生命的奇迹（2013）

from a study of creation,
就会发现上帝似乎对恒星和甲虫
then it would appear that God has an inordinate fondness
特别偏爱
for stars and beetles.
甲虫的颜色 形状 习性如此之多
With so much variation in colour, form and function,
几世纪来博物学家都对其青睐有加
beetles have fascinated naturalists for centuries.
每一种都完美地适应了自己的生态位
Each species is wonderfully adapted to their own unique niche.
就是在这里
Well this is the beginnings of
生物学开始成为一门科学
biology as a science that you see here,
人们希望收集并归类
it's this desire to collect and classify,
然后久而久之
which then, over time,
开始尝试着去解释和理解
becomes the desire to explain and understand.
我要拍照留念
I'm going to take a picture.
在布里斯班市的郊区
Here in the suburbs of Brisbane,
每到二月份就会发生虫灾
every February, there's an invasion of beetles.
决定它们生命的法则 与我们大不相同
The rules governing their lives play out very differently to ours.
这是牙买♥♥加犀金龟 头顶巨角的甲虫
his is the Rhinoceros Beetle, named for obvious reasons.
实际上 只有雄性
But actually, it's only the males
头上才有与众不同的角
that have the distinctive horns on their heads.
这种甲虫大半生都为幼虫 在地里生活
The beetles spend much of their lives underground as larvae,
当成年的时候 就会集体钻出来交♥配♥繁殖
but then emerge en masse as adults to find a mate and breed.
大部分时间 雄虫都在为争夺雌虫搏斗
Much of this time, the males spend fighting over females.
看到它摆出一副搏斗的样子了吗
See that distinctive posture that he's adopting there?
我觉得是因为它从摄像机镜头里看到了
That's because I think he's seeing his reflection
它的影子 所以它立了起来
in the camera lens, and so he rears up.
快看 它想把它自己吓跑
Look at that! He's trying to scare himself off.
你也能听到它发出的"嘶嘶"声
You can also heard that hissing sound.
这是它在收缩腹部 用来...
That's him contract in his abdomen which again is a... is a...
摆出防御姿态 恐吓其他雄虫
a defensive posture that he adopts to scare other males.
虽然只有几克重
Gramme for gramme,
但它属于最强壮的动物之一
these insects are among the strongest animals alive.
我可以演示一下
And I can demonstrate that
抓住它的头部顶端
by just getting hold of the top of his head.
这不会伤害它 看它蕴含着怎样的能量
Doesn't hurt him at all, but watch what he is able to do.
快看
Look at that.
它抓住了这根树枝
So he is hanging on to this branch,
重量是它体重的很多倍
which is many times his own bodyweight.
一点也不吃力
Absolutely no distress at all.
生物越小 自然而然的
As things get smaller, it's a rule of nature
它们的力量就越强
that they inevitably get stronger.
原因很简单
The reason is quite simple.
相对它们小巧的身材
Small things have relatively large muscles
小生物拥有强大的肌肉 这让它们强壮有力
compared to their tiny body mass and this makes them very powerful.
甲虫对于地球引力
The beetles also appear to have a cavalier attitude
也不甚在意
to the effects of gravity.
它们搏斗起来像日本相扑
They fight almost like sumo wrestlers,
其目的是把对方挤下树枝
their aim is to throw each other off the branch.
如果一方落地
If they should fall...
不过是弹一下 之后走开
they just bounce and walk off.
如果按照我的身高 从相同比例的地方摔下
If I fell a similar distance relative to my size,
我会粉身碎骨
I'd break.
那么为什么体型会导致如此差异
So why does size make such a difference?
这需要基础物理学来解释
Time for a bit of fundamental physics.
在重力作用下 所有物体下落速度相同
All things fall at the same rate under gravity.
因为它们沿着弯曲空间的
That's because they're following geodesics
测地线运动 但这不是重点
through curved space-time, but that's not important.
重点是 在生物学上
The important thing for biology
尽管所有物体下落速度相同
is that although everything falls at the same rate,
但它们触地后的结果却不同
it doesn't meet the same fate when it hits the ground.
葡萄弹了起来
A grape bounces.
西瓜
A melon...
没能弹起来
Doesn't bounce.
原因实际上很复杂
Now the reasons for that are quite complex actually.
首先 相对于葡萄的体积和质量
First of all, the grape has a larger surface area
葡萄表面♥积♥所占比例比西瓜要大
in relation to its volume and therefore its mass than the melon.
尽管在真空中
And so although, in a vacuum, if you took away the air,
它们下落速度一样
they would both fall at the same rate.
但在现实中 葡萄下落速度比西瓜慢
Actually, in reality, the grape falls a bit slower than the melon.
而且当西瓜触地时
Also, the melon is more massive
它的大质量也带来了更多的动能
so it has more kinetic energy when it hits the ground.
想一想在物理课中学的
Remember from physics class.
动能等于质量乘以速度的平方再除以二
Kinetic energy is a half mv squared,
当你降低质量 动能也会减少
so you reduce M, you reduce the energy.
结果就是当西瓜触地时
The upshot of that is that the melon has a lot more energy
具有更多的动能
when it hits the ground.
它必须以某种方式将动能释放出来
It has to dissipate it in some way
其方式就是把自己炸得四分五裂
and it dissipates it by exploding.
你变得越小
The influence of earth's gravity on your life
引力对你的影响也会越小
becomes progressively diminished the smaller you get.
对于微型生物来说
For life at the small scale,
另一种基本作用力决定了它们的世界
a second fundamental force of nature starts to dominate.
就是这种力解释了这些超能力
And it's this that explains many of those apparent superpowers.
对于我来说
For me, the force of gravity
引力决定了我的存在
is a thing that defines my existence.
这是我能切身感受到的力
It's the force that I really feel the effects of.
但是仍然有其他作用力在起作用
But there are other forces at work.
比如说我舔一下我的手指
For example if I lick my finger and wet it,
我就可以把纸片粘起来
then I can pick up a piece of paper.
尽管有向下的引力存在 我依然可以粘住它
I can hold up against the downward pull of gravity.
这是因为电磁力在起作用
That's because the force of electromagnetism is important.
实际上 这是水分子间的内聚力
In fact, it is the cohesive forces between water molecules
我手指上的水分子
and the molecules that make up my finger
和纸片上的水分子
and the molecules that make up the paper,
在这个现象中起主导作用
that are dominating this particular situation.
这就是纸片不会下落的原因
And that's why this piece of paper doesn't fall to the floor.
许多昆虫也能运用类似的效应
Many insects can use a similar effect.
以普通的家蝇为例
Take a common fly for example.
它们足部有特化膨大的爪垫
Their feet have especially enlarged pads
上面分泌有黏液
onto which they secrete a sticky fluid.
这可以让它们粘在非常光滑的表面
And that allows them to adhere to rather slippery surfaces
比如这个罐头瓶
like the glass of this jam jar.
这还可以让它们做到
It allows them to do things
我无能为力的事情
that for me would be absolutely impossible.
这都归于自然界的不同作用力
And it's all down to the relative influence
对于生物的不同影响
of the different forces of nature on the animal.
所以 飞檐走壁
So the capacity to walk up walls
高空落地
and fall from a great height without breaking,
力拔千钧
plus super strength,
都不是超能力
are not super powers at all.
它们只是微小的动物
They're just abilities gained naturally by animals
与生俱来的能力
that are small and lightweight.
我对微观世界的探索
But this is just the beginning of my journey
只是刚刚开始
into the world of the small.
如果体型足够小
Down at the very small scale,
就可以生活在其他生物里
it becomes possible to live within the lives of other individuals,
世界中还有世界
worlds within worlds.
不过动物到底能有多小
But just how small can animals get?
这片澳洲坚果树种植园
This macadamia nut plantation,
距布里斯班有一小时车程
an hour outside of Brisbane,
是动物王国里 最小的一种的家乡
is home to one of the very smallest members of the animal kingdom.
这是一种微小的膜翅目动物
These are a species of micro-hymenoptera
名为赤眼蜂
known as Trichogramma.
它们是微型的黄蜂
They're basically very small wasps
我说小
and when I say small,
是真的很小
I mean small.
能看到吗 就像一粒粒灰尘
Can you see that? They're like specks of dust.
它们不到半毫米长
They're less than half a millimetre long,
但每一个都是一只黄蜂
but each one of those is a wasp.
它有复眼 有六条腿 有翅膀
It's got compound eyes; it's got six legs; it's got wings.
在它们的腹部甚至有条纹
They've even got a little stripe on their abdomen.
它们刚好适应了
And they're very precisely adapted to
一个特别的生态位