Horizon - Life On Mars 火星生命 - 13

Life on Earth is basically proteins and DNA¹, so we can wonder if there is life on Mars will also be DNA and proteins, the same type of DNA, the same type of proteins. One might think that DNA is such a complex arrangement of molecules² that it's unlikely to have the same set on another planet.

Equally we may find that DNA is also on Mars. It may be that our way is the only way of life.

On the other hand, we might argue that DNA is the optimal³ way to do it and that life is gonna discover this best possible solution no matter where it starts. So we're not sure if life will be different or the same, my guess is that it’ll be different. If life started separately on Mars, it'll have a different genetic⁴ structure than life on Earth.

But there will only be one way to find this out conclusively⁵. To examine life in this detail, someone will have to get up close.

We really have to go find the facts, the facts on Mars, we're gonna go find them. We can hypostasize all we want but until we actually find the facts on the ground, we won't know for sure.

It means that someone will have to go to Mars. And it just so happens that there is an organization already preparing to go. Bo Maxwell is the UK President of the Mars Society, a group dedicated⁶ to colonizing⁷ our neighboring planet.

Humans by their very nature are explorers. In our time, we've traveled from the African Rift⁸ Valley, climbed mountains, crossed oceans and settled just about everywhere there is to settle on Earth. We've built our houses, our towns, our cities. And now the time has come to move beyond the Earth, and Mars offers us the very best opportunity to go to another world and settle somewhere else.

The Mars Society have their very own low cost plan to get to Mars. Bo is one of the masterminds. He's working on it from his home in Milton Keynes.

The aim of the Mars Society is definitely to go to Mars, we want to go there, we want to explore and colonize⁹.

The advantage of sending humans to Mars is our greater ability to explore. We are much more efficient than robots.

Human beings have a tremendous advantage over robot vehicles. We have our own intuition, our own intelligence which leaves our robot vehicles standing¹⁰. A human being on Mars can stand on the surface, he can look around, she can look around and instantly spot areas where life may well be possible and life may exist.

The discovery of water ice on Mars has reinvigorated their plans. Water is the one thing any colonizers would need.


rift valley: A deep fracture or break, about 25-50 km (15-30 miles) wide, in the earth's crust, creating an elongated valley bounded by two or more faults 这里是指东非大裂谷

1 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

2 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。

3 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 conclusively   

adv.令人信服地，确凿地

参考例句：

• All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 colonizing   

v.开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The art of colonizing is no exception to the rule. 殖民的芸术是� 有特例的。 来自互联网
• A Lesson for Other Colonizing Nations. 其它殖民国家学习的教训。 来自互联网

8 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

9 colonize   

v.建立殖民地，拓殖；定居，居于

参考例句：

• Around 700 Arabs began to colonize East Africa.公元700年阿拉伯人开始把东非变为殖民地。
• Japan used to colonize many countries in Asia.日本曾经殖民过许多亚洲国家。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。