编者按：在深海的黑暗中，很多海洋生物用发光来捕食，交配和自我保护。生物体发光专家伊迪丝·威德是第一个记录下这发光世界的专家之一。在下文的演讲中，她在舞台上带来了一些她发光的伙伴，并展示了更令人惊奇的海底生物发光的录像。

So I want to take you on a trip to an alien world. And it's not a trip that requires light-years of travel, but it's to a place where it's defined by light.

我想带大家去一趟外星世界的旅行。但是这不是一场距离为光年的旅行，但是它是一个诠释光的地方。

So it's a little-appreciated fact that most of the animals in our ocean make light. I've spent most of my career studying this phenomenon called bioluminescence. I study it because I think understanding it is critical to understanding life in the ocean where most bioluminescence occurs.I also use it as a tool for visualizing and tracking pollution. But mostly I'm entranced by it. Since my first dive in a deep-diving submersible, when I went down and turned out the lights and saw the fireworks displays, I've been abioluminescence junky. But I would come back from those dives and try to share the experience with words, and they were totally inadequate to the task. I needed some way to share the experience directly. And the first time I figured out that way was in this little single-person submersible called DeepRover.

事实上还不太有人懂得欣赏海洋里大多数的动物会发光。我用了大部分职业生涯研究生物体发光的这个现象。我研究它是因为我知道它会是理解海底那些常发光的生命体的关键。我同时也把它作为一种来可视化和跟踪污染物的工具。但最主要的是我为之而着迷。自从第一次用深海潜艇下潜，深入海底并关灯的霎那，我看到了焰火般的演出，我是一个生物发光的上瘾者。我会还原这些潜水经历并试着用语言的表达形式分享给大家，但是它们并不代表这所有的工作。我需要用某种方式来直接的分享这份经验。第一次我想出了这个方法那就是用小型单人潜水艇，它取名为深河。

This nextvideo clip, you're going to see how we stimulated the bioluminescence. And the first thing you're going to see is a transect screen that is about a meteracross.

下面这个视频剪辑，你将看到我们如何刺激生物体发光。 首先你将看到的是一个样带屏幕，它的对角长度大约有一米。

(Video)Narrator: In front of the sub, a mess screen will come into contact with the soft-bodied creatures of the deep sea. With the sub's lights switched off, it is possible to see their bioluminescence -- the light produced when they collide with the mesh. This is the first time it has ever been recorded

（录像）讲解员：在潜艇前方， 一个巨大的屏幕会接触到深海中的软体生物。 随着潜艇的灯光关闭，我们就有可能看到那些生物发光体-- 当它们撞网的时候光被激发出来。这是第一次它被记录下来。

So I recorded that with an intensified video camera that has about the sensitivity of the fully dark-adapted human eye. Which means that really is what you would see if you took a dive in a submersible. But just to try to prove that fact to you, I've brought along some bioluminescent plankton in what is undoubtedly a foolhardy attempt at alive demonstration.

我用一个能在完全黑暗的环境下模拟肉眼的特殊摄像机来记录下对这发光生物的感知。 它意味着如果你用潜艇潜入的话，这就是你事实上能看到的景象。只是为了试着用事实证明给大家，我带来了一些能发光的浮游生物，明显无疑是一次用生物见证的鲁莽的尝试。

So, if we could have the lights down and have it as dark in here as possible, I have a flask that has bioluminescent plankton in it. And you'll note there's no lightcoming from them right now, either because they're dead --or because I need to stir them up in some way for you to see what bioluminescence really looks like.

如果我们能把光线暗下来，尽量保持黑暗状态， 我有一个烧瓶，里面有能生物体发光的浮游生物。你能注意到现在还没有发出光来，要不就是它们全死了--要不就是我需要稍微摇晃它们，才能看到生物发光体是什么样子的。

So thatlight was made by a bioluminescent dinoflagellate, a single-celled alga. So why would a single-celled alga need to be able to produce light? Well, it uses it to defend itself from its predators. The flash is like a scream for help. It's what's known as a bioluminescent burglar alarm, and just like the alarm on your car or your house, it's meant to cast unwanted attention onto the intruder,thereby either leading to his capture or scaring him away.

这光是来自于一种生物体发光的腰鞭毛虫，一种单细胞海藻。为什么这种单细胞海藻需要能发光呢？ 嗯，它用发光来保护自己远离捕食者。这亮光就像求救的尖叫。这可以理解为一种生物荧光的防盗警报器。 就想你车上或家里的那种警报器一样， 它是为了把一些多余注意力投射给入侵者，从而或者误导它的注意力或者吓走它。

There's alot of animals that use this trick, for example this black dragonfish. It's got a light organ under its eye.It's got a chin barbel. It's got a lot of otherlight organs you can't see, but you'll see in here in a minute. So we had to chase this in the submersible for quite sometime, because the top speed of this fish is one knot, which was the top speed of the submersible. But it was worth it, because we caught it in a special capture device, brought it up into the lab on the ship, and then everything on this fish lights up. It's unbelievable.The light organs under the eyes are flashing. That chin barbel is flashing.It's got light organs on its belly that are flashing, fin lights. It's a screamfor help; it's meant to attract attention. It's phenomenal. And you normally don't get to see this because we've exhausted the luminescence when we bring them up in nets.

有很多动物用这个把戏，比如这黑海蛾鱼，在它的眼睛下有一个发光的器官。它有着颏须。 它还有很多其它你看不到的发光器官，但是你过一会儿就可以看到。有些时候我们不得不提速潜艇来追赶它，因为这种鱼的最高游速是每小时一海里，也是潜艇的最高游速。但这是值得的，因为我们用特制的设备捕获了它，把它带到了船上的实验室，接着鱼身上所有的地方都亮起光来了。多么难以置信啊，眼部下方的发光器官闪烁着，颏须闪烁着，闪烁的发光器官还覆盖在它的腹部，鳍也发着光。它在尖叫求救；这意味着攻击的警告。太神奇了。你平常是看不到这些的，因为当我们拉起渔网的时候，它们的冷光已经耗尽了。

There's other ways you can defend yourself with light. For example, this shrimpreleases its bioluminescent chemicals into the water just the way a squid or anoctopus would release an ink cloud. This blinds or distracts the predator. This little squid is called the fire shooter because of its ability to do this. Now it may look like a tasty morsel, or a pig's head with wings -- but if it's attacked, it puts out a barrage of light -- in fact, a barrage of photontorpedoes. I just barely got the lights out in time for you to be able to see those gobs of light hitting the transect screen and then just glowing. It's phenomenal.

还有其他方法用光来保护自己。比如，这虾把自身的生物发光的化学物质释放到水中，就和乌贼或章鱼会释放墨汁雾一样的。 这会让捕食者失明或者受到干扰。这个小乌贼叫做火枪乌贼，因为它会做这个。现在它可能看起来像美味佳肴， 或者带翅膀的猪头--但是如果它被攻击的话，它就会释放出一连串的光-- 事实上，像一连串发光的鱼雷。我几乎不能及时的捕捉下这些光来让你们能看清这些撞击到样带屏幕随之发光的液体。太神奇了。

So there's a lot of animals in the open ocean -- most of them that make light. And we have a pretty good idea, for most of them, why. They use it for finding food, for attracting mates, for defending against predators. But when you get down to the bottom of the ocean,that's where things get really strange. And some of these animals are probably inspiration for the things you saw in "Avatar," but you don't have to travel to Pandora to see them. They're things like this.

广阔的大海中有很多生物-- 它们大多数会发光。我们也对它们大多数为什么发光有了深入的了解。它们以此来寻找食物，来吸引同伴，来抵御捕食者。但是当你下潜到海底的时候，那里才是事情变得真的奇怪的地方。一些动物可能会让你想起“阿凡达”的一些事物，但是你不必到潘多拉星球才能看到它们。它们就像这样。

This is a golden coral, a bush. It grows very slowly. In fact, it's thought that some of these are as much as 3,000 years old, which is one reason that bottom trawling should not be allowed. The other reason is this amazing bush glows. So if you brush up against it, any place you brushed against it, you get this twinklingblue-green light that's just breathtaking. And you see things like this. This looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book -- just all manner of creatures all over this thing. And these are flytrap anemones. Now if you poke it, it pulls in its tentacles. But if you keep poking it, it starts to produce light.And it actually ends up looking like a galaxy. It produces these strings of light, presumably as some form of defense.

这是金色的珊瑚，灌木，它的生长极其的缓慢。 事实上，它们中的一些被认定为大约3000多年的年龄， 这也是为什么深海捕鱼是不被允许的。 另外一个原因是这神奇的灌木会发光。 如果你刷动它，刷动任何位置，你会看到这闪耀的蓝绿色的光，多么窒息的美丽啊。你能看到像这样的东西。它就好像从瑟斯博士书中跳出来的一样--所有生物的特点都集中在这上面。这些是捕蝇海葵，如果你戳它的话，它会收回它的触角。但是如果你一直戳它的话，它就会开始发光。它事实上最后看起来像一个银河系，它发出雾状的光，类似于某些保护的方式。

There are starfish that can make light. And there are brittle stars that produce bands of light that dance along their arms. This looks like a plant, but it's actually an animal. And it anchors itself in the sand by blowing up a balloon on the end of its stock. So it can actually hold itself in very strong currents, as you see here. But if we collect it very gently, and we bring it up into the lab and just squeeze it at the base of the stock, it produces this light that propagates from stem to the plume, changing color as it goes, from green to blue. But we have no idea why it does that.

还有能发光的海星。有能发出条纹光的海蛇尾，舞动着它们的发光的带状手臂。这看上去像一株植物，但其实它是个动物。它在它的基底部吹起个气球来把自己固定在沙子中。因此它能在很强的水流中站住，就像你这里看到的一样。但是如果我们很小心的收集，并把它带回到实验室中挤压它的基底部，它发出了这种从茎杆往枝干传播的光，传播的同时还变换色彩， 从绿色到蓝色。但是我们完全不知道为什么它要这么做。

Here's another one. This is also a sea pen. It's got a brittle star hitching a ride.It's a green saber of light. And like the one you just saw, it can producethese as bands of light. So if I squeeze the base, the bands go from base to tip. If I squeeze the tip, they go from tip to base. So what do you think happens if you squeeze it in the middle? I'd be very interested in yourtheories about what that's about.

这是另外一个。这也是个海笔。它搭着海蛇尾的顺风车。它发出着金属般的绿色的光。就像你刚看到的那个一样，它能发出那种条状的光纹。所以如果我挤压底部，光带从底部传到顶部。如果我挤压顶部，它们就从顶部传到底部。那如果我挤压中部的话你们觉得会发生什么？我会对你认为这是什么的理论感兴趣的。

So there's a language of light in the deep ocean, and we're just beginning to understand it, and one way we're going about that is we're imitating a lot of these displays.This is an optical lure that I've used. We call it the electronic jellyfish. It's just 16 blue LEDs that we can program to do different types of displays. And we view it with a camera system I developed called Eye-in-the-Seathat uses far red light that's invisible to most animals, so it's unobtrusive. So I just want to show you some of the responses we've elicited from animals in the deep sea.

在深海有一种光的语言，而我们才刚刚开始了解它。我们了解的其中一个方法是我们对它们的行为作出效仿。这是我曾用过的一个视觉诱饵。 我们叫它电子水母。 它有16个蓝色发光二极管，能让我们编程出不同的显示方式。我们用我开发的叫做海之眼的摄影系统观测它， 这系统利用了大多数动物不可见的远红外光线， 所以这不会引起其注意。 我想给大家看一些我们整合过的一些深海动物的反应。

So the camera's black and white. It's not high-resolution. And what you're seeing here is a bait box with a bunch of -- like the cockroaches of the ocean -- there are isopods all over it. And right in the front is the electronic jellyfish. And when it starts flashing, it's just going to be one of the LEDs that's flashing very fast. But as soon as it starts to flash -- and it's going to look big,because it blooms on the camera -- I want you to look right here. There's something small there that responds. We're talking to something. It looks likea little of string pearls basically -- in fact, three strings of pearls. And this was very consistent. This was in theBahamasat about 2,000 feet. Webasically have a chat room going on here, because once it gets started,everybody's talking. And I think this is actually a shrimp that's releasing its bioluminescent chemicals into the water. But the cool thing is, we're talking to it. We don't know what we're saying. Personally, I think it's something sexy.

这摄像是黑白的，分辨率不是很高。这里你看到的是一个诱饵盒子，有着一堆--像海里的蟑螂-- 类似甲壳类动物的东西。正前方是电子水母。当它开始闪烁的时候，只有一个发光二极管快速的闪着光。但是当它开始闪光的时候--它会看起来很巨大，因为它在镜头前发光-- 我想让大家注意这里。有一些小的东西作出了回应。我们说的这些东西，它基本上看起来像一小串珍珠，事实上是三串珍珠。 这是非常一致的。 这是在巴哈马群岛下2000英尺深。 我们在这里有个聊天室， 因为一旦它运作，每个人都在说话。我以为这其实是一个虾米，向水中释放出生物体发光的化学物质。 但是有趣的是我们和它在交谈。我们不知道我们说了些什么。个人觉得，这是一些性感的东西。

And then finally, I want to show you some responses that we recorded with the world's first deep-sea webcam, which we had installed in Monterey Canyonlast year. We've only just begun to analyze all of this data. This is going to be a glowing source first, which is like bioluminescent bacteria. And it is anoptical cue that there's carrion on the bottom of the ocean. So this scavenger comes in, which is a giant sixgill shark. And I can't claim for sure that the optical source brought it in, because there's bait right there. But if it had been following theodor plume, it would have come in from the other direction. And it does actually seem to be trying to eat the electronic jellyfish. That's a 12-foot-long giant sixgill shark.

最后我想给大家看一些我们用世界首台深海摄像头录下的一些发光反应， 这些是我们去年在蒙特里峡谷安装的。我们已经开始分析所有的这些数据：起初这就像一个发光源，就好像生物荧光细菌。 这是一个关于深海底部有腐肉的视觉提示。所以这个食腐动物来了，这是一个巨型的灰六鳃鲨。我不能确定是不是这视觉的光源吸引它过来，还是因为有诱饵在那里。 但是如果我们跟踪这气味痕迹，它可能会来自另外一个方向。它的确在试着吃掉这个电子水母。这是只12尺长巨大的灰六鳃鲨。

Okay, so this next one is from the webcam, and it's going to be this pinwheel display.And this is a burglar alarm. And that was a Humboldt squid, a juvenile Humboldt squid, about three feet long. This is at 3,000 feet in Monterey Canyon.But if it's a burglar alarm, you wouldn't expect it to attack the jellyfish directly. It's supposed to be attacking what's attacking the jellyfish. But we did see a bunch of responses like this. This guy is a little more contemplative. "Hey, wait a minute. There's supposed to be something else there." He's thinking about it. But he's persistent. He keeps coming back.And then he goes away for a few seconds to think about it some more, and thinks, "Maybe if I come in from a different angle." (Laughter) Nope.

好了，这接下来视频来自于这个旋转型的展示台，这是个防盗报警器。 那是个洪堡鱿鱼， 一个幼年的洪堡鱿鱼，大约3英尺长。这是在蒙特里峡谷水下3000英尺。如果这是个防盗报警器，你不能指望它直接攻击这水母。 它本应当要去攻击那个水母。但是我们的确观察到一系列像这样的发光反应。 这家伙需要更多时间思考。“嗨，等一下。 这里本来应该是另外一个东西。”它在思考这个问题。但是它是固执的。它一直来回游动。接着它离开了几秒钟来更好的思考这个问题，并想到， “也许如果我从不同角度攻击的话。”算了。

So we are starting to get a handle on this, but only just the beginnings. We need more eyes on the process. So if any of you ever get a chance to take a dive in asubmersible, by all means, climb in and take the plunge. This is something that should be on everybody's bucket list, because we live on an ocean planet. More than 90 percent, 99 percent, of the living space on our planet is ocean. It's a magical place filled with breathtaking light shows and bizarre and wondrous creatures,alien life forms that you don't have to travel to another planet to see.

我们开始着手做这些，但是仅仅是开始阶段。我们需要对流程有更多的关注，所以如果你们中任何一个有机会做潜艇下潜的话，想办法，冒险试试。这是一件应该在每个人愿望单上的事，因为我们生活在一个海洋星球。我们星球上90%以上的，99%的生物栖息的地方是海洋。 这是个神奇的地方，充斥着窒息的光影表演奇怪而惊人的生物，外星式的生命形式，让你不用穿越到另一个星球去目睹。

But if you do take the plunge, please remember to turn out the lights. But I warn you, it's addictive.

但是如果你真的冒险尝试，请记住关灯。但是，我警告大家，这是会上瘾的。

文中生词：

Bioluminescence：生物体之发光the biochemical emission of light by living organisms such as fireflies and deep-sea fishes

Plankton：浮游生物the small and microscopic organisms driftingor floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms,protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals. Many animals are adapted to feed on plankton, especially by filteringthe water.

Foolhardy：有勇无谋的；蛮干的recklessly bold or rash

Phenomenal：非凡的；能知觉的very remarkable; extraordinary；perceptible by the senses or through immediate experience

Gob：吐唾沫；凝块；水兵a lump or clot of a slimy or viscous substance；a lot of.;an American sailor

Torpedo： 鱼雷a cigar-shaped self-propelled underwater missile designed to be fired from a ship or submarine or dropped into the water from an aircraft and to explode on reaching a target

Morsel： 一口；（食物）少量a small piece or amount of food; amouthful.

Predator：捕食者,食肉动物;掠夺者an animal that naturally preys on others; a person or group that ruthlessly exploits others.

Barbell：触须；有触须的鱼；触须白鱼之类a fleshy filament growing from the mouth or snout of a fish

Dragonfish：深海龙鱼；海蛾鱼a deep-sea fish with a longslender body

Alga：水藻,藻类a simple nonflowering plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms. Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots,leaves, and vascular tissue

Plume:羽毛;用羽毛装饰a long, soft feather or arrangement of feathers used by a bird for display or worn by a person for ornament; spread out in a shape resembling a feather

Carrion：腐肉; 腐朽的the decaying flesh of dead animals

Bait：诱饵; 引诱food used to entice fish or other animals as prey

原文出自：Ted Talk

原文链接：http://v.163.com/movie/2011/7/C/B/M7797QSLD_M779IL7CB.html

【智梦简介】

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