第3119期:Life on Venus

Good news this week for explorers seeking extraterrestriallife.

本周对于寻找外星生命的探险家来说是个好消息。

Scientists say they have detected a gas called phosphine swirling in the highly acidic clouds of venus.

科学家表示，他们在金星酸性极高的云层中探测到了一种名为磷化氢的气体。

But the European Southern Observatory's Itziar de Gregorio says it is probably too soon to say life exists on the planet.

但欧洲南方天文台的伊齐亚尔·德·格雷戈里奥表示，现在就说这颗行星上存在生命可能还为时过早。

This doesn't mean that we discovered extraterrestriallife on venus far from it.

这并不意味着我们在遥远的金星上发现了外星生命。

It is possible that we are unaware of a chemical that produces this phosphine and we have to investigate in that direction.

可能存在某种我们尚未发现的化学物质能产生这种磷化氢，我们必须朝这个方向展开调查。

The quest to study Venus began in 1960 with the Pioneer 5 space probe.

对金星的研究始于1960年的先驱者5号太空探测器。

But with this week's development, there's heightened interest in the planet.

但是随着本周的研究发展，人们对这颗行星的兴趣大增。

On earth, bacteria thriving in oxygen-starved environments like sewers and intestines produce the gas phosphine.

在地球上，细菌在缺氧环境中（如下水道和肠道）大量繁殖，会产生磷化氢气体。

The discovery on Venus is raisingspeculationthat microbial life exists there.

金星上的发现引起了人们对那里存在微生物生命的猜测。

But de Gregorio adds that the phosphine source could simply be something researchers have yet to study.

但德·格雷戈里奥补充说，磷化氢的来源可能仅仅是研究人员尚未研究的某种物质。

In other news that could be ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel, NASA and the European Space Agency or ESA joined forces this week to build a spacecraft to deflect an earthbound asteroid.

在其他仿佛是从科幻小说里摘录出来的新闻中，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）和欧洲航天局（ESA）本周联手建造一艘航天器，旨在改变一颗可能撞向地球的小行星的轨道。

This mission is essentially a demonstration so we can understand how these technologies could be used.

这次任务本质上是一次演示，以便我们能够了解这些技术如何被应用。

It's like billiards. Small force hits the asteroid that is heading for earth which should create an aversion.

这就像打台球一样。用较小的力量撞击朝着地球飞来的小行星，这样应该能使其偏离轨道。

And we want to practice this, so that we are ready if an asteroid is actually heading for us.

我们想进行这种演练，以便在小行星真的朝我们飞来时能做好准备。

NASA is set to launch a craft in June 2021 on a collision course with the asteroid to attempt altering its flight path.

NASA计划于2021年6月发射一艘航天器，使其与小行星相撞，试图改变其飞行路径。

If the mission succeeds, the ESA will launch a follow-up in 2024.

如果任务成功，欧洲航天局将在2024年启动后续行动。

In other news, images from space showed the vast and ancient icesheetatop greenland shed a 113 square kilometer chunk of ice last month.

来自太空的图像显示，格陵兰岛顶部广袤而古老的冰盖上个月脱落了一块面积达113平方公里的冰块。

The new research is yet another piece important piece of evidence showing that it's really time we stop hitting the snooze button and wake up to the climate emergency.

这项新研究是又一项重要证据，表明我们真的该停止拖延，正视气候紧急状况了。

We need to curb climate emissions right now immediately.

我们现在需要立即控制气候排放。

And we need to create a network of ocean sanctuaries covering at least a third of the blue planet if we are to take climate crisis seriously.

如果我们要认真对待气候危机，就需要建立一个海洋保护区网络，使其覆盖这个蓝色星球至少三分之一的区域。

Dr Laura Meller from Greenpeace says the time to act is now.

绿色和平组织的劳拉·梅勒博士表示，现在就是采取行动的时候了。

As more ice melts, experts say more dark water appears in its place, absorbing heat, further accelerating the process of melting ice and rising seas.

随着更多冰层融化，专家表示，更多深色海水会出现在原本冰层的位置，吸收热量，进一步加速冰层融化和海平面上升的过程。

And finally, UNESCO certifies Italy's Saint-Barthelemy valley as a Starlight Stellar Park, meaning it's one of the best places on earth to look up at the sky.

最后，联合国教科文组织认证意大利的圣巴特岛山谷为星光公园，这意味着它是地球上观赏天空的最佳地点之一。

The northern Italian municipality takes this designation seriously, having recently replaced lampposts with special LEDs that do not shine up. 

意大利北部的这个自治市非常重视这一称号，最近刚刚把路灯柱换成了不会向上照射的特殊发光二极管灯。