There are some great questions

自从人类眼中闪耀出智慧之光

that have intrigued and haunted us

就有几个重要问题

since the dawn of humanity.

让我们为之着迷

The story of our search to answer those questions

我们寻找答案的旅程

is the story of science.

就是科学的故事

Of all human endeavours,

在人类所有的成就中

science has had the greatest impact on our lives,

科学对生活的影响最为深刻

on how we see the world,

影响了我们对这个世界

on how we see ourselves.

以及对我们自身的看法

Its ideas, its achievements, its results,

它的思想 成就 结晶

are all around us.

无处不在

So, how did we arrive at the modern world?

我们是如何建立起现代社会的呢

Well, that is more surprising and more human

其过程比你想象的

than you might think.

更神奇 更人性

The history of science

科学的历史

is often told as a series of eureka moments.

常被讲成是一个个的灵光一现

The ultimate triumph of the rational mind.

理性思维的最终胜利

But the truth is that power and passion,

但事实却是 权力与激情

rivalry and sheer blind chance

竞争与纯粹的偶然

have played equally significant parts.

对科学同样重要

In this series,

在这个系列中

I'll be offering a different view of how science happens.

我将会从另一个视角讲述科学的历程

It's been shaped as much

实验室内外

by what's outside the laboratory as inside.

对其影响都同等重要

This is the story of how history made science,

这是一个历史造就科学

and science made history,

科学成就历史

and how the ideas that were generated changed our world.

以及思想改变世界的故事

It is a tale of...

这个故事充满了

and

以及

This time, the most personal question we've asked...

本集我们将解答与我们关系最密切问题

How did we get here?

人类如何出现

It's a question that provokes fierce argument

这个问题引发了激烈的争论

and huge controversy.

并带来巨大的分歧

And that's because it gets to the heart of our human origins,

那是因为它涉及到人类的起源

our very significance.

我们存在的意义

And yet, until relatively recently,

而直到最近

it was not a question that people felt they had to keep asking.

这还不是一个人们认为值得问的问题

Most people believed they already knew the answer,

大部分人相信他们已经有了答案

handed down in religious text or in creation stories.

答案就在流传下来的经文中或创世的故事里

We and everything else on Earth

我们 以及地球上的万物

had been put here by some kind of supernatural power.

都是被超自然力量带到地球

What's special about this question

这个问题的特殊之处

is not how long it took to get answered,

不是解答它 所耗时间之久

but how long it took to get asked as a scientific question.

而是它成为科学问题 所经历程之长

And it's a story that begins over here.

而这个故事起源于此

The great voyages of discovery, of the 15th Century,

十五世纪的发现之旅

heralded the start of the modern age.

预示着现代社会的到来

Advances in navigation and shipbuilding

航海和造船的技术进步

allowed European adventurers to explore

给欧洲人提供了探索

and exploit the rest of the globe.

并开发未知大陆的机会

We're absolutely storming along now, powered by the trade winds.

在信风的推动下 我们在急速前行

And over there is the Caribbean island of Jamaica.

海的那一边 就是加勒比岛国牙买加

In 1494,

1494年

Christopher Columbus landed here.

克里斯托弗·哥伦布来到了这里

It was a completely unknown part of the world,

此处不为外界所知

at least unknown to Europeans.

至少对欧洲人是这样的

It is the Americas.

这就是美洲

The discovery of the Americas

美洲大陆的发现

sent shock waves through European civilization.

震惊了欧洲

New peoples, new plants, new animals.

新的人种 新的植物 新的动物

The early explorers arrived

早期到达的探险家

utterly convinced that they were special,

坚信他们是与众不同的

set apart from the rest of nature.

独立于世界之外

The pinnacle of God's creation.

上帝的巅峰之作

Yet what they found here would begin to challenge that.

但是他们的发现却挑战了这个观点

And for me, the story begins with a man called Hans Sloane.

对我来说 故事从汉斯·斯隆说起

An Irish doctor who arrived in Jamaica in 1687

一名爱尔兰医生 1687年来牙买加

to take up the lucrative post

来接任岛国统治者的私人医生

of personal physician to the island's Governor.

这个待遇优厚的工作

To be fair to Sloane, he was more than simply an adventurer

公平的说 斯隆不只是一位

in search of a fast buck.

想大捞一笔的探险家

He was also a passionate botanist

他还是饱含热情的植物学家

who loved to go exploring the island on horseback with a guide.

喜欢在向导带领下骑在马背上探索小岛

OK, Marlin, are you ready to go? - Yep. - Lovely.

马林准备出发吗 -好的 -很好

Elegantly done.

优雅的上马

Don't want to be left behind.

别把我扔在后面

My guide, Marlin Beale, is a botanist.

我的向导马林·比尔 是个植物学家

And together we're heading for the Blue Mountains

我们正在前往蓝山

where Sloane would come face to face with what he described as,

在那里斯隆见到了他所描述的

All that is extraordinary in nature.

所有一切 皆为自然之奇迹

I know that Sloane was a doctor

我知道斯隆是个医生

and he was particularly interested in plants,

而且对植物非常感兴趣

which had any sort of medicinal quality. - Yes.

尤其是有医用价值的 -是的

So if you see any, do let me know. - Definitely, I will.

所以要看到了 请告诉我 -好的

Since most 17th Century medicines came from plants,

因为十七世纪大多数药材取自植物

it's not surprising that finding new species

所以斯隆的任务清单的首条

was high on Sloane's agenda.

就是寻找新的植物也不足为奇

A-ha, here we go.

找到了

Smell it. - Very pretty.

闻一下 -很好看

Yeah. Taste it, if you want.

是的 想的话可以尝一下

Which end do I taste?

我该尝哪头

That end, the cut end.

那头 撅断的那头

That's ginger, isn't it?

这是姜吧

It's wild ginger.

野生的姜

Interesting, because Sloane

很有趣 因为斯隆

wrote quite a lot about wild ginger.

有很多关于野姜的记录

He believed that ginger was very good for the stomach.

他认为姜可以养胃

I don't know about that. It's certainly good for sea sickness.

这我不确定 但是它肯定能防止晕船

If you were doing a two month voyage across the Atlantic,

如果你要用两个月横跨大西洋

this would be useful.

这个会很有用

Sloane also claimed that

斯隆还称

wild ginger was good for treating cancers.

野姜能够治疗癌症

I'm not sure about that either. Quite tasty though.

这个我也不太确定 味道倒是挺好

Now, an interest in nature

对自然感兴趣的

wasn't confined to collectors like Sloane.

不仅限于斯隆这样的收集者

Because in nature, and particularly plants,

因为大自然 尤其是植物

lay the foundations of European imperial power.

奠定了欧洲皇室权力的基础

Trading vessels criss-crossed the globe,

商船往返于各个大陆

bringing home all sorts of natural produce,

带回大自然的各类馈赠

from tobacco and spices to tea and timber,

从烟草到香料 从茶再到木材

the botanical booty was practically limitless.

植物产品的种类数不胜数

Even the ships, which carried the goods,

就连运送货物的船只

were themselves made out of plants.

也是用植物建造的

There were trees for the framework,

从造骨架的木材

hemp provided the sails and ropes,

到做风帆和绳子的大麻

and they used pine resin to produce pitch,

就连用于船只防水的胶水

which was used to waterproof the ships.

也是由松脂做的

What distinguished Sloane from most traders and plantation owners

斯隆和其他商人及种植园主的区别

was an interest in all of nature.

是他对大自然各类生物都感兴趣

Not just plants but also animals.

不仅仅是植物 还有动物

This interest would open the world's eyes

他的兴趣 让世界

to the beauty of God's creation

见证了上帝的杰作

and crucially to the puzzle

还让人们意识到

of its incredible diversity.

物种多样性之谜

There aren't very many big animals here on Jamaica,

牙买加这里没有什么大型动物

but there are an awful lot of lizards

但是有奇多无比的蜥蜴

and what Marlin is about to do

马林在这里做的

is make a little noose I think, is that right?

我猜是一个小套索 对吧

Is this the sort of thing that Sloane might have used?

这是斯隆可能用到的工具吗

Possibly, because this would be

很可能 因为这是

the most conventional method at that time.

当时最普遍的方法

Just tight.

绑好

What we've got to do now is persuade the lizard to stick its...

我们要做的就是让蜥蜴把

头钻进去 -套索做好了 -很好

A beautiful noose for

漂亮的套索

catching lizards in the style of Hans Sloane.

用来以汉斯·斯隆的方式抓蜥蜴

Where are we likely to find them, Marlin?

哪里能找到它们 马林

Well, we can find some on the ground or even on trees.

在地上 甚至是树上

So, both looking on the ground and on trees is great.

所以要往地上和树上看看

It was this type of hands on approach...

就是这些实用的技巧

I think there's one over here.

这里好像有一只

so many different specimens of Jamaican wildlife.

多种牙买加野生动物的标本

He jumped. I think he's gone.

蹦起来了 应该跑了

Michael. - Have you seen something?

迈克尔 -看到啥了吗

Yes. This one right, right there, do you see?

是的 这里有一只 看到了吗

Let's have a go.

咱们来试一下

Brilliant. Is he safe to hold? - Yeah.

很棒 能用手拿吗 -可以

Maybe a bit feisty. So I'm going to get the noose off of him.

可能有点狂躁 我来把套索取下来

How many different species of lizards are there?

这里有多少种蜥蜴

There are many different species, over 20 different species.

很多 超过二十种

干得漂亮 -是啊

This book has illustrations of just some of the things

这本书里描绘的是一些

that Sloane captured in Jamaica. A snake there.

斯隆在牙买加收集的动植物 这是一条蛇

There's our friends, the lizards.

还有我们的好朋友 蜥蜴

I think the one I helped capture, is the one in the middle there.

我刚才抓到的 应该是中间的这种

The book is just full of beautiful drawings.

整本书里都是精美的绘画

Birds, fishes...

鸟 鱼

The thing is that Hans Sloane came to Jamaica

汉斯·斯隆来到牙买加

not just to revel in its beauty,

不单是来欣赏它的美

but to record everything he saw,

还记录了一切所见之物

which he did in enormous detail,

他描绘得如此详尽

so that other people who couldn't come here

让没有来到此地的人

could enjoy and learn from what he had discovered.

也能欣赏和研究他的发现

After 15 months on the island,

在岛上住了十五个月后

Sloane returned to England.

斯隆回到英国

He brought back with him some 800 samples of flora and fauna,

并带回了八百多件动植物标本

a fully grown crocodile and a recipe for drinking chocolate.

一只成年的鳄鱼 和热巧克力的秘方

Unlike many explorers who returned from the Americas

不像其他从美洲回来的探险家

with tall tales of giant sea serpents

讲着巨型海蛇

and men whose heads grow beneath their shoulders,

和头长在肩膀下面的人的荒诞故事

Sloane returned with real data and real specimens.

斯隆带回了真实的数据和标本

There was no reason as yet

暂时还没有理由

to think that all this diversity had anything to do with us.

想到这种多样性与我们有任何关联

But it did unsettle traditional ideas of

但这确实撼动了根深蒂固的观念

God's creation of the natural world.

即上帝创造自然世界

For people who believed that

有些人相信

God had created the world and everything in it,

上帝创世 以及世间万物

permanent and perfect,

永恒且完美

this was also utterly bewildering.

这绝对会让他们感到疑惑

Why had God bothered to make

为什么上帝要不辞辛劳地

so many small and apparently

给同一物种创造出差异甚少

pointless variations on a theme?

且毫无意义的多个变种呢

Why so many lizards? Why so many beetles?

为什么有那么多种蜥蜴 甲壳虫

The questions started to come thick and fast.

这些问题如暴雨般袭来

By the time Hans Sloane died in 1753,

汉斯·斯隆在1753年逝世之时

he had put together

他已经收集了

the world's greatest collection of natural objects.

世界上最丰富的生物标本

Most of which are still with us today.

其中大部分得以留存至今

In front of me we have part of the Sloane Herbarium.

我面前的是斯隆植物标本中的一部分

There are many, many thousands of objects

这里有成千上万件标本

about 14,000 of these vegetable substances.

约一万四千件来自蔬菜

Flowers, fruits, dried objects, which we can't press.

花 果实 一捏就碎的脱水标本

'And with that there are about 270 bound volumes

这里还有270卷标本书

'with many, many thousands of specimens in.'

保存了成千上万种植物

So vast was Sloane's hoard of wonders

斯隆的收藏规模实在太大

that it was moved to a new type of institution

人们不得不将它们转移到一个

beginning to appear across Europe.

欧洲新兴的机构

The national museum.

国家博物馆

Private collections, like Sloane's,

像斯隆藏品这样的私人收藏

could now be seen by a much wider audience.

可以让更多人一饱眼福

Bringing nature out of the wilderness

并将自然从野外

and into the every day world.

带到人们的生活中

This new curiosity about life on Earth

这种对地球生命的新兴趣

would bring us closer to the question

使我们离这个问题又更近了一步

how did we get here?

人类从何而来

It was fuelled by voyages of discovery

一次次的探险

and the money to be made from nature,

开发自然资源获得的经济效益

by obsessive collectors,

和像汉斯·斯隆这样

like Hans Sloane,

执着记录自然多样性的的收藏家

who began to document nature's diversity.

都使这种兴趣进一步加深

And by museums,

而随着博物馆的出现

where ordinary people could see it for themselves.

寻常百姓得以饱览自然珍奇

And it now turned out that all this life also had a history,

人们发现一切生命都有一段历史

a rather rich one.

一段丰富的历史

Paris. Just after the French Revolution.

在法国大革命之后不久的巴黎

Where the belief that God's creation was fixed and unchanging

人们对上帝创世坚信不疑

was about to be further undermined

但很快 这一学说就将受到挑战

by a brilliant anatomist

来自一位杰出的解剖学家

and a taste for new buildings.

和新建筑的热潮

Paris is a city in love with its own beauty.

巴黎是一个自我陶醉的城市

Whatever events may have been dominating the headlines -

不管报纸头条上是什么新闻

the fall of the Bastille, the execution of the King,

攻占巴士底狱也好 处决国王也罢

one thing has remained constant -

有一件事却始终不变

the City's determination

那就是巴黎

to build on its rich architectural heritage.

丰富其建筑遗产的决心

Buildings began to appear,

新建筑拔地而起

which were every bit as magnificent as their predecessors.

毫不逊色于宏伟的古老建筑

'While others were added to.'

而其他建筑 则被赋予了新的使命

'For example, the Louvre.

比如说 卢浮宫

'In the years following the Revolution,

大革命之后的几年

'it grew from a Bourbon palace

卢浮宫从一座波旁宫殿

'into a museum large enough to house

变为一座大型博物馆

'France's rapidly expanding art collection.'

足以收藏法国不断涌现的艺术品

But I'm less interested in what's in there than what's out here.

但我的重点不在馆内 而在馆外

And in particular this stuff

尤其是这个

limestone.

石灰岩

A rock which for centuries

这种石头几世纪以来

had been the mainstay of Parisian architecture.

都是巴黎建筑的主要石材

Now this limestone was hewn from a quarry

这块石灰岩的开采地点

that is very near to where I'm standing now.

离我所站的位置非常近

A hidden one, one that is down there.

一个隐蔽的采石场 就在我脚下

Deep beneath Paris lies an old network of stone quarries

巴黎地下深处有多个古老的采石场

linked by hundreds of kilometres of connecting tunnels.

由几百公里纵横交错的通道相连接

Together they form a mirror image of the city above,

它们共同形成了地下巴黎

right down to the street names.

连街名也不例外

People began quarrying away underneath Paris in the middle ages.

在中世纪人们就开始在巴黎地下采掘石材

And they went on digging for hundreds of years.

持续了好几百年

There should be a sign just over here.

这里应该有个标志

Yes, "3R."

没错 3R

This is the old revolutionary calendar

这是以前的革命日历

and it means three years

意思是法国大革命

after the start of the French Revolution.

爆发之后的第三年

At that time, houses being built over my head

那时 我头顶的房屋

would have contained limestone from quarries just like this one.

就是用这里的石灰岩建造的

Hello.

你好

I guess actually quarrying down here

我猜在这里采石

must have been pretty dangerous.

应该很危险吧

It could be dangerous.

确实是这样

It's the reason why quarrymen put this hand made pillar

所以矿工会垒这种石柱

to protect them from falling roof, from collapse.

以防矿顶坍塌

Who actually dug these areas?

这到底是谁挖的

It is specific to France

这是法国特有的规定

when you are owner of the surface,

如果地上的房屋是你的

you are owner of the underground until the centre of the Earth.

那么地下直至地心的一切 都归你所有

To the centre of the Earth under French law?

直到地心 法国法律这么规定的吗

Yeah, according to the French law. - How interesting.

对 没错 -真有意思

'As more and more quarries were excavated,

随着越来越多的石场被挖掘

'people began to take

人们开始

'a greater interest in the mysterious objects

对嵌在石头中的神秘物体

'they were finding embedded in the rock.'

产生了浓厚兴趣

Ah, it's magical, isn't it?

很神奇吧

You can see there, a really clear shell.

可以清楚地看见 在这儿有个贝壳

It must have been very strange for the workmen who first came down here

对于那些第一次深入地下的人来说

when they realized they were looking at something

看到这些本该出现在海洋里的生物

which should be on the ocean floor.

一定十分怪异

What they were looking at, of course, were fossils.

当然 他们看到的是化石

For a long time, people had no idea what fossils really were.

很长一段时间 人们并不知道化石是什么

Some people claimed they'd come from the Moon.

有些人说 它们来自月球

Others that they were

还有人认为这是

mud's unsuccessful attempt to turn into life.

泥土变成生物过程中 失败的产物

In fact, it wasn't until the end of the 18th Century

事实上 直到十八世纪末

that people fully appreciated they had once been living things.

人们才真正意识到 它们曾是地球上的生命

And this realization opened up a whole new window into the past.

这一认识也开启了了解历史的新窗口

A past that was both ancient

这段历史既古老

and unimaginably different.

又难以置信的神奇

Here in France, many of those fossils

在法国 很多这样的化石

ended up in the hands of a brilliant scientist.

最后都被一位杰出的科学家收入囊中

A man obsessed by old bones.

一位醉心于研究古老骨骼的人

His name was Georges Cuvier

他的名字叫乔治·居维叶

and he was widely regarded

他被普遍视为

as the world's leading animal anatomist.

引领世界的动物解剖学家

There was barely an animal in existence

他的收藏几乎包括了

whose remains hadn't come his way.

世界上现存的每一种动物

There's a story about Cuvier, which I like,

有一件居维叶的轶事我很喜欢

which I think really sums up the man.

这个故事很有代表性

It's late at night and Cuvier has gone to bed...

夜深人静 居维叶已经睡了

when one of his students dressed in a devil's costume

忽然 他的一个学生打扮成恶魔

bursts into his room and cries

冲进他的卧室 怪叫道

Cuvier, Cuvier, I've come to eat you!

居维叶 居维叶 我来吃你了

Cuvier opened one eye,

居维叶睁开一只眼睛

calmly looked the student up and down and said,

冷静地打量了一下这个学生 然后说

All animals that have hooves and horns are herbivores -

所有有蹄有角的动物都是食草动物

You cannot eat me."

你吃不掉我

Now the point is that Cuvier had realized

这个故事的重点在于 居维叶已经意识到

that from a couple of features,

人们可以通过几个特征

you could work out the essential nature of any animal.

确定任何动物的习性

This insight would lead

这一发现

Cuvier to propose a new, and to many minds,

使居维叶提出了让很多人

unthinkable story of life on Earth.

无法想象的生物学说

Now I'm no Cuvier, but I did train as a medical doctor

虽然我不是居维叶 但我起码也学过医

and so I've seen a lot of bones, albeit human ones.

见过不少骨骼 虽然都是人类骨骼

In here I've got some fossil bones.

我手上有几块化石

I'm going to try and see if I can work out where they came from.

我要看看能不能推断出骨骼的来源

Right. I think this is the end bit of the finger.

我觉得这个是指尖骨

But in this case is has a big claw attached.

但这个骨头前端是个尖爪

So I'm guessing this comes from a carnivore.

所以我猜这是食肉动物的骨骼

I'm going to go and hunt carnivores.

让我找找是哪个食肉动物

'By examining

居维叶认为

the form of any body part,

通过研究任一骨骼的形态

'Cuvier claimed you could discover everything

你可以发现

'there was to know about its function.'

它的所有功能

It's a bit like a crocodile claw, but not really close enough.

有点像鳄鱼爪 不过不太一样

'And from its function, its likely source.'

然后通过功能 找到可能的骨骼来源

Bigger, but not bad. That's a dog.

比这个大点 但不远了 这是狗骨骼

I think that's about right.

这个应该差不多了

I guess that this is from a hyena.

我猜应该是鬣狗的爪子

Let's see if I'm right.

看看我有没有答对

No, close though, it's from a wolf apparently. Wolf.

不对 但接近了 这是狼爪

Cuvier was clearly better at this than me

居维叶当然比我在行

and this allowed him to identify

这也使他能够辨认出

many previously unknown fossils coming out of the ground.

许多从地下发掘的 以前无法判断的化石

But also some remains that would have unsettling implications.

其中的一些有着令人不安的含义

One of the fossils that Cuvier was sent, was this one.

有人给居维叶送来了这样一块化石

It is, believe it or not, a giant tooth.

你可能不相信 这其实是颗巨型牙齿

You can tell that,

你可以看出

because this is the enamel or biting layer over here.

这是牙齿的釉质 或是咀嚼层

Now, the people who found this fossil

发现这个化石的人

were convinced it came from an elephant.

确信它来自一头大象

But Cuvier had other ideas.

但居维叶有不同意见

The fossil I've got here is obviously much bigger

我手中的化石很明显

than the elephant tooth you've got there,

要比这个大象牙大得多

what other features did Cuvier notice were different?

居维叶还发现了哪些不同之处

Well, you see the size of course, you are right.

你看出了大小不同 一点没错

But, in this African elephant tooth

但在这颗非洲象牙上

you can see that the enamel is very different

可以看见咀嚼层上的

on the grinding surface.

釉质有很大不同

There are diamond enamel lamina.

这是菱形釉质层

Here, there are parallel lamina

而这个是平行釉质层

and they are more numerous than in the African elephant.

并且比非洲大象牙的数量多

So there is a very important difference.

所以这都是很重要的不同点

We know that this tooth was coming from Russia

我们知道这颗牙来自俄罗斯

and this tooth was called by Russians,

它被俄罗斯人叫做

the mammoth.

猛犸

So he was able to look at this and go, "It's an elephant,

所以他看到这颗牙就知道 这是一头象

but a much bigger elephant,

但是比一般的象更大

and a very different, sort of a third species of elephant."

是一种特殊的 可能是第三属的象

The revelation that the mammoth was a species

发现猛犸象与现存的任何象都不同

totally distinct from any living elephant was nothing

这与居维叶接下来的惊世之语相比

compared to Cuvier's next bombshell.

简直微不足道

Cuvier thought long and hard about mammoths

居维叶对猛犸象长时间仔细思考后

and he came to a surprising and radical conclusion.

得到了一个令人惊讶的革命性的结论

Now clearly, mammoths are

很显然 猛犸象是

enormous beasts yet no-one had ever seen one,

人类未曾见过的巨型动物

which suggested that at some point in the past

这说明在过去的某时

mammoths, all of them, must have gone extinct.

猛犸象一定全部灭绝了

And it wasn't just mammoths.

消失的并不只有猛犸

Before long, hundreds of other strange looking fossils

不久之后 成百上千的异形化石

began to be identified as

被鉴别为

creatures that had mysteriously disappeared off the face of the Earth.

已经从地球上神秘消失了的物种

The claim that some animals that had once lived had gone extinct

曾经存在过的动物会灭绝这一说法

raised uncomfortable questions.

引发很多敏感的问题

If every creature in God's fixed univers

如果每种生物在上帝永恒的宇宙中

had a place and a purpose,

都有其位置和意义

why had some died off?

为什么有些会灭绝呢

The suggestion that most of the creatures

大多数曾经存在过的生物

who had ever lived were now extinct

现今都已经灭绝了的说法

was both baffling and disturbing.

令人困惑和不安

The only consolation was that this was still a history of life,

唯一使人安慰的是这种生命更迭

which we humans were separate from.

并不包括人类在内

For now, the most pressing question raised by extinction

当时 动物灭绝带来的最紧迫的问题

was one of time.

就是时间

And whether this fossil record of long lost species

古老生物的化石是否能证明

was evidence that the Earth was older,

地球的历史其实比人们原先认为的

much older than previously believed.

还要长很多

The 18th Century was the age of the experiment.

十八世纪是科学实验的世纪

There were experiments on light, liquids,

有关于光的 液体的实验

gases,

也有关于气体的

but also an experiment to establish the precise age of the Earth.

更有研究地球准确年龄的实验

The man behind the experiment was Le Comte de Buffon.

实验者就是勒·孔德·德·布丰

A fabulously wealthy French aristocrat,

作为一个家财万贯的法国贵族

Buffon was the first person

布丰是致力于

to seriously attempt to measure the age of the Earth,

地球年龄准确测量的第一人

and he did so using some metal balls,

而他所需的就是一些金属球

a pocket watch and a blacksmith's forge.

一只怀表 和一个铁匠作坊

Good morning, Brian. - Good morning.

早上好 布莱恩 -早上好

Hello, Michael. - I Have a present for you.

你好 迈克尔 - 我给你带来一份礼物

Two metal balls.

两个金属球

I think you know what to do with them. - Yes, indeed.

我想你知道怎么用 -是的 当然

You might imagine that back in Buffon's day, most people believed

你可能认为在布丰的年代 大多数人相信

that the world was created in six days

我们的世界是在六天内创造

and was 6,000 years old.

经历了6000年的岁月

In fact, a lot of people, including many clerics,

事实上 很多人 包括很多牧师

did not take the Bible that literally.

并非虔诚的相信圣经的每个字

Buffon was not unusual in suspecting

布丰怀疑地球可能更古老

that the Earth might be very old.

这个想法并非独树一帜

Where he was unusual was he was prepared to do an experiment

他的非凡在于他准备用一个实验

to find out just how old.

探寻地球的真正年龄

Right, anything I can do?

我能帮什么忙吗

Give it a nice long stroke, just slow, straight down.

往下摇它 慢慢地 直着向下

How long will it actually take to heat up to red hot?

要多长时间才能加热到红色啊

Probably the best part of an hour

看这球的大小

looking at the size of the ball.

差不多一个小时吧

The experiment was actually

这个实验其实是

based on a suggestion by Sir Isaac Newton.

源于艾萨克·牛顿爵士的想法

He said imagine the world had started off

他说想象这世界始于

as a red, hot piece of iron.

一块红色滚烫的铁

If you could work out how long it had taken to cool

如果你能够知道这块铁要多久

from that state to the present state,

能降到现在的温度

then you could work out just how old the Earth really is.

那么就能算出地球真正的年龄了

By timing how long it took for different size balls to cool down,

通过记录不同尺寸的球的冷却时间

Buffon was confident he could extrapolate his figures

布丰自信可以用他的测量结果

and establish how long it had taken the Earth to reach a similar state.

外推出地球需要的冷却时间

Do you reckon they're ready yet, Brian?

你觉得它们可以了吗 布莱恩

Well, they're well up to temperature, yes.

温度差不多了 是的

It's hot, isn't it?

滚烫 是吧

I'm trying to avoid dropping this on my toes.

我尽量让它别掉在我脚上

Take that down there.

把它放那里

Brilliant. I've got my pocket watch here now.

很好 我现在用怀表开始计时

So, how long do you think before we can actually touch them?

你觉得大概要多久我们才能碰它们

Looking at least 25 minutes or even longer for the small one.

这个小球大概25分钟或者更长时间

The larger ones much more mass, probably an hour.

那个大球 大概要一小时

'A little later and I'm finally ready to start to plot my graph,

过了一会我终于可以开始画图了

'extrapolating my timings for the two balls,

将对两个球的计时外推

'to allow for the much bigger diameter of the Earth.'

直到用于地球巨大的直径上

Right. Now for the age of the Earth using Buffon's method.

好了 应用布丰的方法测定地球年龄

I calculate the age of the Earth

我计算出的地球年龄是

at 92,000 years.

92000岁

And Buffon, well, he said it was a suspiciously accurate

布丰的结果则是难以置信的精确

74,832 years old.

74832岁

As we now know, both these figures are in fact way out.

我们现在知道 这两个数字都与事实差很远

Wildly inaccurate though Buffon's method was,

虽然这种方法很不准确

it would be churlish to let that detract from his legacy.

但我们并不能把它排除在布丰的传奇故事之外

The important point is, that by doing the experiments

这一实验的重要意义在于

and by publishing the results, Buffon sparked a debate.

通过发表数据 布丰引发了一场辩论

Not just about how old the Earth actually is,

不仅讨论地球的准确年龄

but how and why every creature on Earth came into being.

甚至延伸到每种生物出现的原因

A debate that would now be intensified

由于开辟了新的世界观

by a new way of looking at the world.

这一争论将愈演愈烈

Standing between northern and southern Europe

南北欧之间矗立的

is one of the world's most formidable natural barriers -

是世界上最令人敬畏的天然屏障之一

the Alps.

阿尔卑斯山

Even as late as the mid 18th Century,

直到十八世纪中期

no-one had yet climbed this region's highest peak -

都没有人征服这一地区的最高峰

Mont Blanc.

勃朗峰

In 1760, a young Swiss aristocrat

1760年 一位年轻的瑞士贵族

called Horace Benedict de Saussure

奥拉斯·贝内迪克特·德索叙尔

came to the small Alpine village of Chamonix,

来到勃朗峰脚下的

in the foothills of Mont Blanc.

阿尔卑斯小村夏蒙尼

Now, he came originally to collect plants.

他原本是来采集植物的

But he soon became so enchanted by the mountain

但很快他就被这座山迷住了

that he offered a reward to the first person who could climb it.

于是他提出要奖励第一个登上这座山的人

Despite many attempts,

经过无数的尝试

it was 26 years before anyone managed to reach the summit.

26年后才有人第一次登顶

De Saussure himself got to the top a year later.

德索叙尔自己也在一年后登顶

But de Saussure was much more than a rich man

然而德萨索尔不仅是个

with a passion for extreme sports.

热爱极限运动的有钱人

For once he'd climbed Mont Blanc,

因为登顶勃朗峰后

he proceeded to carry out a series of experiments

他立刻开始进行一系列实验

to discover much more about the mountain.

来深入研究这座高山

Going to remote places and getting your hands dirty

去到边远山区 亲身实践

was a new way of trying to understand the processes

是了解塑造地球力量的

which shaped the Earth.

一种新方法

And de Saussure gave it a name...

德索叙尔把它称做

geology.

地质学

With its emphasis on direct observation

由于它强调实地考察

this new way of looking at the Earth would play a vital role

这种研究方法在揭示地球

in unravelling not just the mysteries of the planet,

以及地球上全部生命的奥秘

but also the entire history of life on Earth

都起到了重要作用

including ours.

包括人类自己的奥秘

All across Europe practically dressed men

欧洲各地都有人身着工装

armed with small hammers headed off into the countryside

手拿小锤 涌向乡村

in search of the Earth's hidden secrets.

去探寻地球隐藏的奥秘

Driven by an intense curiosity

在让前人惊讶的

that would have surprised their predecessors,

强烈的好奇心的驱使下

they began to notice

他们发现了

a number of strange anomalies in the landscape.

许多奇怪的异形地貌

I've come here to the east coast of Scotland

我现在来到的是苏格兰东海岸

to a place called Siccar Point.

一个叫西卡角的地方

It is wild, windy and rather beautiful.

荒凉 多风 但也很美

And just down there is something truly remarkable,

就在下面有一些非常著名的

something which an early geologist who came here

被早期来到这里的地质学家

described as like looking into the abyss of time.

称作望进了时间隧道的景观

This is what I've come to see and it is very strange indeed.

这就是我要看的 非常奇异的东西

It's called an unconformity.

它被叫做不整合

What you have down there is layers of rock

下面有很多层岩石

that appear to be laid down vertically.

垂直的排列起来

And then just above them a layer of red sandstone,

在它们上面是一层红色的砂岩

which appears to have been laid down horizontally.

却是呈水平方向

But as odd as this may seem,

虽然看起来很奇怪

to some there appeared to be a startling explanation.

对某些人来说这里蕴藏这一种大胆的解释

This layer of rock looks as though it was laid down vertically.

这一层岩石虽然看起来是垂直排列的

But at some point in the past

但在过去的某一时间

it must have been at the bottom of the ocean

它一定处于海底

and formed horizontally by layer after layer of sediment.

由一层层沉积物水平堆积而成

Then the whole thing rose to the surface,

之后它整个的抬升出水面

was flipped through 90 degrees

翻转了90度

and sank to the bottom of the seas again.

然后再次沉入海底

There another layer formed,

在那里又有一层岩石形成

until finally the whole thing rose to the surface once again.

直到它再次全部浮出水面

All these processes are extremely slow

所有这些过程都及其缓慢

and all this implied that the Earth is incredibly old

也证明了地球的古老

practically eternal.

近于永恒

And it wasn't just Siccar Point.

这种现象不只出现在西卡角

The evidence for slow change was everywhere.

缓慢变化的证据存在于世界各地

Geologists looked at waterfalls

地质学家观察瀑布

and saw how the constant flow of water

看到这些持续不断的水流

had gradually eroded the surrounding rock.

如何逐渐侵蚀周围的岩石

They saw how rain had inexorably worn away the tops of mountains.

雨水如何蚕食掉山顶

And how the slow movement of glaciers

以及缓慢的冰川运动

had carved out entire valleys.

如何切割出完整的峡谷

They came to realize that the single most important factor

他们逐渐意识到 塑造出世界

in why the world looks the way it does

现今面貌的唯一重要因素

was time and lots of it.

正是时间的日积月累

The moment that people first began to think in terms of deep time

人类初次以深时的角度来思考这个问题

is one of the most significant in the history of science.

这正是科学史上最重要的时刻之一

It would go on to profoundly affect how people see themselves.

这将会深刻地影响人类审视自身的方式

But trying to grasp deep time is extremely difficult,

但是想要理解深时十分困难

because it is so different to human time.

因为它大大不同于人类时间

So you have to rely on analogies.

必须依靠类比

One of my favourites is to imagine the age of the Earth

我最喜欢的一个类比 是把地球的年龄

as a length from my shoulder to my finger tips.

看做从我的肩膀到指尖的长度

On that scale, the whole of human history,

以这样的比例 整个人类历史

everything we've achieved in the last few thousand years

过去几千年中我们的一切成就

would be wiped away by the single swipe of a nail file.

指甲锉轻轻一刮就没了

So, why did this concept of deep time take root now?

深时概念为何在当时出现

There was the expansion of quarrying and mining

这要归功于采石采矿业的发展

exposing more of the hidden Earth.

更多的揭示了地球隐藏的面貌

The fossils of extinct creatures that were being uncovered.

灭绝生物的化石被发现

And the emergence of geology

以及地质学的出现

a new scientific view of the planet.

一种研究地球的全新科学视角

Finally, the pieces were in place to try and answer the question

最终 这些线索聚在一起 试图回答

how did WE get here?

人类从何而来

The industrial revolution was a time of rapid, dizzying change.

工业革命是一场迅猛且令人惊叹的变革

Great industrial cities spread across Victorian Britain,

工业化城市遍布维多利亚时期的英国

their factories drawing in workers from far and wide.

工厂吸引了四面八方远道而来的工人

New railways snaked across the landscape cutting journey times

新建铁路蜿蜒于大地 缩短了旅行时间

and bringing cheap goods to the masses.

也为大众带来了廉价的商品

'It was a whirlwind of new ideas, new methods

各种创意和新方法如旋风般席来

'and all of it in the name of progress.'

这一切均是以进步之名

Belief in progress was one of the defining characteristics

对进步的信仰是维多利亚时期的

of the Victorian age.

典型特征之一

Factory owners from humble origins had country houses,

出身低微的企业主们拥有了乡间别墅

even seats in Parliament.

甚至是议会席位

Britain was the leading industrial country in the world

英国是世界工业国家的领导者

thanks to the ingenuity of her people.

这都归功于英国人的智慧

It was out of this belief in progress

一种源于信仰进步的

that a radical theory of how WE got here

解释人类如何出现的惊世理论

exploded onto the scene.

腾空出世

The theory proposed that not only were societies and nations

该理论认为除了人类社会和国家

capable of progressive change,

能够逐渐进步

but also nature.

自然也可以

In 1844, this slim,

1844年 这本小册子

rather ordinary looking book was first published

这本看起来极其普通的书首次出版

and it swiftly became one of THE most controversial books

迅速成为维多利亚时期

of the Victorian age.

最富争议的书

It was a literary sensation selling tens of thousands of copies

带来热销上万册的文学盛况

and it was read by everyone of influence

上至女王下至其他有声望的人

from the Queen downwards.

都竞相阅读

Adding to its mystique was the fact that its author

更让这一切增添神秘色彩的是

made strenuous efforts throughout his lifetime

该书作者穷尽一生

to remain strictly anonymous.

隐姓埋名

The author was a Scotsman

作者是位苏格兰人

Robert Chambers.

罗伯特·钱伯斯

Robert Chambers was born with six fingers and six toes.

罗伯特·钱伯斯生来有六个手指和脚趾

When was young he had an operation to get rid of the extra digits,

年幼时通过手术摘除了多余的手指和脚趾

which unfortunately went wrong.

手术不幸以失败告终

Self conscious, Robert now immersed himself

他自惭形秽 将自己沉浸在

in the world of print.

印刷的世界里

Few changes embodied the Victorian ideal of progress

十九世纪印刷业的变革

as much as the 19th Century transformation of the print industry.

最能体现维多利亚式的进步理念

The steam-powered printing press

蒸汽印刷机的出现

ushered in a new age of cheap, mass-produced books

标志着大批量且廉价生产书籍时代的到来

creating a hunger for knowledge right across society.

引发了全社会对知识的渴求

In response to this demand,

为满足这种需求

Robert Chambers helped his brother

罗伯特·钱伯斯帮他哥哥

set up a successful publishing firm,

创办了一家成功的出版社

while still leaving enough time to devote to his first love -

同时依旧投入足够的时间在他的最爱上

writing.

写作

Robert Chambers was not a very original thinker

罗伯特·钱伯斯并非最具原创性

but he was well read.

但却最为人熟读

His writing was clear, vivid and above all thought provoking.

作品生动易懂 尤其具有启发性

It was these qualities plus the fact

正是这些优点

that he had an insider's knowledge of the publishing industry,

加上他身为印刷业内人士所具备的知识

which ensured his book was a huge success.

使得这本书获得巨大的成功

Chambers called it Vestiges Of The Natural History Of Creation

钱伯斯命名为《创造的自然史之残迹》

and in it he presented a compelling case

书中他举出了一个有说服力的案例

for the notion that species are not fixed

说明物种并非固定不变

they change.

而是会变化

That everything had developed from an earlier form.

所有生物都由早前形态演变而来

He called this concept transmutation.

他将其称为演变

We call it evolution.

我们称为进化

Evolution emerged out of a world of progress,

进化论出现在人类社会不断发展的时期

a conviction that all things are capable of change, of improvement.

该理论认为世间万物都能变化 进步

A history of life that was as diverse as it was baffling.

生命的历程形态万千 令人迷惑

And a realization that the Earth was almost immeasurably old.

而且地球已经难以计量的古老

But the real significance of evolution to this story

但进化论最现实的意义

is that it now forced people to confront the uncomfortable question

是它迫使人们面对一个令人不安的问题

how did we get here?

人类从何而来

Chambers was not the first person to write about evolution,

钱伯斯不是第一个书写进化论的人

but he did take the argument further than others had.

但是他对这个理论的研究更加深入

Instead of being set apart from the rest of creation,

钱伯斯认为我们并非独立于其他物种

Chambers was saying we were simply an extension of it.

而不过是由某个物种演变而来

No wonder he wanted to remain anonymous.

难怪他选择隐匿姓名

For a society where people fervently believed

当时的社会 人们坚信

that humans had a special place in God's creation,

人类是上帝创造的特殊物种

the claim we were descended from animals was deeply shocking.

宣称我们由动物进化而来的观点令人震惊

And so the backlash began.

一言激起千层浪

There were attacks from the scientific community

科学界抨击这本书

on the book's accuracy.

错误百出

And from the clergy

宗教界

for undermining moral and social order.

斥责其败坏道德 扰乱社会秩序

One particularly scathing review described it as,

一篇措辞严厉的评论将其形容为

Not merely shallow and superficial,

不仅仅肤浅至极

but utterly false throughout."

还大错特错

Harsh. But despite the controversy,

好刺耳 虽然存在争议

or let's face it probably because of it,

或者说 很有可能正因如此

the public simply couldn't get enough of this book.

公众对这本书欲罢不能

For all its success, what Chambers' book didn't do

尽管它取得了很多成就

was come up with an explanation of how evolution happens.

钱伯斯未能解释进化是如何发生的

The man who answered that question was, of course,

解答这个问题的人 当然是

A keen geologist and an ardent believer in the Earth's antiquity,

一位专注的地质学家 坚信地球的古老

Darwin had been working on his own theory of evolution

当《残迹》这本书首次出版时

for several years when Vestiges first appeared.

达尔文已经研究自己的进化论好几年了

But, it would be a further 15 years,

但是 这距离达尔文发表进化论

by which time much of the fuss

仍有15年的时间

surrounding evolution had died down,

这15年里 围绕于进化论的争执

before Darwin felt ready to publish.

逐渐平息

His explanation for how animals evolved

他对于动物是如何进化的解释

had its roots in the same industrial landscape

与钱伯斯的书一样

from which Chambers' book had emerged.

来源于工业领域

According to Darwin

达尔文认为

life was one long struggle for survival.

生命是一个漫长的生存斗争的过程

And just as within the cotton industry,

正如棉织产业中

there was competition between manufacturers,

不同的厂主之间会相互竞争

so in nature there was competition between

自然界中同一物种之内

and amongst species.

和不同物种之间也会有竞争

Just as new technology

正如一项新技术

might give one factory an edge over another,

能够让某家工厂比其他更有优势

so it was in nature.

自然界也是如此

Any new trait that gave an organism

新特性使得某一个体

an edge over its rival would prevail

更具优势从而占据上风

and become more common in later generations.

因此这种特性在后代中越来越普遍

Gradually giving rise to the appearance of new species.

逐渐造就了新物种

A mechanism for change that Darwin called

这种改变机制达尔文称其为

Natural Selection.

自然选择

Darwin's followers

达尔文的追随者

must have hoped that his theory of Natural Selection

一定希望自然选择理论

would help answer the question

能够帮助解答一个疑问

how did we get here?

人类从何而来

But there were holes in the theory.

但这个理论有一些漏洞

Although Darwin acknowledged

虽然达尔文承认

the critical importance of the environment on driving evolution,

环境对进化有决定性的影响

he never fully grasped

他并没有完全领悟

the incredible extent to which life on earth

我们这颗躁动星球上的沧海桑田

is shaped by changes in our violent planet.

在以何种程度塑造着生命

Something which has only relatively recently come to light.

这个问题直到最近才逐渐明朗

While biology raced ahead in the early 20th Century,

当生物学在二十世纪早期迅猛发展时

geology had more or less settled into a routine.

地质学却变得平淡无奇

Stones were dated,

不过是断代岩石

fossils examined, collections expanded.

研究化石 丰富收集

But, as so often happens in the story of science,

但是 正如科学史中的常态

it's the non-specialists, the enthusiasts who shake things up.

不是专家 而是爱好者改变了科学

One such enthusiast was Alfred Wegener.

阿尔弗雷德·魏格纳就是其中之一

He was a German meteorologist, a weather man,

他是一个德国气象学者 天气预报员

and with his brother, he held a world record for ballooning.

他和哥哥创造了热气球飞行的世界记录

He was not, however, a trained geologist.

但他并非是受过专业训练的地质学家

But that didn't put him off

这并未妨碍他

proposing a radical and controversial new theory

提出了一个大胆且充满争议的新理论

about the forces that shaped the Earth.

关于塑造了地球的力量

Forces so powerful as to have shaped even life itself.

这种力量如此之强 甚至也改变了生命

The story goes the Wegner was looking at an atlas

故事开始于魏格纳盯着一副世界地图

when he noticed something rather peculiar.

他注意到有些特别之处

Take a map of the world, a pair of scissors

拿出一张地图 一把剪刀

and cut your way down through Greenland

沿着格林兰岛剪开

until you get to the coast of South America.

直到南美的海岸线

And then it requires a little bit more finesse

然后需要细致一点

working away carefully around Brazil.

小心的沿着巴西剪

And then at the end, just slash away again.

最后一段剪开即可

Now, if you move

如果你把

the coast of South America over to the coast of Africa

南美的海岸移至非洲海岸

what you'll notice is that they seem to match very closely.

就会发现它们的轮廓十分形似

It's almost as if they were once joined.

这不禁令人觉得 它们本为一体

Wegner noticed this,

魏格纳发现了这一现象

but he did nothing about it for around a year,

但在此后约一年他都没有去研究

until he came across some fascinating fossil finds.

直至发现一些奇妙的化石

Take a look at this.

瞧瞧这个

It's a fossilized leaf

它是一块树叶化石

and it's about 250 million years old.

大约形成于两亿五千万年前

It came from a tree fern that is now extinct.

它来自于某种已灭绝的木本蕨类

Now, the odd thing these tree ferns grew in the tropics

奇怪的是 木本蕨类本应生长在热带地区

but these fossils have been found

但这些化石的发现地

in cold, remote places like this one.

却如这里一样寒冷而荒凉

In fact, places even colder than here in Iceland.

它们甚至还出现在比这里更寒冷的冰岛

So how was that possible?

这到底是怎么回事呢

Then, there were reptiles.

后来 又发现了爬行动物化石

A particular species of reptile found in South America

人们在南美洲发现了一种特殊的爬行动物化石

but mysteriously matched by exactly the same species in Africa

不可思议的是 在七千公里外的非洲

more than 7,000 kms away.

也发现了同一种爬行动物

In attempting to explain these mysteries,

在试图解释这些谜团的过程中

Wegner would transform geology.

魏格纳为地质学翻开了新的一页

Science would have to embrace

从此科学界将对生命的历程

a new and very different history of life on Earth.

抱以崭新而截然不同的看法

Wegner developed a theory that was logical,

魏格纳提出的假说合乎逻辑

but also, on the surface, completely ludicrous.

但从表面看来 却极其荒谬

He suggested that all the great seven continents

他认为地球上现有的七块大陆

had once been clumped together into a single super continent

曾经是联结在一起的一大块陆地

that he called Pangaea meaning, "All lands".

他将其称为泛古陆 意思是"所有陆地"

And then Pangaea had simply split apart.

而后 泛古陆分裂成几块

A process that Wegner attempted to illustrate.

魏格纳还绘制了图画 用以解释这一过程

Wegner compared the moving continents

魏格纳将漂移的大陆

to the huge floating icebergs

比作漂浮的巨大冰山

he'd seen on his many field trips to Greenland.

他曾多次赴格陵兰岛考察 见到过很多

But instead of blocks of ice weighing a few thousand tons,

但冰山再大 也不过几千吨

he was talking about great slabs of rock

而魏格纳所言 则是巨大的岩石板块

weighing trillions of tons.

它们重达几万亿吨

The problem for Wegner was nobody was buying his big idea.

问题是 没人相信他提出的伟大假说

To his eternal frustration,

令魏格纳终生遗憾的是

Wegner had no way to explain how the slabs moved,

他无法解释板块为何漂移

no hard evidence to convince the sceptics.

也拿不出过硬的证据来说服持怀疑态度的人

One of Wegner's many critics

一位魏格纳的批评者

described his ideas as "Utter, damned rot."

称他的假说"完全是一派胡言"

And you can see why.

这并不难理解

The idea that we are floating around seems preposterous.

脚下的大地会漂移 这简直是天方夜谭

And it didn't help that Wegner was an amateur geologist,

况且魏格纳只能算个业余的地质学家

in many eyes, a jumped-up weather forecaster.

很多人觉得他只是个自视过高的天气预报员

Wegner went back to meteorology

魏格纳重又专注于气象学研究

and his theory was shelved

他的假说从此束之高阁

until a series of unexpected discoveries

直到冷战巅峰期间

made during the height of the Cold War.

一系列发现的不期而至

In the 1950s, as the Cold War intensified,

20世纪50年代 冷战愈演愈烈

the United States and the Soviet Union found themselves engaged

美国和苏联都发现自己被卷入了

in a game of cat and mouse deep beneath the ocean.

大洋深处猫捉老鼠的游戏

A game that demanded a much more accurate picture

要想成为胜者 就得先将水下的世界

of this underwater landscape.

勘测得更为精准

And so the oceanographers set to work.

于是 海洋学家们出海作业

They began taking thousands of photographs of the ocean floor.

他们拍摄了成千上万张海底的照片

Echo soundings plotted the rise and fall of deep sea ridges...

用回声测绘了深海山脉的高低起伏

while drill rods were sent down

并且将钻杆插入海底

to establish the composition of the sea bed.

以便对海床的成分加以分析

But, in mapping the oceans,

然而 在绘制海洋地图的过程中

the scientists discovered something entirely unexpected.

科学家们却得到了完全意想不到的发现

They found that the sea floor

他们发现海底

didn't consists of one thick uniform crust,

并非如人们之前想象的那样

as used to be thought,

是一整块厚实的地壳

but a number of thin interlocking plates.

而是由几块相互联结的薄板块组成

And that the boundaries to those plates

在这些板块的交汇处

featured mountain ranges...

会出现高耸的山脉

deep rift valleys...

深邃的裂谷

even volcanoes.

甚至是火山

And this entire landscape was floating on

所有一切地形地貌都漂浮在

a bed of molten rock constantly on the move.

一层时刻在运动的熔融岩石之上

And you can also see evidence of this on dry land.

在陆地上 我们也能找到证据

I've come to Thingvellir in Iceland,

我来到了冰岛的辛格韦德利

one of the wonders of the world.

这里拥有举世闻名的奇观

It is one of the few places on Earth

只有在地球上为数不多的几个地方

that you can actually see with your own eyes

才能亲眼欣赏到

the joins in our patchwork planet.

这颗行星上板块拼接的痕迹

This may look like an ordinary cliff edge,

这看起来不过是一座普通的崖壁

but it's actually the start of an enormous great slab of rock

但一块硕大无比的板块正是以此为发端

which extends all the way from here in Iceland,

从冰岛一路延伸

across the Atlantic Ocean,

穿过大西洋

across North America to the Pacific Ocean.

再穿过北美大陆 直达太平洋

It is called the North American Plate.

人们称其为北美洲板块

And just over there, well,

而山谷的另一侧

that is the beginning of another enormous plate.

则是另一块巨大板块的起点

It is called the Eurasian Plate,

人们称其为欧亚板块

and it extends all the way from here to Shanghai.

它会从这里一路延伸至上海

Now, if I was to stand here long enough,

假设我能够长时间地站在这里

say, a few thousand years,

比如站上几千年

I'd notice the gap between me and Eurasia

我将发现 欧亚板块会离我

was getting wider.

越来越远

Scientists have measured this movement.

科学家已对这种运动进行了测量

It ranges from a very gradual seven millimetres a year

速度大小不等 从在辛格韦德利测得的

here at Thingvellir,

每年七毫米之微

to almost ten centimetres a year elsewhere.

到在别处测得的约每年十厘米之巨

Over hundreds of millions of years,

在几亿年的岁月中

this shifting of the Earth's plates

地球上的板块运动

has transformed the face of our planet,

完全改变了这颗星球的面貌

a never-ending cycle of change

这将是永无止息的循环变更

that Wegner had called continental drift.

魏格纳称其为大陆漂移

Sadly, Wegner didn't live long enough

很遗憾 魏格纳不幸早逝

to see his theory vindicated.

未能见证他的假说得到肯定

In 1930, he went on an expedition to Greenland.

1930年 他去格陵兰岛考察

There, in temperatures of minus 60,

在零下60度的恶劣环境中

he died of cold and exhaustion.

严寒与疲惫夺走了他的生命

He was buried on the ice.

他被埋葬在冰原上

Because of continental drift,

由于大陆在不断漂移

his body is now two metres further away from home.

现在他的遗体离故乡又远了两米

But continental drift has done much more than shape the Earth.

大陆漂移的作用不仅限于塑造地貌

By showing how a fossilised tree fern

这一学说能够解释为何木本蕨类的化石

could travel all the way from the tropics to the ice,

竟会从热带地区跑到冰原上来

or why it is that a single species of reptile

以及同一种爬行动物

can be found on what are now two widely separated continents,

为何会出现在两块现已彼此分离的大陆上

the theory also takes us closer

这样一来 它将带领我们

to solving the mystery of how we got here.

进一步解开人类的进化之谜

And that's because when the Earth moves in this way,

原因在于 当地球上的板块运动时

the results can also be incredibly violent.

可能会引起无比剧烈的后果

When the Earth's plates collide...

地球上的板块碰撞时

they can trigger volcanic eruptions so powerful

触发的火山喷发十分猛烈

as to block out the sun for months on end.

火山灰遮天蔽日 数月方止

As those same plates grind against each other,

还是这些板块 当它们相互摩擦时

so they cause devastating earthquakes...

就会引发极具毁灭性的地震

which themselves can spawn mega-tsunamis,

而地震又会引发大海啸

that destroy everything in their way.

它将吞噬触及的一切

While it's easy to imagine that all this violent upheaval

尽管这些猛烈的巨变很容易让人们觉得

brought with it nothing but death and destruction,

它们带来的只有死亡与毁灭

the truth is very different.

真相却并非如此

It's now clear that throughout our four and half billion year history,

科学界现已公认 在地球45亿年的历史中

the balance of our planet

这颗星球的自我调节

has been absolutely central to the creation of new life.

对于新生命的诞生至关重要

Because, every time our planet experiences violent change,

这是因为 地球每经历一次剧烈的改变

a new opportunity for life opens up...

就为地球上的生命开启了新的契机

making continental drift one of the great drivers of evolution.

可以说 板块漂移是物种进化的强大动力

And here are just a couple of ways it has changed life on Earth.

我将列举板块漂移影响生命进化的几个例子

Some 30 million years ago,

约三千万年前

the plate boundary separating Africa from Arabia

非洲大陆与阿拉伯半岛之间的板块交汇处

began to pull apart,

开始分离开来

causing the land in between to fall away.

这令两个板块之间的陆地逐渐塌陷

A 5,000 km gash in the Earth's crust,

从而形成了地壳上一道长达五千公里的伤疤

that we know as the East African Rift Valley.

我们称其为东非大裂谷

As a new landscape of broken savannah formed,

这片新出现的起伏不平的稀树草原

it allowed the ancestors of many today's animals

为许多现存动物的始祖

to gain a foothold, and to flourish.

提供了生存空间 从而得以生生不息

And then there is climate change,

气候的变化

when continental drift has also played a major role...

也会受到板块漂移的强烈影响

not least by accelerating the onset of ice ages,

板块运动不仅加速了冰河期的开始

by pushing land towards the poles,

还将大陆推向了两极地区

and altering the flow of ocean currents.

并且改变了洋流的流向

Changes which have forced animals

这些改变迫使动物

to adapt in the most remarkable of ways.

为适应环境而进行了出色的进化

And, just occasionally, we're subjected to violence...

地球上的生命偶尔也会遭遇

from beyond our planet,

来自宇宙的威胁

so extreme, that many species are wiped out altogether...

其破坏力之大 令许多物种惨遭灭顶之灾

only for others to take their place.

但其他物种却得以取代它们的位置

And so, what of us?

那么我们又拥有怎样的故事

How did we get here?

人类如何出现的呢

Well, we are just the latest

幸存者从远古繁衍至今

in a long line of lucky survivors,

我们不过是他们的后代

born out of death, destruction,

诞生于死亡的阴影 毁灭的废墟

and the immensity of deep time.

以及久远的时光之中

And if this great experiment

假若这项伟大的实验

that is life on Earth were to be run again...

地球上生命的进化过程重新来过

we might never even show up.

人类可能根本不会出现

It's now clear that the story of life,

现在看来 生命的故事

and the story of our planet,

与地球的故事

which were once seen as separate,

尽管看似毫不相干

are actually intrinsically linked.

却有着千丝万缕的联系

The evolution of new life has been driven by

促使新生命进化的动力

climate change, by asteroid impacts,

有气候变化 小行星撞击

and by the slow-motion collision of continents.

以及大陆板块间缓慢的碰撞摩擦

It turns out that we and every other living creature

人类与地球上的其他生物

are marching to the drum beat of our violent planet.

一同随着地球的雄壮鼓点而不断前行

Next time, an ancient human ambition...

下一集将讲述人类古已有之的梦想

the search for limitless power.

探寻用之不竭的能源