ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Gruber - Marine biologist, explorer-photographer
David Gruber searches the undersea world for bioluminescent and biofluorescent marine animals.

Why you should listen

Marine biologist, ocean explorer and professor David Gruber is providing a wealth of new insights into a secret "language" of shining colors and patterns that help many marine creatures communicate, interact and avoid enemies. He and his collaborators have illuminated and discovered novel fluorescent molecules from numerous marine animals and are working at the interface between glowing sea life and the ability to visualize the inner workings of human cells. 

His research group at City University of New York and the American Museum of Natural History has deciphered the genome of scores of new fluorescent proteins, which are being developed as tools to aid in medical research and illuminate biological processes. On land, his team designs submersibles and other technologies to revolutionize ocean exploration and push the boundaries of our understanding of life in the deep sea.

More profile about the speaker
David Gruber | Speaker | TED.com
Mission Blue II

David Gruber: Glow-in-the-dark sharks and other stunning sea creatures

大衛.格魯伯: 熒光鯊魚及其他令人驚歎的海洋生物

Filmed:
2,351,063 views

就在波濤下幾米開外,海洋生物學家,攝影探險家大衛.格魯伯發現了一些令人驚歎的生命──在海洋朦朧的藍光下發出不同種類光的,一個全新的海洋生物領域。加入他探索各種海洋熒光生物諸如熒光鯊,熒光海馬,熒光海龜的旅程,并學習這些發光的生物將如何引領我們來到照亮我們自己大腦的新領域。
- Marine biologist, explorer-photographer
David Gruber searches the undersea world for bioluminescent and biofluorescent marine animals. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I'm a marine海洋 biologist生物學家
and an explorer-photographer探險家,攝影師
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我是一名海洋學家,也是一名探險攝影師。
00:15
with National國民 Geographic地理,
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我為國家地理工作,
00:17
but I want to share分享 a secret秘密.
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我要和諸位分享一個秘密。
00:19
This image圖片 is totally完全 incorrect不正確,
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這張照片完全是不對的,
00:23
totally完全 incorrect不正確.
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完全錯誤。
00:25
I see a couple一對 of people
crying哭了 in the back
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我看到有些坐在後面的朋友掩面了,
00:27
that I've blown their idea理念 of mermaids美人魚.
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因為我破壞了他們對美人魚的想象。
00:29
All right, the mermaid美人魚 is indeed確實 real真實,
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好吧,美人魚是存在的,
00:32
but anyone任何人 who's誰是 gone走了 on a dive潛水
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但是任何曾經潛水過的人
00:34
will know that the ocean海洋
looks容貌 more like this.
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都知道海面之下其實是這樣的。
00:37
It's because the ocean海洋
is this massive大規模的 filter過濾,
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因為大海是一片龐大的濾光鏡,
00:41
and as soon不久 as you start開始 going underwater水下,
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就在你潛下水面之時,
00:43
you're going to lose失去 your colors顏色,
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你將開始失去捕捉顏色的能力,
00:45
and it's going to get dark黑暗
and blue藍色 very quickly很快.
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並且在短時間內,轉變為以黑色為藍色為主。
00:48
But we're humans人類 --
we're terrestrial陸生 mammals哺乳動物.
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但是我們是人類──陸生哺乳類動物。
00:51
And we've我們已經 got trichromatic三基色 vision視力,
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我們擁有三色視覺,
00:53
so we see in red, green綠色 and blue藍色,
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我們看到的顏色由紅,綠,藍組成,
00:56
and we're just complete完成 color顏色 addicts癮君子.
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我們對色彩著迷,
00:58
We love eye-popping令人瞠目 color顏色,
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我們鐘愛鮮艷的色彩,
01:01
and we try to bring帶來 this eye-popping令人瞠目 color顏色
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而同時我們也在嘗試將這些絢麗的色彩
01:03
underwater水下 with us.
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帶到水面下。
01:05
So there's been a long and sordid污穢 history歷史
of bringing使 color顏色 underwater水下,
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我們擁有漫長且沮喪的,企圖將諸多色彩帶到水下的歷史,
01:09
and it starts啟動 88 years年份 ago
with Bill法案 Longley朗利 and Charles查爾斯 Martin馬丁,
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從88年前,比爾.郎利和查理.馬丁
01:14
who were trying to take
the first underwater水下 color顏色 photograph照片.
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是最早嘗試在水下拍攝彩色照片的人。
01:17
And they're in there
with old-school老套 scuba水肺 suits西裝,
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他們套著舊式的潛水套,裝著水肺,
01:19
where you're pumping air空氣 down to them,
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水面上的人將空氣通過水肺輸送給他們,
01:21
and they've他們已經 got a pontoon浮橋
of high-explosive高爆 magnesium powder粉末,
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他們擁有一個裝滿易爆鎂粉的高浮力浮筒,
01:27
and the poor較差的 people
at the surface表面 are not sure
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而水面上的人們不確定發生了什麼事,
01:29
when they're going to pull the string
when they've他們已經 got their frame in focus焦點,
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當他們拉動細繩並對上焦,
然後──轟!一磅的鎂粉就爆炸了。
01:33
and -- boom繁榮! -- a pound
of high explosives炸藥 would go off
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01:36
so they could put
a little bit of light underwater水下
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藉以這樣的方法,他們能使微弱的光線來到水下,
01:39
and get an image圖片
like this beautiful美麗 hogfish豬隆頭魚.
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以拍到一張像這張隆頭鱼一樣精緻的照片。
01:42
I mean, it's a gorgeous華麗 image圖片,
but this is not real真實.
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我是說,這是張漂亮的照片,但它不是真實的。
01:45
They're creating創建 an artificial人造 environment環境
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他們人為地製造了一個環境
01:47
so we can satisfy滿足
our own擁有 addiction to color顏色.
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使我們的眼睛對於顏色的癡迷能夠被滿足。
01:51
And looking at it the other way,
what we've我們已經 been finding發現
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以另一種角度來看,我們發現,
01:55
is that instead代替 of bringing使 color顏色
underwater水下 with us,
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與其將色彩帶到水下,
01:59
that we've我們已經 been looking at the blue藍色 ocean海洋,
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當我觀察藍色的海洋時,
02:01
and it's a crucible of blue藍色,
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我感到這樣的藍色是一種考驗,
02:04
and these animals動物 living活的 there
for millions百萬 of years年份
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這些動物在這裡生活了數百萬年,
02:07
have been evolving進化 all sorts排序 of ways方法
to take in that blue藍色 light
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並進化出了各種方法,同化這種藍光,
02:11
and give off other colors顏色.
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進以創造出其他顏色。
02:13
And here's這裡的 just a little sample樣品
of what this secret秘密 world世界 looks容貌 like.
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我有一個關於這個神秘世界真實面貌的例子,
02:16
It's like an underwater水下 light show顯示.
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這就好像一台水下燈光秀。
02:18
(Music音樂)
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(音樂)
02:23
Again, what we're seeing眼看 here
is blue藍色 light hitting this image圖片.
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我們所看到的是在藍光照射下拍攝的畫面,
02:27
These animals動物 are absorbing吸收 the blue藍色 light
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這些動物們(珊瑚蟲)吸收藍光
02:29
and immediately立即 transforming轉型 this light.
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並即刻將其轉化成別的顏色。
02:35
So if you think about it, the ocean海洋
is 71 percent百分 of the planet行星,
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所以當你想想看,海洋佔據地球的71%,
02:39
and blue藍色 light can extend延伸 down
to almost幾乎 a 1,000 meters.
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而藍光可以照射到一千米以下的深海。
02:43
As we go down underwater水下,
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當我們潛入水下,
02:46
after about 10 meters,
all the red is gone走了.
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十米開外,紅光就完全消失了。
02:48
So if you see anything
under 10 meters that's red,
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所以你在海面十米以下看到的任何紅色,
02:51
it's an animal動物 transforming轉型
and creating創建 its own擁有 red.
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都是動物們吸收其他色光,並轉化為自身獨有的紅色。
02:55
This is the largest最大 single monochromatic單色
blue藍色 environment環境 on our planet行星.
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這是我們的星球上,最大的單色藍光區域。
03:02
And my gateway網關 into this world世界
of biofluorescencebiofluorescence begins開始 with corals珊瑚蟲.
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我開始探索生物螢光世界的契機是珊瑚蟲。
03:07
And I want to give
a full充分 TEDTED Talk on corals珊瑚蟲
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我也很想花一整個TED演講的時間來講珊瑚蟲
03:09
and just how cool these things are.
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他們如此神奇。
03:11
One of the things that they do,
one of their miraculous神奇 feats功勳,
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他們做的其中一件神奇的事,其中一個奇蹟般的工程,
03:14
is they produce生產 lots of these
fluorescent proteins蛋白質,
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是他們自身會生產螢光蛋白質,
03:17
fluorescent molecules分子.
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螢光分子。
03:18
And in this coral珊瑚, it could be making製造
up to 14 percent百分 of its body身體 mass --
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在這個珊瑚裡,他們可以產出相當於本身重量14%的
03:23
could be this fluorescent protein蛋白.
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螢光蛋白質。
03:25
So you wouldn't不會 be making製造, like,
14 percent百分 muscle肌肉 and not using運用 it,
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所以你不可能,生產出了14%體重的肌肉而不使用他們,
03:30
so it's likely容易 doing something
that has a functional實用 role角色.
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所以螢光分子的產生一定有其作用。
03:33
And for the last 10, 15 years年份,
this was so special特別 to me,
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在過去的10,15年間,這件事對我而言十分特殊,
03:37
because this molecule分子 has turned轉身 out
to be one of the most revolutionary革命的 tools工具
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因為這些分子的產生在生物醫學科學上
是革命性的工具,
03:43
in biomedical生物醫藥 science科學,
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03:44
and it's allowing允許 us
to better see inside ourselves我們自己.
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這使我們更認識我們自己。
03:49
So, how do I study研究 this?
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所以,我是如何研究的?
03:51
In order訂購 to study研究 biofluorescencebiofluorescence,
we swim游泳 at night.
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為了研究生物螢光現象,我們夜晚下潛。
03:54
And when I started開始 out,
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最初的時候,
03:56
I was just using運用 these blue藍色
duct-tape管磁帶 filters過濾器 over my strobe頻閃,
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我只是用密封膠帶將藍色的濾鏡黏在我的閃光燈上,
04:00
so I could make sure
I'm actually其實 seeing眼看 the light
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這樣我的眼睛就可以看到,
這些藍光是如何被動物們轉化的。
04:02
that's being存在 transformed改造 by the animals動物.
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04:04
We're making製造 an exhibit展示
for the Museum博物館 of Natural自然 History歷史,
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我們在為美國自然歷史博物館的一個展做準備,
04:08
and we're trying to show顯示 off how great
the fluorescent corals珊瑚蟲 are on the reef,
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我們試著展現這些珊瑚礁令人驚艷的螢光色,
04:12
and something happened發生
that just blew自爆 me away:
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而一件事發生了,它輕易帶走了我的注意力,
04:15
this.
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這個。
04:16
In the middle中間 of our corals珊瑚蟲,
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在我們的珊瑚中間,
04:18
is this green綠色 fluorescent fish.
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這條綠色螢光魚出現了。
04:21
It's the first time we've我們已經 ever seen看到
a green綠色 fluorescent fish
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這是我們第一次發現綠色螢光色的魚
04:24
or any vertebrate脊椎動物 for that matter.
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甚至是第一次發現螢光的有脊椎生物。
04:26
And we're rubbing our eyes眼睛,
checking檢查 the filters過濾器,
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我們揉著眼睛,檢查濾鏡,
04:28
thinking思維 that somebody's某人的 maybe
playing播放 a joke玩笑 on us with the camera相機,
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甚至猜測或許有些人對我們的相機動了手腳,想與我們開個玩笑,
04:31
but the eel鰻魚 was real真實.
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但是那條鰻魚是真實的。
04:33
It was the first green綠色
fluorescent eel鰻魚 that we found發現,
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這是我們發現的第一條綠色螢光鰻魚。
04:37
and this just changed
my trajectory彈道 completely全然.
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而這完完全全改變了我的人生軌跡。
04:40
So I had to put down my corals珊瑚蟲 and team球隊 up
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我放下我的珊瑚,
和一位魚類專家,約翰.斯帕克斯合作,
04:43
with a fish scientist科學家, John約翰 Sparks斯帕克斯,
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04:45
and begin開始 a search搜索 around the world世界
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繼而開始在全世界展開調查,
04:48
to see how prevalent流行 this phenomenon現象 is.
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以勘察這種現象的普遍性。
04:51
And fish are much more
interesting有趣 than corals珊瑚蟲,
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魚類比珊瑚有趣多了,
04:54
because they have really advanced高級 vision視力,
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因為他們有著更為出色的視覺,
04:56
and some of the fish even have,
the way that I was photographing拍攝 it,
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有些魚甚至擁有,與我用藍色閃光燈拍照原理相同的功能,
05:00
they have lenses鏡頭 in their eyes眼睛
that would magnify放大 the fluorescence熒光.
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他們眼睛中有著微小的“鏡頭”,可以用於增強螢光色。
05:03
So I wanted to seek尋求 this out further進一步.
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我想要更深入地了解這些東西,
05:05
So we designed設計 a new set of gear齒輪
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所以我們設計了一系列環環相扣的實驗,
05:07
and we're scouring the reefs珊瑚礁
around the world世界,
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我們仔細勘察了全世界的珊瑚礁,
05:09
looking for fluorescent life.
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以尋找更多螢光生物。
05:11
And it's a bit like "E.T. phone電話 home."
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這有些像“E.T 企圖打電話回家”
05:13
We're out there swimming游泳的
with this blue藍色 light,
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我們帶著藍光在水下游動,
05:16
and we're looking for a response響應,
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希望能得到回應,
05:18
for animals動物 to be absorbing吸收 the light
and transferring轉移 this back to us.
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希望動物們吸收藍光,並將他們轉化出的光回饋給我們。
05:22
And eventually終於, we found發現
our photobombing照片炸彈 KaupichphysKaupichphys eel鰻魚.
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最終,我們找到了Kaupichphys eel(應該隸屬草鰻科眶鼻鰻屬,譯者注)
05:26
It's a really shy害羞, reclusive深居簡出 eel鰻魚
that we know almost幾乎 nothing about.
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它們是獨居且十分害羞的鰻魚,我們對它們幾乎一無所知。
05:31
They're only about the size尺寸 of my finger手指,
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它們只有我手指大小,
05:33
and they spend about 99.9 percent百分
of their time hidden under a rock.
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並且99.9%的時間都藏在石頭下。
05:37
But these eels鰻魚 do come out to mate伴侶
under full-moon滿月 nights,
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但是這些鰻魚會在滿月的晚上游出來交配
05:42
and that full-moon滿月 night
translates轉換 underwater水下 to blue藍色.
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滿月使夜裡的水下藍光遍佈,
05:45
Perhaps也許 they're using運用 this
as a way to see each other,
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他們或許借此看到彼此,
05:48
quickly很快 find each other, mate伴侶,
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迅速的找到彼此,交配,
05:49
go back into their hole
for the next下一個 long stint限制 of time.
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再回到他們的洞穴里進行漫長的等待。
05:53
But then we started開始 to find
other fluorescent marine海洋 life,
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我們開始找到別的熒光海洋生物,
05:56
like this green綠色 fluorescent bream,
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比如這條螢綠色的歐鳊,
05:59
with its, like, racing賽跑 stripes條紋
along沿 its head and its nape頸背,
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它額上與頸部都有著豎型條紋,就像賽車前蓋上那樣的,
06:03
and it's almost幾乎 camouflaged偽裝
and fluorescing熒光 at the same相同 intensity強度
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並且這些偽裝性條紋有著與珊瑚礁
同樣的亮度。
06:07
as the fluorescent coral珊瑚 there.
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06:10
After this fish,
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在發現這種魚之後,
06:12
we were introduced介紹 to this red
fluorescent scorpionfish
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我們又發現了這種反射紅色螢光的鮋,
06:16
cloaked隱形 and hidden on this rock.
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它們隱藏在岩石下,偽裝著。
06:18
The only time we've我們已經 ever seen看到 this,
it's either on red fluorescent algae藻類
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在此之前,我們只知道有螢光紅的海藻,
06:22
or red fluorescent coral珊瑚.
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以及螢光紅的珊瑚。
06:24
Later後來, we found發現 this stealthy鬼鬼祟祟
green綠色 fluorescent lizardfishlizardfish.
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在這之後,我們發現這些反射螢光綠的狗母魚。
06:29
These lizardfishlizardfish come in many許多 varieties品種,
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狗母魚有許多種,
06:32
and they look almost幾乎 exactly究竟 alike一樣
under white白色 light.
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它們在正常的光線下幾乎一模一樣。
06:35
But if you look at them
under fluorescent light,
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但如果你在螢光燈下觀察它們,
06:37
you see lots of patterns模式,
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你可以看到許多圖案,
06:39
you can really see
the differences分歧 among其中 them.
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你可以清楚地看出它們的不同,
06:41
And in total -- we just reported報導
this last year --
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我們去年的報告指出──
06:44
we found發現 over 200 species種類
of biofluorescentbiofluorescent fish.
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我們總共發現超過200種螢光的魚,
06:50
One of my inspirations靈感 is French法國 artist藝術家
and biologist生物學家 Jean吉恩 PainlevPainlevé可é.
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我的啟迪者之一,是法國藝術,生物學家吉恩.潘勒偉。
06:56
He really captures捕獲 this entrepreneuringentrepreneuring,
creative創作的 spirit精神 in biology生物學.
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他真正拍攝到了這些生物所擁有的,富有創意的精神。
07:00
He would design設計 his own擁有 gear齒輪,
make his own擁有 cameras相機,
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他自己製造設備,製作相機,
07:03
and he was fascinated入迷 with the seahorse海馬,
Hippocampus海馬 erectus直立人,
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他為海馬著迷,直立海馬,
07:08
and he filmed拍攝 for the first time
the seahorse海馬 giving birth分娩.
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他是史上第一個拍攝到了海馬生產畫面的人。
07:12
So this is the male seahorse海馬.
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這就是雄海馬。
07:13
They were one of the first fish
to start開始 swimming游泳的 upright直立
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它們是第一種豎著游泳
且大腦是位於頭頂的魚類。
07:18
with their brain above以上 their head.
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07:20
The males男性 give birth分娩,
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雄海馬承擔生育的責任,
07:21
just phenomenal非凡的 creatures生物.
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這種生物如此不同尋常。
07:24
So he stayed awake甦醒 for days.
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所以他長時間的拍攝它們,
07:26
He even put this electrical電動 visor帽舌
on his head that would shock休克 him,
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他甚至在頭上放置了電子面罩以電擊自己,
07:29
so he could capture捕獲 this moment時刻.
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以便於他可以集中精神拍攝這個畫面。
07:32
Now, I wish希望 I could have shown顯示 PainlevPainlevé可é
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現在,我希望我能讓吉恩看到,
07:34
the moment時刻 where we found發現
biofluorescentbiofluorescent seahorses海馬
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我們拍攝的螢光海馬的畫面
07:38
in the exact精確 same相同 species種類
that he was studying研究.
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我們拍攝的和他拍攝的是同一種類。
07:40
And here's這裡的 our footage鏡頭.
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這是我們拍攝的畫面。
07:42
(Music音樂)
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(音樂)
07:46
They're the most cryptic神秘 fish.
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它們是最撲朔迷離的魚類。
07:47
You could be swimming游泳的 right on top最佳 of them
and not see the seahorse海馬.
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你可能從它們頭頂游過,卻完全沒能注意到它們的存在。
07:52
They would blend混合 right into the algae藻類,
which哪一個 would also fluoresce發螢光 red,
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它們與同樣反射螢光紅的水藻融為一體,
07:56
but they've他們已經 got great vision視力,
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它們擁有很好地視力,
07:58
and they go through通過
this long mating交配 ritual儀式,
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並需要經歷漫長的交配儀式,
08:00
and perhaps也許 they're using運用 it
in that effect影響.
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這也許也是它們螢光的原因之一。
08:03
But things got pretty漂亮 edgy前衛
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但事情變得愈加複雜
08:07
when we found發現 green綠色
fluorescence熒光 in the stingray黃貂魚,
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當我們發現魟也會反射螢光綠,
08:12
because stingrays黃貂魚 are
in the Elasmobranch板鰓 class,
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因為魟屬於軟骨魚綱
08:15
which哪一個 includes包括 ...
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這個綱目也包括....
08:17
sharks鯊魚.
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鯊魚。
08:18
So I'm, like, a coral珊瑚 biologist生物學家.
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所以,我,一個珊瑚生物學家,
08:22
Somebody's某人的 got to go down and check
to see if the sharks鯊魚 are fluorescent.
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跑去水下開始觀察鯊魚是否也是螢光的。
08:25
And there I am.
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嗯,這就是我。
08:26
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
然後我想:“ 嗯,好吧,或許我應該繼續研究我的珊瑚。”
08:28
And I was like, "Maybe I should
go back to corals珊瑚蟲."
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08:30
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
08:31
It turns out that these sharks鯊魚
are not fluorescent.
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我們發現這些鯊魚不是螢光的。
08:35
And then we found發現 it.
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然後我們找到了這個。
08:36
In a deep, dark黑暗 canyon峽谷
off the coast of California加州,
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在加利福尼亞海岸邊一個幽深的洞穴里,
08:41
we found發現 the first
biofluorescentbiofluorescent swellsharkswellshark,
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我們找到了第一條螢光的頭鮫,
08:46
right underneath all the surfers衝浪者.
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就在衝浪者的腳底下。
08:48
Here it is.
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這就是它。
08:49
They're just about a meter儀表 long.
It's called a swellsharkswellshark.
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它們大概一米長,叫做頭鮫。
人們叫它們頭鮫(swellshark字譯為膨脹的鯊魚)因為它們如果受到驚嚇,
08:51
And they call them a swellsharkswellshark
because if they're threatened受威脅,
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08:54
they can gulp down water
and blow打擊 up like an inner tube,
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它們會吞嚥海水并鼓脹身體,就像身體里有條軟管,
08:57
about twice兩次 their size尺寸,
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它們可以膨脹到原本的兩倍,
08:58
and wedge themselves他們自己 under a rock,
so they don't get eaten吃過 by a predator捕食者.
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並把身子嵌入岩石中,以保護自己不被捕食者吃掉。
09:04
And here is our first footage鏡頭
of these biofluorescentbiofluorescent swellsharksswellsharks.
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這是我們拍攝的第一條螢光頭鮫的畫面。
09:09
Just magnificent華麗的 -- I mean,
they're showing展示 these distinct不同 patterns模式,
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就像魔法一樣──我是說,它們身上明麗的圖案們,
09:13
and there are areas that are fluorescent
and areas that are not fluorescent,
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螢光的頭鮫分佈在一些地區,非螢光的分佈在另一些地區,
09:17
but they've他們已經 also got these
twinkling閃爍 spots斑點 on them
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但它們身上這些閃爍的圖案,
09:20
that are much brighter光明
than other parts部分 of the shark鯊魚.
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遠比其他種類的鯊魚明亮。
09:22
But this is all beautiful美麗 to see.
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看到這些漂亮的鯊魚們,
09:25
I was like, this is gorgeous華麗.
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我心裡想,這真是太棒了。
09:27
But what does it mean to the shark鯊魚?
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但這對鯊魚來說有什麼意義呢?
09:29
Can they see this?
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它們能看到這些圖案麼?
09:31
And we looked看著 in the literature文學,
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於是我們翻閱典籍,
09:32
and nothing was known已知
about this shark's鯊魚 vision視力.
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卻發現沒有任何關於這種鯊魚視覺的記錄。
09:35
So I took this shark鯊魚 to eye specialist專家
Ellis埃利斯 Loew勒夫 at Cornell康奈爾 University大學,
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所以我們把這種鯊魚交給了康奈爾大學的視覺專家埃利斯.勒夫,
09:40
and we found發現 out that this shark鯊魚
sees看到 discretely離散 and acutely急性
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我們發現這種鯊魚的視覺(神經)
09:43
in the blue-green藍綠 interface接口,
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在區分藍色與綠色時尤其敏感,
09:45
probably大概 about 100 times better
than we can see in the dark黑暗,
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大約比人類在暗處時的敏感程度高100倍,
09:48
but they only see blue-green藍綠.
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但它們只能看到藍綠色。
09:50
So what it's doing
is taking服用 this blue藍色 world世界
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所以它們的視覺大概是,在藍色的世界里,
09:53
and it's absorbing吸收 the blue藍色,
creating創建 green綠色.
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吸收藍色光,製造綠色光。
09:56
It's creating創建 contrast對比
that they can indeed確實 see.
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它們創造對比以使得它們的眼睛能夠看到這些圖案,
09:59
So we have a model模型,
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所以我們有了一個模型,
10:00
showing展示 that it creates創建 an ability能力
for them to see all these patterns模式.
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展示給我們它們看到這些圖案的能力。
10:03
And males男性 and females女性
also have, we're finding發現,
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我們也發現,雄性與雌性
10:06
distinct不同 patterns模式 among其中 them.
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身上的圖案是不同的。
10:09
But our last find came來了 really just
a few少數 miles英里 from where we are now,
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我們的最後一個發現,離我們現在的所處地只有幾英里遠,
10:14
in the Solomon所羅門 Islands島嶼.
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在所羅門島。
10:16
Swimming游泳的 at night, I encountered遇到
the first biofluorescentbiofluorescent sea turtle.
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在夜潛時,我與世界上第一種螢光海龜相遇了。
10:20
So now it's going from fish
and sharks鯊魚 into reptiles爬行動物,
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所以現在我們從魚和鯊魚跳到了爬行類上,
10:24
which哪一個, again, this is only one month old,
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也就一個月前吧,發現它,
10:27
but it shows節目 us
that we know almost幾乎 nothing
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但這也警醒了我們,我們對它們,
10:29
about this hawksbill玳瑁 turtle's龜的 vision視力.
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這種玳瑁的視覺幾乎一無所知。
10:32
And it makes品牌 me think about
how much more there is to learn學習.
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這使我開始思考,我們究竟還有多少需要學習。
10:35
And here in the Solomon所羅門 Islands島嶼,
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在這裡,在所羅門島,
10:36
there's only a few少數 thousand
breeding配種 females女性 of this species種類 left,
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這種玳瑁只剩下數千的雌性還存活著,
10:40
and this is one of the hotspots熱點 for them.
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而這裡是它們的集聚地之一。
10:42
So it shows節目 us how much we need
to really protect保護 these animals動物
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這告訴我們,保護它們迫在眉睫,
10:45
while they're still here,
and understand理解 them.
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當它們尚未滅絕,在我們還能研究它們的時候。
10:47
In thinking思維 about biofluorescencebiofluorescence,
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在研究生物螢光性的同時,
10:49
I wanted to know, how deep does it go?
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我也想知道,它的涉獵有多廣?
10:51
Does this go all the way
to the bottom底部 of the ocean海洋?
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螢光性存在於所有的海洋生物身上麼?
10:54
So we started開始 using運用 submarines潛艇,
and we equipped裝備 them
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所以我們開始使用潛水艇,裝備它們,
10:57
with special特別 blue藍色 lights燈火
on the front面前 here.
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在潛水艇前端制配了特殊的藍色光源。
11:00
And we dropped下降 down,
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然後我們下水,
11:02
and we noticed注意到 one important重要 thing --
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發現了一個重要的事情──
11:04
that as we get down to 1,000 meters,
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當我們達到1000米深時,
11:08
it drops滴劑 off.
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不知不覺得。
11:09
There's no biofluorescentbiofluorescent marine海洋 life
down there, below下面 1,000 meters --
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在1000米以下,這裡沒有任何螢光的海洋生物,
甚至沒有任何生物,只剩黑暗。
11:13
almost幾乎 nothing, it's just darkness黑暗.
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2005
11:15
So it's mainly主要 a shallow phenomenon現象.
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這是一個不同尋常的現象。
11:17
And below下面 1,000 meters,
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在1000米以下,
11:19
we encountered遇到 the bioluminescent生物發光 zone,
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我們開始到達生物發光體所在的區域,
11:22
where nine out of 10 animals動物
are actually其實 making製造 their own擁有 lights燈火
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這裡的動物十有八九都能自主發光
11:25
and flashing閃爍 and blinking閃爍.
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閃光或者閃爍。
11:27
As I try to get deeper更深,
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當我試著到達更深的區域時,
11:28
this is slapping打耳光 on a one-person一個人
submarine潛艇 suit適合 --
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這是我,在穿一件單人潛水衣──
11:31
some people call this my "Jacques雅克· Cousteau庫斯托
meets符合 Woody伍迪 Allen艾倫" moment時刻.
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有人說這是我的“庫斯托·賈可會見伍迪·艾倫”的時刻(兩人都是卓越的導演和冒險家)
11:35
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
11:36
But as we explore探索 down here,
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但當我們的研究愈加深入,
11:38
I was thinking思維 about: How do we
interact相互作用 with life delicately微妙?
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我開始思考:如何能小心翼翼地與這些生命交流?
11:42
Because we're entering進入
a new age年齡 of exploration勘探,
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因為我們到達了一個新的領域,
11:45
where we have to take great care關心,
236
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一個我們需要精心呵護的領域,
11:46
and we have to set examples例子
how we explore探索.
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我們的研究應當成為榜樣。
11:49
So I've teamed聯手 up with roboticist機器人專家 Rob Wood
at Harvard哈佛 University大學,
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所以我與哈佛大學的機器人專家羅布.伍德合作,
11:53
and we've我們已經 been designing設計
squishy糊狀的 underwater水下 robot機器人 fingers手指,
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我們開始研發一種柔軟的水下手指機器人,
11:58
so we can delicately微妙 interact相互作用
with the marine海洋 life down there.
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使我們能夠輕柔的觸碰深海之下的海洋生物。
12:01
The idea理念 is that most of our technologies技術
to explore探索 the deep ocean海洋
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我們用以深海探索的大多數技術設備,
12:06
come from oil and gas加油站 and military軍事,
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都依賴於燃油以及軍事相關資源,
12:09
who, you know, they're not really
caring愛心 to be gentle溫和.
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我們都知道,他們不太在乎溫柔地對待事物。
12:11
Some corals珊瑚蟲 could be 1,000 years年份 old.
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有些珊瑚可能已經一千歲了,
12:14
You don't want to just go
and crush粉碎 them with a big claw.
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你不會想要用巨大的機械爪來傷害它們,
12:17
So my dream夢想 is something like this.
246
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1998
所以我期望的是這樣的東西。
12:19
At night, I'm in a submarine潛艇,
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夜晚,我在潛艇里,
12:22
I have force-feedback力反饋 gloves手套,
248
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我帶著壓感手套,
12:24
and I could delicately微妙 set up
a lab實驗室 in the front面前 of my submarine潛艇,
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以幫助我小心翼翼的在我的潛艇前建立一個臨時實驗室,
12:27
where the squishy糊狀的 robot機器人 fingers手指
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柔軟的機械手指,
12:30
are delicately微妙 collecting蒐集
and putting things in jars罐子,
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小心的收集並把樣本放到廣口瓶中,
12:32
and we can conduct進行 our research研究.
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使得我們能夠順利處理我們的研究。
12:34
Back to the powerful強大 applied應用的 applications應用.
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回到強大的實際應用上。
12:37
Here, you're looking at a living活的 brain
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我們現在正在看著一個活的大腦,
12:40
that's using運用 the DNA脫氧核糖核酸
of fluorescent marine海洋 creatures生物,
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由具有螢光DNA的海洋生物的基因建立,
12:43
this one from jellyfish海蜇 and corals珊瑚蟲,
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這個是來自珊瑚和水母的,
12:45
to illuminate照亮 the living活的 brain
and see its connections連接.
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螢光DNA照亮大腦,并觀察它們之間的聯繫。
12:49
It's funny滑稽 that we're using運用 RGBRGB
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這很有趣,我們使用紅,綠,藍三原色
12:50
just to kind of satisfy滿足
our own擁有 human人的 intuition直覺,
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以配合我們人類的視覺習慣,
12:53
so we can see our brains大腦 better.
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所以我們能夠更好地觀察它。
12:55
And even more mind-blowing令人興奮,
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腦洞大開的話,
12:57
is my close colleague同事
Vincent文森特 PieribonePieribone at Yale耶魯,
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我在耶魯的同事文森.派瑞邦
13:00
who has actually其實 designed設計 and engineered工程
a fluorescent protein蛋白
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他設計並製造了一種螢光蛋白,
13:04
that responds響應 to voltage電壓.
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這種蛋白會因電壓不同有不同的反應。
13:06
So he could see
when a single neuron神經元 fires火災.
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所以我們可以看到,當一個神經傳出信號,
13:09
You're essentially實質上 looking at
a portal門戶 into consciousness意識
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你會看到整個大腦的意識改變的過程
13:14
that was designed設計 by marine海洋 creatures生物.
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而這個創造點子來源於海洋生物。
13:18
So this brings帶來 me all back
to perspective透視 and relationship關係.
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所以,這使我思考,早些時候對於海洋生物的看法與關係。
13:22
From deep space空間,
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在太空中,
13:25
our universe宇宙 looks容貌
like a human人的 brain cell細胞,
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我們的宇宙看上去就像一個人腦細胞,
13:28
and then here we are in the deep ocean海洋,
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而我們在深海時,
13:30
and we're finding發現
marine海洋 creatures生物 and cells細胞
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我們發現海洋生物與它們的細胞
13:33
that can illuminate照亮 the human人的 mind心神.
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可以點亮人類的大腦。
13:35
And it's my hope希望
that with illuminated發光的 minds頭腦,
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而這是我關於點亮大腦的一個願望,
13:39
we could ponder思考 the overarching總體
interconnectedness互聯 of all life,
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我可以更深入的了解各種生物之間的關聯,
13:42
and fathom捉摸 how much more lies in store商店
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弄懂海洋被潛藏的價值與重要性
13:45
if we keep our oceans海洋 healthy健康.
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以保持海洋健康為前提。
13:47
Thank you.
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謝謝。
13:48
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
(文中提到的Kaupichphys eel,近親為高體眶鼻鰻,感謝Eirc提供幫助)
Translated by YuFei Liang
Reviewed by Nan-Kun Wu

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Gruber - Marine biologist, explorer-photographer
David Gruber searches the undersea world for bioluminescent and biofluorescent marine animals.

Why you should listen

Marine biologist, ocean explorer and professor David Gruber is providing a wealth of new insights into a secret "language" of shining colors and patterns that help many marine creatures communicate, interact and avoid enemies. He and his collaborators have illuminated and discovered novel fluorescent molecules from numerous marine animals and are working at the interface between glowing sea life and the ability to visualize the inner workings of human cells. 

His research group at City University of New York and the American Museum of Natural History has deciphered the genome of scores of new fluorescent proteins, which are being developed as tools to aid in medical research and illuminate biological processes. On land, his team designs submersibles and other technologies to revolutionize ocean exploration and push the boundaries of our understanding of life in the deep sea.

More profile about the speaker
David Gruber | Speaker | TED.com