The fascinating (and dangerous) places scientists aren't exploring | Ella Al-Shamahi

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: Bruce Sung

So I've got something that I'm slightly embarrassed to admit to.

我不好意思承認某些事。

At the age of 17,

17 歲的我因為相信創造論，

as a creationist,

I decided to go to university to study evolution

決定去大學學習進化論，

so that I could destroy it.

以便摧毀它。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I failed.

我失敗了。

I failed so spectacularly that I'm now an evolutionary biologist.

我徹底地失敗，以至於 至今我仍是個進化生物學家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So I'm a paleoanthropologist, I'm a National Geographic Explorer

我是一個古人類學家 和國家地理探險家，

specializing in fossil hunting in caves

專門找尋不穩定、敵對 和有爭議地區的

in unstable, hostile and disputed territories.

洞穴中的化石。

And we all know that if I was a guy and not a girl,

眾所週知，若我是男的，不是女的，

that wouldn't be a job description, that would be a pick-up line.

那份工作描述會讓我 輕鬆與女孩子們搭訕。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, here's the thing. I do not have a death wish.

就這樣，我不想死，

I'm not an adrenaline junkie.

我不是追求刺激的人。

I just looked at a map.

就只是某次看了張地圖。

See, frontline exploratory science does not happen as much

政治不穩定的地區 沒有多少科學的探索。

in politically unstable territories.

This is a map of all the places which the British Foreign Office

這是英國外交部發布的，

have declared contain red zones, orange zones

包含所有的紅色警戒區、 橙色警戒區，

or have raised some kind of a threat warning about.

或者已提出某種 威脅警告地區的地圖。

Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it is a tragedy

如果我們不去地球的大部分地區 進行前瞻的科學研究探索，

if we're not doing frontline exploratory science in a huge portion of the planet.

那麼我將說這是困境、是悲劇。

And so science has a geography problem.

科學存在著地理的問題。

Also, as a paleoanthropologist,

此外，身為古人類學家，

guys, this is basically a map of some of the most important places

這基本上是人類旅程中 一些最重要地區的地圖。

in the human journey.

There are almost definitely fascinating fossils to be found here.

幾乎可以確定能在這些地方 找到令人著迷的化石。

But are we looking for them?

但我們有去找嗎？

And so as an undergraduate, I was repeatedly told

大學時我一再被告知

that humans, be they ourselves, homo sapiens, or earlier species,

我們智人，或早期的人類物種

that we left Africa via the Sinai of Egypt.

經過埃及的西奈離開了非洲。

I'm English, as you can probably tell from my accent,

可以從我的口音中判斷我是英國人，

but I am actually of Arab heritage,

但實際上我是阿拉伯裔。

and I always say that I'm very, very Arab on the outside.

我總是說我的外表很阿拉伯。

You know, I can really be passionate.

我真的能非常熱情。

會說「你太棒了！我愛你！」之類。

Like, "You're amazing! I love you!"

But on the inside, I'm really English, so everybody irritates me.

但在內心裡，我真的是英國人， 人人都能激怒我。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's true.

這是真的。

And the thing is, my family are Arab from Yemen,

情況是，我的家人 是來自葉門的阿拉伯人，

and I knew that that channel,

我知道

跨越曼德海峽不容易。

Bab-el-Mandeb,

is not that much of a feat to cross.

And I kept asking myself this really simple question:

我一直在問自己這個簡單的問題：

if the ancestors to New World monkeys could somehow cross the Atlantic Ocean,

如果新世界猴子的祖先 能夠以某種方式穿越大西洋，

why couldn't humans cross that tiny stretch of water?

那為什麼人類越不過那一小段水域？

But the thing is, Yemen,

但問題是，

compared to, let's say, Europe,

與歐洲相比，

was so understudied

葉門未被充分探索，

that it was something akin to near virgin territory.

以至於它幾近處女地。

But that, along with its location, made the sheer potential for discovery

連同它的地理位置，

使得探索它的絕對潛力

so exciting,

如此令人興奮。

and I had so many questions.

我有很多問題。

When did we first start using Bab-el-Mandeb?

人類什麼時候首次越過曼德海峽？

But also, which species of human besides ourselves made it to Yemen?

除了我們自己以外的 哪種人類來到了葉門？

Might we find a species as yet unknown to science?

我們能發現科學尚且未知的物種嗎？

And it turned out, I wasn't the only one who had noticed Yemen's potential.

事實證明，我並不是 唯一注意到葉門潛力的人。

There was actually a few other academics out there.

實際上還有其他的學者。

But sadly, due to political instability, they moved out, and so I moved in.

但可悲的是，由於政治不穩定，

他們撤離了，所以我進駐了。

And I was looking for caves:

我尋找洞穴，

caves because caves are the original prime real estate.

因為洞穴是初民的主要居所。

But also because if you're looking for fossils in that kind of heat,

如果你在那麼炎熱的地方尋找化石，

your best bet for fossil preservation is always going to be caves.

保存狀態最佳的化石總會在洞穴裡。

But then, Yemen took a really sad turn for the worse,

但葉門真讓人悲傷。

and just a few days before I was due to fly out to Yemen,

就在我要飛往葉門前幾天，

the civil war escalated into a regional conflict,

地區衝突升級為內戰，

the capital's airport was bombed

首都機場遭到轟炸，

and Yemen became a no-fly zone.

葉門成為禁飛區。

Now, my parents made this decision before I was born:

在我出生前父母決定把我生在英國。

that I would be born British.

I had nothing to do with the best decision of my life.

我沒參與這命中最棒的決定。

And now ...

而現在...

Now the lucky ones in my family have escaped,

我家族裡幸運的人逃脫了；

and the others, the others are being been bombed

其他人被轟炸，

and send you WhatsApp messages that make you detest your very existence.

發送 WhatsApp 訊息給你， 讓你愧疚自己的幸運。

This war's been going on for four years.

這場戰爭持續了四年，

It's been going on for over four years, and it has led to a humanitarian crisis.

已經持續了四年多， 導致人道主義危機。

There is a famine there,

那裡有飢荒，人為的飢荒。

a man-made famine.

That's a man-made famine, so not a natural famine,

那是人為的飢荒，

不是自然的飢荒，

an entirely man-made famine that the UN has warned

完全人為的飢荒。

聯合國警告說，

could be the worst famine the world has seen in a hundred years.

這可能是世上百年來最嚴重的飢荒。

This war has made it clear to me more than ever

這場戰爭比以往任何時候 都更清楚地表明

that no place, no people deserve to get left behind.

沒有任何地方、任何人 應該被留在後面。

And so I was joining these other teams, and I was forming new collaborations

所以我加入了其他的團隊，

與其他不穩定的地方 建立新的合作關係。

in other unstable places.

But I was desperate to get back into Yemen,

我迫不及待地想回到葉門。

because for me, Yemen's really personal.

對我來說，葉門真的與我切身相關。

And so I kept trying to think of a project I could do in Yemen

我一直努力在思考 能在葉門做的專案，

that would help highlight what was going on there.

能夠有助於顯現那裡景況的專案。

And every idea I had just kept failing,

我的主意一個接著一個失敗了，

or it was just too high-risk, because let's be honest,

或者說，風險太大了。

說實話，葉門大部分地區對 西方團隊來說太危險了。

most of Yemen is just too dangerous for a Western team.

But then I was told that Socotra, a Yemeni island,

但後來我獲知索科特拉島 這個葉門島嶼——

was safe once you got there.

一旦到達那裡就會很安全。

In fact, it turned out there was a few local and international academics

事實上，有些當地和國際的學者

that were still working there.

仍在那裡工作。

And that got me really excited,

這讓我非常興奮，

because look at Socotra's proximity to Africa.

因為看看索科特拉島與非洲的距離。

And yet we have no idea when humans arrived on that island.

我們仍不知道人類 什麼時候到達那個島嶼。

But Socotra, for those of you who know it,

那些知道索科特拉島的人，

well, let's just say you probably know it for a completely different reason.

知道的原因可能完全不同。

You probably know it as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean,

你可能知道它是印度洋的 加拉帕戈斯群島，

because it is one of the most biodiverse places on this earth.

因為它是地球上 生物最多樣的地方之一。

But we were also getting information

我們還得知

that this incredibly delicate environment and its people

這個令人難以置信的微妙環境 和其人民受到威脅，

were under threat

because they were at the frontline of both Middle Eastern politics

因為他們處於中東政治 和氣候變化的前沿。

and climate change.

And it slowly dawned on me that Socotra was my Yemen project.

我逐漸意識到

索科特拉島是我的葉門專案。

And so I wanted to put together a huge multidisciplinary team.

我想組建一個龐大的跨學科團隊。

We wanted to cross the archipelago on foot, camel and dhow boat

我們想步行、

騎駱駝和搭單桅帆船穿過群島，

to conduct a health check of this place.

來對這個地方做個健檢。

This has only been attempted once before, and it was in 1999.

僅在 1999 年曾有人嘗試過一次。

But the thing is, that is not an easy thing to pull off.

但要實現這一目標並非易事，

And so we desperately needed a recce,

因此迫切需要「recce」。

and for those of you who aren't familiar with British English,

對那些不熟悉英國英語的人來說，

a recce is like a scouting expedition.

recce 就像是探險的斥候偵察，

It's like a reconnaissance.

這就像是一次偵察。

And I often say that a really big expedition without a recce

我常說沒有先偵查的大型探險

is a bit like a first date without a Facebook stalk.

有點像沒先用臉書查查的首次約會。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Like, it's doable, but is it wise?

它可行，但明智嗎？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

There's a few too many knowing laughs in this room.

在這裡聽到了一些會意的笑聲。

Anyway, so then our recce team thankfully were no strangers to unstable places,

無論如何，

幸運的是我們的偵察隊 對不穩定的地方並不陌生。

which, let's be honest, is kind of important

說實話，這很重要，

because we were trying to get to a place between Yemen and Somalia,

因為我們試圖去葉門 和索馬里的中間地帶。

And after calling in what felt like a million favors,

感覺像是打了百萬通 請求幫忙的電話後——

including to the deputy governor,

求助的對象包括副總督——

we finally found ourselves on the move,

我們終於動起來了，

albeit on a wooden cement cargo ship

儘管只是乘坐一艘木質的水泥貨船

sailing through pirate waters in the Indian Ocean

航行穿過印度洋的海盜水域。

with this as a toilet.

這是廁所。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Can you guys see this?

看到了嗎？

You know how everybody has their worst toilet story?

知道每個人都有最噁的廁所故事嗎？

Well, I've never swam with dolphins before.

好，我未曾和海豚一起游泳過...

I just went straight to pooping on them.

我只是對著牠們解大便。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And also, I genuinely discovered that I am genuinely less stressed

還有，我真的發現

在海盜肆虐的海域裡，

比起蟑螂的侵襲，

by pirate waters

than I am with a cockroach infestation

海盜真的不算什麼。

that was so intense

我緊張地

that at one point I went belowdeck,

一直走到甲板下面，

and the floor was black and it was moving.

那裡的地板是黑色的，在動。

(Audience moans)

（觀眾呻吟）

Yeah, and at night there was three raised platforms to sleep on,

沒錯。

有三個凸起的平台可供晚上睡覺，

but there was only -- let's say there was four team members,

但是有四個隊員。

and the thing is, if you got a raised platform to sleep on,

如果你睡在凸起的平台上，

you only had to contend with a few cockroaches during the night,

晚上就只需與幾隻蟑螂競爭床位；

whereas if you got the floor, good luck to you.

而如果你睡在地板，那麼祝你好運。

And so I was the only girl in the team and the whole ship,

我是團隊和整艘船中唯一的女孩，

so I got away without sleeping on the floor.

所以我沒睡地板。

And then, on, like, the fourth or fifth night,

在第四或第五個晚上，

Martin Edström looks at me and goes, "Ella, Ella I really believe in equality."

馬丁•艾斯闖對我說： 「怡拉，我真的相信男女平等。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So we were sailing on that cement cargo ship for three days,

我們在那艘水泥貨船上航行了三天，

and then we slowly started seeing land.

慢慢看得到陸地了。

And after three years of failing,

在失敗了三年之後，

I was finally seeing Yemen.

我終於看到了葉門。

And there is no feeling on earth like that start of an expedition.

地球上沒有任何感覺 可與開始探險的心情比擬。

It's this moment where you jump out of a jeep

跳出吉普車的當下，

or you look up from a boat

或從船上抬起頭來的那一刻。

and you know that there's this possibility,

你確知，

可能性雖小，但仍然有可能，

it's small but it's still there,

that you're about to find something

你所尋找的，

that could add to or change our knowledge of who we are and where we come from.

將會增加或改變我們對自身是誰

和我們來自何方的知識。

There is no feeling like it on earth,

地球上沒有任何感覺可以比擬。

and it's a feeling that so many scientists have

許多科學家有這種感覺，

but rarely in politically unstable places.

但很少是在政治不穩定的地方，

Because Western scientists are discouraged or all-out barred

因為西方不鼓勵

或全力禁止科學家 去不穩定的地方工作。

from working in unstable places.

But here's the thing:

但情況就是這樣：

scientists specialize in the jungle.

科學家專長在叢林，

Scientists work in deep cave systems.

科學家們在洞穴裡工作，

Scientists attach themselves to rockets and blow themselves into outer space.

科學家用火箭將自己送上外太空。

But apparently, working in an unstable place

顯然，在不穩定的地方工作 被認為風險太大。

is deemed too high-risk.

It is completely arbitrary.

這根本是武斷的。

Who here in this room wasn't brought up on adventure stories?

在這個房間裡有誰不曾冒險過？

And most of our heroes were actually scientists and academics.

大多數的英雄 實際上是科學家和學者。

Science was about going out into the unknown.

科學是走向未知。

It was about truly global exploration, even if there were risks.

是真正的全球勘探，

即使存有風險。

And so when did it become acceptable to make it difficult for science to happen

自什麼時候起

變成這樣——

科學家要去不穩定的地方 變得困難重重？

in unstable places?

And look, I'm not saying that all scientists should go off

我並不是說所有的科學家

and start working in unstable places.

都該去不穩定的地方工作。

This isn't some gung-ho call.

這不是沒頭沒腦的呼喊。

But here's the thing:

但事情就是這樣：

for those who have done the research, understand security protocol

對於那些已經研究過，

理解安全協議並接受過培訓的人，

and are trained,

stop stopping those who want to.

不要再阻止那些想要去做的人。

Plus,

此外，

just because one part of a country is an active war zone

僅僅因為某個國家的一部分是戰區

doesn't mean the whole country is.

並不意味著整個國家都是戰區。

I'm not saying we should go into active war zones.

我不是說我們應該進入戰區。

But Iraqi Kurdistan looks very different from Fallujah.

但伊拉克的庫爾德斯坦 與費盧杰截然不同。

And actually, a few months after I couldn't get into Yemen,

實際上，在我無法 進入葉門幾個月後，

another team adopted me.

另一支隊伍接納了我。

So Professor Graeme Barker's team were actually working in Iraqi Kurdistan,

格雷姆•百克教授的團隊 實際上在伊拉克庫爾德斯坦工作，

and they were digging up Shanidar Cave.

他們在挖掘沙尼達爾洞穴。

Now, Shanidar Cave a few decades earlier

幾十年前，沙尼達爾洞穴

had unveiled a Neanderthal known as Shanidar 1.

出土的尼安德塔人 名為沙尼達爾一號。

Now, for a BBC/PBS TV series we actually brought Shanidar 1 to life,

在 BBC / PBS 的電視節目裡

我們真讓沙尼達爾一號栩栩如生。

and I want you guys to meet Ned, Ned the Neanderthal.

介紹尼安德塔人奈德給你們。

Now here's the coolest thing about Ned.

奈德最酷的是...

Ned, this guy,

你看到的是受傷之前的奈德。

you're meeting him before his injuries.

See, it turned out that Ned was severely disabled.

事實上奈德有嚴重殘疾。

He was in fact so disabled that there is no way he could have survived

事實上他殘疾到，

倘若其他的尼安德塔人沒幫他， 他根本活不下去。

without the help of other Neanderthals.

And so this was proof that,

這證明了

至少對於這群尼安德塔人來說，

at least for this population of Neanderthals at this time,

那時尼安德塔人就像我們一樣，

Neanderthals were like us,

and they sometimes looked after those who couldn't look after themselves.

有時會照顧那些無法照顧自己的人。

奈德是個伊拉克尼安德塔人。

Ned's an Iraqi Neanderthal.

So what else are we missing?

我們還少了什麼？

What incredible scientific discoveries

因為我們不探索而錯失了多少 無與倫比的科學發現呢？

are we not making because we're not looking?

And by the way, these places, they deserve narratives of hope,

順便提一下，

這些地方應得希望的故事，

and science and exploration can be a part of that.

科學和探索可以成為其中的一部分。

In fact, I would argue that it can tangibly aid development,

事實上，我認為那將會 切實地幫助那裡發展。

and these discoveries become a huge source of local pride.

這些發現成為 當地自豪感的巨大源泉。

And that brings me to the second reason why science has a geography problem.

這讓我想到了

科學存在地理問題的第二個原因。

See, we don't empower local academics, do we?

我們不授權當地學者，對嗎？

Like, it's not lost on me

我注意到

that in my particular field of paleoanthropology

在我的古人類學領域，

我們研究人類起源，

we study human origins,

but we have so few diverse scientists.

但我們欠缺多元化的科學家。

And the thing is, these places are full of students and academics

而這些地方到處都是學生和學者，

who are desperate to collaborate,

他們迫切希望合作。

and the truth is

事實是，

that for them,

他們的安全問題比我們少。

they have fewer security issues than us.

I think we constantly forget that for them it's not a hostile environment;

我認為我們經常忘記對他們而言，

這不是個充滿敵意的環境；

for them it's home.

對他們來說，這是家。

I'm telling you,

我告訴你，

research done in unstable places with local collaborators

在不穩定的地方與當地人合作研究

can lead to incredible discoveries,

能帶來無與倫比的發現。

and that is what we are hoping upon hope to do in Socotra.

這就是我們希望在索科特拉島做的。

They call Socotra

他們稱索科特拉島

the most alien-looking place on earth,

是地球上最不像地球的地方。

and myself, Leon McCarron, Martin Edström and Rhys Thwaites-Jones could see why.

我自己、里翁•麥卡榮、

馬丁•艾斯闖和瑞斯•偉斯-瓊斯

能理解為什麼。

I mean, look at this place.

我的意思是，看看這個地方。

These places, they're not hellholes, they're not write-offs,

這些地方不糟糕、沒被報廢，

they're the future frontline of science and exploration.

它們是未來科學和探索的前沿。

90 percent of the reptiles on this island,

住在這島上 90％ 的爬行動物

37 percent of the plant species exist here and nowhere else on earth,

和 37％ 的植物物種，

不住在地球的其他地方，

and that includes this species of dragon's blood tree,

包括這種龍血樹

which actually bleeds this red resin.

實際上樹脂是红色的。

And there's something else.

還有別的東西。

People on Socotra, some of them still live in caves,

有些索科特拉島上的人仍住在洞穴裡，

and that is really exciting,

這真的令人興奮，

because it means if a cave is prime real estate this century,

因為這意味著洞穴是 本世紀主要的住所，

maybe it was a few thousand years ago.

也許幾千年前也是。

But we need the data to prove it, the fossils, the stone tools,

但我們需要數據、 化石、石器來證明。

and so our scouting team have teamed up with other scientists,

因此，我們的偵察團隊

與國際和本地的其他科學家、 人類學家和講故事者合作，

anthropologists and storytellers,

international as well as local, like Ahmed Alarqbi,

像是阿美德•阿拉爾比。

and we are desperate to shed a light on this place

我們迫不及待要揭開它的面紗，

before it's too late.

以免來不及。

And now, now we just somehow need to get back

現在我們只需要回到那個大探險，

for that really big expedition,

because science,

因為科學有地理問題。

science has a geography problem.

You guys have been a really lovely audience.

你們真是可愛的觀眾。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）