与摩根·弗里曼一起穿越虫洞（2010）

以及一整类新的动物的崛起
and the rise of an entirely new class of animal.
这些动物的野生祖先会因为
The wild ancestors of these animals would have
拉齐卜威胁到他们的领地而展开血腥的攻击
violently attacked Razib for threatening their territory.
但是现在，这些驯化的后代
But now, these domesticated descendants
为了食物和照料聚拢在他的身边
cuddle up to him for food and attention.
拉齐卜知道这种行为的差异
Razib knows that this difference in behavior
根植于它们的基因里
is all in their genes.
哺乳动物的许多变化都发生在一组基因里
Many of the changes in mammals occur in a group of genes
术语称作神经脊基因
that are termed neural crest genes,
简单来讲
and basically, it's just a shorthand way
这种基因影响了它们大脑的发育
to say that it affects the development of their brain.
它们变得更像孩子
And they're more childlike.
每一个物种的动物
Every species of animal
都有一个染色体集♥合♥，包含了数千个基因
has a set of chromosomes made from thousands of genes.
这些基因大部分都是所有生命所共有的
Most of these genes are common to all life.
早期的农民只能饲养最温顺的野羊
When early farmers allowed only the tamest offspring to breed,
一组特定的基因变异了
a specific set of genes mutated,
最终使家羊得以崛起
eventually giving rise to the domestic goat.
狼群中的同一组基因的变异
Those same genes in the wolf
使家犬得以崛起
mutated to give rise to the domestic dog.
野牛同样拥有这些基因
Wild aurochs had these genes also.
当它们变异时
When they mutated,
家牛出现了
domestic cattle came to be.
事实上，大自然用了本质上相同的基因
In fact, nature uses essentially the same genetic recipe
驯化了任何的野生动物
to turn any wild animal into a domestic.
但是有一种农庄动物
But one barnyard animal...
却和其他动物不一样
...Is not like the others.
很显然
Obviously, you know,
除非你是melmac星人
unless you live on the planet melmac,
否则你是不会吃猫的
you don't eat cats.
它们不是用来当食物的
They are not a food animal.
但是猫吃老鼠
But cats feed on mice,
而老鼠
and mice really,
非常非常喜欢人类的粮仓
really are attracted to human granaries.
所以看起来很可能
So it seems entirely likely
早期的人类村庄养猫
that cats were tolerated in early human villages
是因为它们在新兴的农业村社中
because they served a useful role
扮演了有用的角色
for the nascent farming communities.
猫并不是有意被驯化的
Cats were not intentionally tamed.
所以拉齐卜和他的同事
So Razib and his colleagues
研究了它们的DNA，想弄明白为什么它们会这麽友好
looked to their DNA to see how they became so friendly.
我们在研究中发现
We found in the study
与野猫相比
that the comparison to the wildcat,
家猫的基因组有很多不同
the domestic cat exhibited many changes in the genome
这些基因组也见于其他的家养生物
that have been seen in other domestic organisms,
特别是，这些基因
in particular, the genes
似乎与它们的温顺有关
that seem to be involved with docility.
所以我们的研究表明，在某种程度上
So our study suggested that the cat is, to some extent,
猫是一种自驯化的生物
a self-domesticated organism.
农民不必驯化猫
No farmer set out to breed a domestic cat.
它们自己驯化了自己
They domesticated themselves.
这让拉齐卜产生了疑问，我们人类
So that led Razib to wonder, did we humans
是否也把我们自己变成了驯养的物种？
also turn ourselves into a domestic species?
人类的基因组在过去的1万年中
Humans exhibit a lot of changes in our genome
呈现了许多的改变
over the last 10,000 years.
我个人的意见是，没错
My own personal opinion is yes,
你可以把人定义为驯养动物
you can define humans as a domestic animal.
我们生活在大群体中
We live in large groups.
如果你把人类分开，放到一个岛上
If you took humans individually and put them on an island,
他们实在无法生存
they really couldn't survive.
与5万年前的野人祖先相比
Compared with our wild ancestors 50,000 years ago,
我们更加温顺，行动更迟缓
we are more docile, slower,
骨骼更脆弱
weaker boned,
也更像孩子
and more childlike.
但是别对你自己失望
But don't let that get you down.
驯养看起来让我们退化了
The apparent downgrades of domestication
实际上给了我们每一个人的生命
have actually given each one of us
一个更重要的目的
a more important purpose in life.
如果靠狩猎采集为生，你必须什么都会一点
A hunter-gatherer had to be Jack-of-all-trades because,
因为你很可能一共只有10到20个人
probably, there was only 10 to 20 other people
可以经常打交道
that you interacted with on a regular basis.
在一个500人的村庄
When you go up to a village of 500,
你们就可以有一两个战士
you could have a warrior or two,
或许有人专职治病
maybe someone who specialized in healing.
再将尺度放大到城市
Once you get to the size of cities,
人们各司其职，专精于做自己的事情
you have whole casts of specialists that do things
在过去，可能每个人都要做这些事情
that everybody else in the past might have done.
动物被驯养了之后，种群中的个体
When animals are domesticated, individuals in their populations
更有可能发展出独特
are more likely to develop exceptional
而卓越的天赋
and specific talents.
人类也不例外
Humans are no exception.
这些特点让人类文明不断发展
It is what has kept our civilization humming along.
考虑一个农场
Think of a farm.
需要远多于两个人才能维持它的运营
It takes a lot more than two people to keep it running.
木匠，技工
Carpenters, mechanics,
栽树人，兽医
arborists, veterinarians,
农场依靠上述所有人
the farm relies on all of them
把他们的自然天赋发展成有用的技能
to develop their natural talents into useful skills.
拉齐卜培养了自己的智力天赋
Razib nurtured his gift of intelligence.
现在，他的研究融入了我们的集体智慧
And now, his research adds to our collective wisdom.
但他还有另一项自然天赋
But he also has another natural talent
好像什么卵用都没有
that doesn't seem to serve any purpose at all.
我可以做到一件
The one thing that I can probably do
让人刮目相看的事，就是吃辣椒
that impresses people is I can eat hot peppers.
在这件事上，我绝对有信心
That's the one thing where it's, like,
压制我所认识的所有人
I'm pretty sure I can beat anybody that I see and meet.
大多数人吃了这个辣椒，立马连滚带爬地
Eating this pepper would send most people
找水喝去了
scrambling for water.
但对拉齐卜来说，就跟吃糖一样
But for Razib, it's candy.
我们这个物种之所以繁荣，是因为我们每一个人都深受驱使
Our species thrives because each of us feels driven
去实现各自高度专业化的抱负
to pursue our own highly specialized ambition.
但是我们生命的个人目的也可能会萦绕不散
But our individual purpose in life may come to haunt us.
让我们存在的理由作废
It could make our very reason to exist obsolete
熄灭人类文明之光
and mean lights out for humanity.
振作起来，不爽猫！
你有没有在线给你的朋友共享过搞笑图片？
Have you ever shared a funny image with a friend online?
让你这麽做的是“模因”
A meme made you do that.
但模因不只是网络玩笑
But memes aren't just Internet jokes.
它们是任何可以传播的思想
They are any idea that spreads.
伟大的思想，诸如达芬奇，爱因斯坦，以及佛陀
Great ideas, like those of Da Vinci, Einstein, and Buddha,
是人类繁荣的原因
are the reason humanity has thrived.
事实上，模因也许是生命真正的目的
In fact, memes may be the real purpose of life.
我们的存在也许不是为了传播基因
We may exist not to spread our genes,
而是传播思想
but to spread ideas.
只要思想可以“繁殖”
As long as the ideas reproduce,
我们也许可有可无
we may be dispensable.
如果你问进化理论学家苏·布莱克莫尔
If you ask evolutionary theorist Sue Blackmore
生命的普遍目的是什么
about a universal purpose of all life,
她会说是为了传播基因
she'll say it's to spread genes.
拿我可爱的小鸡们打个比方
So, my lovely chickens,
它们是活着的机器
for example, those are kind of living machines
他们携带着基因
that carry around the genes
生下的蛋继续携带基因
and lay an egg and carry on and so on.
被驯养了几个世纪之后
And over the centuries of domestication,
它们变得友好，肥胖，能产很多蛋
they've become nice, fat chickens that lay lots of eggs.
我们可以把这叫做“第一复♥制♥因子”
That is what we might call the first replicator.
信息编码在基因中
That information, coded in genes,
在DNA分子中
in the DNA molecules
在我们的身体里，还有鸡，还有树
in bodies of us, chickens, trees,
这是地球上的第一复♥制♥因子
that's the first replicator on planet Earth.
过来，小鸡，过来