The boiling river of the Amazon
亚马逊的沸腾河
L7-U2-P2: The Boiling River 1
1
As a boy in Lima, my grandfather told me a legend of the Spanish conquest of Peru.
当我在利马，还是个小男孩的时候，我的祖父给我讲了一个西班牙征服秘鲁的传说。
eg：I heard a story about a man's conquest of the sun.
2
Atahualpa, emperor of the Inca, had been captured and killed.
印加帝国的皇帝Atahualpa被抓获并杀害。
Atahualpa为西班牙语
印加和秘鲁的关系大致相当于中原和中国
3
Pizarro and his conquistadors had grown rich,
Pizarro和他的征服者们变得富有，
conquistador n. 征服者；西班牙征服者
是西班牙殖民者，开启了南美洲（特别是秘鲁）的西班牙征服时期，也是秘鲁首都利玛的建造者
4
And tales of their conquest and glory had reached Spain and was bringing new waves of spaniards, hungry for gold and glory.
它们征服和荣耀的故事传到了西班牙，并带动了向往黄金和荣耀的西班牙人潮。
5
They would go into towns and ask the Inca, "Where's another civilization we can conquer? Where's more gold?"
它们会走到城里，问印加人：“哪里还有我们能征服的文明？哪里有更多的黄金？”
6
And the Inca, out of vengeance, told them, "Go to the Amazon.
而印加人，为了报仇，告诉他们：“去亚马逊吧。
7
You'll find all the gold you want there. In fact, there is a city called Paititi -- El Dorado in Spanish -- made entirely of gold."
你会在那里找到所有你想要的黄金。事实上，那里有一个名叫Paititi的城市 -- 西班牙语叫黄金国 -- 完全由黄金打造。”
Paititi
eg：I think your profermance is great -- 666 in Chinese.
8
The Spanish set off into the jungle, but the few that return come back with stories, stories of powerful shamans, of warriors with poisoned arrows,
西班牙人动身去这个丛林了，但是只有极少数回来了，还带回来了关于强大的萨满，带着毒箭的武士的故事。
9
of trees so tall they blotted out the sun, spiders that ate birds, snakes that swallowed men whole and a river that boiled.
那里的树高到能挡住太阳，蜘蛛吃鸟，蛇能吞下一整个人，还有一个沸腾的河。
blot out 完全清除（思想、记忆等）；遮盖
eg：Don't blot the child's instinct out, or it will be the whole country's tragedy.
10
All this became a childhood memory.
这一切都成了我的一个童年记忆。
11
And years passed, I'm working on my PhD at SMU, trying to understand Peru's geothermal energy potential.
时间飞逝，当我在SMU攻读博士学位的时候，我试图理解秘鲁的地热能。
PhD abbr. 博士学位；哲学博士学位（Doctor of Philosophy）
SMU 美国南方卫理公会大学（Southern Methodist University）
geothermal adj. [地物] 地热的；[地物] 地温的
12
When I remember this legend, and I began asking that question: could the boiling river exist?
当我想起这个传说，我开始问这个问题：这个沸腾河可能存在吗？
13
I asked colleagues from universities, the government, oil, gas and mining companies, and the answer was unanimous: no.
我问了大学的同事、政府，石油和天然气和矿业公司，他们的答案一致是：不可能。
mining n. 矿业；采矿
14
And this makes sense, you see, boiling rivers do exist in the world, but they're generally associated with volcanoes.
这说得通，你瞧，沸腾河确实在世上存在，但是他们通常与火山有关。
15
You need a powerful heat source to produce such a large geothermal manifestation.
你需要一个强大的热源来产生这样一个大的地热现象。
manifestation n. 表现；显示；示威运动
16
And as you can see from the red dots, here, which are our volcanoes.
从这些红点可以看到，这里是我们的火山。
17
we don't have volcanoes in the Amazon, nor in most of Peru. So it follows: We should not expect to see a boiling river.
我们在亚马逊没有火山，在秘鲁大部分地区也没有。所以，我们不应期望看到一条沸腾的河流。
L7-U2-P2: The Boiling River 2
18
Telling this same story at a family dinner, my aunt tells me:
在一次家庭晚餐中，我说了同样的话，我姑姑说：
这里的story不是指姑姑和祖父讲的同一个故事，而是上一句中We should not expect to see a boiling river这句话。
19
"But no, Andrés, I've been there. I've swum in that river."
“但不同的是，Andrés，我去过那里，我在那个河里游过泳。”
20
Then my uncle jumps in. "No, Andrés, she's not kidding.
然后我的叔叔插话道：“不，Andrés，她没开玩笑。”
jump in 指突然跳进这个话题
21
You see, you can only swim in it after a very heavy rain, and it's protected by a powerful shaman. Your aunt, she is friends with his wife."
你看，你只能在一场大雨过后才能在那游泳，这条河被一个强大的萨满保护。你的姑姑，和他妻子是好朋友。”
Be friends with someone 与某人是朋友
22
"Cómo?" You know, despite all my scientific skepticism, I found myself hiking into the jungle, guided by my aunt,
“纳尼？”你知道吗，尽管我有科学上的怀疑，我还是在姑姑的带领下徒步走进了丛林。
despite all my scientific skepticism = though I have some scientific skepticism
这里的found有“不由自主”的意思，就是即使演讲者内心有怀疑，却还是和他姑姑一起去亚马逊丛林了。
eg：Despite I practiced the same English contents everyday, I found myself improving a little each day.
23
over 700 kilometers away from the nearest volcanic center, and well, honestly, mentally preparing myself to behold the legendary "warm stream of the Amazon."
这里距最近的火山中心700公里，老实说，我已经准备去瞻仰这个传说中的“亚马逊暖流”了。
mentally preparing 心理准备
behold vt. 看；注视；把...视为
eg：After knowing how to lead my team, mentally preparing myself to handle the next work.
24
But then ... I heard something, a low surge that got louder and louder as we came closer.
但之后，我听到了什么东西，有一阵低沉的浪潮声，我们越走近，声音就越大。
surge n. 汹涌；大浪，波涛；汹涌澎湃；巨涌
25
It sounded like ocean waves constantly crashing, and as we got closer, I saw smoke, vapor, coming up through the trees. And then, I saw this.
听起来像是海浪不断地撞击，在我们走得更近的时候，我看见了烟雾，水蒸汽，穿过树林。然后，我看到了这个。
crash [kræʃ] v. 碰撞；（使）坠毁；（使）摔碎
crush [krʌʃ] v. 压坏，压扁；将……塞进（狭小的空间内）；压碎；
26
I immediately grabbed for my thermometer, and the average temperatures in the river were 86 degrees C.
我立刻掏出我的温度计，河里的平均温度为86摄氏度。
grab for （试图）抓住
27
This is not quite the 100 ℃ boiling, but definitely close enough.
还不到100摄氏度沸点，但非常接近了。
28
The river flowed hot and fast.
河水流得又热又急。
29
I followed it upriver and was led by, actually, the shaman's apprentice to the most sacred site on the river. And this is what's bizarre -- It starts off as a cold stream.
我在上游由这个萨满的徒弟领着去到这个河最神圣的地点。这就是奇怪的地方，这条河是以冷流起始的。
upriver adv. 在上游；从上游；向上游
apprentice n. 学徒；生手
sacred [ˈseɪkrɪd] adj. 神的；神圣的；宗教的；庄严的
secret [ˈsiːkrət]
bizarre adj. 奇异的（指态度，容貌，款式等）
30
And here, at this site, is the home of the Yacumama, mother of the waters, a giant serpent spirit who births hot and cold water.
这里，是Yacumama的家，它是水的母亲，是一个生下热水和冷水的巨大蛇灵。
31
And here we find a hot spring, mixing with cold stream water underneath her protective motherly jaws and thus bringing their legends to life.
在这里，我们发现了一个温泉，在她母亲般下颌的保护下，与冰冷的溪水混合在一起，从而把他们的传说变成了现实。
jaw n. 颌；下巴；狭窄入口；唠叨
32
The next morning, I woke up and --
第二天早晨，我醒来 --
33
I asked for tea.
我要了杯茶。
34
I was handed a mug, a tea bag and well, pointed towards the river.
他给我递了个杯子，一个茶包，然后指着这个河。
演讲者去要茶水喝，后面肯定是萨满服务了下，给了他水杯，茶包，然后指了指河
35
To my surprise, the water was clean and had a pleasant taste, which is a little weird for geothermal systems.
让我感到惊讶的是，这个水很清澈，口感也不错，这对地热系统来说很奇怪。
想象一下，地热暖中的热水是个什么感受？根本无法喝。
36
What was amazing is that the locals had always known about this place, and that I was by no means the first outsider to see it.
令人惊奇的是，当地人一直都知道这个地方，我也绝不是第一个看到这条河的外来者。
37
It was just part of their everyday life.
它只是他们每日生活的一部分。
38
They drink its water, they take in its vapor.
他们喝着它的水，生活在它的水蒸气中。
39
they cook with it, clean with it, even make their medicines with it.
他们用它做饭，清洁，甚至来做药。
40
I met the shaman, and he seemed like an extension of the river and his jungle.
我见到了萨满，他看上去像是这条河和这片丛林的延伸。
41
He asked for my intentions and listened carefully.
他询问了我的意图并仔细地聆听。
42
Then, to my tremendous relief -- I was freaking out, to be honest with you.
然后，让我大松一口气的是 -- 老实和你说，我吓坏了。
演讲者是利马人，而利马是由前面提到的西班牙人Pizarro殖民后创建的，而根据当时西班牙人的描述，萨满很强大，恐怖如斯，所以，在当时演讲者的内心应该挺害怕萨满的。
43
A smile began to snake across his face and he just laughed.
他的脸上开始浮现出一丝笑容，他只是笑了笑。
44
I had received the shaman's blessing to study the river.
我收到了这个萨满的祝福去研究这条河。
45
on the condition that after I take the water samples and analyze them in my lab, wherever I was in the world,
前提是，无论我身在何处，在我的实验室采集水样并进行分析后，
on the condition that 条件是
eg：On the condition that after I use these medicial instruments, I should put them back.
46
that I pour the waters back into the ground so that, as the shaman said, the waters could find their way back home.
我要把水倒入到地上，就如萨满所说，这些水能找到回家的路。
...wherever I was in the world, that I pour... = ...wherever I was in the world that I (should) pour...
L7-U2-P2: The Boiling River 3
47
I've been back every year since that first visit in 2011, and the fieldwork has been exhilarating, demanding and at times dangerous.
在我2011年第一次去那后，我每年都会再去一次，这个实地工作令人兴奋，要求很高，有时也很危险。
fieldwork n. 野外工作；现场工作；野战工事
48
One story was even featured in the National Geographic Magazine.
其中一个故事甚至被刊登在了《国家地理杂志》。
eg：His master's thesis has been featured in the Nature.
49
I was trapped on a small rock about the size of a sheet of paper, in sandals and board shorts.
我被困在一个只有一张纸大小的石头上，穿着凉鞋和短裤。
a sheet of 一张
sandal 凉鞋
scandal n. 丑闻；流言蜚语；诽谤；公愤
board shorts 滑板裤；短裤
50
In between an 80 ℃ river and a hot spring that, well, looked like this, close to boiling.
它在一条80摄氏度河水和一个看上去接近沸腾的温泉之间。
51
And on top of that, it was Amazon rain forest. Pshh, pouring rain, couldn't see a thing.
除此之外，是亚马逊雨林。噗，一场大雨，什么都看不见了。
on top of 另外；熟练掌握；在…之上；紧接着
52
The temperature differential made it all white. It was a whiteout. Intense.
温差使得雨林一片白。刺眼的白色。
whiteout n. 临时性失明（因暴露于恶劣环境而引起的）；乳白天空（极地的一种大气光象）
53
Now after years of work, I'll soon be submitting my geophysical and geochemical studies for publication.
现在，经过多年的工作，我将要公开发表我的地质物理学和地质化学研究成果。
54
And I'd like to share, today, with all of you here, on the TED stage, for the first time, some of these discoveries.
今天我要在这个TED舞台，和你们所有人首次分享其中的一些发现。
55
Well, first off, it's not a legend. Surprise!
首先，这不是一个传说。惊讶吧！
56
When I first started the research, the satellite imagery was too low-resolution to be meaningful. There were just no good maps.
当我第一次开始研究，这个卫星图像的分辨率很低，以致看不清。所以没有好的地图。
57
Thanks to the support of the Google Earth team, I now have this.
由于谷歌地球团队的支持，我现在有了这个。
58
Not only that, the indigenous name of the river, Shanay-timpishka, "boiled with the heat of the sun,"
不仅如此，这条河的本土名字， Shanay-timpishka，意思是“在烈日的炙烤下沸腾”
indigenous adj. 本土的；土著的；国产的；固有的
59
indicating that I'm not the first to wonder why the river boils, and showing that humanity has always sought to explain the world around us.
这表明我不是第一个好奇为什么这个河沸腾的人，这也表明人类总是想要去解释我们周围的世界。
60
So why does the river boil?
所以为什么这个河会沸腾呢？
61
It actually took me three years to get that footage.
这实际上花了我3年时间去得到这段镜头。
footage n. 英尺长度；连续镜头；以尺计算长度
62
Fault-fed hot springs.
断层温泉。
fault n. 故障；[地质] 断层；错误；缺点；毛病；（网球等）发球失误
Fault-fed的解释
63
As we have hot blood running through our veins and arteries, so, too, the earth has hot water running through its cracks and faults.
正如我们的静脉和动脉中流淌着滚烫的血液，地球的裂缝和断层中也流淌着滚烫的水。
64
Where these arteries come to the surface, these earth arteries, we'll get geothermal manifestations: fumaroles, hot springs and in our case, the boiling river.
在这些动脉到达地表的地方，我们会看到地热的表现:火山喷气孔，温泉，在我们的例子中，是沸腾的河流。
fumarole n. (火山地带的）[地质] 喷气孔
65
What's truly incredible, though, is the scale of this place.
更令人惊奇的是，这个地方的规模。
66
Next time you cross the road think about this.
下次你过马路的时候想想这个。
67
The river flows wider than a two-lane road along most of its path.
河流流趟过的大部分路径都比双车道宽。
two-lane 双车道
68
It flows hot for 6.24 kilometers, truely impressive.
热水流过的地方超过6.24公里，相当令人惊讶。
69
There are thermal pools larger than this TED stage, and that waterfall that you see there is six meters tall -- and all with near-boiling water.
那有比TED讲台更大的热水池，你看到的那个瀑布有六米高 -- 都是接近沸腾的水。
70
We mapped the temperatures along the river, and this was by far the most demanding part of the fieldwork.
我们绘制了沿河的温度图，这是迄今为止野外工作中要求最高的部分。
71
And the results were just awesome, sorry.
这个结果相当棒，嘎嘎。
72
-- the geoscientist in me coming out. And it showed this amazing trend.
我体内的地球科学家之魂正在觉醒。它展示了一种惊人的趋势。
73
You see, the river starts off cold. It then heats up, cools back down, heats up, cools back down, heats up again, and then has this beautiful decay curve until it smashes into this cold river.
你看，这条河开始时很冷。然后升温，降温，升温，降温，再升温，然后有了这个美丽的衰变曲线，直到它坠入这条冰冷的河流。
smash vt. 粉碎；使破产；溃裂；使猛撞；撞击；搞垮（政治集团或体制）
smash into 猛撞在…
74
Now, I understand not all of you are geothermal scientists, so to put it in more everyday terms:
现在，我知道不是你们所有人都是地热科学家，所以从更日常的角度来说：
75
Everyone loves coffee. Yes? Good.
每个人都喜欢咖啡吧？好的。
76
Your regular cup of coffee, 54 ℃, and an extra-hot one, well, 60.
一杯寻常的咖啡是54摄氏度，一个特热的咖啡是60摄氏度。
77
So, put in coffee shop terms, the boiling river plots like this.
所以，站在咖啡店的角度，这个沸腾河曲线像这样。
78
That you have your hot coffee.
这里是寻常热咖啡的位置。
演讲者此时在展示的是一个横坐标为河水距离，纵坐标为温度的曲线图，讲到这一句的时候，多了一条平行于横轴的直线，这条线的纵坐标值就是hot coffee的温度值。
79
Here you have your extra-hot coffee, and you can see that there's a bit point there where the river is still hotter than even the extra-hot coffee.
这里是特热咖啡的位置，你能够看到这条河的一部分温度依然比特热咖啡温度高。
这个曲线是前面演讲者沿着河，每隔一段距离，量一次温度，然后汇集出了一些点，然后连成的光滑曲线，在这个图上，有一部分点在extra-hot coffee温度线之上。
80
And these are average water temperatures. We took these in the dry season to ensure the purest geothermal temperatures.
那些是平均水温。我们在干燥季节采集的，以保证最准确的地热温度。
81
But there's a magic number here that's not being shown, and that number is 47 ℃,
但是这里有一个神奇的数字没有展示，47摄氏度，
82
because that's where things start to hurt, and I know this from very personal experience.
因为在这个温度会让人受伤，我基于个人经验非常了解这一点。
可能演讲者被烫了好多次，只有47℃以下，不感觉烫。
83
Above that temperature, you don't want to get in that water. You need to be careful.
超过这个温度，你就不想进入水中。你需要小心。
84
It can be deadly.
这会死人滴。
85
I've seen all sorts of animals fall in, and what's shocking to me, is the process is pretty much the same.
我看过很多种动物掉进去，令我震惊的是，这个过程非常相似。
86
So they fall in and the first thing to go are the eyes.
他们掉进去，首先遭殃的是眼睛。
87
Eyes, apparently, cook very quickly. They turn this milky-white color.
眼睛，很明显，很快熟了。变成了奶白色。
88
The stream is carrying them. They're trying to swim out, but their meat is cooking on the bone because it's so hot.
水流带着它们。它们试图游出来，但是它们的肉在骨头上煮熟了，因为水很烫。
89
So they're losing power, losing power, losing power.
所以它们渐渐失去力气。
90
until finally they get to a point where hot water goes into their mouths and they cook from the inside out.
直到最后，热水进入到它们嘴里，然后从里到外被煮熟。
L7-U2-P2: The Boiling River 4
91
A bit sadistic, aren't we?
有点残忍，对吗？
sadistic adj. 虐待狂的；残酷成性的
92
Leave them marinating for a little longer.
把它们再泡一会。
marinate v. 腌制，腌渍，浸泡（食物）
93
What's again amazing are these temperatures.
再次令人惊讶的是温度。
94
They're similar to things that I've seen on volcanoes all over the world and even super-volcanoes like Yellowstone.
它们和我在世界各地看到的火山，甚至像黄石公园这样的超级火山相似。
黄石公园
95
But here's the thing.
但这就是问题所在。
96
the data is showing that the boiling river exists independent of volcanism.
数据显示，这个沸腾河独立于火山活动而存在。
volcanism n. （地质）火山作用（活动或现象）
97
It's neither magmatic or volcanic in origin,
它的起源既不是岩浆也不是火山，
magmatic adj. 岩浆的
98
And again it's over 700 kilometers away from the nearest volcanic center.
甚至它离最近的火山中心700多公里远。
99
How can a boiling river exist like this?
像这样一个沸腾河是怎样存在的呢？
100
I've asked geothermal experts and volcanologists for years and I'm still unable to find another non-volcanic geothermal system of this magnitude.
我多年来询问了地热专家和火山学家，我依然不能找到另一个这种规模的无火山地热系统。
101
It's unique, it's special on a global scale.
它在地球上是独一无二的。
102
So still, how does it work?
所以，它到底怎么工作的？
103
Where do we get this heat?
我们从哪得到的热呢？
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There's still more research to be done to better constrain the problem and better understand the system,
我们依然有许多研究要做，为了去缩窄这个问题以及更好地理解这个系统，
constrain the problem我理解是缩小问题范围，因为不知道到底热从哪来，所以需要做出假设，小心求证，逐步框定范围。
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But from what the data is telling us now, it looks to be the result of a large hydrothermal system.
但是就目前数据来看，它看上去是大型热液系统。
hydrothermal adj. [地质] 热液的；热水的
热液过程，亦称“海底热液循环”（submarine hydrothermal circula）。指海水通过岩石裂隙或构造断裂带渗入海底地壳深层，并同地壳岩石发生化学成分交换。
自热盒饭、自热火锅就是大致的原理。
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Basically it works like this, so the deeper you go into the earth, the hotter it gets.
基本上它是这样工作的，所以你越深入地球，温度就越高。
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We refer to this as the geothermal gradient.
我们称之为地热梯度。
refer to 参考；涉及；指的是；适用于
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The waters could be coming from as far away as glaciers in the Andes, then seeping down deep into the earth and coming out.
这些水可能来自遥远的安第斯山脉冰川，然后渗入地下深处，再流出来。
seep down 渗下去
seep v. （液体）渗漏，渗透；逐渐移动，渐渐散开;n. （油、水）渗出地表的地方
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to form the boiling river after getting heated up from that geothermal gradient, all due to this unique geologic setting.
在地热梯度中加热后形成沸腾河，这全部是因为这个独特的地质环境。
geologic adj. 地质的；地质学上的
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Now, we found that in and around the river -- this is working with colleagues from National Geographic, Dr. Spencer Wells, and Dr. Jon Eisen from UC Davis.
现在，我们和来自国家地理的同事，斯宾塞·威尔斯博士，以及来自加州大学戴维斯分校的乔恩·艾森博士合作，发现了这条河的内部和周围 --
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-- we genetically sequenced the extremophile lifeforms living in and around the river, and have found new lifeforms, unique species living in the boiling river.
-我们对生活在这条河流及其周围的极端生物进行了基因排序，发现了新的生命形式，独特的物种生活在这条沸腾的河流中。
genetically adv. 从遗传学角度；从基因方面
sequence vt. 按顺序排好
extremophile n. 极端微生物
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But again, despite all of these studies, all of these discovers, and the legends, a question remains：
但是，尽管有这些研究，所有这些发现和传说，有一个问题仍然存在：
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What is the significance of the boiling river?
沸腾的河水有什么意义？
114
What is the significance of these stationary cloud that always hovers over these patch of jungle?
这些总是盘旋在这片丛林上空的静止云有什么意义呢
stationary adj. 固定的；静止的；定居的；常备军的
hover vt. 孵；徘徊在…近旁
patch of 片
再下一句可能就要问出：人活着有什么意义呢？
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And what is the significance of a detail in a childhood legend?
在童年的一个传说中，一个细节的意义是什么？
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To the shaman and his community, it's a sacred site.
对萨满和他的小伙伴们来说，这是一个神圣的地方。
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To me, as a geoscientist, it's a unique geothermal phenomenon.
对我来说，作为一个地球科学家，这是一种独特的地热现象。
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But to the illegal loggers and cattle farmers, it's just another resource to exploit.
但对非法伐木者和养牛农民来说，这只是另一处可以利用的资源。
logger n. （美）樵夫，伐木工；记录器
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And to the Peruvian government, it's just another stretch of unprotected land ready for development.
对秘鲁政府来说，这不过是另一块准备开发的未受保护的土地。
a stretch of 一大片
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My goal is to ensure that whoever controls this land understands the boiling river's uniqueness and significance.
我的目标是确保控制这片土地的人了解这条沸腾的河流的独特性和意义。
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Because that's the question, one of significance.
因为这是一个重要的问题。
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And the thing there is, we define significance.
问题是，我们来定义意义。
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It's us, we have that power.
是我们，我们有这个权力。
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We're the ones who draw that line between the sacred and the trivial.
我们是划清神圣与琐碎之间界限的人。
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And in this age, where everything seems mapped, measured and studied, in this age of information,
在这个时代，在这个信息时代，一切似乎都被计划、测量和研究，
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I remind you all, the discoveries are not just made in the black void of the unknown, but in the white noise of overwhelming data.
我要提醒大家，这些发现不仅仅是在未知的黑暗空间中做出的，而是在海量数据的白噪声中做出的。
void n. 空间；空白；空虚感
海量数据的作用，在后续几篇TED中还会有讨论。
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There remains so much to explore.
还有很多东西有待探索。
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We live in an incredible world.
我们生活在一个不可思议的世界。
129
So go out, be curious.
所以，走出去吧，保持好奇心。
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Because we do live in a world where shamans still sing to the spirits of the jungle,
因为我们确实生活在一个萨满仍然对着丛林的灵魂唱歌的世界里，
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Where rivers do boil, and where legends do come to life.
那里河流沸腾，那里传说成真。
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Thank you very much.
感谢老铁们。