[ 00 ]
The air we breathe is mostly nitrogen, about 78% nitrogen, and oxygen accounts for about 21%. Now all that nitrogen doesn't do much chemically. It's really stable. But the oxygen... it might last in the atmosphere only a few million years, because, unlike nitrogen, oxygen easily reacts and combines with other elements.
翻译：
我们呼吸的空气主要是氮气，氮气约占78%，氧气约占21%。好，所有的氮气都不起化学反应。是非常稳定的。但是氧气在大气中可能只存在几百年，因为不同于氮气，氧气非常容易反应和其他的元素结合在一起。
生词：
air breathe might last in
[ 01 ]
I mean, ultraviolet light from the sun can make water decompose to produce oxygen, but this simple reaction was not very effective in oxygenating the atmosphere, especially since, as we said, oxygen tends to combine with other elements and not simply remain as oxygen molecules in the air.
翻译：
我的意思是，太阳发出的紫外线可以让水分解产生氧气，但是这个简单的反应在为大气供养的这一方面并不怎么高效，尤其是因为，真如我们之前所说，氧气更容易跟其他元素而不是仅以氧分子的形式停留在空气中。
生词：
light oxygenating tends to remain
[ 02 ]
But let's back up. After earth's crust solidified, volcanoes formed and ejected lots of steam, ammonia, and carbon dioxide, and added these gases to earth's atmosphere. And much of that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolved into the seawater. Why was that important?
翻译：
但是，我们回顾一下，在地球的地壳凝固之后，火山形成并且喷射大量的蒸汽，氨气，和二氧化碳，并且添加这些气体到地球的大气中。大气中的大多数二氧化碳溶解到海水中。为什么这很重要？
生词：
earth's crust solidified formed ejected added
[ 03 ]
Well, at some point, those microorganisms in the ocean needed carbon dioxide. They could convert it, along with water, into simple carbohydrates for food. That's what photosynthesis does.
翻译：
嗯，在某一时刻，这些在海洋中的微生物需要二氧化碳。他们可以将二氧化碳和水转化成简单的碳水化合物来当作食物。那正是光合作用所作的。
生词：
microorganisms carbohydrates photosynthesis
[ 04 ]
But later in the Cambrian period, about 500 million years ago, there was another huge jump in oxygen levels, one that photosynthesis alone couldn't have caused. Turns out the other important factor here was the burial of large amounts of organic material on the ocean floor.
翻译：
但是，在寒武纪后期，大约5亿年前，氧气含量大幅度增长，单独的光合作用不能造成这样大的增长。最终证实：另一个重要的因素是，大量的有机物埋葬在海底
生词：
Cambrian photosynthesis alone jump factor burial floor
[ 05 ]
Well, microbes in the ocean... when they die, the organic carbon / in the remains of these microorganisms / will settle to the seafloor and get buried in sediments there. That means this carbon is not available to react with oxygen.
翻译：
额，海洋中的微生物，当他们死亡之后，在这些微生物的残骸中的有机碳会沉到海底，然后被埋葬在沉积物之中。这意味着这种碳不能和氧气反应了。
生词：
organic carbon remains settle seafloor get buried
[ 06 ]
Right, the burial of large amounts of organic carbon, back in the Cambrian period, coincides with the substantial increase in atmospheric oxygen.
翻译：
没错，在寒武纪时期，大量的有机碳埋葬在海底的同时，大气中的含氧量也出现了巨幅的增长
生词：
organic coincides substantial increase atmospheric
[ 07 ]
And then, much later, in the Carboniferous period, there were land plants / that also oxygenated the atmosphere /, and that's important. Land plants released lots of oxygen, so in the Carboniferous period, oxygen levels were even higher, much higher than today's 21%.
翻译：
然而，很久以后，也就是在石炭纪时期，陆地上的植物也开始向大气供氧，这是非常重要的。陆地植物释放出大量氧气，所以在石炭纪时期，氧气含量甚至更高，比今天的21%要高出许多。
生词：
Carboniferous oxygenated
[ 08 ]
But in later geologic periods, they dropped considerably. In some cases, atmospheric oxygen levels fell to around half of today's levels.
翻译：
但是在后来的地质时期，他们急剧减少。在一些情况下，大气的氧气含量下降到今天的一半。
生词：
geologic fell to half
[ 09 ]
Well, the carbon underground probably is still being renewed, but keep in mind that we humans extract oil and coal about a million times faster than they can be deposited, so , well...
翻译：
额，地下碳大概还在更新，但是要记住，我们人类开采石油和煤炭要比他们沉淀的速度快上一百万倍，所以...
生词：
underground renewed extract oil coal
[ 10 ]
We...we looked at early inhabitants who populated the rim of the northern ice fields roughly 10000 to 25000 years ago, a time that included the last glacial maximum, or LGM. the LGM was the last time on record that glaciers had spread out to cover large parts of the planet's surface.
翻译：
我们...我们研究了大约在一万到两万五千年前，居住在北冰原边缘的早期居民，那段时间包括最后一次冰川盛行期，简称为LGM。LGM是最后一次史料记载的冰川蔓延覆盖了大部分的星球表面。
生词：
inhabitants populated rim fields last cover
[ 11 ]
During the LGM, so much water was frozen in glaciers that the sea level was much lower than it is now. So Tasmania wasn't an island then. It was actually possible to walk from Australia to Tasmania on a land bridge.
翻译：
在LGM时期，大多数的冰被冻成冰川，海平面比现在低很多。所以Tasmania在当时并不是一座岛屿。 人们实际上可以通过陆地从Australia走到Tasmania
生词：
Tasmania island then actually possible to walk land bridge
[ 12 ]
This region, so far from the equator, and at this time only 1000 kilometers north of the Antarctic ice sheet, was, as you'd expect, very cold.
翻译：
这个地方，离赤道太远，在当时离北极冰盖只有1000千米，如你所料，是非常冷的
生词：
region equator ice sheet
[ 13 ]
In fact. fossil evidence shows that many species of plants lived at these heights in prehistoric times. So we know the climate, chilly as it was, was at least warm enough to sustain vegetation.
翻译：
事实上化石证据表明，许多种类的植物在史前时期生活在这些高地上。所以我们知道，尽管气候寒冷，但至少温暖到足以维持植被。
生词：
heights climate chilly sustain vegetation
[ 14 ]
So if prehistoric Tasmanians migrated up into colder mountainous regions during the LGM. the assumption would be that they, as hunter-gatherers, were following their most likely sources of food -- in this case, wallabies.
翻译：
因此，如果史前Tasmanians在LGM期间迁移到更寒冷的山区。人们的假设是，作为狩猎采集者，它们正在寻找最有可能的食物来源——在本例中是小袋鼠。
生词：
migrated mountainous regions hunter-gatherers following
[ 15 ]
But, these researchers... well, they took rather different and seemingly counterintuitive view of the situation. They wanted to test the hypothesis that the prehistoric Tasmanians might have moved to higher grounds, not in spite of, but precisely because of the falling temperatures.
翻译：
但是，这些研究人员……好吧，他们对这种情况采取了截然不同且看似违反直觉的观点。 他们想要检验这样一个假设：史前塔斯马尼亚人可能已经迁移到地势较高的地方，这并不是不顾气温下降，而是正是因为气温下降。
[ 16 ]
In other words, these higher elevations, despite having colder air temperatures than the lowlands. somehow offered people a chance to keep warm.
翻译：
换句话说，这些海拔较高的地区，尽管气温比低地低。却以某种方式给了人们一个保暖的机会。
[ 17 ]
First, there were the trees, which would both act as a natural barrier against the wind and provide firewood. The low lying coastal areas during this time, by contrast, were largely treeless and covered by grasslands.
翻译：
首先是树木，它们既可以作为挡风的天然屏障，也可以提供木柴。相比之下，这一时期地势较低的沿海地区基本上没有树木，被草原覆盖。
[ 18 ]
But, perhaps of even greater importance, was the shelter offered by the caves I mentioned. And interestingly enough, nearly all the caves where evidence of human habitation was found had openings that faced away from the direction of the coldest prevailing winds.
翻译：
但是，也许更重要的是我提到的洞穴提供的避难所。有趣的是，几乎所有发现人类居住证据的洞穴都有远离最冷盛行风方向的开口。
[ 19 ]
So to me, what the researchers are positing seems quite plausible. That the Tasmanian's choice of where to live was influenced at least as much by climate, as by considerations regarding the availability of food.
翻译：
所以对我来说，研究人员的假设似乎很有道理。塔斯马尼亚人；人们对居住地点的选择至少与对食物供应的考虑一样受到气候的影响。
[ 20 ]
But there were also sixteen moons orbiting Saturn, each one unique in its own right. Let's start today by discussing one that's particularly unusual -- Titan.
翻译：
但也有16颗卫星围绕土星运行，每一颗都有自己的独特之处。让我们从今天开始讨论一个特别不寻常的东西 -- Titan
[ 21 ]
I know we're used to thinking of methane as gas, but on Titan, methane can take the form of a liquid, and can be found in lakes and puddles. That's because methane becomes a liquid at about -108℃. On Titan, that's nothing. Titan is so cold. It can reach temperatures as low as -183℃.
翻译：
我知道我们习惯于将甲烷视为气体，但在Titan上，甲烷可以以液体的形式存在，可以在湖泊和水坑中找到。这是因为甲烷在-108摄氏度左右会变成液体。在泰坦上，这没什么。泰坦太冷了。它可以达到低至-183摄氏度的温度。
[ 22 ]
Now, for the past few years, we've been observing Titan and its atmosphere from a spacecraft called Cassini that's in orbit around Saturn. And one thing we've noticed about Titan's surface is that it only has lakes at the poles. The equator, on the other hand, is unusually dry and covered with sand dunes.
翻译：
现在，在过去的几年里，我们一直在观察Titan和它的大气层，从名为Cassini 的航天器上，它一直围着土星轨道转。我们注意到的关于Titan表面的一件事是，它的两极只有湖泊。另一方面，赤道q却是是干燥的，上面覆盖着沙丘
[ 23 ]
But there's also what appear to be dried up channels and rivers, pointing to the possibility of rainfall at some point in the past, which may well be the case, because recently, we think we've seen evidednce of rainfall near Titan's equator.
翻译：
但也有一些渠道和河流似乎干涸了，这表明在过去的某个时候可能会有降雨，很可能是这样，因为最近，我们认为我们在泰坦赤道附近看到了降雨的证据。
[ 24 ]
Of course, we can't actually see it raining from Cassini because it would be obscured by the clouds. But we did see images of a large dark spot near Titan's equator, just after the clouds had passed over that area.
翻译：
当然，我们实际上通过Cassini看不到在下雨，因为它会被云层遮住。但我们确实看到了图像临近Titan赤道附近一个大黑点，就在云层经过该区域之后
[ 25 ]
See, there's a model of Titan's precipitation that predicts that equatorial rain would only occur during spring or autumn. And it was spring on Titan when Cassini took these images. This model is based on something we call the intertropical convergence zone, or ITCZ.
翻译：
看，有一个关于泰坦降水的模型预测赤道降雨只会发生在春季或秋季。卡西尼号拍摄这些照片的时候，正是泰坦的春天。这个模型是基于我们称之为热带辐合带（ITCZ）的东西。
[ 26 ]
Now, on Earth, this zone stays within the tropics because the weather systems on both the North and the South sides to the equator block the ITCZ in, and don't allow it to move much. That's why there's rainfall on our equator year-round.
翻译：
现在，在地球上，这个区域位于热带地区，因为赤道南北两侧的天气系统阻挡了ITCZ，不允许它移动太多。这就是为什么我们赤道上全年都有降雨的原因。
[ 27 ]
That may be why we hadn't seen signs of equatorial precipitation until now, when Titan's ITCZ was passing over its equator at the same time Cassini was in the neighborhood.
翻译：
这可能就是为什么我们直到现在才看到赤道降水的迹象，当时泰坦的ITCZ正在经过其赤道，而卡西尼号就在附近
[ 28 ]
See, we think that slow rotations cause simpler atmospheric circulation patterns. And simpler circulation patterns mean that here aren't large weather systems surrounding the ITCZ that would keep it from shifting, from moving, from one pole to the other, not like on Earth.
翻译：
看，我们认为缓慢的自转会导致更简单的大气环流模式。更简单的环流模式意味着ITCZ周围没有大型天气系统可以阻止它从一个极点移动到另一个极点，这与地球上的情况不同
[ 29 ]
You see, even though it's too cold to sustain life, Titan, with its methane clouds, its methane and ethane lakes, Titan may give us some clues as to what our planet was before the development of life. So it's imperative that we study Titan to better understand how Earth may have started out.
翻译：
你看，尽管它太冷了，无法维持生命，但有着甲烷云、甲烷和乙烷湖的泰坦可能会给我们一些线索，让我们了解生命发展之前我们的星球是什么。因此，我们必须研究泰坦，以更好地了解地球是如何起源的。
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