ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kenneth Lacovara - Paleontologist
In his quest to understand the largest dinosaurs to have walked the Earth, Lacovara blends exploration with the latest imaging and modeling techniques from engineering to medicine.

Why you should listen

Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara famously unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk our planet, including the super-massive Dreadnoughtus, which at 65 tons weighs more than seven T.Rex.

When he's not excavating fossils from far-flung locations, Lacovara works on the cutting edge of applying 21st-century technology to the study of dinosaurs. By using 3D imaging, 3D printing, robotics, and medical modeling techniques, his work is helping to shift our perspective of giant herbivorous dinosaurs from their historic portrayal as hapless lumbering prey to that of fearsome, hulking, hyper-efficient eating machines.

Lacovara led the effort to create the Rowan University Fossil Park in suburban Mantua Township, New Jersey. The quarry preserves a rich cache of marine fossils that Lacovara is using to shed light on the calamitous events that wiped out the dinosaurs. 

More profile about the speaker
Kenneth Lacovara | Speaker | TED.com
TED2016

Kenneth Lacovara: Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the universe

肯尼斯拉科瓦: 搜寻恐龙告诉了我我们在宇宙中的处境

Filmed:
2,150,567 views

当你发现恐龙后会发生什么?古生物学家Kenneth Lacovara 展示了他关于 Dreadnoughtus——一种7700万年前的与两层房子一样高,和喷气客机一样重的蜥脚类生物的发现和发现引起的关于原先生活在恐龙夹缝中的哺乳动物进化成能理解和分析的生物的想法。和他一起庆祝地球的地质历史和深层思考我们在实践中的处境吧。
- Paleontologist
In his quest to understand the largest dinosaurs to have walked the Earth, Lacovara blends exploration with the latest imaging and modeling techniques from engineering to medicine. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
How do you find a dinosaur恐龙?
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你能找到恐龙吗?
00:15
Sounds声音 impossible不可能, doesn't it?
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听起来不可思议,不是吗?
00:18
It's not.
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其实并不难。
00:19
And the answer回答 relies依赖 on a formula
that all paleontologists古生物学家 use.
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古生物学家都会用到的一个公式可以帮助我们找到。
00:24
And I'm going to tell you the secret秘密.
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而且我将会告诉你这个秘密。
00:27
First, find rocks岩石 of the right age年龄.
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首先,找到相应年代的岩石。
00:31
Second第二, those rocks岩石
must必须 be sedimentary沉积 rocks岩石.
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第二点需要注意的是,这些岩石必须是沉积岩。
00:35
And third第三, layers of those rocks岩石
must必须 be naturally自然 exposed裸露.
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然后,岩石表面需要自然暴露在外。
00:40
That's it.
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就这些。
00:41
Find those three things
and get yourself你自己 on the ground地面,
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满足这三点,你就可以开始了。
00:45
chances机会 are good
that you will find fossils化石.
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找到化石的可能性还是很大的。
00:48
Now let me break打破 down this formula.
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接下来,咱们来具体分解一下这个公式。
00:50
Organisms生物 exist存在 only during certain某些
geological地质 intervals间隔.
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生物只在特定的地质间隔时期存活。
00:55
So you have to find
rocks岩石 of the right age年龄,
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因此你必须找到特定时期的岩石。
00:57
depending根据 on what your interests利益 are.
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这取决于你的兴趣。
00:59
If you want to find trilobites三叶虫,
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如果你想要找三叶虫,
01:01
you have to find the really,
really old rocks岩石 of the Paleozoic古生 --
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那你必须找非常古老的古生代地层岩石-
01:04
rocks岩石 between之间 a half a billion十亿
and a quarter-billion四分之一十亿 years年份 old.
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年龄在5到2.5亿年间。
01:08
Now, if you want to find dinosaurs恐龙,
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那么问题来了,如果你想找到恐龙。
01:10
don't look in the Paleozoic古生,
you won't惯于 find them.
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别去看古生代的岩石,那里找不到。
01:12
They hadn't有没有 evolved进化 yet然而.
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恐龙还没有演化呢。
01:14
You have to find the younger更年轻
rocks岩石 of the Mesozoic中生代,
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你需要去找中生代的岩石,
01:17
and in the case案件 of dinosaurs恐龙,
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并且是有恐龙存活的年代。
01:18
between之间 235 and 66 million百万 years年份 ago.
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大概是2.35亿至6600万年前。
01:23
Now, it's fairly相当 easy简单 to find rocks岩石
of the right age年龄 at this point,
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目前找这些岩石还是挺容易的,
01:26
because the Earth地球 is, to a coarse degree,
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因为我们已有了地球的大致地理
01:29
geologically地质学 mapped映射.
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地质面貌。
01:31
This is hard-won难得的 information信息.
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这可不是个简单的工程。
01:34
The annals of Earth地球 history历史
are written书面 in rocks岩石,
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地球的编年史可以说是由岩石写成的,
01:37
one chapter章节 upon the next下一个,
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一章接着一章,
01:38
such这样 that the oldest最老的 pages网页 are on bottom底部
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也就是说最久远的在最底层,
01:41
and the youngest最年轻的 on top最佳.
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年代最近的位于表面。
01:43
Now, were it quite相当 that easy简单,
geologists地质学家 would rejoice.
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然而,如果又真的这么简单,地理学家会欣喜若狂了。
01:47
It's not.
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其实并不简单。
01:48
The library图书馆 of Earth地球 is an old one.
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地球像是一个古老的图书馆。
01:51
It has no librarian图书管理员 to impose强加 order订购.
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并没有管理员来为每一本书排序,
01:54
Operating操作 over vast广大 swaths大片 of time,
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来管理如此大范围的时代,
01:57
myriad无数的 geological地质 processes流程
offer提供 every一切 possible可能 insult侮辱
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无数的地质进程又可能对岩石年龄的判断带来不利影响。
02:02
to the rocks岩石 of ages年龄.
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02:04
Most pages网页 are destroyed销毁
soon不久 after being存在 written书面.
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地理编年史中的书页,大多数也许刚被写成就遭到毁灭。
02:07
Some pages网页 are overwritten覆盖,
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有些书页又有重复,
02:09
creating创建 difficult-to-decipher难以解密 palimpsestspalimpsests
of long-gone早就没了 landscapes景观.
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对早前的年代做了难解的重叠赘述。
02:14
Pages网页 that do find sanctuary避难所
under the advancing前进 sands沙滩 of time
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在时间的流逝中找到庇护的历史,
02:19
are never truly safe安全.
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永远不是那么安全。
02:21
Unlike不像 the Moon月亮 --
our dead, rocky岩石 companion伴侣 --
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和月亮这样没有生命的顽石不同,
02:24
the Earth地球 is alive, pulsing脉动
with creative创作的 and destructive有害 forces军队
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地球是活的,同时具备创造和毁灭的力量给了他生命,
02:28
that power功率 its geological地质 metabolism代谢.
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也促进其地质的新陈代谢。
02:31
Lunar太阴 rocks岩石 brought back
by the Apollo阿波罗 astronauts宇航员
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月球上的岩石由阿波罗宇航员带回
02:34
all date日期 back to about the age年龄
of the Solar太阳能 System系统.
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一直追溯到太阳系的年岁
02:37
Moon月亮 rocks岩石 are forever永远.
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月亮上的岩石是永恒的,
02:40
Earth地球 rocks岩石, on the other hand,
face面对 the perils危险 of a living活的 lithosphere岩石圈.
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地球上的岩石在经历了撞击,压缩,折叠,撕裂
和高温的作用后都会遭到破坏。
02:45
All will suffer遭受 ruination祸根,
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02:46
through通过 some combination组合
of mutilation断肢, compression压缩,
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02:49
folding折页, tearing撕裂, scorching酷热 and baking.
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因此,纵观地球历史是不完整而且是散乱的。
02:53
Thus从而, the volumes of Earth地球 history历史
are incomplete残缺 and disheveled.
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地球这个图书馆年代久远而且藏书丰富。
02:59
The library图书馆 is vast广大 and magnificent华丽的 --
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03:03
but decrepit衰老.
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而且,岩石记录的复杂又使之丧失了原本的意义。
03:06
And it was this tattered破烂 complexity复杂
in the rock record记录
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03:09
that obscured模糊 its meaning含义
until直到 relatively相对 recently最近.
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大自然并没有为地理学家留下任何记录
03:13
Nature性质 provided提供 no card catalog目录
for geologists地质学家 --
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03:15
this would have to be invented发明.
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而是让他们去总结。
03:18
Five thousand years年份 after the Sumerians苏美尔人
learned学到了 to record记录 their thoughts思念
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在苏美尔人学着在岩土上记录想法的五千年后,
03:21
on clay粘土 tablets平板电脑,
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03:22
the Earth's地球 volumes remained保持
inscrutable高深莫测 to humans人类.
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地质史对于人类来说还是高深莫测。
03:26
We were geologically地质学 illiterate文盲,
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我们可以说对地理其实是一无所知,
对地球的古老也是一知半解,
03:29
unaware不知道 of the antiquity古代
of our own拥有 planet行星
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并对我们与"久远时间"的联系很无知。
03:32
and ignorant愚昧 of our connection连接
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03:34
to deep time.
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直到19世纪的到来,
03:37
It wasn't until直到 the turn
of the 19th century世纪
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我们的无知才渐渐消失
03:40
that our blinders一叶障目 were removed去除,
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首先,James Hotton所著的《地球理论》向我们揭示了
03:42
first, with the publication出版物
of James詹姆士 Hutton's赫顿的 "Theory理论 of the Earth地球,"
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03:47
in which哪一个 he told us that the Earth地球
reveals揭示 no vestige痕迹 of a beginning开始
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地球的初始毫无痕迹,
终结也会毫无预兆。
03:50
and no prospect展望 of an end结束;
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随着William Smith绘制了第一张国家疆域范围的英国地图,
03:53
and then, with the printing印花
of William威廉 Smith's史密斯 map地图 of Britain英国,
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03:57
the first country-scale全国规模 geological地质 map地图,
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我们得以预见
03:59
giving us for the first time
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04:01
predictive预测 insight眼光 into where
certain某些 types类型 of rocks岩石 might威力 occur发生.
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哪里会有特定年代的岩石。
由此,你可以这样说:
04:05
After that, you could say things like,
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04:07
"If we go over there,
we should be in the Jurassic侏罗纪,"
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“我们去那儿能找到侏罗纪”
“爬过这座山我们能找到白垩纪”。
04:10
or, "If we go up over that hill爬坡道,
we should find the Cretaceous白垩纪."
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好吧,如果你现在想找三叶虫,
04:15
So now, if you want to find trilobites三叶虫,
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先要有一张好的地图,
04:18
get yourself你自己 a good geological地质 map地图
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寻找古生代的岩石。
04:20
and go to the rocks岩石 of the Paleozoic古生.
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04:23
If you want to find dinosaurs恐龙 like I do,
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如果你想像我一样去寻找恐龙的痕迹,
那就先去找中生代的岩石。
04:25
find the rocks岩石 of Mesozoic中生代 and go there.
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04:29
Now of course课程, you can only make
a fossil化石 in a sedimentary沉积 rock,
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当然,你只能在沉积岩中找到化石。
这种岩石又沙和泥土形成。
04:32
a rock made制作 by sand and mud.
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岩浆形成的火成岩,比如花岗岩中,
04:34
You can't have a fossil化石
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04:35
in an igneous火成岩 rock formed形成
by magma岩浆, like a granite花岗岩,
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就没有化石。
04:39
or in a metamorphic变质 rock
that's been heated加热 and squeezed挤压.
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那种经受高温和挤压的变质岩里也没有化石。
04:42
And you have to get yourself你自己 in a desert沙漠.
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你一定要去沙漠,
不是说恐龙只生活在沙漠,
04:45
It's not that dinosaurs恐龙
particularly尤其 lived生活 in deserts沙漠;
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他们生活在每一片大陆,
04:48
they lived生活 on every一切 land土地 mass
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04:50
and in every一切 imaginable想象 environment环境.
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和所有可以想的到的环境中。
04:52
It's that you need to go to a place地点
that's a desert沙漠 today今天,
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你需要去沙漠的原因是,
沙漠中的岩石没有太多植被覆盖
04:55
a place地点 that doesn't have
too many许多 plants植物 covering覆盖 up the rocks岩石,
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04:58
and a place地点 where erosion侵蚀 is always
exposing曝光 new bones骨头 at the surface表面.
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并且其风蚀能够使岩石暴露于地表。
所以,去寻找这三样东西吧:
05:03
So find those three things:
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特定年代的岩石,
05:04
rocks岩石 of the right age年龄,
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沙漠的沉积岩,
05:06
that are sedimentary沉积 rocks岩石, in a desert沙漠,
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然后让自己行走在地面上,
05:09
and get yourself你自己 on the ground地面,
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05:11
and you literally按照字面 walk步行
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直到你看到岩石表面有显露出来的骨化石。
05:12
until直到 you see a bone
sticking症结 out of the rock.
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05:16
Here's这里的 a picture图片 that I took
in Southern南部的 Patagonia巴塔哥尼亚.
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这是一张南巴塔哥尼亚的图片。
你现在看到的地上的每一片圆石,
05:20
Every一切 pebble卵石 that you see
on the ground地面 there
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都是恐龙的骨头。
05:23
is a piece of dinosaur恐龙 bone.
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所以当你身处这种环境下,
05:25
So when you're in that right situation情况,
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05:27
it's not a question of whether是否
you'll你会 find fossils化石 or not;
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能否找到化石已不再是问题,
你一定会找到。
05:30
you're going to find fossils化石.
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问题是,你发现的东西是否具有科研价值?
05:31
The question is: Will you find something
that is scientifically科学 significant重大?
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为了帮助理解,我将为这个公式加上第四条。
05:35
And to help with that, I'm going to add
a fourth第四 part部分 to our formula,
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那就是:
05:39
which哪一个 is this:
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05:41
get as far away from other
paleontologists古生物学家 as possible可能.
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离那些古生物学家越远越好。
05:44
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声...)
并非我讨厌他们,
05:46
It's not that I don't like
other paleontologists古生物学家.
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而是如果你去一个相对未被探索的地方,
05:49
When you go to a place地点
that's relatively相对 unexplored未开发,
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你不仅更容易找到化石,
05:51
you have a much better chance机会
of not only finding发现 fossils化石
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05:54
but of finding发现 something
that's new to science科学.
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而且更有可能为科学带来新发现。
这就是我的恐龙寻找攻略。
05:57
So that's my formula
for finding发现 dinosaurs恐龙,
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05:59
and I've applied应用的 it all around the world世界.
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我在全世界都使用过。
06:01
In the austral南国 summer夏季 of 2004,
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在2004夏季,
我去到位于南半球南美的最南端,
06:04
I went to the bottom底部 of South America美国,
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阿根廷的巴塔哥尼亚最南部,
06:06
to the bottom底部 of Patagonia巴塔哥尼亚, Argentina阿根廷,
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去探究恐龙:
06:08
to prospect展望 for dinosaurs恐龙:
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那儿有特定年代的陆相沉积岩。
06:10
a place地点 that had terrestrial陆生
sedimentary沉积 rocks岩石 of the right age年龄,
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在那片还未被古生物学家发掘过的沙漠,
06:13
in a desert沙漠,
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06:15
a place地点 that had been barely仅仅 visited参观
by paleontologists古生物学家.
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我们找到了这个。
06:19
And we found发现 this.
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这是一个巨型食草恐龙的股骨。
06:21
This is a femur股骨, a thigh大腿 bone,
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06:23
of a giant巨人, plant-eating以植物为食 dinosaur恐龙.
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这块股骨有2.2米宽,
06:25
That bone is 2.2 meters across横过.
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也就是7尺多长。
06:28
That's over seven feet long.
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遗憾的是,这是现存的唯一一块。
06:31
Now, unfortunately不幸,
that bone was isolated孤立.
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我们不停地挖,然而再也没有别的发现。
06:33
We dug and dug and dug,
and there wasn't another另一个 bone around.
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06:36
But it made制作 us hungry饥饿 to go back
the next下一个 year for more.
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这使得我们来年又再一次踏上这片土地寻找。
06:39
And on the first day
of that next下一个 field领域 season季节,
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在新探索的第一天,
我发现了这个:第二块两米的股骨
06:42
I found发现 this: another另一个 two-meter两米 femur股骨,
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这不是唯一的发现,
06:45
only this time not isolated孤立,
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06:47
this time associated相关 with 145 other bones骨头
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我们又发现了145块食草恐龙的化石。
06:50
of a giant巨人 plant eater.
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06:53
And after three more hard,
really brutal野蛮 field领域 seasons季节,
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在三次艰苦的现场挖掘后,
06:57
the quarry采石场 came来了 to look like this.
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挖掘现场场变成了这样。
你可以看到,这只大型野兽的尾骨在我身边蜷曲。
06:59
And there you see the tail尾巴
of that great beast wrapping包皮 around me.
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躺在挖掘现场的这个大型生物,是恐龙的新物种。
07:03
The giant巨人 that lay铺设 in this grave,
the new species种类 of dinosaur恐龙,
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07:07
we would eventually终于 call
"DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus schranischrani."
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最后它被命名为”Dreadnoughtus schrani“
07:11
DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus was 85 feet
from snout to tail尾巴.
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Dreadnoughtus 从头到尾有85英尺长。
07:15
It stood站在 two-and-a-half两个半 stories故事
at the shoulder,
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站起来肩部有两层半楼这么高。
07:18
and all fleshed充实 out in life,
it weighed称重 65 tons.
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活着的时候身体有65吨重。
07:23
People ask me sometimes有时,
"Was DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus bigger than a T. rex雷克斯?"
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人们有时候问我,它比暴龙大吗?
实际上,它有暴龙的8至9倍大。
07:26
That's the mass of eight or nine T. rex雷克斯.
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话说,成为古生物学家很棒的是,
07:30
Now, one of the really cool things
about being存在 a paleontologist古生物学家
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07:33
is when you find a new species种类,
you get to name名称 it.
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你可以为发现的新物种命名。
07:36
And I've always thought it a shame耻辱
that these giant巨人, plant-eating以植物为食 dinosaurs恐龙
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我常常觉得羞愧的是,这些大型的食草恐龙
07:40
are too often经常 portrayed刻画 as passive被动,
lumbering伐木 platters盘片 of meat
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往往被描绘成笨拙的一大团肉
07:44
on the landscape景观.
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(笑声)
07:46
(Laughter笑声)
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07:47
They're not.
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然而并非如此。
07:48
Big herbivores食草动物 can be surly阴沉的,
and they can be territorial领土的 --
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大型食草动物是很有领地意识的
07:51
you do not want to mess食堂 with a hippo河马
or a rhino犀牛 or a water buffalo水牛.
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你不会想和河马、犀牛或是水牛这样的动物胡来。
07:56
The bison野牛 in Yellowstone黄石 injure损伤
far more people than do the grizzly灰熊 bears.
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黄石公园的野牛比灰熊伤的人要多得多。
所以你能想象一个65吨的公牛,
08:01
So can you imagine想像 a big bull公牛,
65-ton-吨 DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus
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08:07
in the breeding配种 season季节,
161
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在繁殖季节,
会怎样保护自己的领土?
08:08
defending卫冕 a territory领土?
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它们会难以置信的危险。
08:10
That animal动物 would have been
incredibly令人难以置信 dangerous危险,
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08:13
a menace威胁 to all around, and itself本身
would have had nothing to fear恐惧.
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对于周围都是一种威胁,而它自己则无所畏惧。
所以他才被称为“Dreadnoughtus”
08:18
And thus从而 the name名称, "DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus,"
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意为“无所畏惧”
08:20
or, "fears恐惧 nothing."
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为了能长到像Dreadnoughtus这样体型的动物
08:24
Now, to grow增长 so large,
167
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08:25
an animal动物 like DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus
would've会一直 had to have been
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他们生来就就很有效率。
08:27
a model模型 of efficiency效率.
169
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08:29
That long neck颈部 and long tail尾巴 help it
radiate辐射 heat into the environment环境,
170
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其长颈和长尾能够散热,
间接地调节了自身的体温。
08:32
passively被动 controlling控制 its temperature温度.
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长颈提供了一个极度有效的进食机制。
08:35
And that long neck颈部 also serves供应
as a super-efficient超高效 feeding馈送 mechanism机制.
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Dreadnoughtus 能够站在原地,
08:38
DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus could stand
in one place地点 and with that neck颈部
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用它长长的脖子把一大片植被一扫而光。
08:41
clear明确 out a huge巨大 envelope信封 of vegetation植被,
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08:44
taking服用 in tens of thousands数千 of calories卡路里
while expending花费 very few少数.
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摄入数以万计的卡路里而同时消耗很少。
这些动物进化为牛头犬似的宽步动物。
08:48
And these animals动物 evolved进化
a bulldog-like牛头状 wide-gait宽步态 stance姿态,
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这样能够有更好的稳定性。
08:52
giving them immense巨大 stability稳定性,
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08:55
because when you're 65 tons,
when you're literally按照字面 as big as a house,
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因为如果你有65吨重,并且像房子那么大,
摔倒的后果
08:59
the penalty罚款 for falling落下 over
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是死亡。
09:01
is death死亡.
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没错,这些动物又大又坚硬
09:03
Yeah, these animals动物 are big and tough强硬,
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但是他们承受不了这样的打击。
09:05
but they won't惯于 take a blow打击 like that.
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Dreadnoughtus摔倒后肋骨会断裂并且刺伤肺部,
09:07
DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus falls下降 over,
ribs肋骨 break打破 and pierce刺穿 lungs.
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09:10
Organs机关 burst爆裂.
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导致器官爆裂。
09:11
If you're a big 65-ton-吨 DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus,
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如果你是一只65吨的Dreadnoughtus
你绝不想摔倒,一次都不。
09:13
you don't get to fall秋季 down
in life -- even once一旦.
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现在,在这只恐龙的躯体被埋葬
09:17
Now, after this particular特定
DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus carcass胴体 was buried隐藏
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肉体被各种细菌和虫类侵蚀,
09:21
and de-fleshed去充实 by a multitude
of bacteria, worms蠕虫 and insects昆虫,
188
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09:25
its bones骨头 underwent后行 a brief简要 metamorphosis变态,
189
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2165
它的骨头会变质,
和地下水进行分子交换
09:28
exchanging交换 molecules分子 with the groundwater地下水
190
556187
2016
09:30
and becoming变得 more and more
like the entombing埋葬 rock.
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变得越来越接近埋葬它的石头
当一层一层的沉积岩慢慢积累
09:33
As layer upon layer
of sediment沉淀 accumulated积累,
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09:36
pressure压力 from all sides双方
weighed称重 in like a stony glove手套
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各方面的压力会像石膏套一样向内增压
09:38
whose谁的 firm公司 and enduring持久 grip held保持
each bone in a stabilizing稳定 embrace拥抱.
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其坚硬而持久的握力把每块石头牢牢的包裹在内。
09:45
And then came来了 the long ...
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而后就是旷日持久的
虚无....
09:48
nothing.
196
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经历了一个又一个纪元,什么都没有发生
09:49
Epoch时代 after epoch时代 of sameness千篇一律,
197
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09:53
nonevents非事件 without number.
198
581210
1944
恐龙的骨骼长久的处于一种恒定不变的
09:55
All the while, the skeleton骨架 lay铺设
everlasting永恒的 and unchanging不变
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09:58
in perfect完善 equilibrium平衡
200
586947
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完美平衡的状态
10:01
within its rocky岩石 grave.
201
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在它的石头坟墓里。
同时,地球历史也随着展开。
10:03
Meanwhile与此同时, Earth地球 history历史 unfolded展开 above以上.
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2017
10:06
The dinosaurs恐龙 would reign统治
for another另一个 12 million百万 years年份
203
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2647
恐龙会统治另一个1200万年
10:08
before their hegemony霸权 was snuffed掐灭 out
in a fiery火热 apocalypse启示.
204
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直到他们在地球大灾难中灭绝
然后大陆漂移,哺乳动物随之而生。
10:13
The continents大陆 drifted漂流. The mammals哺乳动物 rose玫瑰.
205
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10:16
The Ice Age年龄 came来了.
206
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冰河时代来临
然后,在东非
10:18
And then, in East Africa非洲,
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一种没有前途的猿,
10:20
an unpromising没出息 species种类 of ape
evolved进化 the odd trick of sentient有情 thought.
208
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进化出了一种奇怪的用来感知事物的把戏。
10:27
These brainy聪明 primates灵长类动物 were not
particularly尤其 fast快速 or strong强大.
209
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他们不是特别快或是强壮
但他们很擅长占领土地
10:32
But they excelled出色 at covering覆盖 ground地面,
210
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10:34
and in a remarkable卓越 diaspora散居
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他们用一种出色的散居方式
10:36
surpassing超越 even the dinosaurs'恐龙 record记录
of territorial领土的 conquest征服,
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他们的土地甚至超越了恐龙所征服的领地的记录
10:39
they dispersed分散 across横过 the planet行星,
213
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他们分布在地球的各个地方
10:41
ravishing令人陶醉 every一切 ecosystem生态系统
they encountered遇到,
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他们掠夺每一个遇到的生态系统
10:44
along沿 the way, inventing发明了 culture文化
and metalworking金工 and painting绘画
215
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在这个过程中,他们创造了文化,金属加工术,绘画
10:47
and dance舞蹈 and music音乐
216
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舞蹈,音乐
10:49
and science科学
217
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科学,
10:51
and rocket火箭 ships船舶 that would eventually终于
take 12 particularly尤其 excellent优秀 apes类人猿
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还有能搭载12名特别优秀猿猴
并将他们送去月球表面的火箭船。
10:56
to the surface表面 of the Moon月亮.
219
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1851
11:00
With seven billion十亿 peripatetic逍遥
Homo智人 sapiens智人 on the planet行星,
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伴随着70亿在地球上走来走去的人
11:05
it was perhaps也许 inevitable必然
221
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不可避免的
11:06
that one of them would eventually终于
trod on the grave of the magnificent华丽的 titan泰坦
222
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有人最终会踏在这些巨大生物的坟墓上
11:10
buried隐藏 beneath下面 the badlands废地
of Southern南部的 Patagonia巴塔哥尼亚.
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在巴塔哥尼亚南部的荒地下
11:14
I was that ape.
224
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我就是那个人
11:17
And standing常设 there, alone单独 in the desert沙漠,
225
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孤独的站在沙漠里
11:20
it was not lost丢失 on me
226
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1151
我没有忘记
11:21
that the chance机会 of any one individual个人
entering进入 the fossil化石 record记录
227
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每个人遇到化石的机会
11:25
is vanishingly微乎其微 small.
228
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1673
都十分的渺小
但是地球非常非常的古老
11:28
But the Earth地球 is very, very old.
229
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2048
11:30
And over vast广大 tracts大片 of time,
the improbable难以置信 becomes the probable可能.
230
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在漫长的时间轨迹里,不可能变为可能
11:34
That's the magic魔法 of the geological地质 record记录.
231
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这就是地理的魔力
11:37
Thus从而, multitudinous众多 creatures生物
living活的 and dying垂死 on an old planet行星
232
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大量生物在这颗星球上生活、死去
11:40
leave离开 behind背后 immense巨大 numbers数字 of fossils化石,
233
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留下大量的化石
11:42
each one a small miracle奇迹,
234
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每个化石都是一个奇迹
11:44
but collectively, inevitable必然.
235
692691
2533
但都难以逃脱它们的命运
11:48
Sixty-six六十六 million百万 years年份 ago,
an asteroid小行星 hits点击 the Earth地球
236
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六千六百万年前,一颗小行星撞击地球
11:51
and wipes湿巾 out the dinosaurs恐龙.
237
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使恐龙灭绝
11:54
This easily容易 might威力 not have been.
238
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1928
或许没这么简单
11:57
But we only get one history历史,
and it's the one that we have.
239
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但我们只有一个历史,那就是我们所处的这个
12:00
But this particular特定 reality现实
was not inevitable必然.
240
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2276
但这个特定的现实并非无法改变
12:02
The tiniest最小的 perturbation
of that asteroid小行星 far from Earth地球
241
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2802
即使最微小的对于那颗遥远的小行星的扰动
12:05
would have caused造成 it to miss小姐
our planet行星 by a wide margin余量.
242
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3001
也有可能让它远离我们的星球
12:08
The pivotal关键的, calamitous灾难性的 day during which哪一个
the dinosaurs恐龙 were wiped out,
243
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那个关键的,灾难的性的恐龙灭绝的日子
12:12
setting设置 the stage阶段
for the modern现代 world世界 as we know it
244
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为现代搭建了一个舞台
即使我们知道这并不必要
12:15
didn't have to be.
245
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1532
12:16
It could've可能已经 just been another另一个 day --
246
724922
1965
它完全可以是另一天
12:19
a Thursday星期四, perhaps也许 --
247
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1341
或许是一个周四
12:21
among其中 the 63 billion十亿 days
already已经 enjoyed享受 by the dinosaurs恐龙.
248
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在恐龙生存的630亿天中
12:27
But over geological地质 time,
249
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但是在地理的时间轴中
12:28
improbable难以置信, nearly几乎 impossible不可能 events事件
250
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2885
不大可能,甚至完全不可能的事情
12:31
do occur发生.
251
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1151
确实会发生
12:32
Along沿 the path路径 from our wormy虫蛀,
Cambrian寒武纪的 ancestors祖先
252
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从虫子,寒武纪的祖先
12:35
to primates灵长类动物 dressed连衣裙的 in suits西装,
253
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到穿着正式的人
12:38
innumerable无数 forks叉子 in the road
led us to this very particular特定 reality现实.
254
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不可计数的岔路带领我们到了这个独特的处境
Dreadnoughtus 的骨头在地下沉寂了7700万年。
12:43
The bones骨头 of DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus
lay铺设 underground地下 for 77 million百万 years年份.
255
751982
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又有谁能想到
12:48
Who could have imagined想象
256
756899
1171
12:50
that a single species种类 of shrew-like泼妇样 mammal哺乳动物
257
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那种精明的
12:53
living活的 in the cracks裂缝 of the dinosaur恐龙 world世界
258
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在恐龙世界的缝隙中生存的哺乳动物
12:55
would evolve发展 into sentient有情 beings众生
259
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却进化成一种能感知的
12:57
capable of characterizing特征
and understanding理解
260
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有能力去描绘与理解
12:59
the very dinosaurs恐龙 they must必须 have dreaded可怕的?
261
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他们曾经害怕的恐龙的生物
我曾经站在密苏里河的源头
13:04
I once一旦 stood站在 at the head
of the Missouri密苏里州 River
262
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然后跨过它
13:09
and bestraddledbestraddled it.
263
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1381
那只不过是汩汩的
13:11
There, it's nothing more
than a gurgle汩汩 of water
264
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2202
13:13
that issues问题 forth向前 from beneath下面 a rock
in a boulder漂砾 in a pasture牧场,
265
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从一块比特鲁特山脉上草地上的石头下
流出的水罢了
13:17
high in the Bitterroot比特鲁特 Mountains.
266
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13:20
The stream next下一个 to it
runs运行 a few少数 hundred yards
267
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它旁边的小溪只流了几百码
13:23
and ends结束 in a small pond池塘.
268
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并停在了一个小池塘里
13:25
Those two streams -- they look identical相同.
269
793970
2897
这两条小溪,看上去一模一样
13:29
But one is an anonymous匿名 trickle of water,
270
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2539
但一条是无名的涓流
13:32
and the other is the Missouri密苏里州 River.
271
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但另一条是密苏里河
13:35
Now go down to the mouth
of the Missouri密苏里州, near St. Louis路易,
272
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现在来到密苏里河在圣路易斯的河口
很明显它是很大一条河
13:39
and it's pretty漂亮 obvious明显
that that river is a big deal合同.
273
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2717
13:42
But go up into the BitterrootsBitterroots
and look at the Missouri密苏里州,
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但是回到比特鲁特山脉,看看密苏里河
13:45
and human人的 prospection勘探 does not
allow允许 us to see it as anything special特别.
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人类的眼光不足以让我们看出它有多么特别
再回到寒武纪时期
13:51
Now go back to the Cretaceous白垩纪 Period
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13:53
and look at our tiny, fuzzball模糊球 ancestors祖先.
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看看我们小小的,带绒毛的祖先
13:55
You would never guess猜测
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你永远不会猜到
13:56
that they would amount
to anything special特别,
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他们会发展成任何种族
13:59
and they probably大概 wouldn't不会 have,
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他们也许确实不会
14:00
were it not for that pesky讨厌 asteroid小行星.
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如果没有那烦人的小行星
14:03
Now, make a thousand more worlds世界
and a thousand more solar太阳能 systems系统
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现在,再创造1000个世界,1000个太阳系
14:07
and let them run.
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让它们运行
14:09
You will never get the same相同 result结果.
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你永远不会有同样的结果
14:11
No doubt怀疑, those worlds世界 would be
both amazing惊人 and amazingly令人惊讶 improbable难以置信,
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毫无疑问,它们会很惊人,令人感到不可能的惊人,
14:14
but they would not be our world世界
and they would not have our history历史.
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但它们不会是我们的世界,也不会有我们的历史
14:17
There are an infinite无穷 number of histories历史
that we could've可能已经 had.
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那里有无穷的历史是我们不曾有拥有的
但我们只有一个,哇,我们得到的是一个好的吗?
14:20
We only get one, and wow,
did we ever get a good one.
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14:23
Dinosaurs恐龙 like DreadnoughtusDreadnoughtus were real真实.
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像 Dreadnoughtus 一样的恐龙是真实存在的
像沧龙一样的水怪也是真的
14:27
Sea monsters怪物 like the mosasaur沧龙科 were real真实.
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翼展像鹰一样的一样的蜻蜓,汽车大小的飞虫
14:31
Dragonflies蜻蜓 with the wingspan翼展 of an eagle
and pill bugs虫子 the length长度 of a car汽车
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14:35
really existed存在.
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都真实存在
为什么我们研究遥远的过去
14:39
Why study研究 the ancient past过去?
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因为它给与我们对于未来的看法
14:42
Because it gives us perspective透视
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以及谦虚。
14:45
and humility谦逊.
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恐龙在地球的第五次大灭绝中死亡
14:46
The dinosaurs恐龙 died死亡 in the world's世界
fifth第五 mass extinction灭绝,
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14:50
snuffed掐灭 out in a cosmic宇宙的 accident事故
through通过 no fault故障 of their own拥有.
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它们没有做错什么,那只是一场宇宙的事故
14:55
They didn't see it coming未来,
and they didn't have a choice选择.
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它们没有预见到它的到来,也没有选择
但我们,却有着选择
15:00
We, on the other hand, do have a choice选择.
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15:03
And the nature性质 of the fossil化石 record记录
tells告诉 us that our place地点 on this planet行星
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化石揭示了我们在地球上的地位
15:07
is both precarious危险的
and potentially可能 fleeting流年.
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很不稳固,有可能转瞬即逝。
15:11
Right now, our species种类 is propagating传播
an environmental环境的 disaster灾害
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现在,我们的种族正在引起关于地理平衡的灾难
15:14
of geological地质 proportions比例
that is so broad广阔 and so severe严重,
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这种灾难既广泛又致命
15:18
it can rightly正当地 be called
the sixth第六 extinction灭绝.
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它现在可以被称为第六次大灭绝
15:22
Only unlike不像 the dinosaurs恐龙,
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唯一与恐龙不同的是
15:25
we can see it coming未来.
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我们可以看见它的到来
15:27
And unlike不像 the dinosaurs恐龙,
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与恐龙不同的是
15:29
we can do something about it.
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我们可以做些什么
选择权在我们手里
15:32
That choice选择 is ours我们的.
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谢谢
15:35
Thank you.
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15:36
(Applause掌声)
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(鼓掌)
Translated by Lewis Liu
Reviewed by ting zhong

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kenneth Lacovara - Paleontologist
In his quest to understand the largest dinosaurs to have walked the Earth, Lacovara blends exploration with the latest imaging and modeling techniques from engineering to medicine.

Why you should listen

Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara famously unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk our planet, including the super-massive Dreadnoughtus, which at 65 tons weighs more than seven T.Rex.

When he's not excavating fossils from far-flung locations, Lacovara works on the cutting edge of applying 21st-century technology to the study of dinosaurs. By using 3D imaging, 3D printing, robotics, and medical modeling techniques, his work is helping to shift our perspective of giant herbivorous dinosaurs from their historic portrayal as hapless lumbering prey to that of fearsome, hulking, hyper-efficient eating machines.

Lacovara led the effort to create the Rowan University Fossil Park in suburban Mantua Township, New Jersey. The quarry preserves a rich cache of marine fossils that Lacovara is using to shed light on the calamitous events that wiped out the dinosaurs. 

More profile about the speaker
Kenneth Lacovara | Speaker | TED.com