产自太空的食物
Food made in space
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》。我是尼尔。
And I'm Georgina.
我是乔治娜。
Last November Nasa launched a very unusual home delivery service
去年11月，美国国家航空航天局推出了一项非同寻常的送货上门服务
– a rocket carrying four tonnes of supplies to the ISS - the International Space Station.
——将携带4吨物资的一枚火箭发射至国际空间站（简称ISS）。
Among the scientific equipment were twelve bottles of red wine from the famous Bordeaux region of France.
在科学设备中，有十二瓶来自法国著名的波尔多地区的红酒。
The astronauts might have wanted a glass of wine with dinner,
宇航员可能想在晚餐时喝一杯酒，
but the real purpose of the bottles was to explore the possibility of producing food and drink in space
但这些红酒的真正用途是要探索在太空中生产食物和饮料的可能性
– not for astronauts but for people back on Earth.
——不是为了宇航员，而是为了地球上的人。
In today's programme we'll be finding out
在今天的节目中，我们将了解，
how growing plants in space can develop crops which are more productive and more resistant to climate change here on Earth.
在太空中生长的植物如何培育出产量更高、更能抵抗地球上气候变化的农作物。
And we'll hear how plants can grow in environments with little or no natural light.
我们将会听到植物如何在自然光很少或者没有自然光的环境中生长。
But first, today's quiz question:
但首先是今天的测试问题：
what was the first food grown in space?
种在太空中的第一种食物是什么？
Was it: a) potatoes, b) lettuce, or c) tomatoes?
是a)土豆，b)生菜，还是c)西红柿？
Well, in the film, The Martian, a stranded astronaut grows potatoes on Mars.
好吧，在电影《火星救援》中，一位被困火星的宇航员在火星上种土豆。
I know it's only a film but I'll say a) potatoes!
我知道那只是一部电影，但我会选a)土豆！
OK. We'll find out the answer later.
好的。稍后我们将揭晓答案。
Now, you might be wondering how it's possible to grow plants without natural light.
现在，你可能想知道在没有自然光的情况下如何种植植物。
British company Vertical Future has been working on this problem by developing indoor farming methods in partnership with Nasa.
英国Vertical Future公司一直在通过与美国国家航空航天局合作研发室内耕作方法来解决这个问题。
Here's their Head of Research, Jen Bromley, explaining the process to BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain.
他们的研究负责人詹·布罗姆利向BBC全球服务节目The Food Chain解释了这一过程。
Basically we use LED lighting and we use LED lights that are tuned to a specific wavelength.
基本上我们都是使用LED灯，而且我们使用的是会将光调到特定波长的LED灯。
So, if you image what the rainbow looks like,
所以，你想象一下彩虹看起来是什么样的，
the reason a plant looks green is because it's not using all the green light – it actually reflects a lot of that back.
一种植物看起来呈绿色的原因是它没有吸收所有的绿色光——它实际上反射了很多绿色光。
So the reason why it looks pink in here is because we're actually only using red light and blue light to grow the plants,
所以植物在这里看起来呈粉色是因为我们实际上只使用红色光和蓝色光来照射植物，
and that essentially tailors the light diet so that the plants look black when you look at them because they're not reflecting any light
这基本上就是在调整光照，所以你看这些植物很黑，因为它们不反射任何光
– they’re being super-efficient, they’re using up every photon that hits them.
——它们效率超高，它们利用射向它们的每个光子。
The lack of natural light in space means that plants are grown using LED lights.
太空中缺乏自然光意味着植物生长要使用LED灯。
LED is an abbreviation of 'light emitting diode' - an electronic device that lights up when electricity is passed through it.
LED是“发光二极管”的缩写，它是一种电子设备，当电流通过时，它会发光。
On Earth plants look green because they reflect back any light travelling at a certain wavelength
在地球上，植物看起来是绿色的，因为它们反射了以一定波长传播的光
- the distance between two waves of light which make things appear to us in the various colours of the rainbow.
——波长是指两个光波之间的距离，那使我们看到的事物呈现出五颜六色。
But when scientists control the wavelengths being fed,
但是，当科学家控制射向植物的光的波长时，
plants are able to absorb every photon – particle of light energy, making them appear black.
植物就能吸收每一个光子——光能粒子，使它们看起来是黑色的。
Each particle of light that hits the leaves is absorbed and through photosynthesis is converted into plant food.
照射到叶子上的每个光子都被吸收，并通过光合作用转化为植物养分。
Nasa found that different colour combinations, or light recipes, can change a plant's shape, size and even flavour.
美国国家航空航天局发现，不同颜色组合或光谱可以改变植物的形状，大小甚至味道。
But the lack of natural light isn't the biggest obstacle to growing food in space.
但缺乏自然光并不是在太空种植食物的最大障碍。
Here's Gioia Massa, chief plant scientist at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, to explain.
这是佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心的首席植物科学家焦亚·马萨做出的解释。
Microgravity is really challenging but plants are amazing!
微重力确实很有挑战性，但是植物真的很神奇！
They can adapt to so many different environments.
它们可以适应不同环境。
We call this plasticity because they can turn on or off their genes to really adapt to all sorts of conditions,
我们称之为适应性，因为它们可以启动或关闭基因以真正适应各种各样的条件，
and that's why you see plants growing in different areas on Earth
那就是为什么你会看到植物生长在地球不同地区
- the same type of plant may look very different because it's adapting to the environment in that specific location.
——同一类型的植物可能看起来非常不同，因为它是在适应特定地理位置的环境。
On Earth, plants use gravity to position themselves – shoots grow up, roots grow down.
在地球上，植物利用重力来确定自己的位置——嫩枝向上生长，根向下生长。
But this doesn't apply in space because of microgravity
但由于微重力，这并不适用于太空，
- the weaker pull of gravity making things float and seem weightless.
微重力是指使物体漂浮起来，看起来没有重量的较弱引力。
Plants can only survive in these conditions due to their plasticity
由于自身适应性，植物只能在这些条件下生存，
– the ability of living organisms to adapt and cope with changes in the environment by changing their biological structure.
适应性是指生物体通过改变自身生物结构来适应和应对环境变化的能力。
Plants adapt themselves to being in space by manipulating their genes
植物通过控制自己的基因来使自己适应太空，
- chemicals and DNA in the cells of plants and animals which control their development and behaviour.
基因是指动植物细胞中控制它们发育和习性的化学物质与DNA。
In the low-gravity atmosphere of space, plants become stressed but they adapt genetically.
在太空低重力大气下，植物会受到压力作用，但它们会从基因上适应。
And as a result they're stronger and more resilient to other, less stressful events when they return home to Earth.
因此，当它们重回地球家园时，它们会更强壮，更能承受住较小压力。
Like those bottles of red wine orbiting Earth as we speak.
就像我们所说的那些绕地球转的红酒一样。
The effects of microgravity on the wine's organic composition will be studied
人们将研究微重力对葡萄酒有机成分的影响，
and could hopefully offer solutions for growing food in Earth's changing climate.
并且那有望为在地球变化的气候下种植食物提供解决方案。
So, Neil, if it wasn’t red grapes, what was the first food grown in space?
那么，尼尔，如果不是红葡萄，那么最早种植于太空的第一种食物是什么？
Ah yes, in today's quiz question I asked what the first plant grown in space was.
啊，是的，在今天的测验问题中，我问种在太空中的第一种食物是什么。
I said, a) potatoes.
我说是a)土豆。
But in fact it was… b) lettuce
但实际上答案是b）生菜
- grown over fifteen months on the ISS, then eaten in fifteen minutes in the first ever space salad.
——在国际空间站生长了15个月，然后作为有史以来第一份太空沙拉，在15分钟内被吃掉了。
Today we've been discussing the possibilities of growing plants in space using LED lights
今天我们一直在讨论使用LED灯在太空种植植物的可能性，
– devices that use electricity to produce light.
LED灯是一种利用电能产生光的设备。
The energy needed for plants to grow is contained in photons – or light particles, travelling at different wavelengths
植物生长所需要的能量包含在光子或光粒子中，它们以不同的波长传播
– distances between light waves which make things look different colours.
——波长是指光波之间的距离，它使事物呈现出不同的颜色。
Plants have evolved over millennia using the strong gravity on Earth.
利用地球上的强大引力，植物已经进化了数千年。
But this changes in space because of microgravity – the weaker gravitational pull making things in space float and seem weightless.
但由于微重力，这种情况在太空中发生了改变——微重力是指使太空中的物体漂浮起来，看起来没有重量的较弱引力。
Luckily plants use their genes – the chemicals in DNA responsible for growth,
幸运的是，植物利用其基因——DNA中负责生长的化学物质，
to adapt to new environments by changing their biological structure – a process known as plasticity.
通过改变它们的生物结构来适应新环境——这个过程被称为适应过程。
All of which makes it possible for astronauts to enjoy a glass of wine and green salad in space.
所有这些使得宇航员在太空中享用一杯葡萄酒和蔬菜沙拉成为可能。
And genetically stronger plants specimens to study back on Earth.
以及返回地球后研究从基因上来讲更强的植物标本。
That's all for today but join us again soon at 6 Minute English.
以上就是今天节目的全部内容，记得下次收听《六分钟英语》。
Bye for now!
再见了！
Bye!
拜！