Dimitar Sasselov: How we found hundreds of Earth-like planets

譯者: Lauren Huang 審譯者: Lin Su-Wei(林書暐)

Well, indeed, I'm very, very lucky.

我很幸運,因為

My talk essentially got written

我的演講稿是由

by three historic events

過去兩個月中,連續發生的三件

that happened within days of each other

和歷史相關的新聞事件

in the last two months --

所串連而成

seemingly unrelated, but as you will see,

看起來沒關連

actually all having to do with

但是接下來你們會明白

the story I want to tell you today.

它們其實全都和我今天所要講的故事有關

The first one was actually a funeral --

第一個事件是一個喪禮

to be more precise, a reburial.

精確一點的說,是「重埋」

On May 22nd, there was a hero's reburial

5月22號

in Frombork, Poland

在波蘭的弗龍堡

of the 16th-century astronomer

有位16世紀天文學英雄,獲得重埋

who actually changed the world.

他,曾因為確立了

He did that, literally,

太陽系的「日心說」

by replacing the Earth with the Sun

取代「地心說」

in the center of the Solar System,

改變了世界

and then with this simple-looking act,

簡單的一個觀點改變

he actually launched a scientific

引發了科技革命

and technological revolution,

你可以稱之為

which many call the Copernican Revolution.

哥白尼革命

Now that was,

那革命

ironically, and very befittingly,

和後來怎樣找到哥白尼本人的墳墓

the way we found his grave.

非常有關

As it was the custom of the time,

按哥白尼時代的風俗

Copernicus was actually

他和其他14個人

simply buried in an unmarked grave,

無名無姓的

together with 14 others

一同合葬在

in that cathedral.

天主教堂地窖墳墓中

DNA analysis,

而DNA比對,正是

one of the hallmarks

他所發動的這場400年革命

of the scientific revolution

所留下最偉大的

of the last 400 years that he started,

劃時代特徵印記之一

was the way we found

最終也成為,幫我們找到

which set of bones

他本人骸骨的關鍵

actually belonged to the person

從他讀過的天文學書籍中

who read all those astronomical books

所遺留的頭髮

which were filled with leftover hair

比對過DNA後

that was Copernicus' hair --

我們在一堆骸骨中確認哪些屬哥白尼所有

obviously not many other people

而不可能是其他人

bothered to read these books later on.

畢竟在他之後,舊的天文學書也無人再看

That match was unambiguous.

鑑定結果,很明確是吻合

The DNA matched,

DNA比對

and we know that this was indeed

使我們確實知道

Nicolaus Copernicus.

哪些骨頭是屬於尼古拉哥白尼本人所有

Now, the connection between

不過,生物學和DNA

biology and DNA

及生命之間有關連性

and life

並且

is very tantalizing when you talk about Copernicus

和哥白尼有所相關是怎麼回事呢?

because, even back then,

我們知道,即便是在哥白尼時代

his followers

他的跟隨者也已經知道

very quickly made the logical step

下一步邏輯推論必然是

to ask: if the Earth is just a planet,

「如果,地球只是繞行太陽的行星

then what about planets around other stars?

那麼其他繞行其他恆星的行星在哪裡呢?」

What about the idea of the plurality of the worlds,

「世界」這個概念,從此成為複數而非單數嗎?

about life on other planets?

還有,在其他那些星球上的生命是什麼樣的呢?

In fact, I'm borrowing here from one of those

我在這裡所借用的當時看法

very popular books of the time.

都參考自哥白尼時相當受歡迎的一本書

And at the time,

當時的人們

people actually answered that question

對於這個問題的答案

positively: "Yes."

肯定的回答了:「是」

But there was no evidence.

但沒有任何證據

And here begins 400 years

接下來的400年

of frustration, of unfulfilled dreams --

人類仍因苦無證據而深感挫折

the dreams of Galileo, Giordano Bruno,

這伽利略、布魯諾和其他人

many others --

空有偉大的理想

which never led to the answer

卻對人類最基本的問題

of those very basic questions

無從回答

which humanity has asked all the time.

人類向來不停的追問

"What is life? What is the origin of life?

生命是什麼？生命從何而來？

Are we alone?"

人類是唯一而孤單的嗎？

And that especially happened in the last 10 years,

尤其來到20世紀末

at the end of the 20th century,

的最後10年

when the beautiful developments

分子生物學

due to molecular biology,

有了璀璨的發現

understanding the code of life, DNA,

使我們了解生命的密碼、DNA

all of that seemed to actually

所有這些發現非但

put us, not closer,

未能使人類更靠近答案

but further apart from answering

反而更進一步將我們推離

those basic questions.

距離這些基本答案越來越遠

Now, the good news.

然後,好消息開始

A lot has happened in the last few years,

集中在去年當中相繼出現

and let's start with the planets.

我們從行星開始講起

Let's start with the old Copernican question:

從哥白尼所問的問題

Are there earths around other stars?

是否有行星繞行其他恆星?

And as we already heard,

我們都知道

there is a way in which

有一種方式

we are trying, and now able,

正在嘗試

to answer that question.

回答這個問題

It's a new telescope.

一架新的望遠鏡

Our team, befittingly I think,

我們恰如其分的

named it after one of those dreamers

依一位哥白尼時代的夢想家

of the Copernican time,

為它命名

Johannes Kepler,

(約翰尼斯)「開普勒望遠鏡」

and that telescope's sole purpose

這座望遠鏡的唯一目的就是

is to go out,

出發,去尋找

find the planets that orbit

銀河系中繞行

other stars in our galaxy,

除太陽以外其他恆星的行星

and tell us how often do planets like our own Earth

並捎回信息告訴我們說

happen to be out there.

銀河系裡,還有多少類似地球的行星

The telescope is actually

這座望遠鏡

built similarly to

和知名的

the, well-known to you, Hubble Space Telescope,

哈柏太空望遠鏡很類似

except it does have an additional lens --

但它捨棄了哈柏其中一個

a wide-field lens,

寬視角鏡頭

as you would call it as a photographer.

(或稱為照相機)

And if, in the next couple of months,

接下來幾個月

you walk out in the early evening

入夜後你可走到戶外

and look straight up

抬頭仰望向天

and place you palm like this,

並將你的手掌像這樣舉起

you will actually be looking at the field of the sky

那塊天空正是

where this telescope is searching for planets

這座望遠鏡

day and night, without any interruption,

未來四年將日以繼夜的

for the next four years.

不停的搜索的區域

The way we do that, actually,

我們所使用的方式是

is with a method, which we call the transit method.

「凌日法」

It's actually mini-eclipses that occur

是迷你級的日蝕現象

when a planet passes in front of its star.

發生在行星飛越過恆星面前時

Not all of the planets will be fortuitously oriented

不見得所有行星都允許我們有

for us to be able do that,

如此純屬偶然的機會可以觀察到此現象

but if you have a million stars,

但如果觀測1百萬顆恆星

you'll find enough planets.

以此方式應該也能偵測到不少行星

And as you see on this animation,

雖然在此你可以看到恆星和行星的清晰影像

what Kepler is going to detect

但開普勒要偵測的只是

is just the dimming of the light from the star.

來自恆星的光由亮轉暗的現象

We are not going to see the image of the star and the planet as this.

我們並不是要看看到恆星和行星的清晰影像

All the stars for Kepler are just points of light.

所有恆星對開普勒而言都僅只是光點而已

But we learn a lot from that:

但從光點的資料使我們能明白很多

not only that there is a planet there, but we also learn its size.

不僅只是那裏有一顆行星而已,還有尺寸大小

How much of the light is being dimmed

光變暗的程度高低

depends on how big the planet is.

取決於行星是大還小

We learn about its orbit,

也能得知它的軌道

the period of its orbit and so on.

軌道的週期如何等等

So, what have we learned?

所以結論是

Well, let me try to walk you through

我接下來解釋我們的研究方法

what we actually see

然後你會明白

and so you understand the news

我最後要分享的新聞

that I'm here to tell you today.

那是今天的重點

What Kepler does

開普勒望遠鏡所做的事情就是

is discover a lot of candidates,

發現許多行星「候選人」的資料

which we then follow up and find as planets,

追蹤看看它們到底是不是

confirm as planets.

行星

It basically tells us

基本上他告訴我們

this is the distribution of planets in size.

行星大小的分佈情形如何

There are small planets, there are bigger planets, there are big planets, okay.

行星有大也有小

So we count many, many such planets,

我們可以數一數各種行星

and they have different sizes.

大小不同

We do that in our solar system.

我們先是針對太陽系做這件事情

In fact, even back during the ancients,

事實上在古代

the Solar System in that sense

太陽系的行星數量圖

would look on a diagram like this.

看起來會像是這樣

There will be the smaller planets, and there will be the big planets,

即便是在伊比鳩魯時代

even back to the time of Epicurus

人們就已知行星是有小,有大的

and then of course Copernicus

或哥白尼時期的人

and his followers.

當然也知道

Up until recently, that was the Solar System --

稍後有了有太陽系概念

four Earth-like planets with small radius,

共有4個類似地球的行星

smaller than about two times the size of the Earth --

半徑較小,小於地球兩倍以下的就算小

and that was of course Mercury,

這包括了水星

Venus, Mars,

金星,火星

and of course the Earth,

以及地球本身

and then the two big, giant planets.

以及兩顆巨型行星

Then the Copernican Revolution

哥白尼帶來

brought in telescopes,

望遠鏡革命

and of course three more planets were discovered.

然後又有兩三個行星被發現

Now the total planet number

當時太陽系行星數量

in our solar system was nine.

是9個

The small planets dominated,

大多數以小行星為主

and there was a certain harmony to that,

哥白尼很開心的注意到

which actually Copernicus was very happy to note,

大小比例之間有某種合諧性

and Kepler was one of the big proponents of.

開普勒望遠鏡是這個假設的大力支持者

So now we have Pluto to join the numbers of small planets.

當時冥王星仍被歸為小行星一類

But up until, literally, 15 years ago,

但直到15年前

that was all we knew about planets.

我們對行星的知識僅止於此

And that's what the frustration was.

哥白尼的夢想

The Copernican dream was unfulfilled.

仍然沒能實現

Finally, 15 years ago,

15年前，我們的技術

the technology came to the point

終於達到一個程度

where we could discover a planet around another star,

能夠發現一個行星圍繞另一顆恆星

and we actually did pretty well.

一切進行的相當不錯

In the next 15 years,

15年來，透過各種不同方法發現

almost 500 planets

一共將近500個行星

were discovered orbiting other stars, with different methods.

這些行星環繞其他恆星

Unfortunately, as you can see,

不過，從這邊你會發現到

there was a very different picture.

這個景象和我們所期待的非常不同

There was of course an explanation for it:

我們只看到大的行星

We only see the big planets,

這現象背後,當然有可解釋的原因

so that's why most of those planets

但,總之,大部分我們觀測到的行星

are really in the category of "like Jupiter."

都歸在類木星這一類

But you see, we haven't gone very far.

無論如何其實我們仍在原地踏步

We were still back where Copernicus was.

離哥白尼時期已經400年,進展卻不多

We didn't have any evidence

我們仍然沒有證據可以顯示

whether planets like the Earth are out there.

像地球一樣的行星確實存在

And we do care about planets like the Earth

這件事對我們很重要,因為

because by now we understood

現在我們所明白的是,生命

that life as a chemical system

有如一個化學體系般

really needs a smaller planet

它需要比較小的行星

with water and with rocks

有水有土壤岩石

and with a lot of complex chemistry

以及一些相當複雜的化學

to originate, to emerge, to survive.

然後生命得以起源,出現,生存

And we didn't have the evidence for that.

但我們獨缺證據

So today, I'm here to actually give you a first glimpse

今天我在這裡要向各位說明的就是

of what the new telescope, Kepler,

最新的開普勒望遠鏡

has been able to tell us in the last few weeks,

在過去幾週當中的新發現

and, lo and behold,

非常令人驚訝的,你將看到

we are back to the harmony

我們回到了哥白尼所夢想的

and to fulfilling the dreams of Copernicus.

大小行星,呈現

You can see here,

均勻分佈狀態

the small planets dominate the picture.

小行星佔多數

The planets which are marked "like Earth,"

標示為「類地球」的行星

[are] definitely more than

比其他任何一類

any other planets that we see.

的行星都多

And now for the first time, we can say that.

這是第一次我們可肯定的說

There is a lot more work we need to do with this.

關於這些結果還有很多後續工作要做

Most of these are candidates.

這些大部分只是符合初步條件的候選人

In the next few years we will confirm them.

還需要幾年才能確認結果

But the statistical result

但統計結果

is loud and clear.

會大聲而很清楚的說話

And the statistical result is that

統計數字說明

planets like our own Earth

類似地球的行星

are out there.

有滿多的

Our own Milky Way Galaxy is rich in this kind of planets.

我們銀河系就有很多

So the question is: what do we do next?

問題是:下一步又如何?

Well, first of all, we can study them

第一步我們先研究

now that we know where they are.

已知它們所在的位置

And we can find those that we would call habitable,

得知它是否符合可居住的條件

meaning that they have similar conditions

也就是,它的條件

to the conditions

和我們在地球上生活

that we experience here on Earth

所體驗的條件相類似?

and where a lot of complex chemistry can happen.

因為一些複雜的化學在特定條件下才可以發生

So, we can even put a number

我們可以推測

to how many of those planets

這樣的行星

now do we expect our own

在銀河系裡有多少

Milky Way Galaxy harbors.

而這個答案是

And the number, as you might expect,

您或許已經猜的出來

is pretty staggering.

是頗為驚人的:

It's about 100 million such planets.

大約有一億顆!

That's great news. Why?

這是大好的消息,不是嗎?

Because with our own little telescope,

運用這樣小小的望遠鏡

just in the next two years,

短短兩年的觀測

we'll be able to identify at least 60 of them.

就發現了60個初步符合條件的行星

So that's great because then

這當然是好消息

we can go and study them --

因為我們會繼續

remotely, of course --

當然是,用遠距的方式

with all the techniques that we already have

用一些現有的技術

tested in the past five years.

在過去五年中已經測試過的

We can find what they're made of,

可以了解它的組成成分

would their atmospheres have water, carbon dioxide, methane.

大氣層有無水份,二氧化碳,甲烷

We know and expect that we'll see that.

經由了解然後,期待能看見

That's great, but that is not the whole news.

這聽起來很棒,但他還不算是全部

That's not why I'm here.

這還不是今天所要講的重點

Why I'm here is to tell you that the next step

今天要談的是我們的下一步

is really the exciting part.

是真正令人振奮的好消息

The one that this step

這下一步

is enabling us to do is coming next.

能帶領我們預備好迎接更後面將來的

And here comes biology --

那就是生物

biology, with its basic question,

在生物學領域,還有基本問題

which still stands unanswered,

仍然未獲解答

which is essentially:

而那就是

"If there is life on other planets,

「如果其他星球上是有生命的話

do we expect it to be like life on Earth?"

我們是否認為它會和地球生物一樣?」

And let me immediately tell you here,

我想先表達一件事

when I say life, I don't mean "dolce vita,"

這裡所說「生命」,並非

good life, human life.

等同於「快樂生活著」這種人類的生命

I really mean life

我所指的生命是:

on Earth, past and present,

過去,現在和未來在地球上

from microbes to us humans,

從微生物到人類

in its rich molecular diversity,

具有豐富的分子多樣性

the way we now understand life on Earth

以我們現在所明白的在地球上的生命形式

as being a set of molecules and chemical reactions --

有著成組的分子和彼此化學反應

and we call that, collectively, biochemistry,

我們統稱為,生物化學

life as a chemical process,

生命是一個化學過程

as a chemical phenomenon.

是一個化學上的現象

So the question is:

所以問題是

is that chemical phenomenon universal,

這樣的化學現象是否具有普及全宇宙皆準的一致性?

or is it something

抑或是

which depends on the planet?

它將因個別星球而異?

Is it like gravity,

它會像重力原理一樣

which is the same everywhere in the universe,

在宇宙中任何一處都適用?

or there would be all kinds of different biochemistries

還是宇宙間充滿形形色色,大異其趣的許多生物化學

wherever we find them?

各隨其所在環境而變異?

We need to know what we are looking for

在我們嘗試新探索以前

when we try to do that.

必須先知道我們想要找的是什麼

And that's a very basic question, which we don't know the answer to,

那是非常基礎,而我們不知道其答案為何的問題

but which we can try --

但可以嘗試

and we are trying -- to answer in the lab.

可以先在實驗室裡嘗試

We don't need to go to space

不需要在太空中嘗試

to answer that question.

有些問題是可以先取得答案的

And so, that's what we are trying to do.

那就是我們所在做的試驗

And that's what many people now are trying to do.

也是許多人正在努力嘗試的

And a lot of the good news comes from that part of the bridge

這像是一座通往某處的橋樑

that we are trying to build as well.

在一邊造橋的過程,我們已經聽見有些好消息傳來

So this is one example

這裡有一個例子

that I want to show you here.

我想和各位分享

When we think of what is necessary

我們一向以為

for the phenomenon that we call life,

要起始生命這種奇妙的現象

we think of compartmentalization,

分室作用是必須的

keeping the molecules which are important for life

它會把對生命而言,有重要性的分子

in a membrane,

個別包裹在膜裡面

isolated from the rest of the environment,

使它與週遭環境隔絕開來

but yet, in an environment in which

但我們發現,在一個環境中

they actually could originate together.

這些分子事實上可以一起共同產生

And in one of our labs,

這是由我們的一個實驗室

Jack Szostak's labs,

傑克史塔克實驗室

it was a series of experiments

過去四年

in the last four years

進行一系列的實驗中所得到的發現

that showed that the environments --

有些和地球環境

which are very common on planets,

條件相類似的行星

on certain types of planets like the Earth,

在那裡

where you have some liquid water and some clays --

有些水,和土壤

you actually end up with

然後

naturally available molecules

很自然的有些分子出現

which spontaneously form bubbles.

自發性的形成了泡沫

But those bubbles have membranes

這些泡沫所具有的膜

very similar to the membrane of every cell

和每一個地球生物所具有的

of every living thing on Earth looks like,

細胞的膜是非常類似

like this.

像這樣

And they really help molecules,

這對於分子形成

like nucleic acids, like RNA and DNA,

對核酸,核糖核酸和DNA

stay inside, develop,

在其中發展

change, divide

變化,分裂

and do some of the processes that we call life.

以及進行一些我們稱為生命的過程都很有幫助

Now this is just an example

這是其中一個例子

to tell you the pathway

用來說明我們前進所採取途徑

in which we are trying to answer

是我們用來宏觀回答

that bigger question about the universality of the phenomenon.

生命現象具有什麼普遍原則的途徑之一

And in a sense, you can think of that work

某種程度上,你可以將目前

that people are starting to do now around the world

世界各地人們為此所進行的這些相關工作

as building a bridge,

比喻成搭建一座橋樑

building a bridge from two sides of the river.

彼此各從河的兩岸搭一座橋

On one hand, on the left bank of the river,

一方,在左岸

are the people like me who study those planets

有些研究行星的人,如我

and try to define the environments.

試著定義生命合適的環境為何

We don't want to go blind because there's too many possibilities,

可能性太多,我們不能盲目以赴

and there is not too much lab,

實驗室的資源

and there is not enough human time

人力時間

to actually to do all the experiments.

都不允許我們一一完成所有實驗

So that's what we are building from the left side of the river.

這就是左岸的工作人員在努力嘗試的部份

From the right bank of the river

從右岸

are the experiments in the lab that I just showed you,

有我剛剛展現給各位看的那種實驗正在進行

where we actually tried that, and it feeds back and forth,

我們可以試圖看這樣來回互通有無

and we hope to meet in the middle one day.

希望有一天能在中間點相會

So why should you care about that?

但是,請問你為什麼要聽我

Why am I trying to sell you

對你兜售一個才建了一半

a half-built bridge?

一半都還不到的橋?

Am I that charming?

靠我的帥氣魅力嗎?

Well, there are many reasons,

原因有很多

and you heard some of them

今天的短講中

in the short talk today.

有一部分原因你已經聽過了

This understanding of chemistry

對化學的更多了解

actually can help us

事實上不僅在日常生活上

with our daily lives.

能幫助我們

But there is something more profound here,

它其實是有更豐富

something deeper.

更深層的意義

And that deeper, underlying point

這更深層的基本論點是在於:

is that science

科學

is in the process of redefining life

就是將已知的生命定義

as we know it.

重新定義的一個過程

And that is going to change

這將極大的改變我們的

our worldview in a profound way --

世界觀

not in a dissimilar way

與400年前的世界觀

as 400 years ago,

真正有所不同

Copernicus' act did,

哥白尼的革命

by changing the way

改變了我們

we view space and time.

看待時間和空間的觀點

Now it's about something else,

現在這個新革命,重點雖不同

but it's equally profound.

但意涵很豐富是無庸置疑的

And half the time,

一半

what's happened

是關於

is it's related this kind of

人類的

sense of insignificance

渺小

to humankind,

小地球和大宇宙

to the Earth in a bigger space.

無可比擬的微不足道

And the more we learn,

所知越多

the more that was reinforced.

渺小感越發強烈

You've all learned that in school --

學校老師都敎過我們

how small the Earth is

和無垠的宇宙相比

compared to the immense universe.

地球有多麼渺小

And the bigger the telescope,

而望遠鏡越大

the bigger that universe becomes.

宇宙就更大

And look at this image of the tiny, blue dot.

你看這顆小藍點的影像

This pixel is the Earth.

這一粒畫素就是地球

It is the Earth as we know it.

就是我們所熟悉認識的地球

It is seen from, in this case,

這張圖是由土星軌道以外的拍攝點

from outside the orbit of Saturn.

看見的地球

But it's really tiny.

真的很渺小

We know that.

這是我們所清楚知道的

Let's think of life as that entire planet

且若我們把生命當作是這整顆星球

because, in a sense, it is.

因為就某種意義而言,它確實就是如此

The biosphere is the size of the Earth.

地球多大,生物圈就是多大

Life on Earth

並且地球上的生命

is the size of the Earth.

大小不超過地球本身

And let's compare it to the rest of the world

倘若我們將它和世界相比較

in spatial terms.

與「宇宙規模」的世界相比

What if that

如果像這樣的,哥白尼所引領

Copernican insignificance

我們去感受到的渺小感

was actually all wrong?

竟然其實全是錯誤的話,會如何呢?

Would that make us more responsible

是否,我們對於今天

for what is happening today?

會更負責一點?

Let's actually try that.

如果會的話,我們何不嘗試看看?

So in space, the Earth is very small.

看到在太空中,地球真的很小

Can you imagine how small it is?

能想像的到嗎?

Let me try it.

我來試試看

Okay, let's say

這是

this is the size

我們觀測到的

of the observable universe,

宇宙的大小長度

with all the galaxies,

包括所有星系

with all the stars,

所有恆星

okay, from here to here.

從這裡到這裡

Do you know what the size of life

你知道生命的體積長度

in this necktie will be?

在這條領帶上佔多少比例嗎?

It will be the size

它將會是

of a single, small atom.

單一一顆原子的大小

It is unimaginably small.

無法想像的微小

We can't imagine it.

幾乎無法想像的程度

I mean look, you can see the necktie,

你看的見整條領帶

but you can't even imagine seeing

但你怎能想像看的見

the size of a little, small atom.

其中一顆原子呢?

But that's not the whole story, you see.

但故事的全貌不止如此

The universe and life

宇宙和生命

are both in space and time.

同樣存在於空間,以及「時間」中

If that was

如果宇宙的時間

the age of the universe,

長度像這樣

then this is the age of life on Earth.

這是地球的生命

Think about those oldest living things on Earth,

你可以想像地球上最古老的生命

but in a cosmic proportion.

有著遍及全宇宙的蹤跡

This is not insignificant.

這就不再渺小了

This is very significant.

這是非常有意義且重要

So life might be insignificant in size,

從大小來看,生命或許渺小微不足道

but it is not insignificant in time.

而從時間來看,意義卻大不相同

Life and the universe

生命和宇宙

compare to each other like a child and a parent,

像一個孩子和父母親相比

parent and offspring.

父母和他所生的後代

So what does this tell us?

這對我們有什麼意義?

This tells us that

它的意義是

that insignificance paradigm

從哥白尼時代開始灌輸我們

that we somehow got to learn

這種「渺小感」的示範演譯

from the Copernican principle,

這樣的既有模型

it's all wrong.

其實,全是錯誤的!

There is immense, powerful potential

宇宙中的生命不僅是大有潛能

in life in this universe --

並且沒有止盡,強而有力

especially now that we know

尤其是現在我們已能肯定

that places like the Earth are common.

宇宙中,還有許多環境和地球類似的星球

And that potential, that powerful potential,

因而,在那些地方,生命的潛在可能

is also our potential,

是大有可為的存在著可能性

of you and me.

這些全都是你的,和我的未來無限可能

And if we are to be stewards

如果我們要當

of our planet Earth

地球的管理者

and its biosphere,

在地球的生物圈中扮演好管理者的角色

we'd better understand

我們最好明白

the cosmic significance

如此廣及全宇宙的重大意義

and do something about it.

並且急起努力直追

And the good news is we can

而好消息正是,這是我們能夠做的

actually, indeed do it.

我們真的能夠做得到

And let's do it.

所以,我們出發吧

Let's start this new revolution

讓我們展開另一個革命

at the tail end of the old one,

此刻正是舊的革命將近尾聲

with synthetic biology being

而合成生物學又即將

the way to transform

開始轉化我們的

both our environment

環境和

and our future.

未來的此刻

And let's hope that we can build this bridge together

我們可以滿懷期待

and meet in the middle.

我們會將兩岸的橋搭起,並且期待彼此相連

Thank you very much.

謝謝大家

(Applause)

(掌聲)