研究人员：NASA小行星样本中含有生命的“构成要素”
📖 逐句对照翻译
Scientists examining material collected from an asteroid say it appears to contain some of the chemical building blocks of life.
研究小行星采集材料的科学家表示，这些材料似乎含有构成生命的一些化学基础物质。
The American spacecraft OSIRIS-REx collected the samples in 2020 from the asteroid Bennu.
美国航天器OSIRIS-REx于2020年从小行星贝努上采集了样本。
In 2023, the spacecraft sent the rock and dust material back to Earth in a special container that landed by parachute.
2023年，该航天器将岩石和尘埃物质装入一个特殊容器送回地球，容器通过降落伞着陆。
Scientists from the American space agency NASA recovered the samples in the western state of Utah.
美国国家航空航天局的科学家在犹他州西部回收了这些样本。
OSIRIS-REx is already on its way to another asteroid called Apophis.
OSIRIS-REx已经启程前往另一颗名为阿波菲斯的小行星。
It is expected to reach that asteroid in 2029.
预计将于2029年抵达那颗小行星。
On Bennu, the spacecraft collected a total of 122 grams of material.
在贝努小行星上，航天器共收集了122克物质。
This is believed to be the largest sample collected from beyond the moon.
这被认为是从月球以外收集到的最大样本。
NASA has shared some of the material with international researchers.
NASA已与国际研究人员分享了部分材料。
Two research groups released studies last week describing results of their examinations of the asteroid material.
上周，两个研究小组发布了研究报告，描述了他们对小行星物质样本的检测结果。
One study, published in Nature Astronomy, suggested the samples contained a mixture of organic compounds.
一项发表在《自然天文学》上的研究提出，这些样本中含有有机化合物的混合物。
Organic compounds have one or more carbon atoms that attach to other elements, usually hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.
有机化合物含有一个或多个碳原子，这些碳原子与其他元素相连，通常是氢、氧、氮和硫。
All life on Earth is based on carbon and is built from organic compounds.
地球上的所有生命都以碳为基础，并由有机化合物构成。
The other study, published in Nature, provides evidence that a much larger object, which Bennu is believed to have broken off from, once held salty, liquid water.
另一项发表在《自然》杂志上的研究提供了证据，表明贝努可能源自的一个大得多的天体，曾经含有咸的液态水。
The researchers said this suggests that in the early solar system, asteroids such as Bennu might have transported water and life-supporting chemicals to other planets and moons.
研究人员表示，这表明在早期太阳系中，像贝努这样的小行星可能将水和维持生命的化学物质运送到了其他行星和卫星上。
Researchers from both groups noted it was important that the samples they worked with came directly from the asteroid itself.
两个研究小组的研究人员都指出，他们所使用的样本直接来自小行星本身，这一点非常重要。
Asteroid pieces that fall to Earth turn into meteorites, and chemicals inside the samples can be changed or lost.
落到地球上的小行星碎片会变成陨石，样本中的化学物质可能会发生变化或流失。
In a statement, NASA said the findings do not provide direct evidence of life itself.
美国国家航空航天局在一份声明中表示，这些发现并未提供生命存在的直接证据。
However, the space agency said, “They do suggest the conditions necessary for the emergence of life were widespread across the early solar system.”
然而，该航天机构表示：“它们确实表明，早期太阳系中普遍存在生命诞生所需的条件。”
This increases the chances that “life could have formed on other planets and moons,” the statement added.
该声明还补充说，这增加了“其他行星和卫星上可能形成生命”的机会。
The parent of Bennu is believed to be an icy body measuring about 100 kilometers across.
贝努的母体被认为是一个直径约100公里的冰质天体。
Scientists believe the body formed in the outer solar system and was later destroyed, possibly 1 to 2 billion years ago.
科学家认为，该天体形成于太阳系外缘，后来遭到毁灭，可能是在10亿至20亿年前。
The pieces that broke off likely formed Bennu and other asteroids observed to be masses of loose material, rather than solid objects.
这些碎片很可能形成了贝努以及其他被观测到由松散物质构成、而非固体实体的星体。
Nicky Fox is the associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington D.C. She praised the OSIRIS-REx mission, saying it was “already rewriting the textbook on what we understand about the beginnings of our solar system.”
尼基·福克斯是华盛顿特区美国宇航局科学任务理事会的副主管。她赞扬了OSIRIS-REx任务，称其“已经改写我们对太阳系起源理解的教科书”。
Fox added that she hopes the samples can help scientists understand “what ingredients in our solar system existed before life started on Earth.”
福克斯补充说，她希望这些样本能帮助科学家了解“在地球生命开始之前，太阳系中存在哪些成分”。
Tim McCoy is a researcher at the U.S. Smithsonian Institution and was a lead writer of the Nature study.
蒂姆·麦考伊是美国史密森学会的研究员，也是《自然》杂志这项研究的主要作者。
He told the Associated Press (AP) that the samples may provide details about "the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life.
他告诉美联社，这些样本可能会提供有关“从元素到生命的关键步骤所必需的那种环境”的详细信息。
”
“
He noted that combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich water is “really the pathway to life.”
他指出，将生命的构成要素与富含钠的水环境相结合，“确实是通往生命之路”。
He added the samples suggest the processes involving the chemical compounds “probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before.
他补充说，这些样本表明涉及这些化学化合物的过程“可能发生得比我们之前认为的要早得多，而且分布也广泛得多”。
"
“
Yasuhito Sekine is with the Institute of Science in Tokyo.
Yasuhito Sekine在东京科学研究所工作。
He did not take part in the new research.
他没有参与这项新研究。
Sekine confirmed the findings were only made possible by examining samples “collected directly from the asteroid, then carefully preserved back on Earth.
关根确认，这些发现只有通过检查“直接从该小行星上采集、随后在地球上被精心保存”的样本才得以实现。
"
“
Jason Dworkin is a project scientist for the OSIRIS-REx mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
杰森·德沃金是马里兰州NASA戈达德太空飞行中心OSIRIS-REx任务的项目科学家。
He told Reuters news agency that all biology is made up of organic compounds.
他告诉路透社，所有生物都是由有机化合物构成的。
And some of those may have survived 4.5 billion years.
其中一些可能已经存活了45亿年。
Dworkin said the materials from OSIRIS-REx provide new details about a solar system that might have had the right elements to support life.
德沃金表示，OSIRIS-REx带回的材料提供了关于太阳系的新细节，这个太阳系可能曾拥有支持生命存在的正确元素。
But he added that one of the most interesting questions, still remains: “Why we, so far, only see life on Earth and not elsewhere.”
但他补充说，最有趣的问题之一仍然存在：“为什么我们迄今为止只在地球上看到生命，而不是在其他地方。”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and NASA.
布莱恩·林恩根据美联社、路透社、法新社和美国宇航局的报道，为VOA慢速英语撰写了这篇报道。
