The exchange lasted for approximately two hours, and once the last atomic bomb had fallen, the world fell into a deep darkness of a nuclear holocaust.

交火持續了大約兩個小時，最後一顆原子彈落下後，世界陷入了核浩劫的黑暗之中。

In the resulting wasteland, giant creatures like ants, mole rats, cockroaches, and geckos roam, mutated versions of their previous forms.

在這片荒原上，螞蟻、鼴鼠、蟑螂和壁虎等巨型生物遊蕩著，它們是之前形態的變異版。

This rosy picture is the world of the Fallout games, and provides us with a good reminder that we're lucky that the entire world has not yet obliterated itself with nuclear bombs.

這幅美好的圖景就是《輻射》遊戲中的世界，它很好地提醒了我們，幸好整個世界還沒有被核彈毀滅。

That being said, even though we've not reached total nuclear destruction, our world has had devastating nuclear events.

儘管如此，儘管我們還沒有達到完全的核毀滅，但我們的世界已經發生過毀滅性的核事件。

Actual bombs dropped on cities, nuclear bomb tests, nuclear power plant explosions, and nuclear accidents caused by natural disasters.

實際投擲到城市的炸彈、核彈試驗、核電站爆炸以及自然災害造成的核事故。

And after the initial blasts, high doses of radiation can remain in its wake for years, maybe even for centuries.

而在最初的爆炸之後，高劑量的輻射會持續數年，甚至數百年。

Many of the places where these events have happened have become uninhabitable for humans, because it's basically a guarantee that over time, the radiation would harm or even kill anyone living there.

許多發生過這些事件的地方已經不適合人類居住，因為隨著時間的推移，輻射會傷害甚至殺死生活在那裡的人，這基本上是一種保證。

And yet, in these supposed deadly places, certain animals are not just surviving, but thriving.

然而，在這些所謂的死亡之地，某些動物不僅存活了下來，而且還在茁壯成長。

Some creatures are withstanding what we thought were lethal doses of radiation, and others are mutating because of it.

一些生物能夠承受我們認為是致命劑量的輻射，而另一些生物卻是以發生了變異。

And entire populations are dramatically changing, evolving faster than scientists ever thought possible.

整個種群正在發生巨大的變化，其進化速度之快超出了科學家的想象。

So after the dust settles, what actually happens to animals after nuclear disaster?

那麼，在塵埃落定之後，動物們在核災難後究竟會發生什麼呢？

Can ecosystems ever recover?

生態系統還能恢復嗎？

Or are they doomed to be a Fallout-esque wasteland forever?

還是說，它們註定要永遠成為一片《輻射》式的荒原？

Why do some populations of animals seem to thrive after such an event?

為什麼有些動物種群在這種事件發生後似乎會茁壯成長？

And what mutant animals are out there?

外面有什麼變異動物？

We can't exactly compare the Fallout world to our own, since nuclear bombs have not been dropped to that extent.

我們不能將《輻射》世界與我們的世界相提並論，因為核彈還沒有投擲到那種程度。

The only two bombs ever dropped on humans were in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and it's no mystery that the effect of this was mass death and unimaginable suffering.

人類僅在廣島和長崎投擲過兩枚原子彈，其後果是大規模死亡和難以想象的痛苦，這一點並不神祕。

There was no effort to study the animals exposed during these bombings.

沒有對這些轟炸中暴露的動物進行研究。

There were obviously more pressing things to worry about.

顯然，還有更緊迫的事情要操心。

But when it comes to the effect of actual nuclear bombs on local wildlife, we do have other data points.

但說到實際核彈對當地野生動物的影響，我們確實還有其他數據點。

In 1945, the age of nuclear testing began.

1945 年，核試驗時代開始了。

And since then, thousands of nuclear devices have been detonated, either on land, in the ocean, in the atmosphere, or in space.

從那時起，數以千計的核裝置在陸地、海洋、大氣層或太空中被引爆。

One of the most aggressive series of tests began in July 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

1946 年 7 月，在馬紹爾群島的比基尼環礁開始了一系列最具侵略性的試驗。

Over 12 years, 23 nuclear weapons would be tested by the United States in this area.

12 年間，美國將在這一地區進行 23 次核武器試驗。

In March 1954, the U.S. military launched a bomb named Castle Bravo, the world's first hydrogen bomb, creating a crater two kilometers wide and 80 meters deep.

1954 年 3 月，美國軍方發射了一枚名為 "布拉沃城堡 "的炸彈，這是世界上第一枚氫彈，炸出了一個寬兩公里、深 80 米的彈坑。

The Castle Bravo bomb was two and a half times stronger than scientists expected, making it the largest bomb the U.S. ever dropped.

布拉沃城堡炸彈的威力是科學家們預期的兩倍半，使其成為美國有史以來投擲的最大炸彈。

It caused widespread radioactive contamination.

它造成了大範圍的放射性汙染。

The fallout spread radioactive material as far as Australia, India, and Japan, and even to the United States and parts of Europe.

輻射塵埃將放射性物質擴散到澳洲、印度和日本，甚至美國和歐洲部分地區。

It was 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb and is the most violent thing we have ever done to the ocean.

它的威力是廣島原子彈的 1000 倍，是我們對海洋做過的最猛烈的事情。

The immediate physical destruction was clear.

直接的物質破壞是顯而易見的。

Surface seawater temperatures reached 55,000 degrees Celsius.

表層海水溫度達到 55000 攝氏度。

The surface of the sun, by the way, is 5,500 degrees Celsius.

順便提一下，太陽表面的溫度為 5500 攝氏度。

Blast waves traveled at 8 meters per second, and blast columns reached the floor of the lagoon.

爆炸波以每秒 8 米的速度傳播，爆炸柱直達瀉湖地面。

Coral fragments landed on boats miles away.

珊瑚碎片落在數英里外的船上。

It's safe to say any creature in the blast zone was completely annihilated.

可以肯定地說，爆炸區內的任何生物都被徹底消滅了。

So much of this Pacific paradise was reduced to dust in an instant.

這個太平洋上的天堂瞬間化為灰燼。

But now, 70 years later, what has become of Bikini Atoll?

但是，70 年後的今天，比基尼環礁變成了什麼樣子？

Today, the craters are a remaining visible scar, and the lagoon still has high levels of cesium-137 and plutonium-240.

如今，隕石坑已成為一道殘留的明顯傷疤，瀉湖中的銫-137 和鈈-240 含量仍然很高。

When scientists returned to observe the local wildlife, the first thing that they noticed was nurse sharks with only one dorsal fin instead of two, possible evidence of mutations caused by radiation exposure.

當科學家們返回觀察當地的野生動物時，他們首先注意到的是護士鯊只有一個背鰭，而不是兩個，這可能是輻射導致變異的證據。

They also noticed the absolutely creepy palm trees, 100,000 coconut palms planted in perfect rows in the decades after the bombs, in the U.S.'s ill-conceived attempt to put the island back together.

他們還注意到了令人毛骨悚然的棕櫚樹，在炸彈爆炸後的幾十年裡，美國在島上種植了十萬棵椰子樹，成行成列。

Bikini Atoll is, by all reports, an eerie place.

據報道，比基尼環礁是一個陰森恐怖的地方。

So when researchers arrived at the craters of the biggest hydrogen bombs, what they found surprised them.

是以，當研究人員來到最大氫彈的彈坑時，他們的發現令他們大吃一驚。

They had expected to find scattered fragments of coral communities barely clinging to life.

他們本以為能找到零星的珊瑚群落碎片，勉強維持生命。

But instead, they found enormous, healthy corals.

但是，他們卻發現了巨大而健康的珊瑚。

Corals the size of cars.

珊瑚有汽車那麼大

They realized that these corals must have started growing immediately after the blasts, and they seemed to have been thriving for all these years.

他們意識到，這些珊瑚一定是在爆炸後立即開始生長的，而且這麼多年來似乎一直在茁壯成長。

But how have these nearly 70-year-old corals survived their radioactive environment with no immediately obvious cost to their fitness?

但是，這些將近 70 歲的珊瑚是如何在放射性環境中存活下來，而且沒有立即對它們的健康造成明顯的損失呢？

To find out, researchers sequenced the genomes of corals from the nuclear sites and compared them to corals growing in normal conditions.

為了找出答案，研究人員對來自核部位的珊瑚進行了基因組測序，並將它們與正常條件下生長的珊瑚進行了比較。

And they found that overall, the corals growing in the nuclear blast sites were in fact not heavily mutated.

他們發現，總體而言，生長在核爆炸現場的珊瑚實際上並沒有發生嚴重變異。

In fact, they had not really mutated at all.

事實上，它們根本沒有發生真正的變異。

This likely points to an ability in these corals to completely resist genetic damage from radiation, avoiding cancer and sometimes living for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

這很可能表明，這些珊瑚有能力完全抵禦輻射對基因的損害，避免癌症，有時甚至能活上幾百年甚至上千年。

If we can figure out exactly what genes allow them to resist gene mutations and cancer, they could hold the secrets to our own longevity.

如果我們能弄清楚到底是哪些基因讓它們能夠抵禦基因突變和癌症，它們就可能掌握著我們長壽的祕密。

Similarly, the island is home to enormous coconut crabs who exclusively eat coconuts full of cancer-causing cesium-137 and strontium-90, which gets absorbed into their bodies.

同樣，島上還有巨大的椰子蟹，它們專門吃椰子，椰子中含有致癌的銫-137 和鍶-90，這些物質會被它們的身體吸收。

One large crab was found to have 16 picocuries per gram of dry weight of strontium-90 in its muscle, and 1,600 picocuries per gram of it in its exoskeleton.

發現一隻大螃蟹的肌肉中每克乾重含有 16 皮居里的鍶-90，外骨骼中每克含有 1,600 皮居里的鍶-90。

For reference, people in Connecticut were recently freaking out because they found 0.028 picocuries per gram of strontium-90 in Connecticut River fish.

作為參考，康涅狄格州的人們最近因為在康涅狄格河的魚類中發現每克 0.028 皮居里的鍶-90 而大驚失色。

And yet these crabs seem to be absolutely fine.

然而，這些螃蟹似乎完全沒有問題。

Scientists don't know yet the genetic underpinnings of how or why, but just like the corals, finding out could be pivotal in human medicine.

科學家們還不知道如何或為什麼會有這樣的基因基礎，但就像珊瑚一樣，找出這些基因基礎可能會對人類醫學起到關鍵作用。

But this is not to say that we can just go blasting all of our oceans with no repercussions.

但這並不是說，我們可以在沒有任何影響的情況下爆破我們所有的海洋。

In the waters surrounding the atoll, scientists have calculated that 28 coral species have disappeared since the nuclear tests.

據科學家計算，自核試驗以來，環礁周圍水域已有 28 個珊瑚物種消失。

The species that repopulated the area may be resilient, but not every coral, by any means, returned.

在該地區重新繁衍的物種可能具有頑強的生命力，但無論如何，並不是每一種珊瑚都能迴歸。

And this brings up another question.

這就引出了另一個問題。

If an area gets obliterated, can the ecosystem ever go back to the way it was?

如果一個地區被毀滅，生態系統還能恢復到原來的樣子嗎？

To answer this question, you ideally have to compare an ecosystem before and after a major catastrophic event that wipes out communities and restarts primary succession, which is easier said than done.

要回答這個問題，理想的做法是比較一個生態系統在重大災難事件發生之前和之後的情況，這些災難事件摧毀了群落並重新啟動了原始演替，但說起來容易做起來難。

But researchers got just the opportunity at another atoll in the Pacific Ocean that was subjected to atmospheric nuclear tests in the 1960s, an atoll that luckily had community surveys taken before the tests.

不過，研究人員在太平洋上另一個曾在 20 世紀 60 年代進行過大氣層核試驗的環礁上得到了這樣的機會。

These researchers specifically wanted to know, are ecological communities assembled following describable rules?

這些研究人員特別想知道，生態群落是按照可描述的規則組合起來的嗎？

Meaning, do ecosystems sort of have a fate attached to them?

也就是說，生態系統是否與命運息息相關？

Is a reef in this area destined to have this many corals, this many mussels, this type of fish, etc, based on forces like competition and predation?

在競爭和捕食等力量的作用下，這一地區的珊瑚礁是否註定會有這麼多的珊瑚、這麼多的貽貝、這麼多的魚類等？

Or are ecological communities structured by random processes?

生態群落是由隨機過程構成的嗎？

Meaning, are ecosystems settled randomly, as if the snow globe of the universe just shakes everything up and all the pieces just fall wherever they fall?

也就是說，生態系統是否是隨機定居的，就好像宇宙的雪球把一切都搖晃起來，所有的碎片都會隨處落下？

And what they found was that on all reefs, community composition before the tests was very different from what it evolved to afterwards.

他們發現，在所有珊瑚礁上，試驗前的群落組成與試驗後的群落組成大相徑庭。

Meaning that it is much more likely that these communities settle randomly.

這意味著，這些社區更有可能是隨機定居的。

And so if you explode an entire island, things won't go back to the way they were.

是以，如果你炸掉了整座島嶼，事情也不會回到原來的樣子。

So it seems that irradiated areas do get repopulated with life, albeit different life, than what was there before.

由此看來，輻照地區確實會重新聚集生命，儘管是與以前不同的生命。

But there can be another consequence to wildlife when it returns to these nuclear areas.

但是，當野生動物回到這些核區域時，可能會產生另一種後果。

Mutations and rapid evolution.

突變和快速進化

On April 26, 1986, during a safety system test,

1986 年 4 月 26 日，在一次安全系統測試中、

Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine experienced a devastating meltdown.

烏克蘭北部切爾諾貝利核電站的 4 號反應堆發生了毀滅性的熔燬。

The ensuing explosion and the fiery plume it created released over 100 radioactive elements into the atmosphere and surrounding environment.

隨後發生的爆炸及其產生的熾熱煙羽向大氣和周圍環境釋放了 100 多種放射性元素。

Two reactor workers were killed immediately, and another 28 first responders died within the first three months after the accident.

兩名反應堆工人當場死亡，另有 28 名急救人員在事故發生後的頭三個月內死亡。

Around 200,000 people in nearby areas had to be evacuated to avoid the fallout.

附近地區約有 20 萬人不得不撤離，以避免受到放射性塵埃的影響。

And it's estimated that the accident spewed 400 times more radioactive material into the atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima.

據估計，這次事故向大氣中噴射的放射性物質比在廣島投下的原子彈多 400 倍。

The Soviet Union ultimately created the 2600 square kilometer

蘇聯最終建立了 2600 平方公里的

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone across the northern part of Ukraine, limiting humans who could go back to the contaminated areas.

切爾諾貝利禁區橫跨烏克蘭北部地區，限制人類返回受汙染地區。

And it wasn't only humans who suffered in the immediate aftermath of this accident.

事故發生後，受苦受難的不僅僅是人類。

Plants and wildlife died in huge numbers in the areas around Chernobyl.

切爾諾貝利周圍地區的植物和野生動物大量死亡。

A 600 hectare patch of pine tree forest was completely destroyed by the fire and radiation.

大火和輻射完全摧毀了一片 600 公頃的松樹林。

A 10 square kilometer area surrounding the Chernobyl power plant became known as the Red Forest, where the trees absorbed high levels of ionizing radiation, turned reddish brown, and died.

切爾諾貝利發電廠周圍 10 平方公里的區域被稱為 "紅色森林"，那裡的樹木吸收了大量電離輻射，變成紅褐色並枯死。

The Red Forest continues to be one of the most radioactive sites on the planet.

紅森林仍然是地球上放射性最強的地方之一。

Bird species in the more highly contaminated areas of the CEZ have more genetic mutations, smaller brains, and in the case of barn swallows, less viable sperm.

中歐經濟區汙染較嚴重地區的鳥類基因突變較多，大腦較小，穀倉燕的精子存活率較低。

And in 2007, researchers counted 66% fewer birds and 50% fewer bird species in the highly radioactive places around Chernobyl.

而在 2007 年，研究人員在切爾諾貝利周圍的高輻射地區統計到的鳥類數量減少了 66%，鳥類種類減少了 50%。

Other research studied 28 generations of mice living in the Red Forest and found remarkable levels of radioactive cesium and strontium.

其他研究對生活在紅色森林中的 28 代小鼠進行了研究，發現放射性銫和鍶的含量非常高。

And nearby farms claimed that from 1986 to 1990, nearly 350 animals were born with deformities such as missing or extra limbs, missing eyes, heads or ribs, or deformed skulls.

而附近的養殖場聲稱，從 1986 年到 1990 年，有近 350 只動物出生時就患有畸形，如四肢缺失或多餘，眼睛、頭部或肋骨缺失，或頭骨畸形。

In comparison, only three abnormal births had been registered in the five years prior.

相比之下，在此之前的五年中，只有三例異常出生登記。

But other researchers have found that the effects of regular exposure to radiation are not always so straightforwardly negative.

但其他研究人員發現，經常受到輻射的影響並不總是那麼直接的負面影響。

Researchers are realizing sometimes it's not even that the animals are rapidly mutating, but rather rapidly evolving, and that natural selection is at work faster than they thought possible.

研究人員意識到，有時甚至不是動物在快速變異，而是在快速進化，自然選擇發揮作用的速度比他們想象的要快。

This is the case for the eastern tree frog.

東部樹蛙就屬於這種情況。

This species normally appears in different shades of bright green, but the frogs in the Chernobyl area look nothing like they do in other parts of Europe.

這種青蛙通常呈現出不同深淺的翠綠色，但切爾諾貝利地區的青蛙與歐洲其他地區的青蛙完全不同。

Some of these frogs are jet black.

有些青蛙全身漆黑。

Researchers sampled more than 200 frogs at varying distances from ground zero and found that those who lived in the areas with the highest levels of radiation historically, and that detail is important, had much darker skin color.

研究人員對距離地面零點不同距離的 200 多隻青蛙進行了採樣，發現那些生活在歷史上輻射水準最高地區的青蛙（這個細節很重要），膚色要深得多。

And they think this is an example of evolution happening right before our eyes.

他們認為這是進化就在我們眼前發生的一個例子。

And that's because melanin, which is responsible for skin color, can be protective against radiation.

這是因為造成皮膚顏色的黑色素可以抵禦輻射。

We might be familiar with this in terms of ultraviolet radiation, like radiation from the sun.

我們可能熟悉紫外線輻射，比如太陽輻射。

It's common knowledge that melanin-lacking or fair-skinned people get roasted with sunburn at the beach, whereas people with darker skin have more protection.

眾所周知，缺乏黑色素或皮膚白皙的人在海灘上會被晒傷，而皮膚黝黑的人則有更強的防護能力。

But it turns out melanin can be protective against ionizing radiation too, like that found around Chernobyl.

但事實證明，黑色素也能抵禦電離輻射，比如切爾諾貝利附近的輻射。

Now keep in mind that these frogs can have dark skin as a natural fluke, a normal bit of variation in the species.

請記住，這些青蛙的皮膚可能天生就黑，這是物種的正常變異。

When the researchers measured the frogs' coloration, they found that the ones with the darkest skin did not correlate with current levels of radiation.

研究人員在測量青蛙的膚色時發現，皮膚顏色最深的青蛙與當前的輻射水準並不相關。

Instead, they came from areas that previously had the highest levels of radiation.

相反，它們來自以前輻射水準最高的地區。

So it's not so much that the radiation caused immediate mutations, but that the radiation selected for the frogs that had darker skin at the time of the explosion.

是以，並不是輻射導致了直接突變，而是輻射選擇了爆炸時皮膚較黑的青蛙。

And that trait continued to be passed down.

而這種特質一直傳承了下來。

It's an example of rapid evolution, an entire population of frogs aggressively selecting for a specific trait and changing the way they look in just 35 years.

這是一個快速進化的例子，整個青蛙種群在短短的 35 年時間裡積極地選擇一種特定的性狀，並改變了它們的外觀。

So is radiation harming or helping evolution among wildlife populations in the CEZ?

那麼，輻射對中歐和東歐地區野生動物種群的進化是有害還是有益呢？

It's complicated, and it gets even more so when we look at one of the main carnivores in the area.

這很複雜，而當我們看到該地區的主要食肉動物之一時，情況就更加複雜了。

One species researchers have been following closely for the last decade are Eurasian wolves, a species that was driven almost to extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries.

在過去十年中，研究人員一直密切關注的一個物種是歐亞狼，這個物種在 19 世紀和 20 世紀幾乎滅絕。

Given how close these animals came to being eradicated, you might think they were also quite vulnerable to the harmful mutations caused by exposure to radiation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

鑑於這些動物差一點就被消滅，你可能會認為它們也很容易受到切爾諾貝利禁區輻射造成的有害變異的影響。

That certainly seemed to be the case after one particular study.

在一項特殊研究之後，情況似乎確實如此。

Researchers collared nine wolves in an area of Belarus known as the Pelesi State Radiation Ecology Preserve that adjoins the CEZ.

研究人員在白俄羅斯一個名為佩列西國家輻射生態保護區（Pelesi State Radiation Ecology Preserve）的地區為九隻狼套上了項圈，該保護區與中歐保護區毗鄰。

This was a first-of-its-kind study because the combination of GPS technology and radiation dosimeters had only just become small enough to combine in a single collar.

這是一項首創的研究，因為 GPS 技術和輻射劑量計的結合才剛剛變得足夠小，可以結合在一個項圈中。

This was the first time researchers could directly measure the radiation dose the wolves were receiving.

這是研究人員第一次可以直接測量狼群接受的輻射劑量。

From the start, the researchers had to carefully calibrate the dosimeters that measured the radioactive element CCM137 because the wolves had already absorbed a certain amount of radiation in their lives.

從一開始，研究人員就必須仔細校準測量放射性元素 CCM137 的劑量計，因為狼群在生活中已經吸收了一定量的輻射。

Basically, the researchers had to make sure they were only measuring radioactivity coming from the environment, not from the wolves themselves.

基本上，研究人員必須確保他們只測量來自環境的放射性，而不是來自狼群本身的放射性。

Seven of the wolves were monitored over six months, and their collars sent GPS locations and radiation data to researchers every 35 minutes.

研究人員對其中 7 只狼進行了為期 6 個月的監測，它們的項圈每 35 分鐘向研究人員發送一次 GPS 定位和輻射數據。

What the researchers found was that the amount of radiation exposure varied hugely among wolves, which makes sense because the dispersal of radioactivity is also very varied across the landscape.

研究人員發現，狼群受到的輻射量差別很大，這也是情理之中的事，因為輻射在地表的散佈也是千差萬別的。

Over the span of a year, the wolf with the lowest exposure only had 2.6 milligrays, which is slightly less than the dose a human receives from an abdominal x-ray.

在一年的時間裡，暴露量最低的狼只受到了 2.6 毫戈瑞的照射，略低於人類接受腹部 X 射線照射的劑量。

But most of the wolves had a much higher level of exposure, with one wolf encountering 35.7 milligrays in less than a year.

但大多數狼的接觸水準要高得多，有一隻狼在不到一年的時間裡接觸了 35.7 毫戈瑞。

It's generally established that exposure of over 100 milligrays of radiation in humans will cause cancer.

一般認為，人體暴露在超過 100 毫戈瑞的輻射中會致癌。

So if this wolf encountered that level of radiation its whole life, anywhere from 6 to 13 years, presumably it would have a pretty high likelihood of developing cancer.

是以，如果這隻狼一生（6 到 13 年）都受到這種程度的輻射，那麼它患癌症的可能性就會相當高。

But more recent research has actually suggested the opposite.

但最近的研究表明，實際情況恰恰相反。

Blood samples taken from wolves in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone were compared with the blood of wolves from elsewhere in Belarus and Yellowstone National Park, and the researchers found something surprising.

研究人員將從切爾諾貝利禁區的狼身上採集的血液樣本與白俄羅斯其他地方和黃石國家公園的狼的血液樣本進行了比較，結果發現了一些令人驚訝的現象。

The wolves had 23 genes that correlated with a protective effect against different types of human tumors.

狼群中有 23 個基因與對不同類型人類腫瘤的保護作用相關。

In other words, it seems that their prolonged exposure to radiation made them less likely to develop cancer.

換句話說，他們長期暴露於輻射之下，患癌症的可能性似乎降低了。

It's unclear how or why this happened, and researchers are still in the early stages of their analysis.

目前還不清楚這種情況是如何發生的，也不清楚為什麼會發生，研究人員的分析工作還處於初期階段。

But it does suggest that maybe not all radiation exposure is a death sentence.

但它確實表明，也許並不是所有的輻射照射都會導致死亡。

But what we do know about these wolves is that they're thriving.

但我們所知道的是，這些狼正在茁壯成長。

The wolf population in this radioactive area is seven times denser than populations in protected lands elsewhere in Belarus.

這一放射性地區的狼群密度是白俄羅斯其他地方保護區狼群密度的七倍。

Although some of this could be explained by a lack of humans in this radioactive area.

儘管其中一些原因可以解釋為這一放射性地區缺少人類。

For whatever the reason, after this horrific nuclear disaster, nature is healing in ways we didn't fully expect.

不管是什麼原因，在這場可怕的核災難之後，大自然正在以我們意想不到的方式癒合創傷。

So if the world does ever descend into a Fallout-esque nuclear wasteland, mutant versions of animals may not be so far-fetched.

是以，如果世界真的淪為《輻射》式的核荒原，變異版的動物也許並不那麼牽強。

Maybe they won't be aggressive giants, but also what do I know?

也許它們不會是咄咄逼人的巨人，但我又知道什麼呢？

Maybe that would be the best way to survive a nuclear wasteland.

也許這才是在核廢墟中生存的最佳方式。

And thanks to the new Fallout TV show, we can ponder these evolutionary questions even more.

多虧了新的《輻射》電視劇，我們可以更加深入地思考這些進化問題。

We are living in the age of streaming giants like Amazon Prime, which is streaming Fallout, but also YouTube, where you're watching this right now.

我們生活在亞馬遜 Prime 等流媒體巨頭的時代，亞馬遜 Prime 正在播放《輻射》，YouTube 也正在播放這部影片。

Compared to the garbage that network TV fed us for decades, the content available right now is so good.

與幾十年來網絡電視給我們提供的垃圾內容相比，現在的內容實在是太好了。

That being said,

話雖如此

I think we all have our gripes with the streaming giants.

我想我們都對流媒體巨頭有不滿。