了解宇宙是如何运行的（2010）

How the Universe Works S05E04

Part 5 April 18, 2021, 7:46 p.m.

你可以把它们想象成
you can think of them as, like, the lego
生命的乐高积木
building blocks for life.
在地球上，类似索林的化学物质
On earth, tholin-like chemicals
构成了运行生命的细胞
make up the working machinery of cells,
然后DNA和蛋白质让生命运转起来
the DNA and proteins that make life tick.
如果冥王星像土卫六一样有富含碳的大气层
If, like titan, pluto has an atmosphere rich in carbon,
那么它也会产生索林……因此
could it too be producing tholins ... and therefore,
也许是生命的一次机会？
perhaps a shot at life?
2015年，当新地平线号♥经过冥王星时
When new horizons passed pluto in 2015,
飞船转到背对着太阳的方面并拍摄了
the spaceship turned to take an image of the dwarf planet
这颗矮行星的照片
backlit against the sun.
科学家们希望能捕捉到
Scientists hoped to capture
这种活性有机化学物质的清晰可见的薄雾
the unmistakable haze of active organic chemistry.
结果比我预期的
The results were far more spectacular
要壮观得多
than I would've expected.
当然我们看到了大气层
Absolutely we saw that atmosphere,
一个美丽的蓝色氮环
a beautiful blue ring of nitrogen gas
围绕着冥王星
surrounding pluto,
就像我们在地球上看到的一样
just like what we see on the earth.
这些美丽的蓝色雾霾层是…
These beautiful blue-haze layers are ...
化学制♥造♥工厂
are chemical factories
生产的索林
manufacturing tholins,
复杂的有机分子
complex organic molecules,
来自冥王星的大气层中的“简单积木”
from the simpler building blocks in the atmosphere of pluto,
一氧化碳、甲烷、氮等
the carbon monoxide, the methane, the nitrogen,
所有这些大气层中的东西
all these things that are in the atmosphere of
都被阳光分解，然后在朦胧中
pluto are being broken apart by sunlight and reassembled
重新组装成这些美妙的
in these hazes into these just wonderful,
美味的有机分子
delicious organic molecules.
在土卫六上，新生成的索林像雨点一样
On titan, newly produced tholins rain down
从大气层降落到卫星表面
from the atmosphere onto the surface of the moon,
形成了厚厚的橙棕色有机粘稠物地毯
producing a thick orange-brown carpet of organic gunk.
科学家们希望在冥王星上也能看到类似的情况
Scientists hope to see something similar happening on pluto.
但他们必须等到“新视野号♥”
But they had to wait for new horizons
发回这颗矮行星的第一张
to send back its first full-color images
全彩照片
of the dwarf planet.
我们从冥王星
We'd been getting a lot of
得到了很多黑白照片
black and white images from pluto.
所以看到彩色照片时我很兴奋
And so I was very excited to see the color ones.
当他们终于到来时
And when they finally came in
我看到了表面上这些
and I saw these rich red, orange,
丰富的红色，橙色及棕色的特征
brown features on the surface,
我的第一个想法是，“哦，我的天
my first thought was, "oh, my gosh.
有机化学”
Organic chemistry."
有些地方的东西看起来
WoThere are areas where things look
几乎有点红棕色，甚至有点粉红
almost kind of reddish-brown, even sort of pinkish.
当你看到这样的颜色
And when you see a color like that,
你马上就会想到有机物
you immediately think organics.
而事实上，这就是事实:
And, in fact, that's exactly what this is:
粉色的有机雪
Pink organic snow.
据我们所知
Life as we know it
冥王星表面是不可能存在生命的
couldn't exist on the surface of pluto.
它太冷了
It's too cold.
但如果索林被循环到
But if tholins are getting cycled down
星球内部
into the guts of the planet,
它们可能会被运送到
they could be transported to areas
冰融化为液态水的区域
where ice melts into liquid water.
这些简单有机分子的化学进化
And it's possible the chemical evolution
很有可能在冥王星
of these simple organic molecules
微弱的热量的驱动下
could continue there,
继续进行
driven by pluto's meager heat.
也许，仅仅是也许
And perhaps, just perhaps,
简单生命的机制可以在冥王星的
the machinery for simple life could assemble
次表层海洋中组装起来
in the subsurface oceans of pluto,
就像40亿年前
just like it probably did in the deep
在地球的深海中一样
oceans of earth 4 billion years ago.
我对围绕我们太阳的
I'm intrigued by the possibilities
生命范围可能会
that the sphere of life
延伸的可能性很感兴趣
around our sun may extend f...
离太阳的距离远远超出了
much further away from the sun
我们的想象
than we ever dreamed possible.
所以，你会问，冥王星上会有生命吗？
So, you know, could there be life on pluto or ...
或者说是在冥王星地表下？
or under the surface of pluto?
我现在无法说没有
I couldn't say no to that at the moment.
呃，这是一种有趣的可能性
Um, it's an intriguing possibility.
冥王星上可能有生命吗？
Could there be life on pluto?
我不这么认为
I don't think so.
呃，这是我个人意见
Uh, that's my own personal opinion.
你知道吗，你可以把
You know what, you can take flour
面粉、黄油、鸡蛋和巧克力片
and butter and eggs and chocolate chips
混在一起然后扔进烤箱
and shake 'em all up and throw 'em in an oven.
你可能得不到饼干
You may not get a cookie.
你得到的可能是一团
What you're probably gonna get is a glob.
你可能会弄得一团糟
You're gonna get a mess.
当科学家们在争论
While scientists debate
距离太阳30亿英里处
the stunning possibility of life
是否存在生命的惊人可能性时
3 billion miles from the sun,
新视野号♥将注意力转向了
new horizons turns its attention
冥王星的小卫星
to pluto's tiny moons.
执行任务的科学家知道
Mission scientists knew
冥王星很可能有五个伴星
that pluto most likely had five companion worlds.
但没有人能预测到
But nobody could have predicted
这些卫星
just how plain weird
会有多么奇怪
these moons would turn out to be.
当新地平线号♥到达冥王星时
When new horizons arrived at pluto,
科学家们屏住呼吸
scientists held their breath,
急切地想看看冥王星的卫星会是什么样子
eager to see what pluto's moons would be like.
我们对他们一无所知
And we knew nothing about them.
所以，毫不夸张地说
So everything, literally,
我们对这些卫星的发现
that we found out about these moons
将是第一次
was going to be for the first time.
这本来是一个惊喜
And it was going to be a surprise.
在“新视野号♥”到达冥王星的三年前
Three years before new horizons arrived at pluto,
哈勃太空望远镜拍摄到了
the hubble space telescope
这颗矮行星周围的五颗卫星
imaged five moons around the dwarf planet,
一颗名为冥卫一（卡戎）的超大卫星
one oversized moon called charon
以及另外四颗小得多的冰卫星
and another four, much smaller icy companions.
“新视野号♥”就是设计用来研究这些卫星的
New horizons is reprogrammed to study these worlds
并试图发现任何其他的卫星
and to discover any additional moons
它们太小了，哈勃望远镜无法发现它们
too small for hubble to pick out.
你知道吗，在飞行之前，我们进行了调查
You know, before the fly by one of the things
就询问人们一件事:
that we surveyed people about was
我们还能发现多少卫星？
how many more moons would we find?
有些人猜测有几十个
And some guessed dozens.
还有一些人猜测了更多
And some guessed a few more.
呃，我们的一位顶尖队员
Uh, and one of our top team members,
他猜是零个
uh, guessed zero.
我记得我走过去对他说
And I remember going to him and saying,
“我愿意打赌”
"I'll take that bet.
我跟你赌一份在美国的任何地方的晚餐
I'll bet you a dinner anywhere in the United States
我们至少能找到一个”
that we will find at least one."
斯特恩输了他的赌注……
Stern lost his bet ...
“新视野号♥”
new horizons confirmed
证实了哈勃已经看到了所有能看到的东西
hubble had seen all there was to see.
但冥王星的五颗卫星
But what incredible worlds
却变成了一个非常不可思议的世界
pluto's five moons turned out to be.
超大号♥的冥卫一
Oversized charon is revealed
与冥河冥卫、尼克斯冥卫
alongside styx, nix,
kerberos冥卫和hydra冥卫
kerberos, and hydra,
四颗微小的冰卫星
four tiny, icy moons,