TED2017
Armando Azua-Bustos: The most Martian place on Earth
阿曼多·阿苏亚·布斯托斯: 地球上最像火星的地方
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在没有宇宙飞船的情况下你如何研究火星？去到地球上最像火星的地方——智利的阿塔卡马沙漠。天体生物学家阿曼多·阿苏亚·布斯托斯成长在这个广阔的、干旱的地方，并且正在研究那些适应了在那里生存的稀有生命形式，它们中的一些所生存的区域在过去400年都没有过降水。在这个简短、有趣的演讲中，让我们一起来探索在不离开地球的情况下，在宇宙中的其它地方找到生命的可能性。
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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这是一张由美国宇航局
好奇号探测器
好奇号探测器
在2013年拍摄的火星上的日落图。
00:15
taken by NASA's Curiosity rover in 2013.
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00:19
Mars is a very cold planet,
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火星是一个非常寒冷的星球，
被高强度的紫外线所覆盖，
00:21
flooded with high levels of UV radiation
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00:24
and extremely dry.
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并且极度干旱。
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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事实上，我们认为火星上过于干燥，
根本不适合物种的生存。
根本不适合物种的生存。
00:30
I'm an astrobiologist.
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我是一个天体生物学家。
00:32
I try to understand
the origin of life on Earth
the origin of life on Earth
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我试图了解地球上生命的起源，
00:35
and the possibilities of finding life
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以及在宇宙中其它地方
00:37
elsewhere in the universe.
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找到生命的可能性。
00:39
People sometimes ask me,
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人们有时问我
00:40
how can you be an astrobiologist
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你都没有自己的宇宙飞船，
00:42
if you don't have your own spaceship?
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怎么能做一个天体生物学家呢？
00:45
Well, what I do is that I study life
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事实上，我所做的是研究地球上
00:47
in those environments on Earth
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那些跟宇宙中其它一些有趣的地方
00:49
that most closely resemble
other interesting places in the universe.
other interesting places in the universe.
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非常类似的环境中的生命。
00:54
All life on Earth requires water,
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地球上所有的生命都需要水，
所以就我而言，我专注于研究
00:56
so in my case I focus
on the intimate relationship
on the intimate relationship
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00:59
between water and life
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水和生命之间的密切关系，
01:00
in order to understand
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以便去了解
我们是否能在一个像火星
这样干燥的星球上发现生命。
这样干燥的星球上发现生命。
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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01:06
But since I do not have
the 2.5 billion dollars
the 2.5 billion dollars
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但是由于我没有发送机器人去火星
01:10
to send my own robot to Mars,
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所需的25亿美元，
所以我只能研究地球上
最像火星的地方，
最像火星的地方，
01:12
I study the most Martian place on Earth,
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01:15
the Atacama Desert.
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也就是阿塔卡马沙漠。
01:16
Located in northern Chile,
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它位于智利北部，
01:18
it is the oldest
and driest desert on Earth.
and driest desert on Earth.
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是地球上最古老、最干燥的沙漠。
为了让你了解它有多干燥，
01:22
To give you an idea of how dry it is,
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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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对比一下，温哥华
每年降雨超过1000毫米。
每年降雨超过1000毫米。
01:29
In the Atacama, there are places
with no reported rains
with no reported rains
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而在阿塔卡马，
有些地方在过去400年
有些地方在过去400年
01:33
in the last 400 years.
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都没有降水的报道。
01:36
How do I know this?
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我是怎么知道的呢？
01:38
Well, because I was born
and raised in the Atacama --
and raised in the Atacama --
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因为我出生并成长在阿塔卡马——
01:42
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
01:43
So I had a unique advantage
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所以当我开始研究这片沙漠时，
01:45
when I started studying this desert.
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就已经具备了独特的优势。
01:48
So let me tell you guys
a few fantastic examples
a few fantastic examples
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让我来告诉你们一些我所发现的，
关于生命是如何
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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在几乎完全无水的环境中
适应并生存的奇妙事例。
适应并生存的奇妙事例。
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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我最初的发现之一是在一个
02:01
facing the Pacific Ocean.
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面向太平洋的洞穴入口处。
02:03
In this place, we reported
a new type of microalgae
a new type of microalgae
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在这里，我们发现了一种新的微藻，
02:06
that grew only on top of the spiderwebs
that covered the cave entrance.
that covered the cave entrance.
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它只生长在布满了
洞穴入口的蜘蛛网上。
洞穴入口的蜘蛛网上。
02:11
Have you ever seen a spiderweb
early in the morning?
early in the morning?
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你见过早上的蜘蛛网吗？
02:15
It's covered with dew,
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上面沾着露水，
02:16
so this microalgae learned
that in order to carry photosynthesis
that in order to carry photosynthesis
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所以这种微藻学会了
要想在这个
要想在这个
02:20
in the coast of the driest
desert on Earth,
desert on Earth,
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地球上最干燥的沙漠的边缘
进行光合作用，
进行光合作用，
02:23
they could use the spiderwebs.
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它可以利用蜘蛛网。
02:24
So here they may access
the water from the fogs
the water from the fogs
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在这里它们可以从
经常在早上
经常在早上
02:27
that regularly cover
these areas in the morning.
these areas in the morning.
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覆盖这些区域的浓雾中获得水份。
02:30
In another cave, we found
a different type of microalgae.
a different type of microalgae.
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在另一个洞穴中，
我们发现了一种不同的微藻。
我们发现了一种不同的微藻。
02:34
This one is able to use ocean mist
as a source of water,
as a source of water,
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这种微藻可以利用海雾作为水源，
02:38
and strikingly lives
in the very bottom of a cave,
in the very bottom of a cave,
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并且显然是生活在洞穴的底部，
02:41
so it has adapted to live
with less than 0.1 percent
with less than 0.1 percent
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所以它适应了在
光照不到普通植物
光照不到普通植物
02:44
of the amount of light
that regular plants need.
that regular plants need.
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所需光照量的0.1%的环境下生活。
02:49
These type of findings
suggest to me that on Mars,
suggest to me that on Mars,
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这类发现提醒了我在火星上，
02:52
we may find even
photosynthetic life inside caves.
photosynthetic life inside caves.
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我们也可能在洞穴中
发现依赖光合作用的生物。
发现依赖光合作用的生物。
顺便说一下，照片里那个是我。
02:54
And by the way, that's me.
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02:56
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
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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在过去的将近15年里，
这个被美国宇航局发现的云盖地区，
这个被美国宇航局发现的云盖地区，
被认为是这个沙漠中最干燥的地方。
03:04
was thought to be
the driest place of this desert,
the driest place of this desert,
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但是我知道它不是。
03:07
but I knew that it was not.
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我是如何知道的呢？
你们已经知道答案了。
你们已经知道答案了。
03:09
How? You already know the answer.
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因为我出生并成长在这个沙漠。
03:12
Because I was born
and raised in this desert.
and raised in this desert.
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我记得我经常在云盖看到雾气，
03:14
So I remembered that I
usually see fogs in Yungay,
usually see fogs in Yungay,
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03:19
so after setting sensors
in a number of places,
in a number of places,
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所以在好几个我记得从来没见过
03:21
where I remember
never seeing fogs or clouds,
never seeing fogs or clouds,
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雾或云的地方放置传感器后，
03:24
I reported four other sites
much drier than Yungay,
much drier than Yungay,
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我发现了四个比云盖更干燥的地方，
03:28
with this one, María Elena South,
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这个地方，玛丽亚-埃伦娜南部，
03:31
being the truly driest place on Earth,
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是真正的，地球上最干燥的地方，
就像火星上一样干燥，
03:34
as dry as Mars,
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03:36
and amazingly, just a 15-minute ride
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让人意想不到的是，
这里离我出生的
这里离我出生的
矿业小镇只有15分钟的车程。
03:38
from the small mining town
where I was born.
where I was born.
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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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在这项研究中，我们尝试着去找到
03:45
for life on Earth,
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地球上的生物忍受干旱的极限，
03:46
a place so dry that nothing
was able to survive in it.
was able to survive in it.
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去找到一个干燥到
没有任何生命能够存活的地方。
没有任何生命能够存活的地方。
但是即便是在这里，在隐藏的地下
03:50
But even here, well hidden underground,
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03:53
we found a number
of different microorganisms,
of different microorganisms,
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我们还是发现了一些不同的微生物，
03:55
which suggested to me
that similarly dry places, like Mars,
that similarly dry places, like Mars,
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这意味着在类似的干燥地区，
比如火星上，
比如火星上，
可能是有生命存在的。
03:59
may be in inhabited.
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04:01
We even have some preliminary evidences
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我们甚至有一些初步的证据，
04:03
that these microorganisms
may still be active
may still be active
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证明这些微生物在脱水的情况下
04:06
in the desiccated state,
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仍然能够活动。
04:08
like walking mummies all around us,
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就像是在我们周围行走的木乃伊，
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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并且它们可能将紫外线作为能源。
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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如果被证实了，
这将对我们如何定义生命，
这将对我们如何定义生命，
以及如何在宇宙中的其它地方
寻找生命产生重大的影响。
寻找生命产生重大的影响。
04:21
on how we look for life
elsewhere in the universe.
elsewhere in the universe.
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04:24
Due to its clear skies, by 2020,
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得益于它晴朗的天空，到2020年，
04:27
60 percent of the biggest
telescopes on Earth
telescopes on Earth
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地球上60%的大型天文望远镜
04:30
will be located in the Atacama,
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将会被安装在阿塔卡马，
在每个人都将抬头望向星空去寻找
04:32
and while everyone else
will be looking among the stars
will be looking among the stars
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“我们独自存在于宇宙中吗？”
这个问题的答案时，
这个问题的答案时，
04:35
to answer the question, "Are we alone?"
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04:38
I will be looking down to the ground
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我则会望向地面，
在我的后院
04:40
searching for this same answer
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寻找同一个问题的答案。
04:43
in my own backyard.
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04:44
Thank you.
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谢谢。
（掌声）
04:46
(Applause)
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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