TED2009
Jill Tarter: Join the SETI search
Jill Tarter(吉尔·塔特)呼吁加入SETI探索（TED大奖获得者！）
Filmed:
Readability: 5
1,440,575 views
SETI(寻找外太空星球智慧生命计划)的Jill Tarter于此许下她的TED大奖愿望：加快我们对宇宙同伴的搜寻。利用不断增加的无线电望远镜，她和她的组员们倾听着可能是从宇宙另一处文明所发出的信号。
Jill Tarter - Astronomer
SETI's Jill Tarter has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. Winner of the 2009 TED Prize, almost all aspects of her field have been affected by her work. Full bio
SETI's Jill Tarter has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. Winner of the 2009 TED Prize, almost all aspects of her field have been affected by her work. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:21
So, my question:
0
0
2000
我的问题是：
00:23
are we alone?
1
2000
2000
我们是唯一的吗？
00:25
The story of humans is the story of ideas --
2
4000
4000
人类的历史就是“理念“的历史 —
00:29
scientific ideas that shine light into dark corners,
3
8000
5000
将启蒙之光照亮黑暗角落的科学理念，
00:34
ideas that we embrace rationally and irrationally,
4
13000
5000
被我们冷静或狂热拥护的理念，
00:39
ideas for which we've lived and died and killed and been killed,
5
18000
5000
有我们为之而生存、死亡、杀戮，甚至牺牲的理念，
00:44
ideas that have vanished in history,
6
23000
2000
有在历史长河中消逝的理念，
00:46
and ideas that have been set in dogma.
7
25000
3000
也有被列入教条的理念。
00:50
It's a story of nations,
8
29000
3000
这是关于国家
00:54
of ideologies,
9
33000
3000
关于意识形态，
00:58
of territories,
10
37000
2000
关于领域，
01:01
and of conflicts among them.
11
40000
4000
以及其中种种冲突的历史。
01:06
But, every moment of human history,
12
45000
4000
但是，人类历史的任何片刻，
01:10
from the Stone Age to the Information Age,
13
49000
4000
从石器时代到信息时代，
01:14
from Sumer and Babylon to the iPod and celebrity gossip,
14
53000
5000
从苏美尔到巴比伦再从iPod到名流八卦，
01:19
they've all been carried out --
15
58000
5000
全部都是实现在..
01:24
every book that you've read,
16
63000
2000
所有你所阅读的书卷中，
01:26
every poem, every laugh, every tear --
17
65000
5000
诗歌中，所有的欢笑和泪水中，
01:31
they've all happened here.
18
70000
3000
全部都发生在这里，
01:35
Here.
19
74000
2000
这里，
01:38
Here.
20
77000
2000
这里，
01:42
Here.
21
81000
2000
这里。
01:45
(Laughter)
22
84000
2000
(笑声)
01:48
Perspective is a very powerful thing.
23
87000
3000
视角是一种非常强大的东西。
01:51
Perspectives can change.
24
90000
3000
视角会变。
01:54
Perspectives can be altered.
25
93000
3000
视角也可以被改变。
01:57
From my perspective, we live on a fragile island of life,
26
96000
6000
从我的视角看来，我们是生存在这个充满可能性的宇宙中
02:03
in a universe of possibilities.
27
102000
4000
一个纤微的生命之岛上。
02:07
For many millennia, humans have been on a journey to find answers,
28
106000
7000
数千年来，人类始终汲汲于追寻答案中，
02:14
answers to questions about naturalism and transcendence,
29
113000
5000
关于自然主义与超验存在之疑问的答案，
02:19
about who we are and why we are,
30
118000
4000
关于我们是谁及为什么我们会出现在这里，
02:23
and of course, who else might be out there.
31
122000
3000
当然还包括，是否在别的地方可能还存在着生命之类的问题的答案。
02:29
Is it really just us?
32
128000
4000
真的是只有我们吗？
02:33
Are we alone in this vast universe
33
132000
3000
是否我们孤单地存在于这充满能量与物质，
02:36
of energy and matter and chemistry and physics?
34
135000
3000
化学元素与物理规律的浩瀚宇宙之中。
02:40
Well, if we are, it's an awful waste of space.
35
139000
4000
如果真的是这样，那真是太浪费空间了。
02:44
(Laughter)
36
143000
2000
（笑声）
02:46
But, what if we're not?
37
145000
2000
但是，如果这不是真的呢？
02:48
What if, out there, others are asking and answering similar questions?
38
147000
6000
如果在其他地方，有其他人在追问，并试图回答类似的问题？
02:54
What if they look up at the night sky, at the same stars,
39
153000
4000
如果他们也仰望星空，凝视同一颗星辰，
02:58
but from the opposite side?
40
157000
3000
但是他们是在宇宙的另一边呢？
03:01
Would the discovery of an older cultural civilization out there
41
160000
8000
对更久远文明的观察是否
03:09
inspire us to find ways to survive
42
168000
5000
会启发我们寻找到让我们能顺利渡过
03:14
our increasingly uncertain technological adolescence?
43
173000
5000
越发不安定的科技启蒙阶段的方法？
03:19
Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization
44
178000
4000
有没有可能因发现遥远文明
03:23
and our common cosmic origins
45
182000
3000
和我们的共同的起源
03:26
that finally drives home the message of the bond among all humans?
46
185000
6000
而最终带回了揭示全人类内在联系的讯息？
03:32
Whether we're born in San Francisco, or Sudan,
47
191000
3000
无论是出生在旧金山，还是苏丹，
03:35
or close to the heart of the Milky Way galaxy,
48
194000
3000
或者是靠近银河系中心，
03:38
we are the products of a billion-year lineage of wandering stardust.
49
197000
7000
我们都是弥漫在宇宙中的星尘十亿年发展的产物。
03:45
We, all of us,
50
204000
3000
我们所有人
03:48
are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium
51
207000
4000
就是由最初的氢氦混合物进化而来。
03:52
evolves for so long that it begins to ask where it came from.
52
211000
5000
经过了如此漫长的进化之后，我们开始思考自己是从何而来。
03:58
Fifty years ago,
53
217000
2000
五十年前，
04:00
the journey to find answers took a different path
54
219000
5000
寻找答案的旅程找到了另一条途径，
04:05
and SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence,
55
224000
3000
SETI，寻找外太空星球智慧生命计划，
04:08
began.
56
227000
2000
启动了。
04:10
So, what exactly is SETI?
57
229000
2000
SETI究竟是什么？
04:12
Well, SETI uses the tools of astronomy
58
231000
3000
SETI是尝试使用天文学工具
04:15
to try and find evidence of someone else's technology out there.
59
234000
5000
来寻找其他拥有科技的文明踪迹。
04:20
Our own technologies are visible over interstellar distances,
60
239000
3000
我们自己的科技在星际间是可以被察觉的，
04:23
and theirs might be as well.
61
242000
3000
别人的也同样如此。
04:26
It might be that some massive network of communications,
62
245000
4000
它可能是巨大的通信网络，
04:30
or some shield against asteroidal impact,
63
249000
3000
或者是防御天体碰撞的护罩，
04:33
or some huge astro-engineering project that we can't even begin to conceive of,
64
252000
5000
甚至超出我们想像力的宏伟的空间机械工程，
04:38
could generate signals at radio or optical frequencies
65
257000
4000
产生出可能被持久的搜索计划
04:42
that a determined program of searching might detect.
66
261000
4000
侦测到的无线电信号或光学频率。
04:46
For millennia, we've actually turned to the priests and the philosophers
67
265000
4000
数千年来，我们实际上都在依靠牧师和思想家
04:50
for guidance and instruction on this question of whether there's intelligent life out there.
68
269000
6000
来指引和教导关于是否有地外文明的问题。
04:56
Now, we can use the tools of the 21st century to try and observe what is,
69
275000
6000
今天我们能够使用21世纪的工具来尝试观察
05:02
rather than ask what should be, believed.
70
281000
4000
而不应是犹豫着该相信什么。
05:06
SETI doesn't presume the existence of extra terrestrial intelligence;
71
285000
5000
SETI并不预估地外文明的存在。
05:11
it merely notes the possibility, if not the probability
72
290000
4000
它仅仅是提出可能性，
05:15
in this vast universe, which seems fairly uniform.
73
294000
4000
或其存在在这个广阔宇宙中的概率，应该是非常相当平均的。
05:19
The numbers suggest a universe of possibilities.
74
298000
3000
这些数字展示出一个充满可能性的宇宙。
05:22
Our sun is one of 400 billion stars in our galaxy,
75
301000
6000
我们的太阳是银河系中4000亿颗恒星中的一颗，
05:28
and we know that many other stars have planetary systems.
76
307000
5000
并且我们知道许多其它星球都有行星系，
05:33
We've discovered over 350 in the last 14 years,
77
312000
4000
在过去的14年里我们已经发现了超过350个这样的星系，
05:37
including the small planet, announced earlier this week,
78
316000
6000
包括上周所宣布的小型的行星，
05:43
which has a radius just twice the size of the Earth.
79
322000
4000
大小只有地球的两倍。
05:47
And, if even all of the planetary systems in our galaxy were devoid of life,
80
326000
9000
即使所有的行星系在我们的星系中都不存在生命，
05:56
there are still 100 billion other galaxies out there,
81
335000
2000
另外还有1000多亿个星系，
05:58
altogether 10^22 stars.
82
337000
3000
总共有10的22次方颗恒星。
06:01
Now, I'm going to try a trick, and recreate an experiment from this morning.
83
340000
5000
现在，我来耍个小把戏，我将再现今天早上做的实验。
06:06
Remember, one billion?
84
345000
2000
还记得吗，十亿？
06:08
But, this time not one billion dollars, one billion stars.
85
347000
4000
但是，这次不是十亿美元，而是十亿颗恒星。
06:12
Alright, one billion stars.
86
351000
2000
对，就十亿颗恒星。
06:14
Now, up there, 20 feet above the stage,
87
353000
3000
现在从这里到离地面20尺高的高度，
06:17
that's 10 trillion.
88
356000
2000
就是是十万亿的数量。
06:19
Well, what about 10^22?
89
358000
3000
那10的22次方是怎样？
06:22
Where's the line that marks that?
90
361000
3000
这条边界线会是在哪里？
06:25
That line would have to be 3.8 million miles above this stage.
91
364000
6000
那条线一直要到离这个演讲台380万公里远地方。
06:31
(Laughter)
92
370000
1000
（笑声）
06:32
16 times farther away than the moon,
93
371000
3000
16倍于从这里到月球的距离，
06:35
or four percent of the distance to the sun.
94
374000
2000
或者4％从这里到太阳的距离。
06:37
So, there are many possibilities.
95
376000
3000
所以一定是有很多可能性的。
06:40
(Laughter)
96
379000
2000
（笑声）
06:42
And much of this vast universe,
97
381000
3000
在这个广袤无垠的宇宙中很多地方，
06:45
much more may be habitable than we once thought,
98
384000
3000
比我们从前想像的更可能存在着生命，
06:48
as we study extremophiles on Earth --
99
387000
2000
根据我们对地球上嗜极菌进行的研究
06:50
organisms that can live in conditions totally inhospitable for us,
100
389000
4000
一些有机体能在我们完全不能栖息的环境中生存，
06:54
in the hot, high pressure thermal vents at the bottom of the ocean,
101
393000
7000
比如处在深海底炽热高压的热水流火山口，
07:01
frozen in ice, in boiling battery acid,
102
400000
4000
在封冻的冰层间，在沸腾的电酸中，
07:05
in the cooling waters of nuclear reactors.
103
404000
4000
甚至在核子反应堆的冷却剂里，
07:09
These extremophiles tell us that life may exist in many other environments.
104
408000
6000
这些嗜极菌的存在表明生命或许会出现在许多其他环境中。
07:16
But those environments are going to be widely spaced in this universe.
105
415000
4000
但是这些环境在宇宙中非常的分散。
07:20
Even our nearest star, the Sun --
106
419000
2000
即使离我们最近的恒星，太阳 ，
07:22
its emissions suffer the tyranny of light speed.
107
421000
5000
它的辐射也不得不经受光速的限制，
07:27
It takes a full eight minutes for its radiation to reach us.
108
426000
3000
需要整整8分钟才能到达这里。
07:30
And the nearest star is 4.2 light years away,
109
429000
3000
最近的恒星距离我们有4.2光年距离，
07:33
which means its light takes 4.2 years to get here.
110
432000
4000
这就意味着它所发出的光需要4.2年才能到这。
07:37
And the edge of our galaxy is 75,000 light years away,
111
436000
4000
而我们星系的边缘则有75000光年之远，
07:41
and the nearest galaxy to us, 2.5 million light years.
112
440000
5000
离我们最近的星系要250万光年。
07:46
That means any signal we detect would have started its journey a long time ago.
113
445000
5000
这就是说任何我们能侦测到的信号都是很久很久之前就已经被发射出了。
07:52
And a signal would give us a glimpse of their past,
114
451000
5000
这样的一个信号或许能让我们一窥他们的过去，
07:57
not their present.
115
456000
2000
而不是现在。
07:59
Which is why Phil Morrison calls SETI, "the archaeology of the future."
116
458000
5000
这就是为什么Phil Morrison称SETI为“未来考古学”。
08:04
It tells us about their past,
117
463000
3000
它为我们讲述了他们的过去
08:07
but detection of a signal tells us it's possible for us to have a long future.
118
466000
8000
侦测到的信号也给予了我们对一个长远未来之可能性的信心。
08:15
I think this is what David Deutsch meant in 2005,
119
474000
3000
我想这是David Deutsch在2005年所想表达的，
08:18
when he ended his Oxford TEDTalk
120
477000
2000
当时他以自己的
08:20
by saying he had two principles he'd like to share for living,
121
479000
5000
两条生活原则来结束在牛津TED大会的演讲，
08:25
and he would like to carve them on stone tablets.
122
484000
3000
他认为是非常经典的。
08:28
The first is that problems are inevitable.
123
487000
4000
第一条是问题是不可避免的。
08:32
The second is that problems are soluble.
124
491000
4000
第二条是问题是可以解决的。
08:39
So, ultimately what's going to determine the success or failure of SETI
125
498000
5000
最终能决定SETI成功与否的
08:44
is the longevity of technologies,
126
503000
3000
是科技的长存，
08:48
and the mean distance between technologies in the cosmos --
127
507000
6000
以及科技在宇宙中的平均距离 —
08:54
distance over space and distance over time.
128
513000
3000
在时间与空间中的距离。
08:58
If technologies don't last and persist,
129
517000
3000
如果科技不能持续，
09:01
we will not succeed.
130
520000
2000
我们就成功不了。
09:03
And we're a very young technology
131
522000
2000
在这个古老星系
09:05
in an old galaxy,
132
524000
3000
中我们的科技实属稚嫩，
09:08
and we don't yet know whether it's possible for technologies to persist.
133
527000
5000
我们也不知道科技是否能够长存。
09:13
So, up until now I've been talking to you about really large numbers.
134
532000
5000
到现在为止我跟你们讲的都是非常大的数字，
09:18
Let me talk about a relatively small number.
135
537000
3000
让我来讲些相对小的数字。
09:21
And that's the length of time that the Earth was lifeless.
136
540000
5000
就是地球上没有生命存在的时间的长度。
09:26
Zircons that are mined in the Jack Hills of western Australia,
137
545000
7000
如果我们考察下澳洲西部的杰克山所开掘出的锆石，
09:33
zircons taken from the Jack Hills of western Australia
138
552000
3000
从对杰克山取出的锆石的分析中
09:37
tell us that within a few hundred million years of the origin of the planet
139
556000
5000
发现自地球起源之后的几百万年间
09:42
there was abundant water and perhaps even life.
140
561000
3000
有着丰富的水甚至生命。
09:45
So, our planet has spent the vast majority of its 4.56 billion year history
141
564000
9000
所以在我们的星球上45.6亿年中的大部分时间
09:54
developing life,
142
573000
2000
都在培养生命
09:56
not anticipating its emergence.
143
575000
2000
而不只是在期待生命的出现。
09:58
Life happened very quickly,
144
577000
2000
生命出现的非常地快，
10:00
and that bodes well for the potential of life elsewhere in the cosmos.
145
579000
6000
这也预示了宇宙中其他星球上出现生命的潜力。
10:06
And the other thing that one should take away from this chart
146
585000
4000
还有一点应该从这图表中去掉的
10:10
is the very narrow range of time
147
589000
4000
就是所谓人类在这个星球
10:14
over which humans can claim to be the dominant intelligence on the planet.
148
593000
4000
能称得上是拥有支配权的智能生物是非常短暂的。
10:18
It's only the last few hundred thousand years
149
597000
4000
仅仅在最近的几千年中
10:22
modern humans have been pursuing technology and civilization.
150
601000
4000
现代人类才有出现对科技和文明的追求。
10:26
So, one needs a very deep appreciation
151
605000
4000
一个种族需要对这个星球上
10:30
of the diversity and incredible scale of life on this planet
152
609000
5000
生物的多样性以及惊人数量有非常深刻的认知
10:35
as the first step in preparing to make contact with life elsewhere in the cosmos.
153
614000
9000
方能准备与宇宙中其他的生命进行接触。
10:44
We are not the pinnacle of evolution.
154
623000
6000
我们不是处在进化的顶点。
10:50
We are not the determined product
155
629000
4000
我们不是亿万年进化史中
10:54
of billions of years of evolutionary plotting and planning.
156
633000
5000
所精心设计的最终产物。
10:59
We are one outcome of a continuing adaptational process.
157
638000
8000
我们是一个持续适应过程中的产物。
11:07
We are residents of one small planet
158
646000
4000
我们是银河系角落里
11:11
in a corner of the Milky Way galaxy.
159
650000
3000
一个小行星上的居民。
11:14
And Homo sapiens are one small leaf
160
653000
5000
智人只是有着
11:19
on a very extensive Tree of Life,
161
658000
4000
数百万年历史的
11:23
which is densely populated by organisms that have been honed for survival
162
662000
7000
生命之树上的
11:30
over millions of years.
163
669000
2000
一片绿叶。
11:32
We misuse language,
164
671000
3000
我们常用词不当，
11:35
and talk about the "ascent" of man.
165
674000
3000
谈论着“人的升华”。
11:38
We understand the scientific basis for the interrelatedness of life
166
677000
6000
我们虽理解物种关联性的科学依据
11:44
but our ego hasn't caught up yet.
167
683000
4000
但本身的自我意识却还未成熟。
11:48
So this "ascent" of man, pinnacle of evolution,
168
687000
4000
这所谓的“人的升华”，“进化的巅峰”，
11:52
has got to go.
169
691000
2000
必须要去除。
11:54
It's a sense of privilege that the natural universe doesn't share.
170
693000
5000
这是自然宇宙所不认同的一种特权。
11:59
Loren Eiseley has said,
171
698000
3000
洛伦艾斯利说过：
12:02
"One does not meet oneself
172
701000
3000
“一个人在另一种生物的眼里
12:05
until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human."
173
704000
4000
看见自己之前都不会认清自己。”
12:09
One day that eye may be that of an intelligent alien,
174
708000
5000
某一天这双眼可能属于一个拥有智慧的外星人，
12:14
and the sooner we eschew our narrow view of evolution
175
713000
6000
我们越快摒弃对进化的狭隘眼光，
12:20
the sooner we can truly explore our ultimate origins and destinations.
176
719000
9000
就能越早开始真正地探求我们的起源与方向。
12:29
We are a small part of the story of cosmic evolution,
177
728000
6000
我们是宇宙进化史的一小部分，
12:35
and we are going to be responsible for our continued participation in that story,
178
734000
9000
并会为自己的持续参与负起相应责任，
12:44
and perhaps SETI will help as well.
179
743000
3000
或许SETI也会起到它的作用。
12:47
Occasionally, throughout history, this concept
180
746000
4000
在历史长河中，偶然间
12:51
of this very large cosmic perspective comes to the surface,
181
750000
4000
这异常宏伟的宇宙视角概念会浮出水面，
12:55
and as a result we see transformative and profound discoveries.
182
754000
6000
而其结果就是我们所看见的具有强烈变革性及意义深远的发现。
13:01
So in 1543, Nicholas Copernicus published "The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres,"
183
760000
7000
1543年，尼古拉斯·哥白尼出版了《天体运行论》，
13:08
and by taking the Earth out of the center,
184
767000
6000
通过去除地球中心论，
13:14
and putting the sun in the center of the solar system,
185
773000
3000
将太阳放在了这个太阳系的中心，
13:17
he opened our eyes to a much larger universe,
186
776000
4000
他为我们打开通向更大的宇宙的视野，
13:21
of which we are just a small part.
187
780000
3000
我们是属于其中的一小部分。
13:24
And that Copernican revolution continues today
188
783000
3000
哥白尼的革命直到今天
13:27
to influence science and philosophy and technology and theology.
189
786000
5000
还在持续地影响着科学、哲学、技术以及神学。
13:32
So, in 1959, Giuseppe Coccone and Philip Morrison
190
791000
5000
1956年Giuseppe Coccone和Philip Morrison
13:37
published the first SETI article in a refereed journal,
191
796000
4000
在一篇期刊论文上发表了第一篇有关SETI的文章，
13:41
and brought SETI into the scientific mainstream.
192
800000
3000
并将SETI带入了科学界的主流。
13:44
And in 1960, Frank Drake conducted the first SETI observation
193
803000
6000
在1960年，SETI的Frank Drake进行了第一次对两颗恒星的观测
13:50
looking at two stars, Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani,
194
809000
3000
对象是鲸鱼座T星和波江座天苑四星，
13:53
for about 150 hours.
195
812000
2000
这场观测大约进行了150小时。
13:55
Now Drake did not discover extraterrestrial intelligence,
196
814000
3000
Drake并没有发现地外文明，
13:58
but he learned a very valuable lesson from a passing aircraft,
197
817000
5000
但他从一架飞过的飞机上得到了宝贵的经验，
14:03
and that's that terrestrial technology can interfere
198
822000
3000
那就是我们自己的科技会干涉到
14:06
with the search for extraterrestrial technology.
199
825000
3000
对地外文明的搜索。
14:09
We've been searching ever since,
200
828000
2000
从那时起我们都坚持的在搜寻，
14:11
but it's impossible to overstate the magnitude of the search that remains.
201
830000
5000
但是这搜索的程度是不可能夸大的。
14:16
All of the concerted SETI efforts, over the last 40-some years,
202
835000
4000
过去40年来SETI所作的全部努力，
14:20
are equivalent to scooping a single glass of water from the oceans.
203
839000
5000
不过是沧海中的一杯水而已。
14:25
And no one would decide that the ocean was without fish
204
844000
4000
不会有人因为这杯水里没有鱼
14:29
on the basis of one glass of water.
205
848000
2000
就认为整个大海也都没有。
14:31
The 21st century now allows us to build bigger glasses --
206
850000
5000
21世纪（技术）允许我们建造更大的玻璃镜片，
14:36
much bigger glasses.
207
855000
2000
大的多的镜片
14:38
In Northern California, we're beginning to take observations
208
857000
5000
在加利福尼亚北部，我们开始用首批42组
14:43
with the first 42 telescopes of the Allen Telescope Array --
209
862000
4000
艾伦望远镜阵列来进行观测
14:47
and I've got to take a moment right now to publicly thank
210
866000
4000
我要占用一点点时间来向
14:51
Paul Allen and Nathan Myhrvold
211
870000
2000
保罗·艾伦和内森·梅尔沃德
14:53
and all the TeamSETI members in the TED community
212
872000
3000
以及所有TED社区中
14:56
who have so generously supported this research.
213
875000
4000
如此慷慨地支持这项研究的SETI成员们表示感谢。
15:00
(Applause)
214
879000
9000
（掌声）
15:09
The ATA is the first telescope built from a large number of small dishes,
215
888000
4000
ATA是第一个用大量小型碟形天线通过电脑相互链接，
15:13
and hooked together with computers.
216
892000
2000
建造而成地望远镜。
15:15
It's making silicon as important as aluminum,
217
894000
2000
这样硅就变得和铝一样得重要，
15:17
and we'll grow it in the future by adding more antennas to reach 350
218
896000
6000
未来我们会增加更多天线至350座左右
15:23
for more sensitivity and leveraging Moore's law for more processing capability.
219
902000
5000
以获得更佳的敏感度并藉着摩尔定律而利用更多（数据）处理能力。
15:28
Today, our signal detection algorithms
220
907000
4000
今天我们的信号侦测算法
15:32
can find very simple artifacts and noise.
221
911000
3000
可以分析出非常简单的人为信号和噪音。
15:35
If you look very hard here you can see the signal from the Voyager 1 spacecraft,
222
914000
5000
如果你非常仔细地观察还能看到旅行者1号飞船发出的信号，
15:40
the most distant human object in the universe,
223
919000
4000
目前宇宙中离我们最远的人造物，
15:44
106 times as far away from us as the sun is.
224
923000
5000
106倍于地球至太阳之间的距离。
15:49
And over those long distances, its signal is very faint when it reaches us.
225
928000
5000
经过这遥远的距离，当它的信号被我们接收到时已经变的非常微弱。
15:54
It may be hard for your eye to see it,
226
933000
2000
可能用肉眼更难识别，
15:56
but it's easily found with our efficient algorithms.
227
935000
3000
但是使用高效的算法就能很轻易分析出来。
15:59
But this is a simple signal,
228
938000
2000
不过这是个简单的信号，
16:01
and tomorrow we want to be able to find more complex signals.
229
940000
4000
未来我们希望能分析出更加复杂的信号。
16:05
This is a very good year.
230
944000
3000
今年是很棒的一年。
16:08
2009 is the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of the telescope,
231
947000
7000
2009是伽利略第一次使用望远镜的400周年，
16:15
Darwin's 200th birthday,
232
954000
3000
达尔文诞辰200周年，
16:18
the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On the Origin of Species,"
233
957000
5000
《物种起源》出版150周年，
16:23
the 50th anniversary of SETI as a science,
234
962000
3000
SETI作为科学研究的50周年，
16:26
the 25th anniversary of the incorporation of the SETI Institute as a non-profit,
235
965000
6000
SETI成为非盈利组织的25周年，
16:32
and of course, the 25th anniversary of TED.
236
971000
3000
当然还有，TED25周年。
16:35
And next month, the Kepler Spacecraft will launch
237
974000
3000
下个月，开普勒飞船会发射升空
16:38
and will begin to tell us just how frequent Earth-like planets are,
238
977000
5000
并告诉我们像地球一样的行星在宇宙中的存在有多频繁，
16:43
the targets for SETI's searches.
239
982000
2000
这即是SETI搜索的目标们。
16:45
In 2009, the U.N. has declared it to be the International Year of Astronomy,
240
984000
7000
联合国宣布2009年为国际天文年，
16:52
a global festival to help us residents of Earth
241
991000
4000
一个全球性的节日旨在帮助
16:56
rediscover our cosmic origins and our place in the universe.
242
995000
4000
地球居民重新来探索我们的起源以及我们在宇宙中的位置。
17:00
And in 2009, change has come to Washington,
243
999000
4000
并且在2009年，华盛顿有了新的改变，
17:04
with a promise to put science in its rightful position.
244
1003000
5000
这伴随着将科学回归到正确地位的承诺。
17:09
(Applause)
245
1008000
1000
（掌声）
17:10
So, what would change everything?
246
1009000
2000
什么才能改变一切？
17:12
Well, this is the question the Edge foundation asked this year,
247
1011000
3000
这是今年“边缘”组织所提出的问题，
17:15
and four of the respondents said, "SETI."
248
1014000
4000
而其中四个调查对象回答道："SETI"。
17:19
Why?
249
1018000
2000
为什么？
17:21
Well, to quote:
250
1020000
2000
有人说过：
17:23
"The discovery of intelligent life beyond Earth
251
1022000
2000
“对地球以外智慧生物的发现
17:25
would eradicate the loneliness and solipsism
252
1024000
2000
将根除从最初就折磨着我们这个种族
17:27
that has plagued our species since its inception.
253
1026000
3000
的孤单与唯我论。
17:30
And it wouldn't simply change everything,
254
1029000
2000
这将不仅仅是改变一切，
17:32
it would change everything all at once."
255
1031000
3000
它将彻彻底底地一次性改变所有事情。“
17:35
So, if that's right, why did we only capture four out of those 151 minds?
256
1034000
7000
如果真是那样，为什么在151位被调查者中只有4位这样是认为？
17:42
I think it's a problem of completion and delivery,
257
1041000
6000
我认为这是一个实现与表述上的问题，
17:48
because the fine print said,
258
1047000
2000
因为那排小字上说了：
17:50
"What game-changing ideas and scientific developments
259
1049000
3000
”你将希望在有生之年看到
17:53
would you expect to live to see?"
260
1052000
2000
什么样的震撼想法与科技发展？“
17:55
So, we have a fulfillment problem.
261
1054000
3000
这样我们就有了一个实践上的困难。
17:58
We need bigger glasses and more hands in the water,
262
1057000
3000
我们需要更大的镜片和更多的人手
18:01
and then working together, maybe we can all live to see
263
1060000
3000
加入进来共同努力，或许在我们的有生之年
18:04
the detection of the first extraterrestrial signal.
264
1063000
4000
可能会侦测到第一个来自地外的信号。
18:08
That brings me to my wish.
265
1067000
3000
这就带出了我的愿望。
18:12
I wish that you would empower Earthlings everywhere
266
1071000
5000
我希望你们能鼓励
18:17
to become active participants
267
1076000
4000
世界各地的地球人积极参与进
18:21
in the ultimate search for cosmic company.
268
1080000
3000
这个对宇宙同伴的终极搜索中来。
18:24
The first step would be to tap into the global brain trust,
269
1083000
5000
第一步即是利用全球智囊团，
18:29
to build an environment where raw data could be stored,
270
1088000
4000
来建构一个原始数据，
18:33
and where it could be accessed and manipulated,
271
1092000
3000
这个原始数据能被储存、访问、操作，
18:36
where new algorithms could be developed and old algorithms made more efficient.
272
1095000
5000
同时新的算法将被开发而且原有算法亦可改进。
18:41
And this is a technically creative challenge,
273
1100000
3000
这是一个技术上的创新挑战，
18:44
and it would change the perspective of people who worked on it.
274
1103000
3000
它也将改变参与其中的人们视角。
18:47
And then, we'd like to augment the automated search with human insight.
275
1106000
9000
接着，我们希望通过人工的分析来补强自动搜索。
18:56
We'd like to use the pattern recognition capability of the human eye
276
1115000
6000
我们想使用人眼的模式识别能力来帮助发现
19:02
to find faint, complex signals that our current algorithms miss.
277
1121000
6000
现有算法所遗漏的黯淡、复杂的信号。
19:08
And, of course, we'd like to inspire and engage the next generation.
278
1127000
5000
当然我们很乐意启发及带动下一代。
19:13
We'd like to take the materials that we have built for education,
279
1132000
7000
我们希望能将已整理好的资料用于教学，
19:20
and get them out to students everywhere,
280
1139000
3000
分发给各地的学生，
19:23
students that can't come and visit us at the ATA.
281
1142000
3000
学生们不一定要前来ATA（艾伦望远镜阵列）访问我们。
19:26
We'd like to tell our story better,
282
1145000
2000
我们希望能更好地讲述这些故事，
19:28
and engage young people, and thereby change their perspective.
283
1147000
4000
并让年轻人参与进来，借此来改变他们的视角。
19:32
I'm sorry Seth Godin, but over the millennia, we've seen where tribalism leads.
284
1151000
5000
很抱歉赛思·戈丁，但是千年以来，我们已经看出部落制会走到什么地步。
19:37
We've seen what happens when we divide an already small planet
285
1156000
4000
我们看到了将一个本来就非常小的星球
19:41
into smaller islands.
286
1160000
2000
再分割成许多小岛会发生什么。
19:43
And, ultimately, we actually all belong to only one tribe,
287
1162000
6000
最终，我们实际上只属于一个部落，
19:49
to Earthlings.
288
1168000
2000
我们都是地球人。
19:51
And SETI is a mirror --
289
1170000
2000
SETI是一面镜子，
19:53
a mirror that can show us ourselves
290
1172000
3000
一面能通过卓越视角
19:56
from an extraordinary perspective,
291
1175000
2000
折射出我们自己
19:58
and can help to trivialize the differences among us.
292
1177000
5000
并削减人与人之间差异的镜子
20:03
If SETI does nothing but change the perspective of humans on this planet,
293
1182000
7000
如果SETI除了改变这个星球上人类的视角以外什么都没做到，
20:10
then it will be one of the most profound endeavors in history.
294
1189000
4000
那它也可成为历史上影响最深远的运动之一。
20:15
So, in the opening days of 2009,
295
1194000
4000
所以在2009年的开端，
20:19
a visionary president stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol
296
1198000
4000
一位具有远见卓识的总统踏入美国国会
20:23
and said, "We cannot help but believe
297
1202000
3000
并说到：“ 我们不得不相信
20:26
that the old hatreds shall someday pass,
298
1205000
3000
某天老旧的怨恨终会消散，
20:29
that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve,
299
1208000
4000
部落间的界线将会很快消失，
20:33
that, as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself."
300
1212000
6000
随着这个世界越发变小，我们集体的人性自会彰显。”
20:39
So, I look forward to working with the TED community
301
1218000
2000
我期待着与TED社区一同努力
20:41
to hear about your ideas about how to fulfill this wish,
302
1220000
4000
倾听大家关于如何来完成这个愿望的意见，
20:45
and in collaborating with you,
303
1224000
4000
以及与大家合作，
20:49
hasten the day that that visionary statement can become a reality.
304
1228000
5000
来促使这描述成真的那一天到来。
20:54
Thank you.
305
1233000
2000
谢谢。
20:56
(Applause)
306
1235000
22000
（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jill Tarter - AstronomerSETI's Jill Tarter has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. Winner of the 2009 TED Prize, almost all aspects of her field have been affected by her work.
Why you should listen
Astronomer Jill Tarter is director of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute's Center for SETI Research, and also holder of the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI. She led Project Phoenix, a decade-long SETI scrutiny of about 750 nearby star systems, using telescopes in Australia, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. While no clearly extraterrestrial signal was found, this project was the most comprehensive targeted search for artificially generated cosmic signals ever undertaken.
Tarter serves on the management board for the Allen Telescope Array, a massive instrument that will eventually include 350 antennas, and that has already increased the speed and the spectral range of the hunt for signals by orders of magnitude. With the 2009 TED Prize, Tarter launched SETILive, a citizen project that allowed volunteers to stream live data from the array and help with the search.
Tarter's life work is chronicled in the book, Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. She's deeply committed to the education of future citizens and scientists. Beyond her scientific leadership at NASA and the SETI Institute, Tarter has been actively involved in developing curriculum for children. She was Principal Investigator for two curriculum development projects funded by NSF, NASA, and others. One project, the Life in the Universe series, created 6 science teaching guides for grades 3-9. The other project, Voyages Through Time, is an integrated high school science curriculum on the fundamental theme of evolution in six modules: Cosmic Evolution, Planetary Evolution, Origin of Life, Evolution of Life, Hominid Evolution and Evolution of Technology. She also created the TED-Ed lesson, "Calculating the Odds of Intelligent Alien Life."
Jill Tarter | Speaker | TED.com