科学美国人60秒 SSS 控制新冠肺炎阴谋论

This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Julia Rosen.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列，我是朱莉娅·罗森。

Along with COVID-19, something else is spreading across America: conspiracy¹ theories.

有种东西与新冠肺炎一起在美国扩散，那就是“阴谋论”。

In the dark alleys² of the Internet, people have concocted³ a dizzying array of unfounded explanations for the pandemic.

人们在互联网阴暗小巷中为新冠疫情编造了一系列令人眼花缭乱又毫无根据的缘由。

The phenomenon doesn't surprise John Cook, a cognitive⁴ scientist at George Mason University.

乔治·梅森大学的认知科学家约翰·库克对这种现象并不惊讶。

"When people feel threatened, when they feel out of control, when they feel like random⁵ events are sweeping⁶ over them,

“人们在感觉受到威胁、失去控制、感觉随机事件正席卷而来时，

they are more vulnerable or likely to gravitate toward conspiracy theories, because it gives people a sense of control.

他们会更易受攻击或更容易被阴谋论吸引，因为阴谋论会给予人们控制感。

We're just uncomfortable with randomness⁷. Humans are pattern detectors⁸.

我们只是对随机性感到不适。人类是模式探测器。

We need meaning; we need control; we need to know that there is a system—there's an order to how the world works."

我们需要意义；我们需要控制；我们需要知道系统的存在，知道世界运行的方式有规则可寻。”

Cook's expertise⁹ is studying climate denial, and he sees many similarities with COVID conspiracies¹⁰.

库克的专长是气候否认研究，他认为其研究与新冠肺炎阴谋论有许多相似之处。

Both play on distrust of science and the tension between personal liberty and the need to protect society as a whole.

两者都利用了对科学的不信任，以及个人自由与保护整个社会的需要之间的紧张关系。

The difference, Cook says, is the sheer number of COVID myths and how fast they're spreading.

库克表示，二者的传言的数量相当庞大，传播速度也非常快。

"I feel like I'm trying to scoop¹¹ up floodwater with a spoon."

“我感觉我在试用图勺子舀起洪水。”

He and colleagues hope to build a dam by alerting the public to the prevalence of misinformation.

他和同事希望通过提醒公众注意普遍存在的错误信息来建造大坝。

They recently released a guide called How to Spot COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories. Cook is also producing a series of YouTube videos.

他们最近发布了名为“如何识别新冠肺炎阴谋论”的指南。库克还在YouTube上制作了系列视频。

The key is to identify the hallmarks of conspiratorial¹² thinking.

关键是识别出阴谋思维的特征。

Telltale signs include holding contradictory¹³ beliefs, seeing signs of nefarious¹⁴ intent at work and reinterpreting random events as proof of a hidden scheme.

相关标志包括持有相互矛盾的观念，能看到恶念苗头作祟，并将随机事件重新解释为隐藏阴谋的证据。

For example, some have tried to link the coronavirus outbreak to 5G wireless¹⁵, which also rolled out in 2019.

例如，有些人试图将冠状病毒疫情与同样在2019年推出的5G无线网络联系在一起。

"That can't be coincidence, right? Actually, yes, it is coincidence. Baby Yoda came out in 2019, but Baby Yoda didn't cause COVID."

“那不可能是巧合，对？但其实是的，就是巧合。尤达宝宝也在2019年推出，但它并不是导致新冠肺炎的原因。”

Cook says it can be hard to dislodge a conspiracy theory once it's taken hold.

库克表示，阴谋论一旦生根，就很难根除。

People often discredit¹⁶ conflicting information by simply expanding the scale of the plot: those behind the new evidence must be in on it, too.

人们通常通过简单扩大阴谋的规模来否认相互矛盾的信息：新证据的幕后黑手肯定也是阴谋论的一部分。

A better approach, Cook says, is to inoculate¹⁷ people against misinformation by explaining what to look for in advance.

库克表示，更好的方法是通过事先解释应该寻找什么来让人们免受错误信息的影响。

"When someone throws an argument at you, if you see these red flags, then be wary¹⁸ that it could be a baseless conspiracy theory."

“有人向你抛出论点时，如果你看到这些危险信号后警惕起来，那这可能就是毫无根据的阴谋论。”

Cook's research has shown that inoculation¹⁹ helps prevent people from falling for climate conspiracies.

库克的研究表明，“接种”有助于防止人们陷入气候阴谋。

Until there's a COVID vaccine²⁰, perhaps it can at least provide protection from coronavirus quackery²¹.

在新冠肺炎疫苗出现前，“接种”或许至少能为人们提供保护，让人们远离冠状病毒的骗术。

Thanks for listening for Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Julia Rosen.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是朱莉娅·罗森。

1 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

2 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

3 concocted   

v.将（尤指通常不相配合的）成分混合成某物( concoct的过去式和过去分词 )；调制；编造；捏造

参考例句：

• The soup was concocted from up to a dozen different kinds of fish. 这种汤是用多达十几种不同的鱼熬制而成的。
• Between them they concocted a letter. 他们共同策划写了一封信。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

5 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

6 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

7 randomness   

n.随意，无安排；随机性

参考例句：

• The randomness is attributed to the porous medium. 随机性起因于多孔介质。 来自辞典例句
• Einstein declared that randomness rather than lawfulness is the characteristic of natural events. 爱因斯坦宣称自然现象的特征为不可测性而不是规律化。 来自辞典例句

8 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

9 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

10 conspiracies   

n.阴谋，密谋( conspiracy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was still alive and hatching his conspiracies. 他还活着，策划着阴谋诡计。 来自辞典例句
• It appeared that they had engaged in fresh conspiracies from the very moment of their release. 看上去他们刚给释放，立刻开始新一轮的阴谋活动。 来自英汉文学

11 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。

12 conspiratorial   

adj.阴谋的，阴谋者的

参考例句：

• She handed the note to me with a conspiratorial air. 她鬼鬼祟祟地把字条交给了我。 来自辞典例句
• It was enough to win a gap-toothed, conspiratorial grin. 这赢得对方咧嘴一笑。 来自互联网

13 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

14 nefarious   

adj.恶毒的，极坏的

参考例句：

• My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
• He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当，所以人人都惧怕他。

15 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

16 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

17 inoculate   

v.给...接种，给...注射疫苗

参考例句：

• A corps of doctors arrived to inoculate the recruits.一队医生来给新兵打防疫针。
• I was just meant to come out here and inoculate some wee babies.我是过来这边给小孩子们接种疫苗的。

18 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

19 inoculation   

n.接芽；预防接种

参考例句：

• Travellers are reminded that inoculation against yellow fever is advisable. 提醒旅游者接种预防黄热病的疫苗是明智的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Travelers are reminded that inoculation against yellow fever is advisable. 旅客们被提醒，注射黄热病预防针是明智的。 来自辞典例句

20 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

21 quackery   

n.庸医的医术，骗子的行为

参考例句：

• Some scientists relegate parapsychology to the sphere of quackery. 一些科学家把灵学归类到骗术范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In a famous play by Goethe, the doctor is accused of practicing quackery. 在歌德的一部著名剧目里，一名医生被指控进行庸医行骗。 来自互联网