TED2017
Armando Azua-Bustos: The most Martian place on Earth
Armando Azua-Bustos: O lugar máis marciano da Terra
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Como estudar Marte sen unha nave espacial? Indo ao lugar máis marciano da Terra: o deserto de Atacama, en Chile. O astrobiólogo Armando Azua-Bustos criouse nesta vasta e árida paisaxe, e agora estuda as formas de vida que conseguiron adaptarse a sobrevivir aquí, algunhas en zonas en que non chove desde hai 400 anos. Explora as posibilidades de atopar vida en calquera outro lugar do universo sen deixar o planeta nesta rápida e divertida charla.
Armando Azua-Bustos - Astrobiologist
TED Fellow Armando Azua-Bustos studies how microbial life has adapted to survive in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. Full bio
TED Fellow Armando Azua-Bustos studies how microbial life has adapted to survive in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
This is a picture of a sunset on Mars
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Esta é unha fotografía dun solpor en Marte
00:15
taken by NASA's Curiosity rover in 2013.
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feita polo róver Curiosity da NASA en 2013
00:19
Mars is a very cold planet,
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Marte é un planeta moi frío,
00:21
flooded with high levels of UV radiation
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anegado por altos niveis de radiación UV
00:24
and extremely dry.
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e extremadamente seco.
00:26
In fact, Mars is considered
to be too dry for life as we know it.
to be too dry for life as we know it.
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De feito, Marte considérase demasiado seco
para a vida tal e como a coñecemos.
para a vida tal e como a coñecemos.
00:30
I'm an astrobiologist.
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Eu son astrobiólogo,
00:32
I try to understand
the origin of life on Earth
the origin of life on Earth
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E intento entender a orixe
da vida na Terra
da vida na Terra
00:35
and the possibilities of finding life
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e as posibilidades de atopar vida
nalgún outro lugar do universo.
00:37
elsewhere in the universe.
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00:39
People sometimes ask me,
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Ás veces pregúntanme,
00:40
how can you be an astrobiologist
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como podes ser astrobiólogo,
00:42
if you don't have your own spaceship?
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se non tes unha nave espacial?
00:45
Well, what I do is that I study life
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Ben, o que fago é estudar a vida
00:47
in those environments on Earth
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nos contornos terrestres
00:49
that most closely resemble
other interesting places in the universe.
other interesting places in the universe.
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que máis se parecen
a outros lugares do universo.
a outros lugares do universo.
00:54
All life on Earth requires water,
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Todas as vidas na Terra precisan auga,
00:56
so in my case I focus
on the intimate relationship
on the intimate relationship
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así que eu céntrome na íntima relación
00:59
between water and life
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entre auga e vida,
01:00
in order to understand
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para intentar entender
01:02
if we could find life
in a planet as dry as Mars.
in a planet as dry as Mars.
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se poderiamos atopar vida
nun lugar tan seco coma Marte.
nun lugar tan seco coma Marte.
01:06
But since I do not have
the 2.5 billion dollars
the 2.5 billion dollars
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Pero como non teño
2500 millóns de dólares,
2500 millóns de dólares,
01:10
to send my own robot to Mars,
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para enviar un robot a Marte,
01:12
I study the most Martian place on Earth,
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estudo o lugar máis marciano da Terra,
01:15
the Atacama Desert.
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o deserto de Atacama.
01:16
Located in northern Chile,
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Situado no norte de Chile,
01:18
it is the oldest
and driest desert on Earth.
and driest desert on Earth.
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é o deserto máis antigo e seco da Terra.
01:22
To give you an idea of how dry it is,
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Para que teñades unha idea do seco que é,
01:24
consider here in Vancouver it rains
over 1,000 millimeters of rain every year.
over 1,000 millimeters of rain every year.
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pensade que en Vancouver
caen uns 1000 mililitros de chuvia ao ano
caen uns 1000 mililitros de chuvia ao ano
01:29
In the Atacama, there are places
with no reported rains
with no reported rains
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En Atacama, hai zonas
en que non se rexistraron chuvias
en que non se rexistraron chuvias
01:33
in the last 400 years.
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nos últimos 400 anos.
01:36
How do I know this?
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Como sei isto?
01:38
Well, because I was born
and raised in the Atacama --
and raised in the Atacama --
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Porque nacín e medrei en Atacama
01:42
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:43
So I had a unique advantage
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Así que partía cunha vantaxe única
01:45
when I started studying this desert.
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cando comecei a estudar este deserto.
01:48
So let me tell you guys
a few fantastic examples
a few fantastic examples
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Deixádeme darvos
un par de fantásticos exemplos
que atopamos
que atopamos
01:52
he has found
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01:54
on how life has adapted
to live with almost no water at all.
to live with almost no water at all.
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sobre como se adaptou a vida a vivir
practicamente sen auga.
practicamente sen auga.
Unha das primeiras descubertas
foi á entrada dunha cova
foi á entrada dunha cova
01:58
One of my first findings
was in the entrance of a cave
was in the entrance of a cave
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02:01
facing the Pacific Ocean.
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mirando o océano Pacífico.
02:03
In this place, we reported
a new type of microalgae
a new type of microalgae
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Neste lugar atopamos
un novo tipo de microalgas
un novo tipo de microalgas
02:06
that grew only on top of the spiderwebs
that covered the cave entrance.
that covered the cave entrance.
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que só medraba nas arañeiras
que cubrían a entrada da cova.
que cubrían a entrada da cova.
02:11
Have you ever seen a spiderweb
early in the morning?
early in the morning?
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Viron algunha vez unha arañeira pola mañá?
02:15
It's covered with dew,
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Está cuberta de orballo,
02:16
so this microalgae learned
that in order to carry photosynthesis
that in order to carry photosynthesis
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así que estas microalgas aprenderon
que para facer a fotosíntese
que para facer a fotosíntese
02:20
in the coast of the driest
desert on Earth,
desert on Earth,
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na costa do deserto máis seco da Terra,
02:23
they could use the spiderwebs.
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podían usar as arañeiras.
02:24
So here they may access
the water from the fogs
the water from the fogs
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Así poden acceder á auga das néboas
02:27
that regularly cover
these areas in the morning.
these areas in the morning.
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que adoitan cubrir esta zona polas mañás.
02:30
In another cave, we found
a different type of microalgae.
a different type of microalgae.
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Noutra cova, atopamos
outro tipo de microalgas.
outro tipo de microalgas.
02:34
This one is able to use ocean mist
as a source of water,
as a source of water,
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Estas utilizan a brisa mariña
como fonte de auga,
como fonte de auga,
02:38
and strikingly lives
in the very bottom of a cave,
in the very bottom of a cave,
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e sorprendentemente sobreviven
no máis fondo da cova,
no máis fondo da cova,
02:41
so it has adapted to live
with less than 0.1 percent
with less than 0.1 percent
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adaptáronse a vivir
con menos do 0,1 por cento
con menos do 0,1 por cento
02:44
of the amount of light
that regular plants need.
that regular plants need.
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da cantidade de luz que precisa
unha planta normal.
unha planta normal.
02:49
These type of findings
suggest to me that on Mars,
suggest to me that on Mars,
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Este tipo de descubrimentos
suxiren que en Marte,
suxiren que en Marte,
02:52
we may find even
photosynthetic life inside caves.
photosynthetic life inside caves.
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poderiamos atopar incluso
vida fotosintética dentro das covas.
vida fotosintética dentro das covas.
02:54
And by the way, that's me.
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Por certo, este son eu
02:56
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:59
Now, for almost 15 years
this region of Yungay, discovered by NASA,
this region of Yungay, discovered by NASA,
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Durante case 15 anos, esta rexión
de Yungay, descuberta pola NASA,
de Yungay, descuberta pola NASA,
03:04
was thought to be
the driest place of this desert,
the driest place of this desert,
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considerábase o lugar
máis seco dese deserto,
máis seco dese deserto,
03:07
but I knew that it was not.
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máis eu sabía que non o era.
03:09
How? You already know the answer.
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Como? Xa sabedes a resposta.
03:12
Because I was born
and raised in this desert.
and raised in this desert.
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Porque eu nacín e medrei neste deserto.
03:14
So I remembered that I
usually see fogs in Yungay,
usually see fogs in Yungay,
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Lembro que vía néboas en Yungay,
03:19
so after setting sensors
in a number of places,
in a number of places,
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así que tras poñer sensores
en varios lugares
en varios lugares
03:21
where I remember
never seeing fogs or clouds,
never seeing fogs or clouds,
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nos que non lembraba ter visto
néboas nin nubes,
néboas nin nubes,
03:24
I reported four other sites
much drier than Yungay,
much drier than Yungay,
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atopei outros catro lugares
moito máis secos ca Yungay.
moito máis secos ca Yungay.
03:28
with this one, María Elena South,
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Este, María Elena Sur,
03:31
being the truly driest place on Earth,
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é de verdade o lugar máis seco da Terra,
03:34
as dry as Mars,
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tan seco coma Marte,
03:36
and amazingly, just a 15-minute ride
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e, incriblemente, a só 15 minutos
03:38
from the small mining town
where I was born.
where I was born.
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da pequena vila mineira en que nacín.
03:42
Now, in this search, we were trying
to actually find the dry limit
to actually find the dry limit
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Ben, nesta investigación tentabamos
buscar o límite seco
buscar o límite seco
03:45
for life on Earth,
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da vida na Terra,
03:46
a place so dry that nothing
was able to survive in it.
was able to survive in it.
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un lugar tan seco onde nada
fose quen de vivir.
fose quen de vivir.
03:50
But even here, well hidden underground,
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Pero aínda aí, ben agochados baixo terra,
03:53
we found a number
of different microorganisms,
of different microorganisms,
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atopamos unha serie de microorganismos
03:55
which suggested to me
that similarly dry places, like Mars,
that similarly dry places, like Mars,
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que suxiren que lugares
igual de secos, como Marte,
igual de secos, como Marte,
03:59
may be in inhabited.
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poderían estar habitados.
04:01
We even have some preliminary evidences
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Incluso hai algunhas probas preliminares
04:03
that these microorganisms
may still be active
may still be active
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de que estes microorganismos
poderían estar activos
poderían estar activos
04:06
in the desiccated state,
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nun estado disecado,
04:08
like walking mummies all around us,
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como momias andantes rodeándonos,
04:12
and that they may be using
UV radiation as a source of energy.
UV radiation as a source of energy.
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e que poderían estar usando
a radiación UV como fonte de enerxía,
a radiación UV como fonte de enerxía,
04:16
If confirmed, this would have
a huge impact on our definition of life,
a huge impact on our definition of life,
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Se se confirma, tería un gran impacto
na nosa definición da vida,
na nosa definición da vida,
04:21
on how we look for life
elsewhere in the universe.
elsewhere in the universe.
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en como buscamos vida
no resto do universo.
no resto do universo.
04:24
Due to its clear skies, by 2020,
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Debido aos seus ceos despexados, en 2020,
04:27
60 percent of the biggest
telescopes on Earth
telescopes on Earth
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o 60 por cento dos maiores
telescopios do mundo
telescopios do mundo
04:30
will be located in the Atacama,
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estarán localizados en Atacama,
04:32
and while everyone else
will be looking among the stars
will be looking among the stars
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e, mentres todos os demais
estarán mirando as estrelas,
estarán mirando as estrelas,
04:35
to answer the question, "Are we alone?"
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preguntándose se estamos sós,
04:38
I will be looking down to the ground
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Eu estarei mirando o chan,
04:40
searching for this same answer
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buscando a mesma resposta,
04:43
in my own backyard.
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no meu propio patio.
04:44
Thank you.
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Grazas.
04:46
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Armando Azua-Bustos - AstrobiologistTED Fellow Armando Azua-Bustos studies how microbial life has adapted to survive in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth.
Why you should listen
Astrobiologist Armando Azua-Bustos is the CEO of Atacama Biotech, where he's working to find and characterize species that are able to survive in the extreme conditions imposed by the Atacama Desert in Chile.
In the past few years, a range of different lifeforms have been discovered in the Atacama, showing fascinating adaptations to extremely low water availability, high UV radiation, high salinity and other environmental stresses. For these same reasons, the desert is considered as a good analog model of the planet Mars.
Azua-Bustos is a TED Fellow. He earned a PhD in molecular genetics and microbiology as well as an MSc in biological sciences and an MSc in biochemistry.
Armando Azua-Bustos | Speaker | TED.com