Imagine a place so dark you can't see the nose on your face.
想像一个十分黑暗的地方，伸手不见五指。
Eyes opened or closed, it's all the same because the sun never shines there.
眼睛睁与闭没什么区别，因为阳光从未照进那儿。
Up ahead, you see a light. When you creep in to investigate, a blue light flits around you.
抬头一看，你见到亮光，当你游去一探究竟，发现一抹蓝光在眼前漂荡。
"I could watch this forever," you think.
“我可以一直欣赏这美景”，你这样想着。
But you can't because the mouth of an anglerfish has just sprung open and eaten you alive.
但你做不到了，因为一条鮟鱇鱼的大嘴刚刚张开，将你一口吞下。
You are just one of many creatures at the bottom of the ocean who learn too late to appreciate the power of bioluminescence.
你只是一只太晚意识到生物发光力量的海底生物。
Bioluminescence refers to the ability of certain living things to create light.
生物发光是指特定生物体产生光的能力。
The human body can make stuff like ear wax and toe nails,
人体可以产生像耳垢和脚指甲这样分的东西，
but these organisms can turn parts of their body into glow sticks.
但这些生物可以将身体一部份变成荧光棒。
It's like nature made them ready to rave. Why?
好像大自然赋予了它们在派对狂欢的能力。为什么呢？
In one way or another, bioluminescence improves a living thing's chances of survival.
不论如何，生物发光可以增加个体存活机会。
Take the firefly. It's ability to glow green helps it attract a mate on a warm, summer night,
以萤火虫为例。它们发出绿色荧光的能力，帮助它们在仲夏吸引伴侣，
but it's just one of many living things that can glow.
但它们只是诸多发光生物的一员。
The railroad worm, Phrixothrix hirtus, can light up its body in two colors: red and green.
苹果蝇蛆，也叫做Phrixothrix hirtus，可以用两种颜色照亮自己的身体：红色和绿色。
Would you eat something that looks like an airport runway?
你会吃这种像是机场跑道的东西吗？
Neither would any sensible predator. The flashing lights keep the worm safe.
其它意识正常的掠食者也不会。荧光让这种虫子存活下来。
Then there's the deep sea shrimp, Acantherphyra purpurea.
还有一种深海虾，学名为Acanthephyra purpurea。
When it feels threatened, it spews a cloud of glowing goo from its mouth.
当它们面临威胁时，会从口中喷出荧光液体。
Who doesn't run the other way when they've just been puked on?
谁被这种东西喷到不会想要逃走呢？
Plus, that puke attracts bigger predators who want to eat the shrimp's enemy.
而且，那团呕吐物还会吸引其它更大型、想吃虾的天敌。

So what if you can't bioluminesce? No problem!
那如果本身不能发光怎么办？没关系！
There are other ways for living things to make bioluminescence work for them, even if they weren't born with the equipment to glow.
生物还有其他的方式来利用生物荧光，即使它们没有与生俱来的发光能力。
Let's revisit the anglerfish moments before it tried to eat you.
让我们回到鮟鱇鱼想将你吃掉的那一刻。
That glowing bait on top of its head?
在它头顶有一个发光的诱饵。
It comes from a pocket of skin called the esca. The esca holds bioluminescent bacteria.
它来源于叫做“钓饵”的袋状皮肤，里面装着可以发荧光的细菌。
The anglerfish can't glow there by itself, so it holds a sack of glowing bacteria instead.
鮟鱇鱼自己不能发光，所以它们会带着一袋荧光细菌。
Remember the firefly? It can actually make itself glow.
记得萤火虫吗？它们是真的会自己发光。
Inside its lantern are two chemicals, a luciferin and a luciferase.
在它们的小灯笼中，有荧光素和荧光酶两种物质。
When firefly luciferase and luciferin mix together in the presence of oxygen and fuel for the cell, called ATP,
当两者在有氧环境中混合，并加上生物中用来提供能量的三磷酸腺苷，
the chemical reaction gives off energy in the form of light.
化学反应会释放出光能。
Once scientists figured out how the firefly creates its luciferase and luciferin,
当科学家发现了萤火虫是如何产生它的荧光素与荧光素酶时，
they used genetic engineering to make this light-producing reaction occur inside other living things that can't glow.
他们通过基因工程技术，让原本不能发光的生物体也能发光。
For example, they inserted the genes, or instructions, for a cell to create firefly luciferase and luciferin into a tobacco plant.
比如说，他们将这种萤火虫的基因或是指令，放置到烟草植物中，制造荧光素和荧光素酶的反应。
Once there, the tobacco plant followed the instructions slipped into its DNA and lit up like a Christmas tree.
一旦成功，烟草就会依据这些DNA上面的指令，把自己点亮成一株圣诞树。
The beauty of bioluminescence, unlike the light from the sun or an incandescent bulb, is that it's not hot.
生物发光的美，不同于日光或白炽灯光，它并不发热。
It takes place in a range of temperatures that don't burn a living thing.
它能在生物能忍受的温度范围下作用，而且不会烧死任何生物。
And unlike a glow stick, which fades out as the chemicals inside get used up, bioluminescent reactions use replenishable resources.
它也不同于荧光棒，当里面的化学物质都用完后就暗下去。生物发光反应用的是可被补充的资源。
That's one reason engineers are trying to develop bioluminescent trees.
这是科学家们想培养荧光树的一个原因。
Just think, if planted on the side of highways,
试想：如果将这种荧光树种在高速公路旁，
they could light the way, using only oxygen and other freely available, clean resources to run.
它们可以照明公路，只需要氧气和其他一些易得到的、干净的资源来维持。
Talk about survival advantage! That could help our planet live longer.
看看对于生存的益处！这可以帮助我们的地球再存在得久一些。
Do you find yourself thinking of other ways to put bioluminescence to good use?
你有想到其它生物发光的用法吗？
That glow stick you swing at a rave may help you find a mate,
手上的荧光棒或许可以帮你在舞会中找到伴侣，
but how else can bioluminescence improve your survival?
但是生物发光如何提升你的生存能力呢？
If you start thinking in this way, you have seen the light.
如果你开始这样想了，那么你已经看到创意的火花了。