新奇事件簿 人类造成半数生物消失（在线收听）

Humans represent a tiny fraction of all life on Earth, but are responsible for the destruction of 83 per cent of all wild mammals and half of our plant life. This is the analysis of a new study from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The ground-breaking report is the first investigation into the weight of every class of creature and life form on our planet. Lead researcher Professor Ron Milo explained what instigated the research. He said: "I was shocked to find there wasn't already a comprehensive, holistic estimate of all the different components of biomass." He hopes the study will provide, "a perspective on the very dominant role that humanity now plays on Earth".

人类仅代表地球生命的一个微小部分，但是却对83%的野生哺乳动物和半数地球生命造成破坏。该分析数据出自以色列魏茨曼科学研究学院的一项新研究。此次开拓性报告首次对地球上各阶层生物和生命的影响进行调查。首席研究员Ron Milo教授解释了是什么驱使他们进行此次研究。他说：“我感到震惊，因为直到现在也没有对一个生物量的所有不同结构的综合整体性的评估。”他希望该研究能够，“为人类在地球中所扮演的主导角色”提供一个视角。

There are 7.6 billion people on Earth, but they represent just 0.01% of all living things. Scientists say that is the same percentage as for termites. However, since we began walking on this planet, we have managed to cause the loss of most of its living species. Humans have also greatly changed the ratios of livestock to wild animals. Today, farmed poultry (mostly chickens) makes up 70% of all birds on the planet, with just 30% of birds being wild. Similarly, 60% of all mammals on Earth are livestock (mostly cattle and pigs), while just 4% are wild animals. Professor Milo hopes people will use his study, "as part of their world view [and] of how they consume" He said he hopes people will eat less meat.

地球上生活着76亿人，但是人类仅占所有生物的0.01%。科学家表示白蚁的比重也是这么多。但是由于人类开始在地球行走，我们已经造成了多数其他物种的损失。人类极大改变了牲畜与野生动物的比率。现在，农养家禽（主要是鸡）占地球所有鸟类的70%，野生鸟类仅占3%。同样，地球上60%的哺乳动物是家畜（主要为牛和猪），而野生动物仅为4%。Milo教授希望人类将他的研究“作为他们世界观和消费方式的一部分”他表示他希望人类少吃肉。