时差N小时 剑尾鱼(上)（在线收听）

So you want to attract a mate.

那你是想吸引配偶喽！

After all, passing on your genes is what evolution is all about.

毕竟基因传递才是进化的意义！

To do that you need offspring, and to get a lot of those you need to be attractive.

要传递基因就得有后代，要有后代你就必须得有足够的吸引力，

The flashier the better.

而且越光鲜就越好。

Hey, look over here!

嘿！看这儿！

Sexy me. Ah, but there's the problem.

看看性感的我。嗯，但有个问题。

The flashier you are, the more likely you are to attract predators.

你越光鲜闪亮，被捕食者发现的可能性就越大。

Hey, look over there-that guy really stands out.

嘿！看那儿—那家伙真显眼。

I'll eat him.

我就吃它啦!

This is a pickle.

这就让人为难了

How can you be flashy in the eyes of mates but subdued in the eyes of predators?

怎样才能在异性眼中光鲜闪亮，又在天敌面前得以藏身呢？

New studies show that swordtail fish have evolved a clever solution: use ultraviolet light.

新的研究表明剑尾鱼已经在进化中找到了两全之策，那便是使用紫外线。

These innocuous little critters actually shine brightly in stripes that run along their flanks…but only if you look in the UV wavelength.

这些不起眼的小家伙事实上可以沿着两侧的鱼鳍发出条纹状的亮光—但是只能在波长与紫外线的波长相等时才能看见这种光。