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若有外星人最可能在这里
添加时间:2018-02-27 20:33:33 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • Saturn's icy moon Enceladus could theoretically be home to methane1-producing alien life, NASA said Thursday.

    美国宇航局(NASA)13日表示,冰冷的土星卫星土卫二理论上可能存在释放甲烷的外星生物。

    Researchers made the announcement based on data from 2015, when the spacecraft2 Cassini detected the presence of hydrogen during a flyby through a plume3 of gas and ice erupting from Enceladus' south pole. The hydrogen, which is escaping into space from a hydrothermal vent4 on the moon's seafloor, could be a sign of methanogenesis, a form of anaerobic5 respiration6 in which microbes produce methane.

    2015年,土星探测器卡西尼号在飞过土卫二南极区域喷射的一股气流和冰物质时,发现了氢气的存在。研究人员基于当时的数据宣布了该消息。氢气是从土卫二海床的热液喷口飘入太空的。这可能是产甲烷反应的标志。产甲烷反应是微生物进行无氧呼吸时产生甲烷的过程。

    "This is a very significant finding because the hydrogen could be a potential source of chemical energy for any microbes that might be in Enceladus' ocean," Linda Spilker, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said Thursday at a press conference.

    NASA喷气推进实验室的科学家琳达•斯皮尔克13日在新闻发布会上表示:“这是一个非常重要的发现,因为氢气或许是土卫二海洋中可能存在的微生物的潜在化学能量来源。”

    "We now know that Enceladus has almost all of the ingredients you would need to support life as we know it on Earth," she said.

    她说:“我们现在知道,土卫二上几乎具备所有已知的地球生命必需物质。”

    The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science.

    这些发现13日被发表在《科学》杂志上。

    "This is the closest we've come, so far, to identifying a place with some of the ingredients needed for a habitable environment," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator7 for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. "These results demonstrate the interconnected nature of NASA's science missions that are getting us closer to answering whether we are indeed alone or not."

    NASA科学使命理事会副主任托马斯•泽尔布肯在一份声明中表示:“在我们寻找拥有宜居环境所需物质的星球期间,迄今为止,这是离这一目标最近的一次。这些观测结果触及NASA科学任务互通的本质:弄清我们是否为宇宙中唯一的生命。”

    NASA also announced that the Hubble Space Telescope observed what may have been a water vapor8 plume emerging from the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa in 2014, and again around the same area in 2016.

    NASA还宣布,2014年哈勃太空望远镜观测到木星卫星木卫二表面出现了疑似水汽羽状物,并在2016年在同一区域附近再次出现。

    Confirming the existence of Europa's plumes9 would allow researchers to study that moon's chemical makeup10 without having to dig through miles of icy crust.

    确认木卫二存在羽状物后,研究人员不必穿越数英里厚的冰层,就可以对该星球上的化学成分进行分析。

    The Cassini and Hubble discoveries related to these "ocean worlds" will help scientists plan NASA's Europa Clipper mission, set to launch in the 2020s. The plan is for the unmanned spacecraft to orbit Jupiter and perform a detailed11 investigation12 of Europa, including measuring the depth and salinity13 of its ocean.

    卡西尼号和哈勃望远镜关于“海洋星球”的发现有助于科学家筹备NASA的“木卫二快艇号”任务,该计划将于本世纪20年代启动。该计划是让木卫二快艇号无人航天器绕木星飞行,并对木卫二进行海洋深度、海水盐分浓度测量等详细调查。

    "These discoveries are coming just at the perfect time," Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said Thursday. "It enables us to make the right set of observations that can tell us much more about these ocean worlds, Europa in particular."

    NASA行星科学部主任吉姆•格林13日表示:“这些发现来的正是时候。它使我们能够作出正确的观察,可以让我们更了解海洋星球,特别是木卫二。”

     12级    英文科普 


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    1 methane [ˈmi:θeɪn] t1Eyx   第11级
    n.甲烷,沼气
    参考例句:
    • The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited. 爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
    • Methane may have extraterrestrial significance. 甲烷具有星际意义。
    2 spacecraft [ˈspeɪskrɑ:ft] TwowV   第7级
    n.太空船,宇宙飞船
    参考例句:
    • There're three astronauts in the spacecraft. 在这艘宇宙飞船里有三名宇航员。
    • The spacecraft rounded the moon. 宇宙飞船环绕月球飞行。
    3 plume [plu:m] H2SzM   第10级
    n.羽毛;v.整理羽毛,骚首弄姿,用羽毛装饰
    参考例句:
    • Her hat was adorned with a plume. 她帽子上饰着羽毛。
    • He does not plume himself on these achievements. 他并不因这些成就而自夸。
    4 vent [vent] yiPwE   第7级
    n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄
    参考例句:
    • He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly. 他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
    • When the vent became plugged, the engine would stop. 当通风口被堵塞时,发动机就会停转。
    5 anaerobic [ˌæneəˈrəʊbɪk] BLzyN   第12级
    adj.厌氧的
    参考例句:
    • Anaerobic respiration occurs only in particularly active tissues such as muscles during severe exercise. 厌氧呼吸只有在处于剧烈运动状态的肌肉等特别活跃的组织中才会发生。
    • Infection, especially anaerobic infection, is much more apt to occur. 感染,特别是厌氧感染很容易发生。
    6 respiration [ˌrespəˈreɪʃn] us7yt   第9级
    n.呼吸作用;一次呼吸;植物光合作用
    参考例句:
    • They tried artificial respiration but it was of no avail. 他们试做人工呼吸,可是无效。
    • They made frequent checks on his respiration, pulse and blood. 他们经常检查他的呼吸、脉搏和血液。
    7 administrator [ədˈmɪnɪstreɪtə(r)] SJeyZ   第7级
    n.经营管理者,行政官员
    参考例句:
    • The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy. 行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
    • He has proved himself capable as administrator. 他表现出管理才能。
    8 vapor ['veɪpə] DHJy2   第7级
    n.蒸汽,雾气
    参考例句:
    • The cold wind condenses vapor into rain. 冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
    • This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor. 这部机器有时排出大量的热气。
    9 plumes [plu:mz] 15625acbfa4517aa1374a6f1f44be446   第10级
    羽毛( plume的名词复数 ); 羽毛饰; 羽毛状物; 升上空中的羽状物
    参考例句:
    • The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
    • The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头,那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。
    10 makeup ['meɪkʌp] 4AXxO   第7级
    n.组织;性格;化装品;补充;补考
    参考例句:
    • Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam. 这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
    • Eyeliner: Makeup used to outline the eyes. 眼线笔:用来加强眼的轮廓的化妆品。
    11 detailed [ˈdi:teɪld] xuNzms   第8级
    adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
    参考例句:
    • He had made a detailed study of the terrain. 他对地形作了缜密的研究。
    • A detailed list of our publications is available on request. 我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
    12 investigation [ɪnˌvestɪˈgeɪʃn] MRKzq   第7级
    n.调查,调查研究
    参考例句:
    • In an investigation, a new fact became known, which told against him. 在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
    • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation. 他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
    13 salinity [sə'lɪnətɪ] uYvx9   第10级
    n.盐分;咸度;盐浓度;咸性
    参考例句:
    • In the sea water sampled the salinity is two parts per thousand. 在取样的海水中,盐度为千分之二。
    • In many sedimentary basins the salinity of the formation water increases with depth or compaction. 在许多沉积盆地中,地层水的含盐量随深度或压实作用而增高。

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