I'm Neil.

我是尼爾。

And I'm Rob.

我是羅伯。

Do you think there are big differences between men and women, Neil?

尼爾，你覺得男人和女人有很大的不同嗎？

Apart from the old stereotypes we sometimes hear

除了常聽到的刻板印象之外，

like, that men can't express emotions...

例如，男人不擅長表露感情…

I suppose biologically

我想就生物學而言

there are differences, Rob.

確實有差異，羅伯。

I mean, men and women's bodies are different.

我的意思是，男女的身體構造不同。

Right, and it takes both a man and a woman to make a baby.

沒錯，而且生孩子需要男人和女人的合作。

Well, that's true, in humans anyway.

這倒是真的，至少對人類來說是如此。

But in this programme

但在今天的節目中，

we'll be hearing about creatures in the wild,

我們會發現對於某些野生生物來說，

where the classic 'boy meets girl' love story doesn't apply.

典型「男歡女愛」的愛情故事並不適用。

Yes, we'll be meeting some female animals who don't need a male to make babies.

是的，我們會看到一些不需要雄性動物就能生孩子的雌性動物。

These creatures reproduce by parthenogenesis,

這些生物透過孤雌生殖繁衍後代，

also called virgin birth.

也稱為「處女生殖」。

This is the process where the female can reproduce without a mate,

這就是指雌性不需要配偶就可以繁衍後代，

a term used for an animal's sexual partner.

這裡的配偶指的是動物的性伴侶。

All animal species survive by making babies,

所有的物種都是靠生育傳宗接代，

reproducing to make copies of themselves.

透過繁殖進行自我複製。

But amazingly,

但令人驚訝的是，

the female of some species can do it all by herself!

有些雌性物種可以自己做到這一點!

But before that, it's time for my quiz question.

但在節目開始前，先進行提問環節。

In Britain's Chester Zoo in 2006,

2006年，在英國的切斯特動物園，

Flora laid eleven eggs that developed into healthy babies.

Flora 產下11顆蛋，它們發育成健康的嬰兒。

Her zookeepers were mystified

動物園管理員都感到很困惑，

because Flora had only been kept with other females and had never been near a male.

因為Flora跟其他雌性動物飼養在一起，從未接近過任何雄性動物。

What type of animal was Flora?

請問Flora是哪種動物？

Was she a) a python, b) a zebra shark,

她是 a) 蟒蛇，b) 斑馬鯊

or c) a Komodo dragon?

或 c）科摩多龍？

Pythons are pretty unusual creatures,

蟒蛇是很不尋常的生物，

so I'll say Flora was a python.

所以我猜 Flora 是蟒蛇。

OK, Rob, we'll find out later if you're right.

好，羅伯，我們稍後看看你有沒有猜對。

Actually, it's not only reptiles who behave this way.

其實，不僅爬行動物有這種特質。

The females of many animal species are able to reproduce without sex.

許多雌性物種都能進行無性繁殖。

By doing this they gain several advantages:

這麼做有幾個好處：

they can rapidly spread, colonize and control large areas,

她們可以迅速地繁衍擴散、建立聚落和控制大片領域，

and they don't waste time and energy looking for a mate.

而不需要浪費時間和精力尋找伴侶。

But if a world without sex is so much better,

但如果無性世界這麼好，

why bother with males at all?

為什麼還需要雄性動物？

Good question, Neil,

好問題，尼爾，

and one which BBC World Service programme, Discovery, asked evolutionary biologist, Chris Wilson.

BBC國際台 Discovery 頻道也問了演化生物學家 Chris Wilson 同樣的問題。

Well, absolutely!

當然！

And there are other advantages,

而且還有其他優點。

I mean, if you're an all-female population,

我的意思是，如果是全女性物種，

you don't have to waste time searching and competing for mates,

就不用浪費時間尋找和爭奪配偶。

there are no more sexually-transmitted diseases

也就不會有性傳播疾病，

and so it seems like the easiest decision

這似乎是最簡單的做法，

and yet,

然而，

less than one percent of all animal species are completely celibate,

只有不到百分之一的物種可以進行無性繁殖，

and that's a huge fundamental puzzle in evolutionary biology

這是巨大的演化生物學之謎，

that we're still not entirely sure we understand

我們至今仍然無法完全理解。

it's called sometimes the paradox of sex.

它有時候被稱為「性悖論」。

Despite the advantages of going without sex,

儘管無性繁殖有許多優點，

in reality fewer than one percent of all animals are celibate - live without having sex.

在現實生活中，不到百分之一的物種可以進行無性繁殖，也就是沒有性生活。

This begs the question,

這就帶出了一個問題，

why is sex so common when it seems so inefficient?

如果性交效率不彰，為何性行為如此普遍？

Chris calls this the paradox of sex.

Chris 稱此為「性悖論」。

A paradox is a situation which seems contradictory because it contains two opposite facts.

悖論是一種看似矛盾的情況，因為它包含兩個相反的事實。

For example, the existence of males if we can reproduce without them.

例如，如果不需要雄性生物就能繁殖，其存在意義為何？

As a male myself,

身為男性，

I have to say I'm feeling a little underappreciated right now, Rob!

老實說我覺得有點不受重視，羅伯！

Well, don't worry, Neil,

別擔心，尼爾，

because it turns out there might be a use for males after all!

因為事實證明雄性生物還是有些用處的！

It seems the sex paradox has been solved by one of nature's most ingenious insects - aphids.

性悖論似乎被自然界中最聰明的物種之一，蚜蟲，解決了。

Here's ecologist, Amber Wright,

生態學家 Amber Wright

explaining how to the BBC World Service's Discovery programme.

在 BBC 國際台上的說明。

See if you can hear the strategy American aphids use to reproduce.

看看你是否能理解美國蚜蟲的繁殖策略。

The aphids we have in the US,

美國的蚜蟲

when spring comes around,

在春天來臨時，

the eggs hatch and they'll be all female for several generations,

卵會孵化並持續幾代都是雌性。

and then at the end of the summer,

然後在夏季的尾聲，

they will hatch out males and females and mate,

卵孵化後則為雄性，並和雌性進行交配，

and then create eggs that wait for next year,

接著產下隔年將孵化的卵。

kind of the best of both worlds.

聽起來簡直是兩全其美。

Hedging their bets basically,

基本上就是一種規避機制，

using cloning to rapidly colonize

透過繁衍後快速形成聚落，

and then using sex to mix up the genes.

再透過性交來混合其基因。

In the spring, female aphids lay eggs which hatch,

春天時，雌性蚜蟲產卵孵化，

break open, allowing the young to come out.

幼蟲破殼而出，

The young aphids that hatch are all female.

孵化的年幼蚜蟲都是雌性。

But later, at the end of the summer,

但到了夏季末期，

both female and male aphids hatch out

孵化出雌性和雄性蚜蟲

and start to reproduce by mating.

並開始交配以繁衍後代。

So, the aphids have the best of both worlds,

所以，蚜蟲的生活可說是兩全其美，

they enjoy the advantages of very different things at the same time.

同時享受兩種不同事物帶來的好處。

Or to put it another way,

或者，換一種說法，

the aphids hedge their bets.

蚜蟲採取兩面下注的策略。

They follow two courses of action

牠們同時採取兩種行動

instead of choosing between them.

而不是擇一進行。

By cloning themselves with 'virgin births' and reproducing sexually,

透過自我複製、處女生殖和有性生殖，

aphids maximize their chances of survival.

蚜蟲最大限度地提升牠們的生存機會。

Gardeners around the world will be upset to hear that

世界各地的園藝家聽到這個消息肯定會很不高興，

those young aphids just love eating tomato plants!

因為年幼的蚜蟲最愛吃番茄植物！

But on the plus side,

但往好處想，

it seems being male can be useful after all.

這表示男性還是有用的。

But not if you're Flora,

但若你是 Flora 就不同了。

the female you asked about in your quiz question.

你剛才問答環節提到的雌性動物。

So, what type of animal was she?

那她是什麼類型的動物？

Right, I asked whether the virgin Flora was...

沒錯，剛才我的問題是，處女 Flora 是

a) a python, b) a shark

a) 蟒蛇，b) 鯊魚

or c) a Komodo dragon.

或 c）科摩多龍。

I guessed a python.

我選了 a）蟒蛇。

Well, Rob, you're right that some female pythons can reproduce by themselves,

羅伯，你說的沒錯，有些雌性蟒蛇可以獨自繁衍後代，

and sharks too.

斑馬鯊也是。

But the correct answer is that

但正確的答案是

Flora was c) a Komodo dragon.

Flora 是 c）科摩多龍。

OK, let's recap the vocabulary,

好，讓我們來複習一下詞彙。

starting with mate, an animal's sexual partner,

從配偶這個詞開始，動物的性伴侶，

something you don't have if you're celibate - living without sex.

如果你是無性繁衍就不會有性伴侶，也就是沒有性生活。

Animal eggs hatch or break open to let the young out.

動物蛋的孵化或破殼而出。

And a paradox is a situation which seems contradictory

而悖論是一種看似矛盾的情況，

because it contains two opposite facts.

因為它包含兩個相反的事實。

Species which reproduce parthenogenetically and sexually have the best of both worlds -

同時進行孤雌生殖和有性生殖的物種擁有兩全其美的生活，

enjoy the advantages of very different things at the same time.

同時享受不同事物帶來的好處。

And if you hedge your bets,

如果你兩面下注，

you follow two courses of action instead of choosing between them so you don't miss out.

就表示你採取兩種策略而不是擇一進行，這樣就不會錯過任何機會。

Well, that's all there's time for. Bye for now! Goodbye!

我們的時間差不多了，再見！