These are some of the world's scariest viruses.

這些是令全世界聞風喪膽的病毒們。

Hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola are extremely fatal.

伊波拉病毒造成的出血熱極度具有致命性。

They kill up to 90 percent of people infected while SARS, a coronavirus, has a lower mortality rate but spreads incredibly rapidly.

超過九成受感染的病患會死亡。而 SARS，一種冠狀病毒，有著比較低的致死率但傳播速率驚人地高。

All of these nasty pathogens have surfaced in humans in just the last 50 years, and they are all carried by bats.

這些討厭的病原體近 50 年才在人類間出現，而他們全部都是由蝙蝠攜帶。

Which, to be clear, really isn't bats' fault.

而這需要澄清一下，其實並不是蝙蝠們的錯。

The recent rise in outbreaks is likely due to humans and our animals creeping ever farther into bats' territory, especially in the tropics.

最近疫情爆發的情況增加很有可能是因為人類與我們的動物緩慢的侵入蝙蝠的領地，尤其是熱帶地區。

In Malaysia, for example, the spread of commercial pig farms into bat-inhabited forests led to the first human outbreak—via pigs—of Nipah.

舉例來說，在馬來西亞，因商業豬圈擴展進入蝙蝠棲息的森林，導致了以豬為媒介，爆發了人類第一次的立百病毒疫情。

And in Australia, human Hendra cases are cropping up as destruction of native forests forces fruit bats to feed in suburban gardens.

而在澳洲，亨德拉病毒引起的病例是因為原始森林被破壞，原棲息於森林中的蝙蝠必須轉至近郊的園地覓食而突然出現。

But still, bats do appear to carry more human-killing diseases than pretty much any other animal.

但蝙蝠的確帶有與其他動物比較起來較多致命的疾病。

One big reason is that, with a few notable exceptions, bats love company.

一大原因為蝙蝠喜歡群居，除了極少數顯著的例外。

Different kinds of bats often roost together in huge numbers and close quarters, which helps viruses spread not just between individuals, but also between species.

不同種類的蝙蝠通常大量且緊密的棲息在一起，幫助了病毒不只在單一物種內傳播，還有跨物種之間的擴散。

What's more, most infected bats don't die.

另外值得注意的是，大部分感染病毒的蝙蝠不會死掉。

They live pretty normal bat lives, flapping around and giving the viruses time to spread.

他們過著正常的蝙蝠生活，到處拍著翅膀給予病毒散播的機會。

In fact, flight may be the reason bats are so resilient to infection.

事實上，飛行可能是蝙蝠對於病毒感染適應性如此之強的原因。

As a rule, mammals can't produce the immense amount of energy needed for flight without also producing a lot of reactive waste products that damage our DNA.

一般來說，哺乳類動物在產生飛行所需的大量能量之際，也會產生具有反應性、會損害我們 DNA 的廢棄產物。

So when our bat cousins took to the air, they leveled up their in-flight DNA damage repair kits and other defenses, including specialized cells that keep viral invaders in check.

所以當我們的蝙蝠親戚飛上天時，牠們升級了飛行中的 DNA 損害修護機制和其他的防護措施，包括特化的細胞持續監控著病毒侵入體。

So bats can survive the deadly viruses, but what may matter even more, for humans anyway, is how the viruses survive the bats.

所以蝙蝠可以在感染致命的病毒後存活，但對人類而言更關注的是，病毒是如何在蝙蝠體內存活下來的。

Nasty as they are, most viruses are also extremely finicky.

病毒們極度挑剔，非常討人厭。

In order to thrive, they require the perfectly controlled climate inside a normal, resting, on-the-ground mammal.

為了蓬勃生長，它們需要在一個完美控制體內環境、正常生長與穩定不劇烈活動的陸生哺乳類動物體內生活。

But when bats take to the air, their internal temperatures cruise to around 40°C.

但當蝙蝠飛行時，蝙蝠體內溫度會來到大約攝氏 40 度。

Those frequent in-flight saunas are far too toasty for your average virus, but a few hardy viruses have evolved to tolerate the heat, which, incidentally, means they can definitely weather a meager human fever.

這些很長時間在飛行的小桑拿浴對於大部分的病毒而言太溫暖了，但有某些強壯的病毒進化成可以耐高溫。順帶一提，這也表示這些病毒絕對可以順利撐過相較輕微的人類發燒。

Essentially, flight may have helped bats gain virtual immunity to viruses AND trained viruses to be virtually immune to us.

基本上來說，飛行可能幫助了蝙蝠增加對於病毒的免疫力，甚至訓練病毒對我們的抵抗力。

Stupid flying.

討厭，飛什麼飛啊。

So, what should we landlubbers do?

那麼，我們這些不會飛的外行人們可以做什麼呢？

We need bats for insect control and pollination, and a whole bunch of other things.

我們需要蝙蝠來控制蟲害及幫助授粉，還有一大堆其他的事情。

Maybe we could even learn some immune tricks from them, like how to be really good at not getting cancer!

或許我們可以從牠們身上學習一些免疫的技巧，比方說要如何擅長避免得到癌症！

Plus, bats aren't the biggest carriers of human disease.

再說，蝙蝠不是帶有人類疾病的最大載體。

Humans are, just do the math.

人類自己才是，問自己最清楚。

Perhaps we'd be better off leaving bats alone, and trying to control the spread of diseases carried by a different kind of flying mammal.

或許我們還是讓蝙蝠自己好好生活比較好，並試著控制其他種飛行哺乳類所散播的疾病。