科学美国人60秒 SSS 蜜蜂短缺? 那用肥皂来授粉吧

This is Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学。我是凯伦·霍普金。

Bees are a big part of the life cycle of plants, carrying pollen¹ from one flower to another and allowing plants to produce their frequently yummy output.

蜜蜂是植物生命周期的重要组成部分，它们将花粉从一朵花传到另一朵花上，让植物经常性地生产出美味。

But with bee populations on the decline, what can take their place? How about soap bubbles?

但随着蜜蜂数量的下降，什么能取代它们的位置呢？肥皂泡怎么样？

It may sound fantastical.

这听起来可能不可思议。

But Eijiro Miyako and his colleague at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have used battery-powered bubble makers² to pollinate a pear orchard³.

但是，北陆先端科学技术大学院大学的都英次郎和同事使用电池供电的泡泡机为梨园授粉。

The details of their magical realism approach to agriculture are in the journal iScience.

他们的魔幻现实主义农业方法的细节刊登在《科学》期刊上。

A few years back, Miyako and his team tried to mimic⁴ the pollinating prowess of honeybees by retrofitting a two-inch-long toy drone with brushes made of horsehair.

几年前，都英次郎和团队用两英寸长的玩具无人机加装马毛刷子，以尝试模仿蜜蜂的授粉能力。

They loaded the device with pollen suspended in a sticky gel. But the tiny flyer was tough to control.

他们在设备上安装了悬浮在粘性凝胶中的花粉。但这个种微型飞行器很难控制。

And its hairy little applicators ended up damaging the delicate floral targets.

其小型马毛敷抹器最终破坏了娇弱的花朵目标。

After spending some time blowing bubbles with his son, Miyako started thinking more seriously about these soapy little marvels⁵.

在花了一段时间和儿子玩吹泡泡之后，都英次郎开始更认真地思考这些肥皂小奇迹。

He figured bubbles would be sticky enough to carry and deliver a pollen payload but soft and flexible,

他认为泡泡有足够的粘性来携带和传递花粉载荷，但又柔软而且有弹性，

so they shouldn't hurt a blossom when they land and then pop.

所以泡泡落下后爆开时应该不会伤害花朵。

The researchers chemically optimized⁶ their soapy solution to make bubbles that were mechanically stable and actually enhanced the pollination⁷ process.

研究人员用化学方法优化了他们的肥皂溶液，使之产生机械稳定的气泡，从而增强授粉过程。

Out in the orchard, they aimed their souped-up soap bubbles at row after row of pear trees.

在果园里，他们将增强版肥皂泡对准一排又一排的梨树。

And they found the bubble system worked just as well as the more labor-intensive pollination by hand:

他们发现，泡泡系统的效果与劳动更加密集的人工授粉一样好：

pear trees pollinated by bubble ultimately bore fruit—a sweet sign of success.

用泡泡授粉的梨树最终结出了果实——这是甜蜜的成功信号。

Miyako has also revived the drone program—this time using a larger model—equipped with a machine that unleashes⁸ a bubble blitz.

都英次郎还重启了无人机项目——这次使用了更多的大型，配备了能释放泡泡突击的机器。

And has a big advantage over the hand-held model...

而且相比手持模型，它拥有巨大的优势……

"Because it's fully⁹ autonomously¹⁰ controllable by GPS with Google Map."

“因为它可以完全由谷歌地图通过GPS自主控制。”

So the drones can make a beeline to where farmers need them, you know, to be.

因此，无人机可以飞到农民需要的地方。

Thanks for listening for Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是凯伦·霍普金。

1 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

4 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

5 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

6 optimized   

adj.最佳化的，（使）最优化的v.使最优化，使尽可能有效( optimize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We are often asked whether consumer Web sites should be optimized for beginners or intermediates. 我们常常被问到这样的问题：消费类网站究竟应该为新手而优化，还是应该为中间用户而优化？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• GOOGLE Advertising optimized sequence, greatly increasing the advertising effect. 优化了GOOGLE广告位排列顺序，大大增加了广告效果。 来自互联网

7 pollination   

n.授粉

参考例句：

• The flowers get pollination by insects.这些花通过昆虫授粉。
• Without sufficient pollination,the growth of the corn is stunted.没有得到充足的授粉，谷物的长势就会受阻。

8 unleashes   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• These findings qualify the common view that economic growth unleashes myriad discontents. 这些发现，纠正了一个普遍观点，即经济发展使人们尽情宣泄不满。 来自互联网
• This caster unleashes a storm of electric discharge on the enemy. 法师向敌人释放出一片电火花的风暴。 来自互联网

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 autonomously   

adv. 自律地，自治地

参考例句：

• To learn autonomously in the network environment is totally new to students. 基于网络环境下的自主学习对学生来说，是一种全新的学习方式。
• The QC-RS can operate autonomously or by remote control. QC-RS能实现自动操作或通过遥控来操作。