Go on.

我想請你們摸一下自己的臉。

What do you feel?

摸摸看。

Soft? Squishy?

有什麼感覺?

It's you, right? You're feeling you?

柔軟？濕軟？

Well, it's not quite true.

這就是你，對嗎？ 你感覺到的是你自己？

You're actually feeling thousands of microscopic creatures

這樣說並不準確，

that live on our face and fingers.

你感覺到的其實是 數以千計的顯微生物，

You're feeling some of the fungi

它們就在你們的臉上、手指上。

that drifted down from the air ducts today.

你們還感覺到了一些真菌，

They set off our allergies

它們來自冷氣管， 今天飄落到你的皮膚上。

and smell of mildew.

它們會觸發我們的過敏症狀，

You're feeling some of the 100 billion bacterial cells

也會造成霉味。

that live on our skin.

你們也感覺到約千億個

They've been munching away at your skin oils and replicating,

活在我們皮膚表面的細菌細胞。

producing the smells of body odor.

它們嚙食皮膚上的油脂， 然後複製繁殖，

You're likely even touching the fecal bacteria

產生了我們的體味。

that sprayed onto you the last time you flushed a toilet,

你們甚至可能也摸到了排泄物細菌，

or those bacteria that live in our water pipes

是你們上一次沖馬桶時 噴濺到你們身上的，

and sprayed onto you with your last shower.

或是那些生活在水管裡的細菌，

Sorry.

在你們上次洗澡時噴在你們身上。

(Laughter)

抱歉。

You're probably even giving a microscopic high five

（笑聲）

to the two species of mites that live on our faces,

你們剛剛甚至可能還做了微擊掌，

on all of our faces.

擊掌對象是住在我們臉上的兩種蟎。

They've spent the night squirming across your face

我們滿臉都是。

and having sex on the bridge of your nose.

它們夜晚在你臉上蠕動爬行，

(Laughter)

在你們的鼻樑上做愛。

Many of them are now leaking their gut contents onto your pores.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

有許多蟎現在還正在把腸子裡的 東西排到你們的毛孔裡。

Now look at your finger.

（笑聲）

How's it feel? Gross?

現在看看你們的手指。

In desperate need of soap or bleach?

感覺如何？噁心嗎？

That's how you feel now,

非常需要肥皂或漂白劑嗎？

but it's not going to be how you feel in the future.

這是你們現在的感覺，

For the last 100 years,

在未來你們就不會這樣覺得了。

we've had an adversarial relationship

在過去的一百年裡，

with the microscopic life nearest us.

我們一直和那些離我們最近的

If I told you there was a bug in your house

顯微生物保持著敵對關係。

or bacteria in your sink,

如果我跟你說，你家裡有病菌，

there was a human-devised solution for that,

或水槽裡有細菌，

a product to eradicate, exterminate,

人類針對這情況設計了解決方案，

disinfect.

一種產品可以用來根除、消滅、

We strive to remove most of the microscopic life in our world now.

消毒。

But in doing so, we're ignoring the best source of new technology

現在我們努力在消除世界上 大部份的顯微生命，

on this planet.

但這麼做時，我們其實也忽略

The last 100 years have featured human solutions to microbial problems,

地球上最棒的新科技來源。

but the next 100 years will feature microbial solutions to human problems.

過去一百年的特點是針對 微生物問題提出人類解決方案，

I'm a scientist, and I work with researchers

接下來一百年的特點會是

at North Carolina State University and the University of Colorado

針對人類問題提出微生物解決方案。

to uncover the microscopic life that is nearest us,

我是科學家，

and that's often in our most intimate and boring environments,

我與北卡羅來納州立大學

be it under our couches, in our backyards,

和科羅拉多大學的研究者合作，

or in our belly buttons.

探究最靠近我們的顯微生命，

I do this work because it turns out that we know very little

通常就存在於我們 最熟悉且無聊的環境中，

about the microscopic life that's nearest us.

比如就在我們的沙發下、後院裡、

As of a few years ago, no scientist could tell you

和我們的肚臍裡。

what bugs or microorganisms live in your home --

我做這項研究，是因為事實證明，

your home, the place you know better than anywhere else.

我們對於最靠近我們的 顯微生命所知非常少。

And so I and teams of others

一直到幾年前， 都沒有科學家能告訴你

are armed with Q-tips and tweezers

你家裡住了哪些病菌或微生物──

and advanced DNA techniques

你家裡，那是你最熟悉不過的地方。

to uncover the microscopic life nearest us.

所以我和其他人組成的團隊

In doing so, we found over 600 species of bugs

帶著棉花棒、鑷子、

that live in USA homes,

還有先進的 DNA 技術，

everything from spiders and cockroaches

來探索離我們最近的顯微生命。

to tiny mites that cling to feathers.

光靠這麼做，我們就發現 有超過六百種蟲子、病菌

And we found over 100,000 species of bacteria and fungi

住在美國的住家中，

that live in our dust bunnies,

從蜘蛛到蟑螂

thousands more that live on our clothes or in our showers.

到附在羽毛上的小蟎類。

We've gone further still,

我們發現了超過 十萬種的細菌和真菌，

and we looked at the microorganisms

住在都是灰塵的兔子玩偶身上，

that live inside the bodies of each of those bugs in our home.

還有另外數千種住在 我們的衣服上或是淋浴間裡。

In each bug, for example, a wasp,

我們還再進一步研究，

we see a microscopic jungle unfold in a petri plate,

我們去研究那些住在

a world of hundreds of vibrant species.

我們家中的蟲子，看它們 身體裡面又住了哪些微生物。

Behold the biological cosmos!

針對每一隻蟲子，比如，一隻黃蜂，

So many of the species you're looking at right now

我們都會在培養皿上 發現一個顯微叢林，

don't yet have names.

數百種品種的活躍生物 所居住的世界。

Most of the life around us remains unknown.

看哪！看看這個生物宇宙！

I remember the first time I discovered and got to name a new species.

你們現在看到的是許多都還沒

It was a fungus that lives in the nest of a paper wasp.

被命名的品種。

It's white and fluffy,

我們身邊大部份的生命 都還是未知的。

and I named it "mucor nidicola,"

我還記得我第一次發現了 一個新品種且得以為它命名。

meaning in Latin that it lives in the nest of another.

那是一種真菌， 住在黃腰泥壺蜂的巢裡。

This is a picture of it growing on a dinosaur,

它是白色的，且毛茸茸的，

because everyone thinks dinosaurs are cool.

我把它叫做「mucor nidicola」，

At the time, I was in graduate school,

這是拉丁文，意思是 它住在別人的巢裡。

and I was so excited that I had found this new life form.

這是它的照片， 它長在一隻恐龍身上，

I called up my dad, and I go,

因為每個人都覺得恐龍很酷。

"Dad! I just discovered a new microorganism species."

那時，我還在讀研究所，

And he laughed and he goes,

對於發現新物種，我感到相當興奮。

"That's great. I hope you also discovered a cure for it."

我打電話給我爸爸，說：

(Laughter)

「爸！我剛發現了 一種新的微生物品種。」

"Cure it."

他笑了，然後說：

Now, my dad is my biggest fan,

「好極了。我希望你也 發現了它的解藥。」

so in that crushing moment where he wanted to kill my new little life form,

（笑聲）

I realized that actually I had failed him,

「治好它。」

both as a daughter and a scientist.

我爸爸是我的頭號粉絲，

In my years toiling away in labs and in people's backyards,

所以，在他想要殺掉 我的新物種的毀滅性時刻，

investigating and cataloging the microscopic life around us,

我了解到我身為女兒和科學家，

I'd never made clear my true mission to him.

兩個身份都讓他失望了。

My goal is not to find technology

多年來我在實驗室及 別人家的後院裡苦幹，

to kill the new microscopic life around us.

調查我們身邊的顯微生命 並將它們編入目錄，

My goal is to find new technology from this life, that will help save us.

我卻從未讓他了解我真正的使命。

The diversity of life in our homes is more than a list of 100,000 new species.

我的目標並不是要找到技術

It is 100,000 new sources of solutions to human problems.

來殺掉我們周圍的新顯微生命。

I know it's hard to believe that anything that's so small

我的目標是要從這生命找到新技術，

or only has one cell

來協助拯救我們。

can do anything powerful,

在我們家中的生命多樣性， 有高達十萬種新物種。

but they can.

也就是說，人類問題又多了 十萬個新的解決方案來源。

These creatures are microscopic alchemists,

我知道很難相信這麼小的生物

with the ability to transform their environment

或是只有一個細胞的生物，

with an arsenal of chemical tools.

可以做出強大的事來，

This means that they can live anywhere on this planet,

但確實可以。

and they can eat whatever food is around them.

這些生物是顯微鍊金術士，

This means they can eat everything from toxic waste to plastic,

有能力用一堆化學工具

and they can produce waste products like oil and battery power

來轉變它們的環境。

and even tiny nuggets of real gold.

這意味著，它們能存活 在地球上的任何地方，

They can transform the inedible into nutritive.

且它們可以吃身邊的任何食物。

They can make sugar into alcohol.

也就是說，它們什麼都能吃， 從有毒的廢料到塑膠都可以，

They give chocolate its flavor,

它們可以產生廢料產品， 像是油和電池電力，

and soil the power to grow.

甚至是真正黃金做的小金塊。

I'm here to tell you

它們可以把不能吃的東西， 轉變為有營養的東西。

that the next 100 years will feature these microscopic creatures

它們能把糖變成酒精。

solving more of our problems.

它們讓巧克力有其味道，

And we have a lot of problems to choose from.

讓土壤有種植的力量。

We've got the mundane: bad-smelling clothes or bland food.

我在此告訴各位，

And we've got the monumental:

接下來一百年的特點 會是用這些顯微生物，

disease, pollution, war.

來解決更多我們的問題。

And so this is my mission:

我們有許多問題可供選擇。

to not just catalog the microscopic life around us,

我們有世俗問題： 臭衣物或淡而無味的食物。

but to find out what it's uniquely well-suited to help us with.

我們也有重大的問題：

Here's an example.

疾病、污染、戰爭。

We started with a pest,

所以，這是我的使命：

a wasp that lives on many of our homes.

不只是要把我們身邊的 顯微生命編入目錄中，

Inside that wasp, we plucked out a little-known microorganism species

也要找出它特別能 協助我們的地方是什麼。

with a unique ability:

這是一個例子。

it could make beer.

我們從一隻害蟲說起，

This is a trait that only a few species on this planet have.

很多人的房子都會住有黃蜂。

In fact, all commercially produced beer you've ever had

在黃蜂體內，我們找出了 很少人知道的一種微生物物種，

likely came from one of only three microorganism species.

它有種獨特的能力：

Yet our species, it could make a beer that tasted like honey,

它能製造啤酒。

and it could also make a delightfully tart beer.

地球上只有少數幾種 物種有這項特性。

In fact, this microorganism species that lives in the belly of a wasp,

事實上，你曾喝過的 所有商業製造啤酒，

it could make a valuable sour beer

很可能就是來自僅三種 微生物物種的其中一種。

better than any other species on this planet.

但我們談的這個物種， 它製造出的啤酒嚐起來像蜂蜜，

There are now four species that produce commercial beer.

它也能製造出讓人愉悅的酸啤酒。

Where you used to see a pest,

事實上，住在黃蜂肚子裡的 這種微生物物種，

now think of tasting your future favorite beer.

它能夠製造出很有價值的酸啤酒，

As a second example,

且比地球上任何其他物種 製造出來的都還要優。

I worked with researchers to dig in the dirt in people's backyards.

現在，共有四種物種 會製造商業啤酒了。

There, we uncovered a microorganism that could make novel antibiotics,

以前，你會看到害蟲，

antibiotics that can kill the world's worst superbugs.

現在，試著想想品嚐 你未來最愛的啤酒。

This was an awesome thing to find,

第二個例子，

but here's the secret:

我和研究者合作去挖別人後院的土。

for the last 60 years,

在那裡，我們發現了一種微生物， 它可以做出新的抗生素，

most of the antibiotics on the market

這種抗生素能殺死 世界上最糟的超級病菌。

have come from similar soil bacteria.

這是個很棒的發現，

Every day, you and I and everyone in this room

但有個秘密：

and on this planet,

在過去六十年，

are saved by similar soil bacteria that produce most of our antibiotics.

市場上大部份的抗生素

Where you used to see dirt,

都來自類似的土壤細菌。

now think of medication.

每天，你、我、這裡的每個人、

Perhaps my favorite example comes from colleagues

地球上的每個人，

who are studying a pond scum microorganism,

都是靠類似的土壤細菌來保命， 它們為我們製造絕大部分的抗生素。

which is tragically named after the cow dung it was first found in.

以前，你會看到泥土，

It's pretty unremarkable and would be unworthy of discussion,

現在，試著想想藥物。

except that the researchers found that if you feed it to mice,

我最愛的也許是來自我同事的例子，

it vaccinates against PTSD.

他們在研究某種浮在死水上的藻類，

It vaccinates against fear.

因為它最初是在牛粪中被發現， 因此不幸地以之命名，

Where you used to see pond scum, now think of hope.

它非常平凡，不值得討論，

There are so many more microbial examples

除了一點，研究者發現， 若拿它餵食老鼠，

that I don't have time to talk about today.

會對創傷後壓力症候群免疫，

I gave you examples of solutions that came from just three species,

會對恐懼免疫。

but imagine what those other 100,000 species in your dust bunnies

以前，你看到的是死水上的藻類， 現在試著想想希望。

might be able to do.

還有好多微生物的例子，

In the future, they might be able to make you sexier

今天沒時間一個一個談。

or smarter

我剛舉的例子，僅是來自 三種物種的解決方案，

or perhaps live longer.

但是想像一下那些附在灰撲撲的 兔子玩偶身上的其他十萬種物種，

So I want you to look at your finger again.

它們可能具有的潛力。

Think about all those microscopic creatures

在未來，它們可能 可以讓你變得更性感、

that are unknown.

更聰明、

Think about in the future what they might be able to do

或是更長壽。

or make

所以，請再看一眼你們手指。

or whose life they might be able to save.

想想所有這些未知的微生物。

How does your finger feel right now?

想想在未來它們可能可以做什麼、

A little bit powerful?

可以製造什麼、

That's because you're feeling the future.

可能可以拯救誰的性命。

Thank you.

現在你的手指感覺如何？

(Applause)

有點強大嗎？