第2325期:Nature that glows

Early in the morning in June 2024, photographer Lee McGrath captured electric blue shimmering in the waves of Dunraven Bay, Wales. Lighting up the water was bioluminescent plankton.2024 年 6 月清晨，摄影师 Lee McGrath 在威尔士邓拉文湾的海浪中捕捉到了电蓝色的光芒。照亮水面的是生物发光的浮游生物。Bioluminescence is the ability of certain organisms to produce light. It's a biochemical wonder involving a reaction between certain chemicals that create light without heat. Plankton, as seen in Wales, are tiny marine drifters, carried by ocean tides and currents. And they're not the only creatures in the ocean with this illuminating characteristic – an amazing 76% of animals in our seas are bioluminescent, according to National Geographic. It happens for a variety of reasons. For example, the deep-sea anglerfish has a glowing fin that sticks out of its head to attract prey, and jellyfish can emit light to attract mates. Similarly, the six-inch lantern shark, one of the world's smallest sharks, has light-up organs used for camouflage.生物发光是某些生物体产生光的能力。这是一个生化奇迹，涉及某些化学物质之间的反应，无需热量即可产生光。正如在威尔士所看到的，浮游生物是微小的海洋漂流物，由海洋潮汐和洋流携带。而且它们并不是海洋中唯一具有这种发光特性的生物——据《国家地理》报道，令人惊奇的是，我们海洋中 76% 的动物具有生物发光能力。发生这种情况的原因有多种。例如，深海琵琶鱼有一个发光的鳍，从头部伸出来吸引猎物，水母可以发光来吸引配偶。同样，六英寸长的灯笼鲨是世界上最小的鲨鱼之一，它有用于伪装的发光器官。But it's not just ocean life that can glow in the dark. On land, fireflies dance with glowing abdomens as part of courtship rituals, while some fungi, such as the honey mushroom, contribute an eerie glow in forests, and are known as 'ghost mushrooms' in some cultures. In New Zealand, there is a freshwater snail which emits a glowing slime, and glow-worm caves attract hundreds of thousands of tourists a year.但不仅仅是海洋生物可以在黑暗中发光。在陆地上，萤火虫用发光的腹部跳舞，作为求爱仪式的一部分，而一些真菌，如蜂蜜蘑菇，在森林中发出怪异的光芒，在某些文化中被称为“幽灵蘑菇”。在新西兰，有一种淡水蜗牛会散发出发光的粘液，萤火虫洞每年吸引数十万游客。Scientists are discovering more and more glowing nature each year, says Linda Reinhold, an Australian scientist, but there's still a lot we don't know. She says it's easiest to see bioluminescent nature on land by using a UV torch, so next time you head out at night, pack one! You never know what you'll find.澳大利亚科学家琳达·莱因霍尔德（Linda Reinhold）表示，科学家每年都会发现越来越多发光的自然现象，但仍有很多东西我们不知道。她说，使用紫外线手电筒最容易在陆地上看到生物发光的自然现象，所以下次你晚上出去时，带上一个吧！你永远不知道你会发现什么。词汇表electric blue 电光蓝shimmer 发出闪烁的微光light up 使…变得明亮bioluminescent 生物体发光的plankton 浮游生物biochemical 生物化学的drifter 漂浮物illuminating 发光的anglerfish 琵琶鱼emit 散发，发出camouflage 伪装glow in the dark 在黑暗中发光firefly 萤火虫glowing 发光的courtship ritual 求偶仪式fungi 真菌eerie 怪异的slime 粘液glow-worm 萤火虫UV torch 紫外线手电筒