与摩根·弗里曼一起穿越虫洞（2010）

效率比我们可高得多了
far more efficiently than we can.
然而，我们存在着
And yet, here we are.
你我这样的物质的皮囊，原因何在？
What's the reason for bags of chemicals like you and me?
密歇根大学的
Evolutionary biologist Richard Lensky
进化生物学家理查德·林斯基
at Michigan state university
是一个生物学的时光旅行者
is a biological time traveler.
任何一个生物学家都会愿意看到
So any biologist would love to see the way
地球的生命这部影片播放完毕
the film of life on Earth played out
并且看到这几十亿年来
and to actually watch the transitions that occurred
发生的转变
over these several billion years
然后问道：“为什麽会是这样的方式？”
and ask, "why did it work out the way it did?"
理查德没有几十亿年的时间
Richard doesn't have billions of years
身体力行地观察进化
to watch evolution in action,
但他有一生的跨度
but he does have the span of one lifetime,
让他献身于
which he has dedicated
进行科学史上最长的
to performing the longest evolutionary experiment
进化实验
in the history of science.
27年前
27 years ago,
理查德从一个容器中
Richard plucked
取出了12个基因完全相同的大肠杆菌
12 genetically identical E. Coli bacteria from a container
让它们在12个互相隔绝的世界里
and allowed them to start their own populations
繁衍各自的种群
in 12 separate worlds.
从那时起，每一天
Ever since, day after day,
他都在观察这12个种群各自繁殖、
he's watched each of the 12 populations multiply
在种群内为了有限的食物相竞争
and compete amongst themselves for a limited amount of food.
实验的关键就是把它一直做下去
Key part of the experiment is just keeping it going,
日复一日
day after day after day,
每天从每一个烧瓶中取出少量
transferring a small amount from each flask
转移到新鲜的培养基中
into fresh medium each day.
细菌们在新鲜培养基中生长繁殖
And the bacteria grow and replicate in that fresh medium
直到它们用光赖以生存的糖分
until they run out of the sugar that they grow on.
然后它们停留在那里
And then, they sit there
直到下一天，整个过程得到重复
until, the next day, that whole process is repeated.
每天结束的时候
At the end of every day,
他从幸存者中取出少量样本
he allowed a small sample of the survivors
允许它们培养新一代
to continue producing new generations.
年复一年，这项日常进程不断地进行着
Year after year, the daily process went on and on.
在每个烧瓶中，细菌细胞繁殖着
In each flask, the cells of bacteria replicate,
把微小的随机变异
passing on tiny, random mutations
传递给它们后代的DNA
to their offspring's DNA.
在实验最初的15年里
For the first 15 years of the experiment,
种群虽然彼此隔离，进化的步伐却几乎一致
the separated populations evolved pretty much in lockstep,
每一个菌系都逐渐适应了烧瓶的环境
each strain gradually adapting to this flask environment.
但是一天夜里
But one night,
一个菌落从这场进化的军备竞赛中
one of the colonies had a sudden and dramatic victory
突然脱颖而出
in the arms race of evolution.
有一天，我们发现有一个烧瓶
One day, we came in and found that one of our flasks
中的细菌比其他烧瓶多出一大截
had many more bacteria than the others.
这些细菌
One of the lines of bacteria,
在消耗光了葡萄糖之后，说道
after they had finished the glucose, they said, "hmm,
“嗯嗯，还有别的可以吃”
there's something else to eat."
这给了它们一个巨大的优势
And that gave them a huge advantage.
一夜之间，这些大肠杆菌
Overnight, these E. Coli
就切换到了新的、复杂的内部机制
had switched on new and complex internal machinery
让它们从良性的化学添加剂中
that allowed them to extract energy
提取能量
from a benign chemical additive.
用这项新技能武装起来之后
Armed with this new talent,
它们征服了其他竞争者
they vanquished their competitors.
但是当理查德检查这些大肠杆菌的DNA时
But when Richard examined the DNA of these E. Coli,
他意识到激活了这项新技能的变异
he realized that the mutation that switched on the new talent
不过是长♥期♥连续变异中最后的几步
was merely the last in a long series.
其他的变异已经被搁置了数千代之久
The others had lain dormant for thousands of generations.
理查德将这看作是生命在玩它最喜欢的游戏——扑克牌
Richard thinks of it as life playing a grand version
的一种更宏伟的版本
of his favorite game, poker.
我一直很喜欢玩既需要人品也需要技巧
I always liked playing games that involved a mixture
的游戏
of luck and skill.
多数纸牌游戏拼的都是人品
Most card games, you've got the shuffling,
但要想玩扑克赢一大把钱，还是得有一些技巧的
and yet poker takes some skill to make a lot of money.
不管是大肠杆菌还是人类
For E. Coli and humans alike,
每一次基因的变异都像是一张新的牌
each genetic mutation is like a new card dealt to the species.
如果以合适的顺序得到了合适的牌
If the right hand is made in the right order,
种群的后代就赢大了
the organism can win big for posterity.
在这种情况下，细菌得到了关键的变异
In this case, the bacteria have this key mutation,
但必须发生在合适的“上下文”中
but it had to happen in the context
也就是说在它之前已经积累了其他的变异
where there were other mutations before it.
当台面上已经有了红桃Q和红桃K
When there is a queen and a king of hearts on the table,
你手中又有了红桃10和红桃A
and you have the 10 and Ace of hearts in your hand,
你就有机会打出“皇家同花顺”
you are set up to potentially make a royal flush,
扑克中最大的一手牌
the most powerful hand in poker.
你只需要最后一张牌是红桃J就可以了
All you need is for the final card to be a Jack of hearts.
如果你在等一张7
Well, if you were looking for a third seven,
这对你没什么帮助
that does you no good at all.
如果你得到了皇家同花顺的其余部分
But if you've got the other parts of a royal flush,
你就开心了
you're happy.
大肠杆菌通过基因的变异
E. Coli adapt to meet their immediate needs
适应当前最迫切的需求
through genetic mutation.
但是有一些变异不是马上就有回报
But some mutations don't have an immediate reward.
它们是对遥远子孙的投资
They are investments for their distant descendants
使得它们在进化中赢得头奖
so that they can win a big evolutionary jackpot.
这样的目的同样体现在
It's a purpose that Richard sees mirrored
理查德自己的工作以及自己的物种
in the story of his own work and in his own species,
人类身上
homo sapiens.
在他之前的几千代人
Thousands of generations of those who came before him
不仅适应了他们各自当前的需求
adapted to meet their immediate needs
同时也为理查德成为红桃J
but also made tiny contributions
做出了微小的贡献
that set Richard up to be a Jack of hearts.
是他们让他做出了这个实验
They allowed him to run an experiment
永久地改变了人类对进化的理解
that forever changed humanity's understanding of evolution,
即使在他离世很久之后
one that would be carried on by his protégés
也可以被他的徒子徒孙们传承下去
long after he's gone.
这是不是就是所有生命共同的目的
Could this be the purpose of all life,
从简单的单细胞生物，到人类？
from simple single cells to human beings?
呃，我老婆说我活着的目的就是倒垃圾
Well, my wife says my purpose in life is to take out the garbage.
但我还是有别的目的的
But I do have a couple of other purposes.
我不知道生命最深层的目的是什么
I don't know what the deepest possible meaning of life is.
发生了这麽多偶然、意外
So many happenstances and contingencies
以及幸运的事情
and lucky events went into it.
对我来说，这个故事太精彩了
To me, that's just an amazing story
我在其中微不足道
that I'm one tiny, little speck of,
但我很荣幸能成为其中的一个螺丝钉
and I'm very glad to be a part of it.
我们为什么要如此拼命地搜寻生命的意义呢？
Why do we so desperately search for the meaning of life?
也许因为我们必须这样做
Perhaps it is because we must.
最新的科学表明，5万年前
New science suggests that, 50,000 years ago,
人类发生了显著的变化
human beings dramatically transformed.
打那时候起，我们这个物种的生存
And ever since, the survival of our species
就取决于每个人都找到自己独一无二的目的
depends on each of us finding our unique purpose.
当你在镜子中看你自己的时候
When you look at yourself in the mirror,
镜子中的人是你所希望的样子吗？
do you see the person you truly believe you are?
我很幸运
I'm lucky.
我发现自己有天赋且热爱表演
I discovered that I have a love and a talent for acting.
那你存在的原因又是什么呢？
What's your reason for being here?
我们常说，我们想有什么目的
We're often told that our purpose
就可以有什么目的
can be anything we want it to be.
新的证据表明这未必是真的
New evidence suggests that may not be true.
进化要求我们每一个人
Evolution may have required
都被赋予一个具体的目的
that each of us be born with a specific purpose.
生命有什么意义？
What is the meaning of life?
遗传学家拉齐卜·汗说，相比于我们史前的祖先
Geneticist Razib Khan says that the answer is different now
现在的我们在这个问题上有着不同的答案
than it was for our prehistoric ancestors.
这一变化起始于农业的繁荣
The change began with the explosion of...agriculture