All ants in a colony are closely related.
它们绝大部分的基因是相同的
They share most of the same genes.
但在它们成长过程中
But as they grow up,
有些基因开启了 有些基因关闭了
some genes are switched on, others switched off,
这取决于它们吃什么样的食物
depending on the food they are fed.
任何一只蚂蚁都可以变成工蚁、 觅食者或战士
Any of them can become workers, foragers or soldiers.
这种从同一种蓝图 产生不同的外型和形式的能力
So, this ability to create such different shapes and forms from the same blueprint,
称作多型性
this is actually calledxa0polyphenism.
多是指很多 型是指外型
And "poly" just means "many, " and "phenism" would be "shapes. "
这只蜘蛛做了 我今晚一直都在避免做的事情
Oh, the spider just did exactlyxa0 what I was trying to avoid all night.
她走进了这些切叶蚁的小径
She walked exactly into onexa0of thesexa0 trails of these leaf-cutters here.
这可不是什么好事儿
And that's not good news.
在这里你能看到这些战士 和它们的双颌的力量
So here, you really see the power of these soldiers and their jaws.
如果蚂蚁群落受到骚扰
If something disturbs the colony,
它们就有责任出来迎敌 它们也是这么做的
it's their job to come in and get it, and that's exactly what they did.
哦 哇
But wow.
好了 我已经被攻击了
Aaah! All right, I'm already being attacked.
会很疼的
Ooh, that's gonna hurt.
现在它们冲我来了
They are now coming for me.
任何生物 如果它们有能力变形 有能力像蚂蚁一样
So, any creature that has this ability to morph
快速对环境变化做出反应
and react to changes in its environment as quickly as ants can do,
它们就不仅仅有神奇的优势用于生存
has an amazing advantage to not just survive,
而且有优势来统治所处的世界
but actually dominate its world.
(温度范围)
在亚努斯
On Janus,
五足虫是多型性的大♥师♥
pentapods are masters of polyphenism.
和蚂蚁一样 它们能发展成不同的形式
Like ants, they're able to developxa0 into different forms.
但它们的生命都始于同一个地点
But they all begin life in the same place. . .
黄昏地带
the Twilight Zone.
一对成虫已经做好了繁殖的准备
A pair of adults is ready to breed.
它们都既是雄性也是雌性
They're both male and female.
雌雄同体
Hermaphrodites.
两个都能产生后代…
Each can produce offspring,
使成功几率翻倍
doubling their chances of success.
交♥配♥之后 一只五足虫离开了峡谷的庇护
Having mated, a pentapod leaves the shelter of the canyon.
爬上了高地
It climbs to high ground,
准备产卵
ready to spawn.
在顶端 在星球的冷暖两侧之间 一直有风在吹
At the top, a constant wind blowsxa0betweenxa0 the cold and hot sides of the planet.
但风提供了散播它们的幼虫的机会
But the wind provides an opportunity to scatter their larvae.
通过这种方式 它们能在整个星球大量生长
This way, they can colonize the planet.
在热的一侧 水源缺乏…
On the hot side, water is scarce. . .
水只会在阴影处凝结
condensing only in shaded areas.
如果没有吃的 它们就到别的地方去
If there's nothing to eat, they move on.
由于有五条腿 它们能敏捷地朝各个方向移♥动♥
With five legs, xa0 they can skitter in any direction.
由于有十只眼睛
And with ten eyes,
没有什么能逃脱它们的注意力
not much escapes their attention.
如果它们侦测到有吃的
If they sense a meal, xa0
它们会用触手把吃的挖出来
they use feelers to root it out.
它们会充分利用每一个机会
They need to make the most of every opportunity.
(美国 内华达州 火谷)
在任何沙漠 生活都是考验
Life in any desert is an ordeal.
只有顽强的能够幸存
Only the tough survive.
在自然界
And in the natural world,
没有比蝎子
there's nothing much tougher. . .
更顽强的了
than a scorpion.
-有了吗? -没有
Oh. Anything? Here? I don't think so.
我小时候对蝎子最初的记忆
My first childhood memory of the scorpion,
我那时候十岁 我看到一只巨大的蝎子
I was, uh, ten years oldxa0 and I see this big scorpion.
我高声尖叫 “妈妈”
I screamed "Mom! "
于是妈妈来帮我
Uh, so she came to my aid
她问 “发生什么事了?”
and she was like, "What? What happened? "
我指着天花板上的蝎子
And I point to the scorpion, uh, on the ceiling,
我说 “这东西会吃了我”
I said, "That's gonna eat me. "
妈妈说 “不会的xa0冷静 这只不过是一只蝎子”
And she was just like, "No, come on. Be cool. This is just a scorpion. "
于是正如一位可爱的墨西哥母亲
So, as a cute Mexican mother,
她拿起她的凉鞋 把天花板上的这个混♥蛋♥拍死了
she took, uh. . . her sandal and just smashed the, uh, little bastard on the ceiling.
卡洛斯·桑蒂贝涅斯-洛佩斯 现在成了一名蝎子专家
Carlos Santibáñez-López is now an expert on scorpions,
专攻蝎子毒汁的研究
specializing in the study of their venom.
我一般晚上出去 使用紫外线灯
I go at night and I use the UV light,
因为紫外线灯会使蝎子发出荧光
because UV light makes scorpions glow.
它们的壳里有一种特殊的蛋白质
They have a special protein in their shell.
来 我们看看这一只
Yeah, let's Let's take a look at this one.
看哪
Oh, look at this!
这里有好多
There's a lot of them.
太棒了
Yeah, this is great.
四亿年来 蝎子几乎没有什么变化
Scorpions have barely changed in 400 million years.
完美地适应了沙漠的生活
Perfectly adapted for life in the desert.
蝎子的新陈代谢非常缓慢
Scorpions have a very slow metabolism.
即使没有食物和水 它们也可以活很长时间
They can spend long periods without food or water.
我们记录到某些物种能一年
We have records of some speciesxa0 lasting one year
不吃任何东西
without eating anything.
它们仅仅拥有最低的能量
And they have just enoughxa0energy
支撑核心功能让它们还活着
to sustain essential functions to keep them alive.
它们必须确保 下次食物出现的时候
They need to ensurexa0 that the next time food is available,
它们能抓到
they catch it.
所以蝎子开♥发♥了很多武器 用来捕猎
So, scorpions have developed a lotxa0 of weapons that they can use to hunt prey,
包括最重要的武器…
including the most important weapon. . .
毒汁
venom.
为了研究蝎子的毒汁
To study scorpion venom,
卡洛斯需要把毒汁 从蝎子尾部腺体里挤榨出来
Carlos needs to extract itxa0 from glands in the tail.
毒汁是一种威力巨大的混合物 包含有微量元素、盐分
Venom is a powerful cocktail that contains minerals, salts
和数百种拥有不同功能的蛋白质
and hundreds of proteins with a different function.
你要尽快
Try to be as fast as you can.
我们使用电流刺♥激♥蝎子尾部的肌肉
There you go. We use electricity to stimulate the muscles.
我们只能得到非常少量的毒汁
We're only gonna get small. . . very small amounts,
很小的一滴
a teeny, tiny drop of it.
但这一滴非常有价值 我们不想丢掉
But this drop is so valuablexa0 that we don't wanna lose it.
给它好好按♥摩♥一下
Give him a nice massage.
好 有一滴出来了
Yeah. There's a tiny droplet.
行 很好
There. Oh, yes, it's Okay, so it's working.
成功了 我们有了毒汁
Uh, we have venom.
毒汁就在那儿 但是很小的一滴
It is right there, but it's a teeny, tiny drop.
-没错 -你看到了吗?
Uh. . . do you see it? That's right. Yeah.
-是的 -就像是一滴水
I mean, it's--xa0 it's like a a drop of water.
毒汁是一种非常有效的武器
Venom is such an effective weapon,
爬行动物、昆虫和鱼类都会使用毒汁
it's used by reptiles, insects and fish.
毒汁经历过至少30次单独进化
It has evolved, separately, at least 30 times.
像毒汁这种特征越经常在地球上进化
The more often a trait like venomxa0 has evolved on Earth,
它越有可能在其他行星上存在
the more likely it is to existxa0 on other planets.
在亚努斯炎热的一侧
On the hot side of Janus,
五足虫使用毒汁捕猎
pentapods use venom to catch their prey.
但单独捕猎是很危险的
But hunting alone is risky.
即使是一个有毒的捕猎者 面对一大群敌人也会无能为力
Even a venomous predator is powerless against a swarm.
在行星寒冷的一侧 生活同样很艰难
On the cold side of the planet, things are just as tough.
那里是永恒的黑暗 没有来自太阳的能量
In perpetual darkness and with no energy from the sun. . .
怎么会有东西能幸存呢?
how can anything survive?
在地球上 几乎所有生命依赖于阳光
On Earth, nearly all life depends on sunlight.
植物将太阳能转化成食物
Plants convert solar energy into food,
其他生命形式又以植物为食
which feeds other life forms.
但在地球上一些非同一般的地方
But there are some extraordinary places on Earth
演化出不需要光线的生命形式
where life has evolved without any light.
(墨西哥 灯屋洞窟)
走进这样的洞穴 我能想到的就是
When I contemplate going in a cave like this,
我知道这是一个陌生的环境
one of the things I know is it's an alien environment.
-有点起雾了 -是
It's fogging up a little bit. Yeah.
有好多种方式能让人死亡
It is full of good ways to die.
在这个洞穴里 其中一个最大的风险 就是里面充满硫化氢
One of the big risks in this cave is there is a lot of hydrogen sulfide.
硫化氢是致命的
Hydrogen sulfide can kill you.
-你准备好了吗? -是的
Okay. You ready? Yeah.
所以我的丈夫跟我一起来 作为我的安全官员
And so my husband comes along to act as a safety officer.
他会毫不犹豫的把我们拉出去
He's not afraid to pull us out and say,
“我们该出去了 你待得够久了”
"Time to go, you've had enough. "