Freeman Dyson: Let's look for life in the outer solar system

翻译人员: Tony Yet 校对人员: Zachary Lin Zhao

How will we be remembered in 200 years?

200年以后，我们的后代将如何看待我们这个时代的所作所为？

I happen to live in a little town, Princeton, in New Jersey,

我正好生活在一个小镇上 那就是新泽西州的普林斯顿

which every year celebrates the great event in Princeton history:

那里每一年都会庆祝普林斯顿历史上发生的大事

the Battle of Princeton, which was, in fact, a very important battle.

即普林斯顿大战

It was the first battle that George Washington won, in fact,

那是华盛顿将军打下的第一场胜战

and was pretty much of a turning point in the war of independence.

也标志着独立战争的一个转折点

It happened 225 years ago.

那是225年前的事情

It was actually a terrible disaster for Princeton.

但对于普林斯顿而言 它却是一场灾难

The town was burned down; it was in the middle of winter,

整个镇被烧光 那时正好是寒冬

and it was a very, very severe winter.

天气非常非常冷

And about a quarter of all the people in Princeton died that winter

在那个冬季 普林斯顿四分之一的人因为饥饿、严寒而死去

from hunger and cold, but nobody remembers that.

但是没有人记得这个事实

What they remember is, of course, the great triumph,

他们记得的只是那场战争的胜利

that the Brits were beaten, and we won, and that the country was born.

他们只记得英国佬被打败，美国人取得了胜利，新的国家由此诞生

And so I agree very emphatically that the pain of childbirth is not remembered.

因此，对于新生命诞生期的痛楚不为人们所记忆这个观点，我是理解的

It's the child that's remembered.

人们只记得落地的生命

And that's what we're going through at this time.

而我们现在所经历的，也是同样一个过程

I wanted to just talk for one minute about the future of biotechnology,

我将用一分钟的时间来谈论生物科技的未来

because I think I know very little about that -- I'm not a biologist --

因为我自己对此理解甚少，我不是生物学家

so everything I know about it can be said in one minute.

我所知道的，用一分钟来讲就完全足够了

(Laughter)

（笑声）

What I'm saying is that we should follow the model

我要说的是 我们应当参考

that has been so successful with the electronic industry,

电子行业走出来的路子 因为它是一条成功的道理

that what really turned computers into a great success, in the world

计算机因此而走入了主流社会

as a whole, is toys. As soon as computers became toys,

其形式就是玩具 而计算机一旦变成了玩具

when kids could come home and play with them,

孩子们就可以在家里玩

then the industry really took off. And that has to happen with biotech.

于是整个工业就活起来了 这样的过程也应该发生在生物科技领域

There's a huge --

在这一领域

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

-- there's a huge community of people in the world

世界上有很多人

who are practical biologists, who are dog breeders,

他们是职业的生物学家 狗养殖专家

pigeon breeders, orchid breeders, rose breeders,

鸽子养殖家、果园护理师、玫瑰护理师

people who handle biology with their hands,

他们都用双手培植生物

and who are dedicated to producing beautiful things, beautiful creatures,

他们创造的是美丽的事物，美丽的生物

plants, animals, pets. These people will be empowered with biotech,

这些人将因为生物技术而获得力量

and that will be an enormous positive step

这也将是一个巨大的进步

to acceptance of biotechnology.

人们将慢慢的接受生物技术

That will blow away a lot of the opposition.

那也将使得许多的反对意见一去不复返

When people have this technology in their hands,

当人们手中拿着这种技术的时候

you have a do-it-yourself biotech kit, grow your own --

比如你拿到一个可以DIY的生物技术的工具箱，你就可以

grow your dog, grow your own cat.

去培育自己喜爱的小狗、小猫

(Laughter)

（观众笑）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Just buy the software, you design it. I won't say anymore,

只需把软件买回来，你就能自己去设计。其他的就不需要我多讲了。

you can take it on from there. It's going to happen, and

你自己也能想象出会发生什么。因为这一切即将发生

I think it has to happen before the technology becomes natural,

我认为这必将发生，因为技术也会变成一种让人感觉见惯不怪的东西

becomes part of the human condition,

变成生活的一种常态

something that everybody's familiar with and everybody accepts.

人人都十分熟悉，都能很容易的接受

So, let's leave that aside.

所以先不谈这个

I want to talk about something quite different,

我要谈的是另一个很不一样的事物

which is what I know about, and that is astronomy.

这是我熟悉的领域：天文学

And I'm interested in searching for life in the universe.

我对于在外太空寻找生命特别感兴趣

And it's open to us to introduce a new way of doing that,

我们有可能在那里发现新的生存可能

and that's what I'll talk about for 10 minutes,

接下来的10分钟

or whatever the time remains.

我将详细的说明

The important fact is, that most of the real estate

重要的一个事实是

that's accessible to us -- I'm not talking about the stars,

那些我们能够去得到的地方——注意 我不是在讲那些恒星

I'm talking about the solar system, the stuff that's within reach

我是讲太阳系内部 那些通过宇宙飞船和太空望远镜

for spacecraft and within reach of our earthbound telescopes --

可以到达的地方

most of the real estate is very cold and very far from the Sun.

太空中大多数地方都很冷 离太阳也很远

If you look at the solar system, as we know it today,

而今日之太阳系

it has a few planets close to the Sun. That's where we live.

只有少数几个行星是靠近太阳的 我们就住在其中一颗星球之上

It has a fairly substantial number of asteroids between

地球轨道与木星轨道之间

the orbit of the Earth out through -- to the orbit of Jupiter.

有不少的小行星

The asteroids are a substantial amount of real estate,

这些小行星占据了相当一部分的宇宙空间

but not very large. And it's not very promising for life,

尽管总量不算很大 并且那里不适宜生命的发展

since most of it consists of rock and metal, mostly rock.

因为那里大多数是石头和金属，大多数是石头

It's not only cold, but very dry.

不仅仅很冷，而且很干

So the asteroids we don't have much hope for.

因此 我们不能把希望寄托在小行星上

There stand some interesting places a little further out:

在木星的轨道之外还有一些有趣的地方

the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

那就是木星和土星的卫星

Particularly, there's a place called Europa, which is --

这个地方叫欧罗巴

Europa is one of the moons of Jupiter,

它是木星的一个卫星

where we see a very level ice surface,

我们可以看到一层平坦的冰层

which looks as if it's floating on top of an ocean.

就像是漂浮在海洋上一样

So, we believe that on Europa there is, in fact, a deep ocean.

我们由此相信 在欧罗巴这颗卫星上存在着深海

And that makes it extraordinarily interesting as a place to explore.

这一猜测使得我们对木星探测的兴趣大增

Ocean -- probably the most likely place for life to originate,

海洋——这个最有可能是生命之发源地

just as it originated on the Earth. So we would love to explore Europa,

在地球上正是如此。因此我们渴望探测欧罗巴

to go down through the ice,

去到冰层底下

find out who is swimming around in the ocean,

去看看到底海洋里有什么东西

whether there are fish or seaweed or sea monsters --

看那里是不是也有鱼或海草和海洋怪物，比如头足类动物

whatever there may be that's exciting --- or cephalopods.

这一问题本身 就已经非常让人振奋

But that's hard to do. Unfortunately, the ice is thick.

但这是很不容易的 不幸的是 冰层是厚的

We don't know just how thick it is, probably miles thick,

我们甚至连其厚度也不知道 也许有几英里厚

so it's very expensive and very difficult to go down there --

要去到冰层之下 需要花费大笔的钱 克服重重困难

send down your submarine or whatever it is -- and explore.

才能让潜艇下水 进行探测

That's something we don't yet know how to do.

我们现在还不懂得怎么做

There are plans to do it, but it's hard.

有这样的计划 但必须承认 非常困难

Go out a bit further, you'll find that beyond the orbit of Neptune,

再去到更远的地方 比如去到海王星

way out, far from the Sun, that's where the real estate really begins.

那里就离太阳很远了 不过那里的空间才叫开阔呢

You'll find millions or trillions or billions of objects which,

你会在柯伊伯带或奥尔特星云中间

in what we call the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud --

发现几百万乃至几十亿个物体

these are clouds of small objects which appear as comets

这些是云状的小物体 当它们飞向太阳的时候

when they fall close to the Sun. Mostly, they just live out there

看起来就像彗星

in the cold of the outer solar system,

它们大多时候就呆在这个远离太阳的地方

but they are biologically very interesting indeed,

但是从生物学上来说 它们是很有意义的

because they consist primarily of ice with other minerals,

因为它们大都由冰层以及其他的矿物组成

which are just the right ones for developing life.

这正是生命得以发展的要素

So if life could be established out there,

假如说那样的环境也能产生出生命

it would have all the essentials -- chemistry and sunlight --

那是因为那里有生命发生所需的一切：

everything that's needed.

阳光以及化学反应

So, what I'm proposing

所以 我的观点是

is that there is where we should be looking for life, rather than on Mars,

我们应当去那里寻找外星生命 而不是去火星

although Mars is, of course, also a very promising and interesting place.

虽然火星也是一个很不错的适合生命发展的地方

But we can look outside, very cheaply and in a simple fashion.

但是我们可以通过经济的成本 看到更远的地方

And that's what I'm going to talk about.

接下来我将对此加以展开

There is a -- imagine that life originated on Europa,

假设生命在欧罗巴上起源

and it was sitting in the ocean for billions of years.

千百万年里 那些生命都将在水底活动

It's quite likely that it would move out of the ocean onto the surface,

那么它也很有可能走出海洋 走上陆地

just as it did on the Earth.

就像在地球上发生的事情一样

Staying in the ocean and evolving in the ocean for 2 billion years,

也许它已经在海洋里出现并进化了20亿年

finally came out onto the land. And then of course it had great --

最后就跑到陆地上

much greater freedom, and a much greater variety of creatures

于是就有了更大的自由 也繁衍出更多种类的物种

developed on the land than had ever been possible in the ocean.

这是在海洋里不可能发生的事情

And the step from the ocean to the land was not easy, but it happened.

从海洋到陆地并非坦途 但这样的过程还是发生了

Now, if life had originated on Europa in the ocean,

而假如欧罗巴的海洋里确实出现了生命之起源

it could also have moved out onto the surface.

那么它也很有可能迁移到陆地上

There wouldn't have been any air there -- it's a vacuum.

那时的陆地不可能有空气 那是一个真空

It is out in the cold, but it still could have come.

一片冰冷 但生命依然会迁至大陆

You can imagine that the plants growing up like kelp

你可以想象一下 那里的植物就像海带一样

through cracks in the ice, growing on the surface.

在冰层的缝隙里、在冰层表面生长

What would they need in order to grow on the surface?

假如要在地表生长，需要怎样的条件呢？

They'd need, first of all, to have a thick skin to protect themselves

首先，它们需要一层厚厚的表皮保护自己

from losing water through the skin.

唯有如此，它们才不至于让体内的水从表皮流出来

So they would have to have something like a reptilian skin.

因此 它们需要鳞甲般的表皮

But better -- what is more important

更为重要的是

is that they would have to concentrate sunlight.

它们需要充分收集阳光

The sunlight in Jupiter, on the satellites of Jupiter,

木星以及其卫星上出现的阳光

is 25 times fainter than it is here,

比这里要暗25倍

since Jupiter is five times as far from the Sun.

因为木星离太阳的距离是地日距离的五倍

So they would have to have -- these creatures, which I call sunflowers,

因此 那里应当有一些生物 我称之为向日花

which I imagine living on the surface of Europa, would have to have

这些欧罗巴表面的生物

either lenses or mirrors to concentrate sunlight,

会有各种各样的光线反射功能

so they could keep themselves warm on the surface.

只有这样 它们才能保持自身的温度

Otherwise, they would be at a temperature of minus 150,

否则就有可能生活在零下150度当中

which is certainly not favorable for developing life,

这显然不利于生物的发展

at least of the kind we know.

至少对于我们已经知道的植物而言 那样的环境是不适宜其生长的

But if they just simply could grow, like leaves,

但假如它们的叶子能够

little lenses and mirrors to concentrate sunlight,

长成镜子的模样 用以汇集和吸收阳光

then they could keep warm on the surface.

这样的话 它们就能在地表保持温暖

They could enjoy all the benefits of the sunlight

并且能够享受到阳光带来的各种好处

and have roots going down into the ocean;

也可以将它们的根延伸到海底

life then could flourish much more.

那样一来 生命将会繁衍得更加繁盛

So, why not look? Of course, it's not very likely

因此 我们为何不到欧罗巴的表面去寻找生命？

that there's life on the surface of Europa.

虽然也不一定找得到

None of these things is likely, but my,

毕竟今天说的这些事情没有任何一件是保证做得到的

my philosophy is, look for what's detectable, not for what's probable.

但我的哲学是：去寻找那些可以探测到的，而不是那些只有理论可能的

There's a long history in astronomy of unlikely things

天文学的历史上包含了许许多多不可能的事情

turning out to be there. And I mean,

但那些事情后来都变为事实了

the finest example of that was radio astronomy as a whole.

最具说服力的 就是无线电天文学

This was -- originally, when radio astronomy began,

这门学科刚开始的时候

Mr. Jansky, at the Bell labs, detected radio waves coming from the sky.

贝尔实验室的詹斯基先生收到来自太空的无线电信号

And the regular astronomers were scornful about this.

大多数的天文学家对此不以为然

They said, "It's all right, you can detect radio waves from the Sun,

“没错，你能检测到来自太阳的无线电信号

but the Sun is the only object in the universe that's close enough

但是 茫茫宇宙中 就只有太阳是跟我们足够近

and bright enough actually to be detectable. You can easily calculate

并且足够亮因而可以被检测到的天体

that radio waves from the Sun are fairly faint,

这些来自太阳的无线电信号是很微弱的

and everything else in the universe is millions of times further away,

而宇宙中其他的天体则离我们的距离则是地日距离的几百万倍

so it certainly will not be detectable.

因此是不可能检测得到的

So there's no point in looking."

去做这个研究也没有意义

And that, of course, that set back the progress of radio astronomy

这样的冷嘲热讽自然是托后了无线电天文学的进步

by about 20 years.

至少是20年

Since there was nothing there, you might as well not look.

因为那里本来就没有东西 就干脆不需要去观测了

Well, of course, as soon as anybody did look,

但任何人只要去观测过的话

which was after about 20 years,

这也是20年后的事情了

when radio astronomy really took off. Because it turned out

那时无线电天文学才真正起步

the universe is absolutely full of all kinds of wonderful things

天文学家这时候才观测得知 原来太空中确实是充满了各种有趣的东西

radiating in the radio spectrum, much brighter than the Sun.

它们发出的无线电信号也比太阳发出的信号强得多

So, the same thing could be true for this kind of life,

因此 同样的事情也会发生在木星生命的寻找过程中

which I'm talking about, on cold objects: that it could in fact

就是说 在很冷的地区

be very abundant all over the universe, and it's not been detected

在宇宙深处很多地方 都有生命 不过是我们尚未发现

just because we haven't taken the trouble to look.

因为我们还没有去那里看过呢

So, the last thing I want to talk about is how to detect it.

我最后将讲一下如何去观测

There is something called pit lamping.

这是我从儿子那里学到的

That's the phrase which I learned from my son George,

一种叫“矿工电灯”的照明工具

who is there in the audience.

他今天也在观众席上

You take -- that's a Canadian expression.

这是一个加拿大的说法

If you happen to want to hunt animals at night,

假如你打算晚上捕捉野兽

you take a miner's lamp, which is a pit lamp.

就提着一个矿工的灯

You strap it onto your forehead, so you can see

把灯绑在自己的前额上

the reflection in the eyes of the animal. So, if you go out at night,

你就能从动物的眼睛里看到反射

you shine a flashlight, the animals are bright.

因此 假如你晚上出去 打亮一个闪光 就能看到动物

You see the red glow in their eyes,

看到它们眼珠里闪耀的红光

which is the reflection of the flashlight.

那就是手电的光

And then, if you're one of these unsporting characters,

假如你是一位狡猾的猎手

you shoot the animals and take them home.

你就杀掉那只动物 并且将其带回家

And of course, that spoils the game

但这么做对于那些白天才来打猎的

for the other hunters who hunt in the daytime,

猎手而言显然是不公平的

so in Canada that's illegal. In New Zealand, it's legal,

这在加拿大是非法的 在新西兰是合法的

because the New Zealand farmers use this as a way of getting rid of rabbits,

新西兰的农民通过这样的方式来驱赶兔子

because the rabbits compete with the sheep in New Zealand.

那里的兔子在和绵羊争夺资源

So, the farmers go out at night

农民晚上出去

with heavily armed jeeps, and shine the headlights,

都是坐着重型吉普车，开着车灯

and anything that doesn't look like a sheep, you shoot.

看到不像绵羊的，就开枪打

(Laughter)

（观众笑）

So I have proposed to apply the same trick

我提议这样的方式也可以用来

to looking for life in the universe.

寻找宇宙中的生命

That if these creatures who are living on cold surfaces --

假如这些生活在寒冷冰层之上的生物

either on Europa, or further out, anywhere where you can live

不管是在欧罗巴或其他更远的地方

on a cold surface -- those creatures must be provided with reflectors.

它们身上必定是有聚光的“装备”的

In order to concentrate sunlight, they have to have lenses and mirrors --

有了那样的盔甲 它们才能汇聚到所需的能量

in order to keep themselves warm.

才能给自身保暖

And then, when you shine sunlight at them,

要是你开着灯射它们

the sunlight will be reflected back,

那样的光线就会反射回来

just as it is in the eyes of an animal.

就像你看到动物眼睛反射的光线一样

So these creatures will be bright against the cold surroundings.

它们会成为黑暗背景下的闪亮元素

And the further out you go in this, away from the Sun,

离太阳越远

the more powerful this reflection will be. So actually,

这样的反射会越强烈

this method of hunting for life gets stronger and stronger

所以当你走得越远

as you go further away,

这个方法就越有效

because the optical reflectors have to be more powerful so the reflected light

因为那里的反光盔甲必须能够反射出更多的光线

shines out even more in contrast against the dark background.

才能获得足够能量 于是我们将在一片黑暗中看到闪亮的明星

So as you go further away from the Sun,

离太阳越远

this becomes more and more powerful.

这样的反光就越强烈

So, in fact, you can look for these creatures with telescopes from the Earth.

因此，我们可以直接在地球上通过太空望远镜观测到这些生物

Why aren't we doing it? Simply because nobody thought of it yet.

那我们为什么不做呢？因为人们还没有想到这么做啊

But I hope that we shall look, and with any --

但我希望我们去尝试一下

we probably won't find anything,

也许什么也发现不到

none of these speculations may have any basis in fact.

我说的这些猜测确实没有太多的事实支撑

But still, it's a good chance. And of course, if it happens,

但我认为能够发现生物的可能性是蛮大的。 而假如真的发现了

it will transform our view of life altogether.

那将彻底的改变我们对于生命的看法

Because it means that -- the way life can live out there,

因为那意味着地球以外的生物适应环境的能力

it has enormous advantages as compared with living on a planet.

远胜于地球上生物

It's extremely hard to move from one planet to another.

要从一颗行星迁移到另一颗行星是相当困难的

We're having great difficulties at the moment

我们现在还做不到这一点

and any creatures that live on a planet are pretty well stuck.

并且要迁移的话，地球上的生物都要面对

Especially if you breathe air,

诸多难题，比如空气

it's very hard to get from planet A to planet B,

所以说这样的旅途是很困难的

because there's no air in between. But if you breathe air --

你在途中是没有空气的

(Laughter)

（笑声）

-- you're dead --

你会死的

(Laughter)

（笑声）

-- as soon as you're off the planet, unless you have a spaceship.

只要你离开了地球，除非你去到太空船里头

But if you live in a vacuum, if you live on the surface

假如你去到一个真空的世界

of one of these objects, say, in the Kuiper Belt,

到达像柯伊伯带这样的地表上

this -- an object like Pluto, or one of the

好比冥王星

smaller objects in the neighborhood of Pluto,

或者冥王星周边的小天体

and you happened -- if you're living on the surface there,

假如你就住在那个表面上

and you get knocked off the surface by a collision,

然后来了一个冲撞 你被推倒了

then it doesn't change anything all that much.

也不会是什么大事

You still are on a piece of ice, you can still have sunlight

你依然是站在冰层上 你依然能够获取阳光

and you can still survive while you're traveling from one place to another.

不管去到哪里 都能存活下来

And then if you run into another object, you can stay there

假如你遇到别的障碍物 你就停在那里

and colonize the other object. So life will spread, then,

作为你的殖民地 生命就这样繁衍开来

from one object to another. So if it exists at all in the Kuiper Belt,

从这个物体到另一个物体不断的蔓延开去 所以假如柯伊伯带上确实有生物

it's likely to be very widespread. And you will have then

它就很可能传播得很远

a great competition amongst species -- Darwinian evolution --

并且还将出现不同物种之间的争斗 也就是达尔文式的“物竞天择”

so there'll be a huge advantage to the species

那些有幸到处漂的生物

which is able to jump from one place to another

就更有利于自身基因的传播

without having to wait for a collision. And there'll be advantages

也不需等待冲撞

for spreading out long, sort of kelp-like forest of vegetation.

它们也能蔓延开去 变成像海带那样的植物带

I call these creatures sunflowers.

我称之为向日花

They look like, maybe like sunflowers.

它们也许就长得跟向日葵那样子

They have to be all the time pointing toward the Sun,

它们必须每时每刻都指向太阳

and they will be able to spread out in space,

并且要在地区里传播开去

because gravity on these objects is weak.

因为那里的地心引力不会很大

So they can collect sunlight from a big area.

唯有如此 它们才能获取更多的太阳光

So they will, in fact, be quite easy for us to detect.

所以说 我们是可以很容易的观测到它们的存在

So, I hope in the next 10 years, we'll find these creatures,

我希望 在未来的十年里 我们可以发现这样的生物

and then, of course, our whole view of life in the universe will change.

那时候我们关于生命的态度都将发生根本性变化

If we don't find them, then we can create them ourselves.

假如我们没有发现这些生物 那我们也可以人工创造出来

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That's another wonderful opportunity that's opening.

这也是一个相当诱人的开始

We can -- as soon as we have a little bit more understanding

当我们对基因工程有更多认识以后

of genetic engineering, one of the things you can do with your

就可以

take-it-home, do-it-yourself genetic engineering kit --

把一个DIY的基因工具箱带回家

(Laughter) --

（笑声）

is to design a creature that can live on a cold satellite,

我们就创造出一种可以在低温环境下生存的生物

a place like Europa, so we could colonize Europa with our own creatures.

我们就能将这样的生物移民到欧罗巴去

That would be a fun thing to do.

这将会是很有趣的事情

(Laughter)

（笑声）

In the long run, of course,

从长远来说

it would also make it possible for us to move out there.

我们也有机会去到那里

What's going to happen in the end,

最终

it's not going to be just humans colonizing space,

人类将移民太空

it's going to be life moving out from the Earth,

地球上的生命将

moving it into its kingdom. And the kingdom of life,

迁移至真正的生命王国

of course, is going to be the universe. And if life is already there,

而这个王国 就是浩淼的宇宙。假如宇宙里已经有了生物

it makes it much more exciting, in the short run.

短期内 这将使得这一切变得更加好玩

But in the long run, if there's no life there, we create it ourselves.

假如没有 我们就创造出来

We transform the universe into something much more rich and beautiful

从长期来看 我们可以把宇宙改造成为一个比今天

than it is today.

更加美妙丰富的地方

So again, we have a big and wonderful future to look forward.

所以说 我们的未来是无比美好和辉煌的

Thank you.

谢谢大家

(Applause)

（掌声）