economic times, of course.

經濟時代中, 當然

And one of the first victims

在這樣的情況下

of difficult economic times,

首當其衝受害的一環

I think, is public spending of any kind,

莫過於任何種類的公共支出

but certainly in the firing line at the moment

但明顯地被猛烈抨擊的

is public spending for science,

是科學領域上的公共支出

and particularly curiosity-led science

尤其是純好奇心驅使的科學

and exploration.

和探索

So I want to try and convince you in about 15 minutes

我希望在接下來的15分鐘內

that that's a ridiculous

試著說服大家

and ludicrous thing to do.

削減科研開支是荒謬和不合理的

But I think to set the scene,

為我的論述定調

I want to show -- the next slide is not my attempt

我想給大家看張投影片 --

to show the worst TED slide in the history of TED,

我無意播放這TED有史以來最糟的投影片 --

but it is a bit of a mess.

但它實在是有點混亂

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But actually, it's not my fault; it's from the Guardian newspaper.

這是來自英國衛報(The Guardian)

And it's actually a beautiful demonstration

對於科學研究支出

of how much science costs.

的一個精彩的呈現

Because, if I'm going to make the case

因為，如果我要建立

for continuing to spend on curiosity-driven science and exploration,

在好奇驅使的科研及探索上繼續投資的論點

I should tell you how much it costs.

我就該解釋其支出佔比

So this is a game called "spot the science budgets."

所以來玩個"尋找科研預算"的遊戲

This is the U.K. government spend.

這是英國政府每年總支出

You see there, it's about 620 billion a year.

這裡，大概一年6200億英鎊

The science budget is actually --

其中用於科學的預算是 -

if you look to your left, there's a purple set of blobs

在左手邊，看到那紫色的圓圈團

and then yellow set of blobs.

以及下面黃色的圓圈團

And it's one of the yellow set of blobs

科研的預算是黃色圓圈團中的一小圈

around the big yellow blob.

其中大的黃色圓圈

It's about 3.3 billion pounds per year

只佔了大約每年33億

out of 620 billion.

是6200億的一小部分

That funds everything in the U.K.

那包括所有英國科學研究支出

from medical research, space exploration,

由醫療研究、太空探索、

where I work, at CERN in Geneva, particle physics,

粒子物理 --- 我在日內瓦CERN的工作、

engineering, even arts and humanities,

工程學，甚至藝術和人文，

funded from the science budget,

都是由科學研究預算支出的

which is that 3.3 billion, that little, tiny yellow blob

就只有33億，那小小的黃色圈圈

around the orange blob at the top left of the screen.

繞著左上角橘色的圈圈團

So that's what we're arguing about.

這就是我們爭議的焦點

That percentage, by the way, is about the same

還有，此佔比與其他國家作比較如

in the U.S. and Germany and France.

美國，德國，法國的

R&D in total in the economy,

也是差不多

publicly funded, is about

以公共經費支出佔了

0.6 percent of GDP.

約國內生產總額的0.6%

So that's what we're arguing about.

這就是我們爭議的焦點

The first thing I want to say,

我想說的第一件事

and this is straight from "Wonders of the Solar System,"

取自BBC專輯"太陽系的奇蹟"

is that our exploration of the solar system and the universe

就是從我們對太陽系和宇宙的探索之中

has shown us that it is indescribably beautiful.

得知宇宙是筆墨無法形容的那般美麗

This is a picture that actually was sent back

這幅照片是

by the Cassini space probe around Saturn,

在我們完成"太陽系的奇蹟"的拍攝後

after we'd finished filming "Wonders of the Solar System."

卡西尼(Cassini)太空船才從土星傳回地球的

So it isn't in the series.

所以在專輯內沒有

It's of the moon Enceladus.

這是土星的土衛二: "恩克拉多斯"(Enceladus)

So that big sweeping, white

那又大又白

sphere in the corner is Saturn,

在左下角的圓圈就是土星

which is actually in the background of the picture.

在這幅照片裡面比較像是背景

And that crescent there is the moon Enceladus,

那邊的彎月就是"恩克拉多斯“

which is about as big as the British Isles.

大概有英倫群島那般大

It's about 500 kilometers in diameter.

直徑有五百公里左右

So, tiny moon.

很小的月亮，是吧

What's fascinating and beautiful ...

他美麗和引人入勝的地方

this an unprocessed picture, by the way, I should say,

對了，要提一下，這是一張未經處理的照片

it's black and white, straight from Saturnian orbit.

從土星軌道拍下來的黑白照片

What's beautiful is, you can probably see on the limb there

它最美麗的地方，是在"恩克拉多斯"下方

some faint, sort of,

有一些朦朧的

wisps of almost smoke

類似輕煙一般的東西

rising up from the limb.

從彎月下方冒出

This is how we visualize that in "Wonders of the Solar System."

這是我們在”太陽系的奇蹟“中，對這冒煙地帶做的一個虛擬影像

It's a beautiful graphic.

很美，是吧。

What we found out were that those faint wisps

根據我們的發現，那些輕煙

are actually fountains of ice

原來是一個冰噴泉群

rising up from the surface of this tiny moon.

從這細小的月亮上冒起

That's fascinating and beautiful in itself,

這種景象本身就是美麗和引人入勝

but we think that the mechanism

但我們如果想像一下這景象背後的原理

for powering those fountains

噴泉群背後的動力

requires there to be lakes of liquid water

需要的是在這個月亮的下面

beneath the surface of this moon.

很多液態水做成的湖泊

And what's important about that

重要的是

is that, on our planet, on Earth,

在地球上

wherever we find liquid water,

當我們發現有水的地方

we find life.

便能發現生命

So, to find strong evidence

因此 能找到有水的證據

of liquid, pools of liquid, beneath the surface of a moon

在一距離地球7億5千萬英哩之外

750 million miles away from the Earth

更是從一衛星的地表之下

is really quite astounding.

就是一件令人振奮的事

So what we're saying, essentially,

要強調的是

is maybe that's a habitat for life in the solar system.

那可能是在太陽系中另一生命的棲息地

Well, let me just say, that was a graphic. I just want to show this picture.

讓我呈現另一張圖片

That's one more picture of Enceladus.

“恩克拉多斯”的另一張照片

This is when Cassini flew beneath Enceladus.

這是當"卡西尼"飛掠過“恩克拉多斯”所攝

So it made a very low pass,

它低空掠過

just a few hundred kilometers above the surface.

距離地面只有幾百公里

And so this, again, a real picture of the ice fountains rising up into space,

所以這是一個確實的照片 顯示冰泉湧向宇宙

absolutely beautiful.

真是美

But that's not the prime candidate for life in the solar system.

而這還不是太陽系中，探索生命的主要研究對象

That's probably this place,

而是這個

which is a moon of Jupiter, Europa.

是木星系統中的 木衛二"Europa"

And again, we had to fly to the Jovian system

再次的 我們得飛進木星系統

to get any sense that this moon, as most moons,

去驗證這個衛星 就像大多數的衛星

was anything other than a dead ball of rock.

都只是一個無生命跡象的大石球體

It's actually an ice moon.

而它實際是個冰凍的月球

So what you're looking at is the surface of the moon Europa,

現在看到的是木衛二的表面

which is a thick sheet of ice, probably a hundred kilometers thick.

是幾百公里深的冰原層

But by measuring the way that

根據研究

Europa interacts

木衛二與木星的

with the magnetic field of Jupiter,

磁場交互作用下

and looking at how those cracks in the ice

長期觀察冰原的裂縫

that you can see there on that graphic move around,

可以見到某些圖案的移動

we've inferred very strongly

我們強烈的相信

that there's an ocean of liquid surrounding

冰原下方是有流動的海洋

the entire surface of Europa.

在整個木衛二的表面下!

So below the ice, there's an ocean of liquid around the whole moon.

也就是整個冰凍的衛星表面下 是有流動的海洋

It could be hundreds of kilometers deep, we think.

我們猜想 是有幾百公里深

We think it's saltwater, and that would mean that

也認為是鹽水 這也說明

there's more water on that moon of Jupiter

木衛二有比地球

than there is in all the oceans of the Earth combined.

還多的海洋

So that place, a little moon around Jupiter,

所以那個木星旁的木衛二

is probably the prime candidate

就是主要的研究對象

for finding life on a moon

期待發現地球以外的

or a body outside the Earth, that we know of.

生命希統

Tremendous and beautiful discovery.

經過了這麼多的探索

Our exploration of the solar system

我們對太陽系的持續探索

has taught us that the solar system is beautiful.

顯示我們的太陽系是如此的美麗

It may also have pointed the way to answering

也試著回答

one of the most profound questions that you can possibly ask,

你會想問的問題

which is: "Are we alone in the universe?"

也就是: "浩瀚的宇宙中, 地球是孤單地有著生命嗎?"

Is there any other use to exploration and science,

純科學探索的用途

other than just a sense of wonder?

除了好奇心, 還有別的嗎?

Well, there is.

還是有的

This is a very famous picture

這是個非常有名的照片

taken, actually, on my first Christmas Eve,

攝於我的第一個聖誕夜

December 24th, 1968,

1968年的12月24日

when I was about eight months old.

當我約8個月大

It was taken by Apollo 8

由阿波羅8號所攝

as it went around the back of the moon.

當它繞到月球背面

Earthrise from Apollo 8.

看到地球升起

A famous picture; many people have said that it's the picture

很多人也說是這張照片

that saved 1968,

救回了在動盪邊緣的

which was a turbulent year --

1968年世界 ---

the student riots in Paris,

巴黎的學生暴動、

the height of the Vietnam War.

越戰的高峰期，

The reason many people think that about this picture,

這張照片所啟發的

and Al Gore has said it many times, actually, on the stage at TED,

也是高爾(Al Gore)在TED一直強調的

is that this picture, arguably, was

這張照片是

the beginning of the environmental movement.

地球環境保護的開始

Because, for the first time,

因為是第一次讓我們

we saw our world,

看到我們的世界

not as a solid, immovable,

不再是堅不可摧

kind of indestructible place,

無法動搖的環境

but as a very small, fragile-looking world

而是一個渺小易碎的星球

just hanging against the blackness of space.

掛在漆黑的宇宙當中

What's also not often said

但卻不會聯想到

about the space exploration, about the Apollo program,

是因太空探索或是阿波羅計畫

is the economic contribution it made.

而帶動的經濟貢獻

I mean while you can make arguments that it was wonderful

我的意思是 我們會讚賞這景象的美麗

and a tremendous achievement

以及偉大的成就

and delivered pictures like this,

傳送的照片等等

it cost a lot, didn't it?

但是花費不貲, 不是嗎?

Well, actually, many studies have been done

實際上也做了許多

about the economic effectiveness,

關於經濟上成效的研究

the economic impact of Apollo.

像是阿波羅計畫之成本效益分析

The biggest one was in 1975 by Chase Econometrics.

最大規模的是"大通計量經濟預測公司"於1975的研究

And it showed that for every $1 spent on Apollo,

顯示花在阿波羅計畫上的每一美元

14 came back into the U.S. economy.

對美國經濟有著14美元的效益

So the Apollo program paid for itself

也就是說阿波羅計畫支撐其所有花費

in inspiration,

同時啟發了

in engineering, achievement

工程的成就

and, I think, in inspiring young scientists and engineers

我認為，也啟發了年輕的科學家與工程師

14 times over.

以14倍之多的方式

So exploration can pay for itself.

所以科學探索本身就是能打平的

What about scientific discovery?

更不用提科學發現的成果

What about driving innovation?

或是刺激更多的創新

Well, this looks like a picture of virtually nothing.

這張照片看起來似乎沒什麼重要

What it is, is a picture of the spectrum

它實際是氫原子的

of hydrogen.

放射光譜

See, back in the 1880s, 1890s,

回溯到1880 1890年代

many scientists, many observers,

許多科學家觀測家

looked at the light given off from atoms.

研究諸多原子的放射光譜

And they saw strange pictures like this.

得到許多像這樣的奇怪照片

What you're seeing when you put it through a prism

我們看到的是經由菱鏡折射

is that you heat hydrogen up and it doesn't just glow

得出氫原子加熱所放出的光線

like a white light,

像是白光

it just emits light at particular colors,

但其實是特定顏色的光

a red one, a light blue one, some dark blue ones.

紅光 青藍光 與一些深藍光

Now that led to an understanding of atomic structure

也得到些對原子結構的理解

because the way that's explained

是如此解釋的

is atoms are a single nucleus

原子有著單一原子核

with electrons going around them.

另外有電子繞著原子核

And the electrons can only be in particular places.

而電子只能在特定軌道

And when they jump up to the next place they can be,

當電子跳到更高能階的軌道

and fall back down again,

也能降回較低軌域

they emit light at particular colors.

同時方出特定能量(顏色)的光

And so the fact that atoms, when you heat them up,

所以當加熱的原子是放光線

only emit light at very specific colors,

只有特定的顏色光譜

was one of the key drivers

而這也是當時重要的刺激

that led to the development of the quantum theory,

引導推展出量子理論

the theory of the structure of atoms.

來解釋原子的構造

I just wanted to show this picture because this is remarkable.

我也要放出這張特別的照片

This is actually a picture of the spectrum of the Sun.

這是太陽的放射光譜

And now, this is a picture of atoms in the Sun's atmosphere

假設有一種原子在太陽的大氣層中

absorbing light.

吸收光線

And again, they only absorb light at particular colors

所以它只吸收特定顏色

when electrons jump up and fall down,

當電子跳上能階又跳下

jump up and fall down.

跳上又跳下

But look at the number of black lines in that spectrum.

所以從光譜中的黑線比對

And the element helium

早先氦元素便是

was discovered just by staring at the light from the Sun

如此從太陽光譜中發現

because some of those black lines were found

因為這些黑條紋

that corresponded to no known element.

並未能相對應到當時已知的元素

And that's why helium's called helium.

也就是氦的英文名是"Helium"

It's called "helios" -- helios from the Sun.

源自"helios" --- "太陽的"

Now, that sounds esoteric,

聽起來有些深奧

and indeed it was an esoteric pursuit,

而當時的確有些難理解

but the quantum theory quickly led

但是量子理論很快的就推導出

to an understanding of the behaviors of electrons in materials

電子在物質中的行為

like silicon, for example.

以矽為例

The way that silicon behaves,

說明矽的特性

the fact that you can build transistors,

之所以能做出電晶體

is a purely quantum phenomenon.

就純粹是量子效應

So without that curiosity-driven

因此若沒有好奇心的驅使

understanding of the structure of atoms,

想了解原子的結構

which led to this rather esoteric theory, quantum mechanics,

就不會提出當時深奧的理論--- 量子理論

then we wouldn't have transistors, we wouldn't have silicon chips,

就不會有現在的電晶體, 也不會有矽晶片元件

we wouldn't have pretty much the basis

也就不會有現代經濟的

of our modern economy.

基本建構單元

There's one more, I think, wonderful twist to that tale.

再來一個神奇的故事轉折

In "Wonders of the Solar System,"

在"太陽系的奇蹟"專輯中

we kept emphasizing the laws of physics are universal.

我們一直強調物理的基本定理是宇宙通行

It's one of the most incredible things about the physics

這也是物理最不可思議之處

and the understanding of nature that you get on Earth,

在地球上所學的自然知識

is you can transport it, not only to the planets,

能延伸到不只是行星

but to the most distant stars and galaxies.

可以到最遠的星球與銀河

And one of the astonishing predictions

而最驚人的預測就是

of quantum mechanics,

量子力學了

just by looking at the structure of atoms --

光以原子結構來說

the same theory that describes transistors --

就是那解釋電晶體的理論

is that there can be no stars in the universe

能用來預測宇宙中的恆星

that have reached the end of their life

當到達它們的生命末日

that are bigger than, quite specifically, 1.4 times the mass of the Sun.

絕不會有大於1.4倍太陽的質量

That's a limit imposed on the mass of stars.

也就是恆星質量的上限

You can work it out on a piece of paper in a laboratory,

這是可用理論在實驗室中計算得出

get a telescope, swing it to the sky,

再拿個天文望遠鏡對準天空