能真正的——

and this might sound trivial now to you --

这对你们来说可能觉得有点无意义——

how can we change cooking?

我们如何能改变烹饪的技术？

How can we cook

我们该如何做饭

that we have this language developed?

当我们发展出这门语言以后？

So what we have actually, it's not an omnivore's dilemma.

所以我们真正面对的，不是一个杂食动物的两难处境。

We have a coctivor's opportunity,

而是一个煮食动物的机遇，

because we have learned over the last two million years

因为在过去的2百万年里，我们已经学习了

which taste and reward --

什么是好吃的和有营养的——

quite sophisticated to cook --

学习了非常复杂的烹调技术——

to please ourselves, to satisfy ourselves.

来让自己高兴，满足。

If we add the matrix,

如果我们再加上更精细的内容，

if we add the structure language, which we have to learn,

如果我们加上结构性的语言，这是我们必须了解的，

when we learn it, then we can put it back;

当我们了解了这个语言，我们就可以把它用回去，

and around energy,

在能量之间，

we could generate a balance,

我们就能产生一个平衡，

which comes out

而这将来自

from our really primordial operation: cooking.

我们最为原始的行为：煮食。

So, to make cooking really

因此，真的把烹饪当成

a very important element,

一个非常重要的因素来看，

I would say even philosophers have to change

我会说就连哲学家们都必须改变看法

and have to finally recognize

并且最终不得不承认

that cooking is what made us.

是烹饪造就了我们。

So I would say, coquo ergo sum:

因此我要说：coquo ergo sum（拉丁语）

I cook, therefore I am.

我煮故我在。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢大家！

(Applause)

（观众鼓掌）