科学美国人60秒 SSS 重做生命起源实验--一些关键细节被忽略(1)

This is Scientific American’s 60 Second Science. I’m Sarah Vitak.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列，我是萨拉·维塔克。

The question of how life came to be has captivated humans for millennia¹.

生命是如何形成的这个问题已经困扰了人类几千年。

The prevailing² theory now is that, on a highly volatile³ early Earth, lightning struck mineral-rich waters and that the energy from lighting⁴ strikes turned those minerals into the building blocks of life: organic compounds like amino acids—something we often refer to as the “primordial⁵ soup.”

现在流行的理论是，在早期高度不稳定的地球上，闪电击中了富含矿物质的水域，而闪电击中产生的能量将这些矿物质变成了生命的基本要素:像氨基酸这样的有机化合物——我们通常称之为“原始汤”。

The wide acceptance of this theory is in large part due to the very famous Miller⁶-Urey experiment.

这一理论的广泛接受在很大程度上归功于非常著名的米勒-尤里实验。

You surely encountered this in a science textbook at some point.

你肯定某个时刻在科学教科书中看到过这一实验。

But to refresh your memory: in 1952 Stanley Miller and Harold Urey simulated the conditions of early Earth by sealing water, methane⁷, ammonia and hydrogen in a glass flask⁸.

为了使你回忆起来：1952年，斯坦利·米勒(Stanley Miller)和哈罗德·尤里(Harold Urey)模拟了早期地球的情况，他们将水、甲烷、氨气和氢气密封在一个玻璃烧瓶中。

Then they applied⁹ electrical sparks to the mixture.

然后他们对这一混合物进行电火花处理。

Miraculously¹⁰, amino acids came into existence amid the roiling¹¹ mixture. It was a big deal.

神奇的是，氨基酸就在这翻滚的混合物中出现了。这是一件大事。

But recently a team of researchers realized that—much like that first primordial soup sitting in a bowl of Earth—the experiment’s container played an underappreciated role

但最近有一组研究人员意识到——就像第一个放在地球碗里的原始汤一样—这个实验容器扮演了一个未被充分认识的角色

—that perhaps it was also critical to the creation of organic building blocks inside their laboratory life soup.

——也许它对在实验室生命汤中创造有机构件也至关重要。

I talked to someone from the team.

我和团队里的一些人聊过了。

I am Raffaele Saladino from University of Tuscia in Italy.

我是意大利图西亚大学的拉斐尔·萨拉迪诺。

Then, much like today, when a researcher goes to start an experiment, often one of the first things they do is reach for their glassware.

然后，就像今天一样，当一个研究人员开始一个实验时，通常他们做的第一件事就是拿起他们的玻璃器皿。

Well, today, actually, we use a lot of plastic as well.

实际上，今天我们也使用了很多塑料器具。

But 20 years ago in the lab, only glass containers because, in the mind of the researcher, glass is inert¹².

但20年前，在实验室里，只有玻璃容器，因为在研究人员的心目中，玻璃是惰性材料。

He said inert, meaning that it doesn’t react with the chemicals you put inside it.

他说它是惰性材料，意思是它不会和你放进去的化学物质发生反应。

But in reality, that is not necessarily always the case.

但在现实中，情况未必总是如此。

Most of the time glass is pretty inert.

大部分时间玻璃都是惰性的。

When you’re baking with Pyrex (which is made of borosilicate glass, the same type of glass most labware is made out of) the cookware isn’t going into your brownies.

当你用耐热玻璃(由硼硅酸盐玻璃制成，大多数实验器皿都是用这种玻璃制成的)烘焙时，厨具就不会与布朗尼蛋糕发生反应。

But when you’re baking, whatever is in the pan is usually mostly water, so it will come at a pH of around 7 or so.

但当你烘焙时，平底锅里的东西通常都是水，所以它的pH值会在7左右。

But the pH of the Miller-Urey experiment is much higher.

但是米勒-尤里实验的pH值要高得多。

In the original experiments, they used a pH of 8.7, which is more alkaline, or basic.

在最初的实验中，他们使用的pH值为8.7，这是碱性更强的。

Why alkaline environment is an important topic?

为什么碱性环境是一个重要的话题?

In fact, this was actually noted¹³ by Miller in his original experiments--that the alkaline conditions caused the silica to dissolve.

事实上，米勒在他最初的实验中注意到了这一点——碱性条件导致二氧化硅溶解。

But it was largely overshadowed by the discovery of the synthesis of organic compounds.

但有机化合物合成的发现在很大程度上掩盖了它。

 

1 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

2 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

5 primordial   

adj.原始的；最初的

参考例句：

• It is the primordial force that propels us forward.它是推动我们前进的原始动力。
• The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.的尼安德特人是我们的原始祖先之一.

6 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

7 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

8 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

9 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

10 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

11 roiling   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的现在分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• Now, all that could be seen was the roiling, lead--coloured sea, with its thunderously heaving waves. 狂风挟着暴雨如同弥漫大雾，排挞呼号，在海上恣意奔驶。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Rather, it is a roiling, seething cauldron of evanescent particles. 相反，它是一个不断翻滚、剧烈沸腾的大锅，内有逐渐消失的粒子。 来自互联网

12 inert   

adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• Inert gas studies are providing valuable information about other planets,too.对惰性气体的研究，也提供了有关其它行星的有价值的资料。
• Elemental nitrogen is a very unreactive and inert material.元素氮是一个十分不活跃的惰性物质。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。