Meet the microscopic life in your home -- and on your face | Anne Madden

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

I want you to touch your face.

我想請你們摸一下自己的臉。

Go on.

摸摸看。

What do you feel?

有什麼感覺?

Soft? Squishy?

柔軟？濕軟？

It's you, right? You're feeling you?

這就是你，對嗎？ 你感覺到的是你自己？

Well, it's not quite true.

這樣說並不準確，

You're actually feeling thousands of microscopic creatures

你感覺到的其實是 數以千計的顯微生物，

that live on our face and fingers.

它們就在你們的臉上、手指上。

You're feeling some of the fungi

你們還感覺到了一些真菌，

that drifted down from the air ducts today.

它們來自冷氣管， 今天飄落到你的皮膚上。

They set off our allergies

它們會觸發我們的過敏症狀，

and smell of mildew.

也會造成霉味。

You're feeling some of the 100 billion bacterial cells

你們也感覺到約千億個

活在我們皮膚表面的細菌細胞。

that live on our skin.

They've been munching away at your skin oils and replicating,

它們嚙食皮膚上的油脂， 然後複製繁殖，

producing the smells of body odor.

產生了我們的體味。

You're likely even touching the fecal bacteria

你們甚至可能也摸到了排泄物細菌，

that sprayed onto you the last time you flushed a toilet,

是你們上一次沖馬桶時 噴濺到你們身上的，

or those bacteria that live in our water pipes

或是那些生活在水管裡的細菌，

and sprayed onto you with your last shower.

在你們上次洗澡時噴在你們身上。

Sorry.

抱歉。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

You're probably even giving a microscopic high five

你們剛剛甚至可能還做了微擊掌，

to the two species of mites that live on our faces,

擊掌對象是住在我們臉上的兩種蟎。

on all of our faces.

我們滿臉都是。

They've spent the night squirming across your face

它們夜晚在你臉上蠕動爬行，

and having sex on the bridge of your nose.

在你們的鼻樑上做愛。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Many of them are now leaking their gut contents onto your pores.

有許多蟎現在還正在把腸子裡的 東西排到你們的毛孔裡。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now look at your finger.

現在看看你們的手指。

How's it feel? Gross?

感覺如何？噁心嗎？

In desperate need of soap or bleach?

非常需要肥皂或漂白劑嗎？

That's how you feel now,

這是你們現在的感覺，

but it's not going to be how you feel in the future.

在未來你們就不會這樣覺得了。

For the last 100 years,

在過去的一百年裡，

we've had an adversarial relationship

我們一直和那些離我們最近的

with the microscopic life nearest us.

顯微生物保持著敵對關係。

If I told you there was a bug in your house

如果我跟你說，你家裡有病菌，

or bacteria in your sink,

或水槽裡有細菌，

there was a human-devised solution for that,

人類針對這情況設計了解決方案，

a product to eradicate, exterminate,

一種產品可以用來根除、消滅、

disinfect.

消毒。

We strive to remove most of the microscopic life in our world now.

現在我們努力在消除世界上 大部份的顯微生命，

But in doing so, we're ignoring the best source of new technology

但這麼做時，我們其實也忽略

地球上最棒的新科技來源。

on this planet.

The last 100 years have featured human solutions to microbial problems,

過去一百年的特點是針對 微生物問題提出人類解決方案，

but the next 100 years will feature microbial solutions to human problems.

接下來一百年的特點會是

針對人類問題提出微生物解決方案。

I'm a scientist, and I work with researchers

我是科學家，

我與北卡羅來納州立大學

at North Carolina State University and the University of Colorado

和科羅拉多大學的研究者合作，

to uncover the microscopic life that is nearest us,

探究最靠近我們的顯微生命，

and that's often in our most intimate and boring environments,

通常就存在於我們 最熟悉且無聊的環境中，

be it under our couches, in our backyards,

比如就在我們的沙發下、後院裡、

or in our belly buttons.

和我們的肚臍裡。

I do this work because it turns out that we know very little

我做這項研究，是因為事實證明，

about the microscopic life that's nearest us.

我們對於最靠近我們的 顯微生命所知非常少。

As of a few years ago, no scientist could tell you

一直到幾年前， 都沒有科學家能告訴你

what bugs or microorganisms live in your home --

你家裡住了哪些病菌或微生物──

your home, the place you know better than anywhere else.

你家裡，那是你最熟悉不過的地方。

And so I and teams of others

所以我和其他人組成的團隊

are armed with Q-tips and tweezers

帶著棉花棒、鑷子、

and advanced DNA techniques

還有先進的 DNA 技術，

to uncover the microscopic life nearest us.

來探索離我們最近的顯微生命。

In doing so, we found over 600 species of bugs

光靠這麼做，我們就發現 有超過六百種蟲子、病菌

that live in USA homes,

住在美國的住家中，

everything from spiders and cockroaches

從蜘蛛到蟑螂

to tiny mites that cling to feathers.

到附在羽毛上的小蟎類。

And we found over 100,000 species of bacteria and fungi

我們發現了超過 十萬種的細菌和真菌，

that live in our dust bunnies,

住在都是灰塵的兔子玩偶身上，

thousands more that live on our clothes or in our showers.

還有另外數千種住在 我們的衣服上或是淋浴間裡。

We've gone further still,

我們還再進一步研究，

and we looked at the microorganisms

我們去研究那些住在

that live inside the bodies of each of those bugs in our home.

我們家中的蟲子，看它們 身體裡面又住了哪些微生物。

In each bug, for example, a wasp,

針對每一隻蟲子，比如，一隻黃蜂，

we see a microscopic jungle unfold in a petri plate,

我們都會在培養皿上 發現一個顯微叢林，

a world of hundreds of vibrant species.

數百種品種的活躍生物 所居住的世界。

Behold the biological cosmos!

看哪！看看這個生物宇宙！

So many of the species you're looking at right now

你們現在看到的是許多都還沒

don't yet have names.

被命名的品種。

Most of the life around us remains unknown.

我們身邊大部份的生命 都還是未知的。

I remember the first time I discovered and got to name a new species.

我還記得我第一次發現了 一個新品種且得以為它命名。

It was a fungus that lives in the nest of a paper wasp.

那是一種真菌， 住在黃腰泥壺蜂的巢裡。

It's white and fluffy,

它是白色的，且毛茸茸的，

and I named it "mucor nidicola,"

我把它叫做「mucor nidicola」，

meaning in Latin that it lives in the nest of another.

這是拉丁文，意思是 它住在別人的巢裡。

This is a picture of it growing on a dinosaur,

這是它的照片， 它長在一隻恐龍身上，

because everyone thinks dinosaurs are cool.

因為每個人都覺得恐龍很酷。

At the time, I was in graduate school,

那時，我還在讀研究所，

and I was so excited that I had found this new life form.

對於發現新物種，我感到相當興奮。

I called up my dad, and I go,

我打電話給我爸爸，說：

"Dad! I just discovered a new microorganism species."

「爸！我剛發現了 一種新的微生物品種。」

And he laughed and he goes,

他笑了，然後說：

"That's great. I hope you also discovered a cure for it."

「好極了。我希望你也 發現了它的解藥。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"Cure it."

「治好它。」

Now, my dad is my biggest fan,

我爸爸是我的頭號粉絲，

so in that crushing moment where he wanted to kill my new little life form,

所以，在他想要殺掉 我的新物種的毀滅性時刻，

I realized that actually I had failed him,

我了解到我身為女兒和科學家，

both as a daughter and a scientist.

兩個身份都讓他失望了。

In my years toiling away in labs and in people's backyards,

多年來我在實驗室及 別人家的後院裡苦幹，

investigating and cataloging the microscopic life around us,

調查我們身邊的顯微生命 並將它們編入目錄，

I'd never made clear my true mission to him.

我卻從未讓他了解我真正的使命。

My goal is not to find technology

我的目標並不是要找到技術

to kill the new microscopic life around us.

來殺掉我們周圍的新顯微生命。

My goal is to find new technology from this life, that will help save us.

我的目標是要從這生命找到新技術，

來協助拯救我們。

The diversity of life in our homes is more than a list of 100,000 new species.

在我們家中的生命多樣性， 有高達十萬種新物種。

It is 100,000 new sources of solutions to human problems.

也就是說，人類問題又多了 十萬個新的解決方案來源。

I know it's hard to believe that anything that's so small

我知道很難相信這麼小的生物

or only has one cell

或是只有一個細胞的生物，

可以做出強大的事來，

can do anything powerful,

but they can.

但確實可以。

These creatures are microscopic alchemists,

這些生物是顯微鍊金術士，

with the ability to transform their environment

有能力用一堆化學工具

with an arsenal of chemical tools.

來轉變它們的環境。

This means that they can live anywhere on this planet,

這意味著，它們能存活 在地球上的任何地方，

and they can eat whatever food is around them.

且它們可以吃身邊的任何食物。

This means they can eat everything from toxic waste to plastic,

也就是說，它們什麼都能吃， 從有毒的廢料到塑膠都可以，

and they can produce waste products like oil and battery power

它們可以產生廢料產品， 像是油和電池電力，

and even tiny nuggets of real gold.

甚至是真正黃金做的小金塊。

They can transform the inedible into nutritive.

它們可以把不能吃的東西， 轉變為有營養的東西。

They can make sugar into alcohol.

它們能把糖變成酒精。

They give chocolate its flavor,

它們讓巧克力有其味道，

and soil the power to grow.

讓土壤有種植的力量。

I'm here to tell you

我在此告訴各位，

that the next 100 years will feature these microscopic creatures

接下來一百年的特點 會是用這些顯微生物，

solving more of our problems.

來解決更多我們的問題。

And we have a lot of problems to choose from.

我們有許多問題可供選擇。

We've got the mundane: bad-smelling clothes or bland food.

我們有世俗問題： 臭衣物或淡而無味的食物。

And we've got the monumental:

我們也有重大的問題：

disease, pollution, war.

疾病、污染、戰爭。

And so this is my mission:

所以，這是我的使命：

to not just catalog the microscopic life around us,

不只是要把我們身邊的 顯微生命編入目錄中，

but to find out what it's uniquely well-suited to help us with.

也要找出它特別能 協助我們的地方是什麼。

Here's an example.

這是一個例子。

We started with a pest,

我們從一隻害蟲說起，

a wasp that lives on many of our homes.

很多人的房子都會住有黃蜂。

Inside that wasp, we plucked out a little-known microorganism species

在黃蜂體內，我們找出了 很少人知道的一種微生物物種，

with a unique ability:

它有種獨特的能力：

it could make beer.

它能製造啤酒。

This is a trait that only a few species on this planet have.

地球上只有少數幾種 物種有這項特性。

In fact, all commercially produced beer you've ever had

事實上，你曾喝過的 所有商業製造啤酒，

likely came from one of only three microorganism species.

很可能就是來自僅三種 微生物物種的其中一種。

Yet our species, it could make a beer that tasted like honey,

但我們談的這個物種， 它製造出的啤酒嚐起來像蜂蜜，

and it could also make a delightfully tart beer.

它也能製造出讓人愉悅的酸啤酒。

In fact, this microorganism species that lives in the belly of a wasp,

事實上，住在黃蜂肚子裡的 這種微生物物種，

it could make a valuable sour beer

它能夠製造出很有價值的酸啤酒，

better than any other species on this planet.

且比地球上任何其他物種 製造出來的都還要優。

There are now four species that produce commercial beer.

現在，共有四種物種 會製造商業啤酒了。

Where you used to see a pest,

以前，你會看到害蟲，

now think of tasting your future favorite beer.

現在，試著想想品嚐 你未來最愛的啤酒。

As a second example,

第二個例子，

I worked with researchers to dig in the dirt in people's backyards.

我和研究者合作去挖別人後院的土。

There, we uncovered a microorganism that could make novel antibiotics,

在那裡，我們發現了一種微生物， 它可以做出新的抗生素，

antibiotics that can kill the world's worst superbugs.

這種抗生素能殺死 世界上最糟的超級病菌。

This was an awesome thing to find,

這是個很棒的發現，

but here's the secret:

但有個秘密：

for the last 60 years,

在過去六十年，

most of the antibiotics on the market

市場上大部份的抗生素

have come from similar soil bacteria.

都來自類似的土壤細菌。

Every day, you and I and everyone in this room

每天，你、我、這裡的每個人、

and on this planet,

地球上的每個人，

are saved by similar soil bacteria that produce most of our antibiotics.

都是靠類似的土壤細菌來保命， 它們為我們製造絕大部分的抗生素。

Where you used to see dirt,

以前，你會看到泥土，

now think of medication.

現在，試著想想藥物。

Perhaps my favorite example comes from colleagues

我最愛的也許是來自我同事的例子，

who are studying a pond scum microorganism,

他們在研究某種浮在死水上的藻類，

which is tragically named after the cow dung it was first found in.

因為它最初是在牛粪中被發現， 因此不幸地以之命名，

It's pretty unremarkable and would be unworthy of discussion,

它非常平凡，不值得討論，

except that the researchers found that if you feed it to mice,

除了一點，研究者發現， 若拿它餵食老鼠，

it vaccinates against PTSD.

會對創傷後壓力症候群免疫，

It vaccinates against fear.

會對恐懼免疫。

Where you used to see pond scum, now think of hope.

以前，你看到的是死水上的藻類， 現在試著想想希望。

There are so many more microbial examples

還有好多微生物的例子，

that I don't have time to talk about today.

今天沒時間一個一個談。

I gave you examples of solutions that came from just three species,

我剛舉的例子，僅是來自 三種物種的解決方案，

but imagine what those other 100,000 species in your dust bunnies

但是想像一下那些附在灰撲撲的 兔子玩偶身上的其他十萬種物種，

might be able to do.

它們可能具有的潛力。

In the future, they might be able to make you sexier

在未來，它們可能 可以讓你變得更性感、

or smarter

更聰明、

or perhaps live longer.

或是更長壽。

So I want you to look at your finger again.

所以，請再看一眼你們手指。

Think about all those microscopic creatures

想想所有這些未知的微生物。

that are unknown.

Think about in the future what they might be able to do

想想在未來它們可能可以做什麼、

or make

可以製造什麼、

or whose life they might be able to save.

可能可以拯救誰的性命。

How does your finger feel right now?

現在你的手指感覺如何？

A little bit powerful?

有點強大嗎？

That's because you're feeling the future.

那是因為你感覺到了未來。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）