Marlene Zuk: What we learn from insects’ kinky sex lives

翻译人员: Sue Chen 校对人员: Xiaoya Song

So, people are more afraid of insects than they are of dying.

看来，人们害怕昆虫，

比害怕死亡还要厉害。

(Laughter)

起码，根据《排行榜之书》 1973年的一项调查，

At least, according to a 1973 "Book of Lists" survey

当时仍无今天的各种 最佳、最劣、最滑稽等在线调查

which preceded all those online best, worst, funniest lists that you see today.

Only heights and public speaking

只有高度和公众演讲。

exceeded the six-legged as sources of fear.

比六只腿的东西更令人毛骨悚然。

And I suspect if you had put spiders in there,

我颇信， 如果把蜘蛛也考虑在内的话，

the combinations of insects and spiders would have just topped the chart.

蜘蛛兼昆虫一定越占恐惧榜首无疑。

Now, I am not one of those people.

不过，我倒不像他们。

I really love insects.

我喜欢昆虫。

I think they're interesting and beautiful,

我觉得昆虫有趣、很美、

有时甚至很萌。

and sometimes even cute.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And I'm not alone.

不止我一个是这样的哦。

For centuries, some of the greatest minds in science,

许多世纪以来， 科学界很多伟大的思想家，

from Charles Darwin to E.O. Wilson,

从达尔文到威尔逊，

have drawn inspiration from studying some of the smallest minds on Earth.

都从地球上最微小的心思得到启发。

Well, why is that?

是什么原因呢？

What is that keeps us coming back to insects?

什么原因让我们 一而再地关注昆虫呢？

Some of it, of course, is just the sheer magnitude of almost everything about them.

有些原因来自昆虫的 几乎每一个方面的量度。

They're more numerous than any other kind of animal.

这些量度比任何其他动物都大

We don't even know how many species of insects there are,

我们甚至还不知道究竟有多少种昆虫，

because new ones are being discovered all the time.

因为一直都不断有新品种被发现。

There are at least a million, maybe as many as 10 million.

现知道有至少1百万， 也许有1千万之多。

This means that you could have an insect-of-the-month calendar

就是说，你可以搞个 每月一种昆虫介绍的年历

and not have to reuse a species for over 80,000 years.

即使不重复介绍， 也可以够用80,000年。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Take that, pandas and kittens!

熊猫小猫的，靠边站吧。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

More seriously, insects are essential.

更重要的是，昆虫不可缺。

We need them.

我们很需要它们。

It's been estimated that 1 out of every 3 bites of food

据估计，每3口食物中，

is made possible by a pollinator.

有两口来自授粉昆虫的工作。

Scientist use insects to make fundamental discoveries

科学家们利用昆虫得出对 种种事物的根本性发现，

about everything from the structure of our nervous systems

从神经系统到基因和 DNA是如何工作的等等。

to how our genes and DNA work.

But what I love most about insects

我最喜欢昆虫的一面是它们使我们

is what they can tell us about our own behavior.

对自己的行为有了深刻的了解。

Insects seem like they do everything that people do.

人们做的事，昆虫似乎都做。

They meet, they mate, they fight, they break up.

它们相遇、交配、打斗、分离。

And they do so with what looks like love or animosity.

而它们做的方式也掺有 看来像是爱或恨的东西。

But what drives their behaviors is really different than what drives our own,

但是，驱动它们的行径的和 驱动我们行径的是不同的东西。

and that difference can be really illuminating.

这种不同能显耀出很多道理。

而最能说明这个问题的 恰恰是我们最感兴趣的 ---

There's nowhere where that's more true

than when it comes to one of our most consuming interests -- sex.

性！

Now, I will maintain. and I think I can defend,

我将坚持这样一种令人意外的说法， 并且不是没有道理的：

what may seem like a surprising statement.

我认为昆虫的性行为 比人类的性行为有意思多啦。

I think sex in insects is more interesting than sex in people.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And the wild variety that we see

能看得见的五花八门的品种 就足以让我们质疑

makes us challenge some of our own assumptions

一向对何谓雌雄的想当然的想法了。

about what it means to be male and female.

Of course, to start with,

自然，首先地，很多昆虫 根本无需性行就能繁殖。

a lot of insects don't need to have sex at all to reproduce.

Female aphids can make little, tiny clones of themselves without ever mating.

雌蚜虫不用交配就能 复制很小很小的自己。

Virgin birth, right there.

处女诞儿，十足无疑地， 就在你家的玫瑰枝上。

On your rose bushes.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

When they do have sex,

而那些有交配行为的呢，

even their sperm is more interesting than human sperm.

它们的精子都比人的精子要多姿多彩。

There are some kinds of fruit flies

有种果蝇， 其精子比雄虫自己的身体还要长。

whose sperm is longer than the male's own body.

And that's important because the males use their sperm to compete.

关键是因为雄虫要用其精子来竞技。

Now, male insects do compete with weapons, like the horns on these beetles.

雄性昆虫自然有用武器来竞斗的，

例如这些甲壳虫用双角。

But they also compete after mating with their sperm.

但是也有在交配之后 用其精子来竞斗的。

Dragonflies and damselflies have penises that look kind of like Swiss Army knives

蜻蜓和豆娘虫的阴茎 跟瑞士小刀一样，

with all of the attachments pulled out.

都带各色配件，能拔鞘而出。

(Laughter)

They use these formidable devices like scoops,

它们用这些攻无不胜的 像勺子的器具

to remove the sperm from previous males that the female has mated with.

能把雌虫之前与之交配的 雄虫的精子都刮掉。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So, what can we learn from this?

那么，从这些我们能学到什么呢？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

All right, it is not a lesson in the sense of us imitating them

倒不是说这里有什么我们 应该模仿它们什么，

or of them setting an example for us to follow.

或者它们给了个什么 榜样我们去跟，

Which, given this, is probably just as well.

幸亏也不需要这样做。

And also, did I mention sexual cannibalism is rampant among insects?

还有，刚才我提到过 昆虫当中非常流行性吞噬的吗？

So, no, that's not the point.

所以， 我意思不是学具体什么行为。

我只想说，昆虫在性行为方面

But what I think insects do,

is break a lot of the rules that we humans have about the sex roles.

打破很多人们自以为是的 性别角色的常规。

So, people have this idea that nature dictates kind of a 1950s sitcom version

我们人仍持有想法，仍停留在 50年代的电视喜剧里看到的、

of what males and females are like.

大自然决定男女人的行为之说。

So that males are always supposed to be dominant and aggressive,

就是，男人永远是应该强势、 有竞争力的，

而女人永远是被动、内敛的。

and females are passive and coy.

But that's just not the case.

但事实并不是这样的。

So for example, take katydids,

拿螽斯来说吧， 它们是蟋蟀和蚱蜢同类

which are relatives of crickets and grasshoppers.

The males are very picky about who they mate with,

其雄虫对交配对象非常挑剔，

because they not only transfer sperm during mating,

原因是，交配时它们不单是移交精子

they also give the female something called a nuptial gift.

它们还给雌虫一种叫聘礼的东西。

You can see two katydids mating in these photos.

这图上看到的是两只螽斯在交配

In both panels, the male's the one on the right,

两图上的雄虫都是右边那只，

and that sword-like appendage is the female's egg-laying organ.

而那剑状的附肢是雌虫的产卵器官。

The white blob is the sperm,

白斑是精子，绿斑就是聘礼，

the green blob is the nuptial gift,

and the male manufactures this from his own body

那聘礼是雄虫用自己的身体 做材料产出来的，

and it's extremely costly to produce.

成本非常昂贵。

It can weigh up to a third of his body mass.

其重量高达雄虫体重的三分一。

I will now pause for a moment and let you think about

我且稍息，让在坐的想想：

what it would be like if human men, every time they had sex,

如果人类的男性每次性交之前

had to produce something that weighed 50, 60, 70 pounds.

都得先生产一块50、60、70磅 重的东西，会是什么情形？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Okay, they would not be able to do that very often.

肯定就是， 他们一定不能频繁性交。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And indeed, neither can the katydids.

事实上，螽斯也不行。

And so what that means

因此就意味着， 螽斯雄虫非常挑剔，

is the katydid males are very choosy

不会随便把聘礼 送给不经挑剔的雌虫。

about who they offer these nuptial gifts to.

这聘礼是非常营养丰富的，

Now, the gift is very nutritious,

and the female eats it during and after mating.

雌虫在交配当中和之后都会进食之。

So, the bigger it is, the better off the male is,

因此聘礼越大，雄虫越占便宜，

because that means more time for his sperm

因为这意味着其精子有更多的时间 灌进雌虫体内，授精给她的卵子。

to drain into her body and fertilize her eggs.

But it also means that the males are very passive about mating,

然而， 这也等于说雄性在交配方面挺被动的。

whereas the females are extremely aggressive and competitive,

而雌性则极为先声夺人、 各不相让。

in an attempt to get as many of these nutritious nuptial gifts as they can.

一心就为搞到尽量多的 那些营养丰富的聘礼。

So, it's not exactly a stereotypical set of rules.

这情形和一贯的俗规有出入了。

Even more generally though,

一个更普遍的现象是，

males are actually not all that important in the lives of a lot of insects.

雄性在很多昆虫的生活并不是最重要的。

In the social insects -- the bees and wasps and ants --

在社群类昆虫里--- 蜜蜂、土蜂、蚂蚁等

the individuals that you see every day --

你每天都能见到的那几种----

the ants going back and forth to your sugar bowl,

如在你的糖罐进进出出的蚂蚁，

the honey bees that are flitting from flower to flower --

花丛中飞来飞去的蜜蜂，

all of those are always female.

这些全都是雌性的。

People have had a hard time getting their head around that idea for millennia.

一千多年来人们都无法 理解这种状况.

The ancient Greeks knew that there was a class of bees, the drones,

古代希腊人知道蜜蜂里 有一纲类，雄峰，比工蜂要大。

that are larger than the workers,

虽然希腊人看不惯雄峰的懒散，

although they disapproved of the drones' laziness

because they could see that the drones just hang around the hive

它们总是围着蜂窝转， 转到婚飞为止,

until the mating flight --

they're the males.

人家是雄峰嘛， 就在等婚飞，

They hang around until the mating flight,

从来不参与采集花蜜和花粉。

but they don't participate in gathering nectar or pollen.

希腊人搞不清楚雄峰的性别，

The Greeks couldn't figure out the drones' sex,

and part of the confusion was that they were aware of the stinging ability of bees

部分原因是给一特点弄糊涂了：

就是，明知蜜蜂有螫针能力,

but they found it difficult to believe

但又难以相信持有如此武器的 竟然会是雌性的动物。

that any animals that bore such a weapon could possibly be a female.

Aristotle tried to get involved as well.

亚里士多德也掺合上了。

He suggested, "OK, if the stinging individuals are going to be the males ..."

他猜测：“好吧， 如果带螫针的是雄的..."

说到这，他也糊涂了，

Then he got confused, because that would have meant

因为照此论下去，那些在蜂群里 照顾幼蜂的也是雄的啦。

the males were also taking care of the young in a colony,

and he seemed to think that would be completely impossible.

这让他认为是完全不可能的事。

然后他就下结论说 蜜蜂大概是一身两性的，

He then concluded that maybe bees had the organs of both sexes

in the same individual,

虽然这说法不尽荒唐， 因为有些动物的确如此。

which is not that far-fetched, some animals do that,

but he never really did get it figured out.

但也说明他最后还是没弄清楚。

And you know, even today, my students, for instance,

即便是现在，

我的学生也是每看到一动物， 包括昆虫，都谓之为雄的。

call every animal they see, including insects, a male.

And when I tell them that the ferocious army-ant soldiers

当我告诉他们说 那些凶神恶煞的军蚁，

头鳄硕大、捍卫蚁群的，

with their giant jaws, used to defend the colony,

全是雌的，

are all always female,

they seem to not quite believe me.

学生们都半信半疑。

(Laughter)

And certainly all of the movies -- Antz, Bee Movie --

加上所有的电影， 蚂蚁电影、蜜蜂电影-----

portray the main character in the social insects as being male.

里面的主角都给扮成是雄的。

Well, what difference does this make?

这又咋样啦？ 能说明什么问题呀？

These are movies. They're fiction.

电影嘛，编的而已。 不就是会说人话的动物嘛。

They have talking animals in them.

就算只只都象 Jerry Seinfeld 地 能说会道，有问题吗？

What difference does it make if they talk like Jerry Seinfeld?

I think it does matter,

我认为有问题。

and it's a problem that actually is part of a much deeper one

而且是个根源非常深的问题，

that has implications for medicine and health

是个能影响到我们的医疗、 卫生、生活多方面的问题。

and a lot of other aspects of our lives.

You all know that scientists use what we call model systems,

各位知道科学家都使用规摹系统，

which are creatures -- white rats or fruit flies --

里面的生物 -- 白鼠/果蝇等--是相当于 所有其他动物 (包括人) 的替身来的。

that are kind of stand-ins for all other animals, including people.

And the idea is that what's true for a person

基本的原理是，符合人的道理 也适用于白鼠身上。

will also be true for the white rat.

And by and large, that turns out to be the case.

而大多数时候，结果出来也符合事实。

But you can take the idea of a model system too far.

但也有把这个假设用过头了的时候。

And what I think we've done,

而我认为用过头了的一点是

is use males, in any species, as though they are the model system.

我们把雄性，任何物种的雄性， 都当成是规摹系统，

The norm.

视雄性为常规， 视之为 "万事就该如此"。

The way things are supposed to be.

And females as a kind of variant --

而雌性呢，则被视为是变异的，特别的，

something special that you only study after you get the basics down.

你得先把基本规律定了， 才以此研究雌性。

And so, back to the insects.

回到昆虫这话题上。

I think what that means

我认为人们还没有搞清楚 眼前到底发生了什么事情。

is that people just couldn't see what was in front of them.

Because they assumed that the world's stage was largely occupied by male players

人们假定了占据世界的 大致上全是雄性，

and females would only have minor, walk-on roles.

而雌性的角色只是次要的、 跑龙套的而已。

But when we do that, we really miss out on a lot of what nature is like.

沿用这种想法的话， 我们会遗漏很多自然界真貌。

And we can also miss out on the way natural, living things, including people,

也会遗漏对自然界、生物(包括人)的 如何各异的这方面的认识。

can vary.

And I think that's why we've used males as models in a lot of medical research,

正因如此，很多医疗研究 用的都是雄性规摹，

something that we know now to be a problem

现在知道问题就来了，

if we want the results to apply to both men and women.

研究结果没法同时 既适用于男性，又适用于女性。

Well, the last thing I really love about insects

我爱昆虫的最后一点是 很多人会为之惊恐丧胆的。

is something that a lot of people find unnerving about them.

They have little, tiny brains

就是，它们脑袋很小， 被普遍觉得认知能力低。

with very little cognitive ability, the way we normally think of it.

They have complicated behavior, but they lack complicated brains.

它们行为复杂， 却不具备复杂的脑袋。

And so, we can't just think of them as though they're little people

因此我们无法当它们是小人，

because they don't do things the way that we do.

它们做事方法并不像人一样的。

I really love that it's difficult to anthropomorphize insects,

让我喜欢的一点是， 我们很难把昆虫拟人化，

to look at them and just think of them like they're little people

很难看着它们，然后把它们 当作是人的外骨骼，带六足。

in exoskeletons, with six legs.

(Laughter)

反而，你得以它们的本身 固有的面目来看待它们。

Instead, you really have to accept them on their own terms,

because insects make us question what's normal and what's natural.

昆虫让我们的质疑 什么是常规、什么是自然的。

Now, you know, people write fiction and talk about parallel universes.

各位知道，人们喜欢 编写故事，谈论平行世界。

They speculate about the supernatural,

人们揣测超自然的东西，

maybe the spirits of the departed walking among us.

逝者之灵在我们当中徜徉什么的。

The allure of another world

异域世界的魅力源自

is something that people say is part of why they want to dabble in the paranormal.

我们都想 试试超自然到底是咋回事。

But as far as I'm concerned,

而我确认为，

who needs to be able to see dead people,

完全毋需穿视死人的能力，

when you can see live insects?

能目睹活生生的昆虫就够了。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）