Carbon is only the fifteenth most common element, accounting for a very modest 0.048 percent of Earth's crust, but we would be lost without it. 碳只居第15位。占地壳的可怜粑粑的0.048%，但是没有碳就没有我们。

　　What sets the carbon atom apart is that it is shamelessly promiscuous. 碳的与众不同之处，在于它不知羞耻地与别的元素都混得来。

　　It is the party animal of the atomic world, latching on to many other atoms (including itself) 它是元素世界的交际花，缠住许多别的原子（包括自己），

　　and holding tight, forming molecular conga lines of hearty robustness—the very trick of nature necessary to build proteins and DNA. 紧紧搂住不放，结成了称心如意而又极为牢固的分子康茄舞伴——大自然创建蛋白质和DNA（脱氧核糖核酸）的奥秘就在这里。

　　As Paul Davies has written: "If it wasn't for carbon, life as we know it would be impossible. 正如保罗·戴维斯写的那样：“要是没有碳，我们所知的生命就不可能出现。

　　Probably any sort of life would be impossible." 很可能任何种类的生命都不可能出现。”

　　Yet carbon is not all that plentiful even in humans, who so vitally depend on it. 然而，虽然我们那样离不开碳，但连我们体内的碳含量也不是那么丰富。

　　Of every 200 atoms in your body, 126 are hydrogen, 51 are oxygen, and just 19 are carbon. 你体内每200个原子当中，有126个氢原子，51个氧原子和19个碳原子。

　　(Of the remaining four, three are nitrogen and the remaining atom is divided among all the other elements.) （在剩下的4个原子当中，有3个是氮原子，余下一个由所有别的元素瓜分。）

　　Other elements are critical not for creating life but for sustaining it. 别的元素也很重要，但不是对于创造生命，而是对于维持生命。

　　We need iron to manufacture hemoglobin, and without it we would die. 我们需要铁来制造血红蛋白S，没有铁，我们就会死亡。

　　Cobalt is necessary for the creation of vitamin B12. 钴对于制造B12是必不可少的。

　　Potassium and a very little sodium are literally good for your nerves. 钾和一丁点儿钠对神经系统有明显的好处。

　　Molybdenum, manganese, and vanadium help to keep your enzymes purring. 钼、锰和钒有助于保持酶的活力。

　　Zinc—bless it— oxidizes alcohol. 锌——愿神保佑它——能氧化酒精。