外太空最黑暗的真空中是否有生命

 We generally imagine aliens on a vaguelyEarth-like planet circling a distant star. We do not normally think of themliving out in space itself.

我们通常想象外星人住在绕着遥远的恒星运行,隐约像地球的行星上. 我们一般不会认为他们住在太空之中.

But maybe that is not such a ridiculousidea. In April 2016, researchers reported that some of the key building blocksof life can be produced from simple substances under harsh conditions mimickingthose of interstellar space.

但或许这并非荒谬的想法. 2016年4月, 研究人员报告说, 关键的生命构件中, 有些可以从模仿星际空间的恶劣环境里存在的简单物质中产生.

Cornelia Meinert at the University of Nice,France and colleagues showed that a mixture of frozen water, methanol andammonia – all compounds known to exist in the vast "molecular¹ clouds"from which stars form – can be transformed into a wide range of sugar moleculeswhen exposed to ultraviolet rays, which pervade⁴ space. The sugars includedribose, which is a part of the DNA-like molecule² RNA.

法国尼斯大学的科妮莉亚.迈纳特及其同事证明, 冻水, 甲醇和氨气的混合物受到弥漫太空的紫外线照射时,可转化为各式各样的糖分子. 众所周知, 所有这些化合物存在于浩翰的“分子云”中– 恒星从“分子云”中形成. 糖中包含核糖, 核糖是脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)样分子核糖核酸(RNA)的一部分.

This suggests that the fundamentalmolecules of life might be formed in outer space, and then delivered to planetslike Earth by icy comets and meteorites⁵.

这表明, 基本的生命分子或可在外太空形成, 然后由结冰的彗星和流星传送至地球这样的行星.

The finding points to an intriguingpossibility. Life itself might not have needed a warm and comfortable planetbathed in sunlight to get going. If the raw ingredients were already out therein interplanetary limbo⁶, might life have started there too?

这个发现暗示了一种有趣的可能性. 生命本身可能并不需要沐浴在阳光中的温暖舒适的星球才能开始. 如果生命的原材料已然存在于星际间的过渡状态, 那么生命或许也从那儿开始的?

Ideas about the origins of life do notoften consider this scenario⁷. It is hard enough to figure out how life couldhave begun on the early Earth, let alone at temperatures close to absolute zeroand the near vacuum of interstellar space. Making the basic building blocks oflife, like sugars and amino acids, is the easy part. There are lots ofchemically plausible⁸ ways to do that, starting with the simple molecules³ foundin young solar systems.

有关生命起源的思想常常未予考虑这个场景. 要弄清生命在早期地球是如何开始的已经够难了, 更别说在接近绝对零度和星际空间近乎真空的情况下了. 制造糖类和氨基酸等基本的生命构件是较容易的部分. 从早期的太阳系中发现的简单分子入手, 有很多种化学上可行的办法可以做到这一点.

The hard bit is persuading thesecomplicated molecules to assemble into something capable of life-sustainingprocesses like replication and metabolism⁹. Nobody has ever done this, or comeup with a completely plausible way it might happen, in the nurturing¹⁰ environmentof a warm, rocky planet –let alone in space.

难点在于使这些复杂的分子组配成能够进行复制和代谢等过程的物质. 没人在温暖的岩石行星的滋养环境中做过这个, 或提出完全可行的实现方法, 更别说是在星际空间了.

1 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

2 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

3 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

4 pervade   

v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延

参考例句：

• Science and technology have come to pervade every aspect of our lives.科学和技术已经渗透到我们生活的每一个方面。
• The smell of sawdust and glue pervaded the factory.工厂里弥漫着锯屑和胶水的气味。

5 meteorites   

n.陨星( meteorite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One theory about the existence of extraterrestrial life rests on the presence of carbon compounds in meteorites. 地球外存在生命的理论是基于陨星上存在碳化合物质这一事实的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

7 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

8 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

9 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

10 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。