Crawling around on eight legs, this creature has no eyes to appreciate the kaleidoscope of colors around her.

這個小傢伙靠著牠的八隻腿到處爬行，牠沒有眼睛能夠觀賞身旁如萬花筒般多彩的環境。

She relies on her extraordinary sense of smell to lead her to food and safe places to lay eggs.

她仰賴她非凡的嗅覺能力，帶領她找到食物和適合產卵的地方。

And she's smaller than a pinhead.

她體型比一個針頭還小。

Dermatophagoides farinae is a dust mite.

粉塵蟎是一種塵蟎。

Less than a tenth the size of an ant, a dust mite's whole world is contained in the dusty film under a bed or in a forgotten corner.

一隻粉塵蟎的體型小於螞蟻的十分之一，牠的世界就在床底下的一層灰塵裡，或是在一個被遺忘的角落。

This realm is right under our noses, but from our perspective, the tiny specks of brilliant color blend together into a nondescript grey.

這個世界就近在我們的鼻尖底下，但從我們的觀點看來，多彩的微粒聚集起來就成了一塊難以名狀的灰。

What are these colorful microscopic particles?

這些五顏六色的微小粒子是什麼？

What distinguishes the dust in your house from, say, sand on a beach is that it is a mixture of many different ingredients.

你家的灰塵和海灘上的沙子不同在於，灰塵是由各種不同成分所組成。

It can contain grains of sand, dead skin cells, tiny hairs and threads, animal dander, pollen, man-made pollutants, minerals from outer space, and, of course, dust mites.

它可能含有沙粒、死皮細胞、細小毛髮和線、動物皮屑、花粉、人為污染物質、來自外太空的礦物，當然還有塵螨。

Dust mites eat animal dander, human skin, and some fungi.

塵蟎會吃動物皮屑、人類皮膚、和一些菌類。

We shed dead skin cells constantly, and wherever we live, they mix into the household dust.

我們的死皮細胞持續在剝落，在我們生活的地方，它們會混進家中灰塵。

The same goes for our pets: their dander and hairs enter the mix, as do tiny pieces of thread and cotton fibers from our clothes.

對寵物來說也是一樣，他們的皮屑和毛髮也會成為混合物的其中一員，衣服上細小的線和棉花纖維同樣混入其中。

'These components make every household's dust a unique blend of bits from its particular inhabitants.

這些組成物使得每家的灰塵因為特定的居住者而顯得獨一無二。

Household dust also contains substances that blow in from the wider world.

家中灰塵同樣包含外界吹來的物質。

Depending on the local geology, finely ground quartz, coal, or volcanic ash might enter the air as atmospheric dust, along with pollen and fungal spores.

根據地域而異，雕磨完善的石英、煤炭或火山灰都有可能進到空中成為大氣灰塵，其中也包含花粉和菌類孢子。

Industrial activities also contribute cement powder, particles from car tires, and other chemicals to the airborne mix.

工業活動也會帶來水泥粉末、來自汽車輪胎的粒子，以及其他在空中傳播的化學物質。

The combination of these elements can be as unique as a fingerprint.

這些成分的混合物可以如指紋般獨一無二。

In Spain, where the land is rich in carbonate materials, dust contains 20 times as much calcium as dust in Nigeria, where the geology is quite different.

在西班牙，土地富含碳酸鹽物質，因此當地灰塵比奈及利亞的多出 20 倍的鈣，兩地的地質相當不一樣。

After a particularly violent storm, scientists identified dust from the Sahara Desert thousands of miles away in London, based on its specific composition.

在一場特別劇烈的暴風後，科學家透過特定組成物發現沙哈拉沙漠的塵土歷經千里來到倫敦。

In the future, we may be able to pinpoint the origins of dust samples even more specifically, down to a particular neighborhood or even house–something that may be of great help for forensic specialists.

在未來，我們或許可以把灰塵樣本的來源定位得更加詳盡，縮小範圍到一個特定住宅區或甚至是房子。，這可能將會大大幫助法庭相關人士。

In addition to markers of humans, animals, and landscapes, dust also contains particles from further afield.

除了來自人類、動物和地景的成分，灰塵也含有來自遙遠天際的粒子。

When a star explodes in a distant galaxy, super hot gases vaporize everything nearby.

當一個遙遠星系的一顆星星爆炸時，熾熱的氣體會將它周遭的一切汽化。

Then, the dust settles; minerals condense out of the gas.

之後，塵埃落定。礦物從氣體中濃縮凝結。

Floating out there between planets and galaxies, this extraterrestrial dust contains tiny pieces of extinguished stars and the building blocks of future celestial bodies.

在星球和星系之間漂浮，這些外星塵埃含有爆炸消失的星星的碎片，以及形成未來天體的組成物。

Every year, tens of thousands of tons of cosmic dust lands on Earth and mingles with terrestrial minerals.

每一年，幾萬噸的宇宙塵埃降落到地球，和地球礦物混合。

This blend of chemicals, minerals, and intergalactic particles settles out of the air onto surfaces in our homes, mixing with the detritus of each house's occupants.

這個含有化學物質、礦物質和星系粒子的混合物從空氣中濃縮出來，進到我們的家中地表，並且融合各家居住者的碎屑。

Stars explode, mountains erode, and buildings, plants, and animals are all slowly but surely pulverized into fine grey powder.

星體爆炸，山嶺腐蝕，建築物、植物和動物同樣不免地在逐步粉碎為灰色粉末。

We're all destined to become dust, but it's also possible that we came from it.

我們全都註定成為塵埃，但很有可能，我們也來自於塵埃。

Interstellar dust has been found to carry organic compounds through space.

據知，星際塵埃承載有機物質穿越空間。

It's possible that billions of years ago, some of these cosmic particles were the seed of life on our little blue planet.

很有可能在幾十億年前，這些宇宙粒子的其中幾個，就是我們小小綠色星球的生命之源。

Have you ever visited Ted-Ed's Patreon page? Every donation helps support our non-profit mission.

你看過 Ted-Ed 的 Patreon 網頁嗎？每筆捐贈都能幫助支持我們非營利的任務。

And there are some pretty cool perks, including discounts for the Ted-Ed shop, exclusive digital downloads of amazing art from our lessons, and more.

並且有些很酷的津貼，包括 Ted-Ed 商店的折扣，包括下載我們課程的獨家電子藝術作品和更多。