Tara Djokic: This ancient rock is changing our theory on the origin of life
تـارا جوكيك: هـذه الصخرة العتيقة تغيـّر نظريتنـا عـن أصـل الحياة
Tara Djokic discovered direct evidence that indicates some of Earth's oldest life once thrived in hot springs on land. Full bio
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for less than 100 years.
على الأغلب لأكثر من 100 سنة.
the history of our planet
so inconsequential to everyday life?
مقارنةً مع الحياة اليومية؟
in our solar system
في المجموعة الشمسية
life support for human beings.
حياة الإنسان وبقائه.
for having plate tectonics,
حيث تتركب من ألواح تكتونيّة،
have recorded the pivotal moments
الصخور العتيقة من أحداث حاسمة
to observe those ancient rocks
التي تحتوي على تلك الصخور
عمرها 3.5 مليار سنة،
evidence for life on the planet.
الحياة على الكوكب.
مثل البكتيريا.
as layered rock structures,
على هيئة طبقات في بنية الصخور،
is almost all we see in the fossil record
هو على الأرجح ما نراه في السجل الأحفوري
of life on Earth.
من عمر الأرض.
back in the fossil record
في السجل الأحفوري
a strong foothold
موطئ قدم راسخ
have been either destroyed
through plate tectonics.
piece of the puzzle
life on Earth began.
volcanic landscape in the Pilbara.
would provide another clue
long week mapping project,
rather special.
a bunch of wrinkly old rocks
was a small, peculiar rock
كانت صخرة صغيرة وعجيبة
this rock under a microscope,
قبل أن نخضِع هذه الصخرة لفحص مجهريّ
at the time, Malcolm Walter,
of hot spring pools.
the significance of geyserite,
للسليكا الفوّارة،
a couple of centuries.
قبل قرنين من الزمان.
to his friend Joseph Hooker,
جوزيف هوكر،
in some warm little pond
في مياه بركة دافئة صغيرة
more complex changes?"
وإحداث تغييرات أكثر تركيبية؟"
We call them "hot springs."
إننا ندعوها بالينابيع الحارّة.
from the underlying rocks.
can manufacture simple cellular structures
تصنيع هياكل خلوية بسيطة
were discovered in the ocean.
أو الثِقاب الحارة، في المحيط.
the Tonga volcanic arc,
in the Pacific Ocean.
في المحيط الهادي.
out of these chimneylike structures
تنفُث من هذه الفوهات
of these deep-sea vents,
البحرية العميقة،
has been in the ocean.
عن أصل الحياة يجري في المحيط.
in the ancient rock record,
في السجل الصخري القديم،
had a global ocean
كـان ذا محيط واحد عظيم
were abundant on the very early Earth
كانت وفيرة في الصورة الأولى من الأرض
provides and supports
able to show that, in fact,
نستطيع أن نثبت، في الواقع،
not only did hot springs exist
لا يرجّح فقط وجود الينابيع الحارّة
volcano in the Pilbara,
living on land in hot springs
قد وُجدت في الينابيع الحارّة
is a reasonable origin-of-life candidate.
هو المرشح المنطقي لأصل الحياة.
how life began on Earth,
الحياة على الأرض جدليةً
the age of the human,
to question its own existence
waiting to connect with us,
comes from the ancient rock record.
يأتي مرة أخرى من السجل الصخري القديم.
had begun to produce oxygen,
قد بدأت تنتج الأكسجين،
the period that followed
called banded iron formations,
تدعى التشكيلات الحديدية المُمددة،
hundreds-of-meter-thick packages of rock
في حِزم من الصخور الممتدة لمئات الأمتار
the Karijini National Park
two major changes to occur on our planet.
تسبّب في تغييرين رئيسيين في كوكبنا.
to get big and complex.
لمزيد من النمو والتركيب.
which protects modern life
التي تحمي حياتنا المعاصرة
of the sun's UVB radiation.
لأشعة الشمس فوق البنفسجية.
made way for complex life,
طريقًا للحياة المعقّدة،
its three-billion-year reign
عن ثلاثة مليارات سنة من السيادة
fossilized complex life
عن حفريّات الحياة المركّبة
of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,
من ثاني أكسيد الكربون في الغلاف الجويّ،
substantial changes to our planet.
على تغييرات جوهرية لكوكبنا.
are encompassed by global warming.
could see the demise of humanity.
يهدد بفناء البشريّة.
we aren't connecting with life elsewhere,
بحياة أخرى في مكان ما
four or so billion years
the very last speck of time.
من هذه العمليات.
as a guide or a forecast --
كَـكُـتيب إرشادي أو كموجز أنباء...
so lonely in this part of the galaxy.
وحيدين في هذا الجانب من المجرّة.
want to leave behind
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tara Djokic - AstrobiologistTara Djokic discovered direct evidence that indicates some of Earth's oldest life once thrived in hot springs on land.
Why you should listen
Tara Djokic observes the world through the lens of geology and astrobiology. During her studies as a geology graduate student, she discovered direct evidence that indicates some of Earth's oldest life once thrived in hot springs on land -- pushing back the record of land-based hot springs on Earth by approximately three billion years and supporting Darwin's theory that life may have started in some "warm little pond." Djokic's discoveries have also been used to help guide the search for life elsewhere in our solar system. She was involved in the third and fourth "Site Selection Workshops" for the NASA Mars2020 Rover, which is due to launch in July-August, 2020.
Djokic's scientific passions are equal to her passion for sharing knowledge. During her graduate studies, she designed and developed an immersive virtual field trip (VFT) that has been used to teach astrobiology at UNSW Sydney since 2016. Her geological research also led to her involvement in the IMAX documentary The Story of Earth, which (as its title suggests) illustrates Earth's approximately 4.6-billion-year history. She is a seeker of knowledge and believes all people should be encouraged to be curious about our world.
Tara Djokic | Speaker | TED.com