万物简史 第409期:生命的起源(3)
There are actually twenty-two naturally occurring amino acids known on Earth, 实际上，地救上有22种天然存在的氨基酸， and more may await discovery, but only twenty of them are necessary to produce us and most other living things. 更多
万物简史 第410期:生命的起源(4)
Yet we are talking about several hundred thousand types of protein, perhaps a million, 然而，我们在讨论的蛋白质有几十万种，也许是100万种， each unique and each, as far as we know, vital to the maintenance of a sound and happy
万物简史 第411期:生命的起源(5)
Without the cell, they are nothing more than interesting chemicals. 没有细胞，它们只是有意思的化学物质。 But without the chemicals, the cell has no purpose. 但要是没有这些化学物质，细胞就毫无用处。 As the physici
万物简史 第412期:生命的起源(6)
Well, that's essentially what Hoyle and others (including many ardent creationists) argue when they suggest that proteins spontaneously formed all at once. 哎呀，那基本上就是霍伊尔和其他人（包括许多热心的特创论者）提出的
万物简史 第413期:生命的起源(7)
De Duve thought it likely that such conditions would be encountered perhaps a million times in every galaxy. 德迪夫认为，很有可能，这样的条件在每个星系里大约会遇到100万次。 Certainly there is nothing terribly exotic in t
万物简史 第414期:生命的起源(8)
As one leading biology text puts it, with perhaps just a tiny hint of discomfort, 正如一篇重要的生物学文章所说，说得也许有点儿令人不大舒服： Researchers agree that such reactions would not have been energetically favorabl
万物简史 第415期:生命的起源(9)
Life emerged so swiftly, in fact, that some authorities think it must have had helpperhaps a good deal of help. 实际上，生命出现得太快，有的权威人士认为肯定有什么东西帮了忙也许是帮了大忙。 The idea that earthly l
万物简史 第416期:生命的起源(10)
The Murchison meteorite was found to be 4.5 billion years old, 人们发现，默奇森陨石的年代已达45亿年， and it was studded with amino acidsseventy-four types in all, eight of which are involved in the formation of earthly proteins. 上面
万物简史 第417期:生命的起源(11)
Fred Hoyle and his colleague Chandra Wickramasinghe further eroded enthusiasm for panspermia 我们已经在第三章里提到，弗雷德霍伊尔和他的同事钱德拉威克拉马辛格认为， by suggesting that outer space brought us not only
万物简史 第418期:生命的起源(12)
We are all the result of a single genetic trick handed down from generation to generation nearly four billion years, 我们都是同一遗传戏法的结果。那种戏法一代一代地传下来，经历了差不多40亿年， to such an extent that
万物简史 第419期:生命的起源(13)
Any simple organisms, alas, would have been baked away by the processes that turned ocean mud to stone. 哎呀，任何简单的生物都会在海洋污泥变成石头的过程中被烘烤没了。 Instead what we would see if we crunched up the rock
万物简史 第420期:生命的起源(14)
Compston's machine allowed such rocks to be dated with unparalleled precision. 康普斯森的仪器能以无与伦比的精确度测定这些岩石的年代。 The prototype SHRIMP was built and machined in the Earth Science department's own worksho
万物简史 第421期:生命的起源(15)
Bob told me that it takes about seventeen minutes to read one zircon and it is necessary to read dozens from each rock to make the data reliable. 鲍勃对我说，识读一块锆石的数据大约要花17分钟；这了取得可靠的数据，每块锆
万物简史 第423期:生命的起源(17)
Anniversaries were few and far between in the Archaean world. 在太古代的世界里，结婚周年纪念日是完全没有的。 For two billion years bacterial organisms were the only forms of life. 在20亿年时间里，细菌是惟一的生命形
万物简史 第424期:生命的起源(18)
Even we can tolerate it only up to a point. 连我们对氧的耐受力也是有限度的。 The oxygen level in our cells is only about a tenth the level found in the atmosphere. 我们细胞里的氧气浓度，只有大气里的大约十分之一。
