it was widely believed that insects spontaneously spawned

人們普遍認為，昆蟲會自發地產卵

from dust, mud or rotten meat.

從灰塵、泥土或爛肉中。

Their reproduction was felt to be so strange and frightening,

他們的繁殖被認為是如此奇怪和令人恐懼。

they were known as beasts of the devil.

他們被稱為魔鬼的野獸。

It's partly thanks to the work of naturalist and illustrator,

這部分要歸功於博物學家和插畫家的工作。

Maria Sibylla Merian,

瑪麗亞-西比拉-梅里安。

that we can now find this idea amusing.

我們現在可以發現這個想法很有趣。

Today Merian is celebrated as one of the world's first ecologists.

今天，梅里安被譽為世界上最早的生態學家之一。

She is admired by Sir David Attenborough,

她受到大衛-愛登堡爵士的欽佩。

who described her as one of the most significant contributors

他形容她是最重要的貢獻者之一

to entomology, the study of insects.

對昆蟲學，即對昆蟲的研究。

But she faced many challenges in her journey to educate the world,

但她在教育世界的道路上面臨許多挑戰。

not least because of her sex.

至少因為她的性別。

Born into a family of artists in Frankfurt in 1647,

1647年出生於法蘭克福的一個藝術家家庭。

Merian spent her childhood collecting insects

梅里安在她的童年中收集昆蟲

and drawing them in remarkable detail.

並把它們畫得非常詳細。

In 1665, she married and soon had two daughters.

1665年，她結婚並很快有了兩個女兒。

In an age where a woman's place was thought to be in the home,

在一個女人的位置被認為是在家裡的時代。

she defied convention,

她不顧慣例。

publishing her first book, New Book of Flowers, in 1675.

1675年出版了她的第一本書《花之新書》。

Merian was one of the first to describe

梅里安是最早描述以下內容的人之一

the metamorphosis of insects in detail,

詳細介紹昆蟲的蛻變過程。

declaring that all moths and butterflies

宣佈所有飛蛾和蝴蝶

hatch from eggs after reproduction and do not just magically appear.

在繁殖後從卵中孵化，並不只是神奇地出現。

In 1699, Merian, by then divorced,

1699年，梅里安，當時已經離婚了。

sold her belongings and set sail to Suriname in South America

她賣掉了自己的物品，啟程前往南美洲的蘇利南。

with one of her daughters, Dorothea.

與她的一個女兒，多蘿西婭。

She's thought to be the first woman to travel in the name of science.

她被認為是第一位以科學的名義進行旅行的女性。

After a long sea journey, they set off into the jungle,

經過漫長的海上旅程，他們開始進入叢林。

battling through thick clouds of black flies

在厚厚的黑蒼蠅雲中搏鬥

that inflicted skin-ripping bites - but it was worth it.

導致皮膚撕裂的咬傷--但這是值得的。

The jungles of Suriname were a naturalists' paradise,

蘇利南的叢林是自然主義者的天堂。

teeming with species that would later be documented

充滿了後來被記錄下來的物種

in Merian's groundbreaking work,

在梅里安的開創性工作中。

'The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname', published in 1705.

蘇利南昆蟲的蛻變》，1705年出版。

Its stunning illustrations depicted stages of development of Suriname's

其令人驚歎的插圖描繪了蘇利南的發展階段。

veracious caterpillars and vibrant butterflies,

貪婪的毛蟲和充滿活力的蝴蝶。

as well as many other creatures from this exotic habitat.

以及許多其他來自這個異國棲息地的生物。

Uniquely for the time, she also portrayed insects surrounded

與眾不同的是，她還描寫了被包圍的昆蟲。

by the plants they relied on,

由他們所依賴的植物。

revealing their relationship to the wider ecosystem.

揭示了它們與更廣泛的生態系統的關係。

She was the first to show that the change from caterpillar to butterfly

她是第一個表明從毛毛蟲到蝴蝶的變化的人。

depended on a number of plants.

依賴於一些植物。

Though she had planned to stay longer,

儘管她曾計劃呆得更久。

Merian's adventure was cut short by illness

梅里安的冒險因疾病而中斷

and after two years she returned to Amsterdam.

兩年後，她回到了阿姆斯特丹。

Given the challenges of working in a humid and unfamiliar environment,

鑑於在潮溼和不熟悉的環境中工作的挑戰。

it is remarkable how many species she was able to observe

她能觀察到這麼多的物種，真是了不起。

and catalogue in that time.

和目錄，在這段時間裡。

Her writing is also notable for acknowledging the mistreatment

她的寫作也因承認虐待而受到關注。

of enslaved indigenous and African people

被奴役的土著和非洲人民的

and their contribution to her research.

以及他們對她的研究的貢獻。

She wrote in her description of the peacock flower,

她在對孔雀花的描述中寫道。

'The Indians, who are not treated well by their Dutch masters,

'印第安人，他們沒有受到荷蘭主人的善待。

use the seeds to abort their children,

用種子來打掉他們的孩子。

so that they will not become slaves like themselves.'

這樣他們就不會像自己一樣成為奴隸。

Merian suffered a stroke in 1715 that left her unable to work.

梅里安在1715年中風，使她無法工作。

She died two years later, aged 69.

兩年後她去世了，享年69歲。

However, Merian's legacy has endured.

然而，梅里安的遺產經久不衰。

To date, at least six plants, nine butterflies, two bugs,

到目前為止，至少有六種植物，九隻蝴蝶，兩隻蟲子。

a spider and a lizard, have been named after her.

一隻蜘蛛和一隻蜥蜴，都是以她的名字命名。

Despite being over 300 years old, her work on the biodiversity

儘管已經有300多年的歷史，她在生物多樣性方面的工作

of Suriname is still valued by scientists

蘇利南的 "大熊貓 "仍然受到科學家的重視。

and could show us how some species may adapt to climate change.

並可以向我們展示一些物種可能如何適應氣候變化。