其他星球上的生命可能会像珊瑚一样发光，以保护自己免受愤怒的太阳的伤害

其他星球上的生命可能会像珊瑚一样发光，以保护自己免受愤怒的太阳的伤害

Every now and then, astronomers looking for alien life will spot a planet that checks a lot of boxes.

寻找外星生命的天文学家会不时地发现一颗行星，继而会检查很多因素。

Is it in the "Goldilocks zone" — in other words, does it orbit not too far and not too close from its host star? Check.

它是在“适居带”吗?换句话说，它的轨道离它的主星不远也不太近吗?检查。

Is there a possibility of water, in some form or other? Check.

有没有可能以某种形式存在水?检查。

Atmosphere? Check.

存在大气层吗?检查。

Ahh, but that temperamental star it's orbiting is far too ornery. Exoplanets, as planets outside of our solar system are called, don't fare well in the face of blustery red suns. Harsh, ultraviolet flares obliterate anything that might aspire to live on them.

但是它所环绕的那颗喜怒无常的恒星太古怪了。太阳系外的行星被称为系外行星，它们在猛烈的红色太阳面前表现不佳。强烈的紫外线照明弹会消灭任何可能以它们为食的生物。

And so the search for potentially habitable worlds moves on to the next grain of sand in the star-studded beach we call the Milky Way.

因此，寻找潜在宜居星球的工作转移到了星罗棋布的海滩上的下一粒沙子上，我们称之为银河系。

Life on other planets may have found a beautiful way to adapt to harmful solar flares. (Photo: Wendy Kenigsberg/Matt Fondeur/Cornell University)

But what if life on some of those planets evolved to withstand those UV blasts?

但是，如果这些行星上的生命进化到能够抵御紫外线的冲击呢?

That's the question scientists at Cornell University pose in a study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

这是康奈尔大学的科学家在《皇家天文学会月刊》上发表的一项研究中提出的问题。

And they think they have an answer.

他们认为自己找到了答案。

It's called biofluorescence, a defense mechanism we see triggered by the sun here on our own planet.

这就是所谓的生物荧光，一种我们在地球上看到的由太阳触发的防御机制。

Consider for example, Proxima b. Discovered in 2016, and only 4.24 light-years from Earth, this Earth-like planet might host life — if not for that UV-spitting sun. But could life here shield itself, like coral, with biofluorescence?

以比邻星b为例，它于2016年被发现，距离地球只有4.24光年，这颗类地行星上可能存在生命——如果没有那颗喷射出紫外线的太阳的话。但是这里的生命能像珊瑚一样用生物荧光来保护自己吗?

One artist's depiction of the exoplanet known as Proxima b. (Photo: M. Kornmesser/ESO)

Think of it as a visual game of Marco Polo. A sun belts out a flare.

把它想象成马可波罗的视觉游戏，太阳发出耀斑。

It strikes the planet and triggers a warm, soft glow from whoever may be living there.

它击中了地球，并从任何可能生活在那里的人那里触发了温暖、柔和的光芒。

The biofluorescence would only flicker briefly, but it could be enough for Earthlings to spot. Especially when they're already peering at M-type stars. Also known as red dwarfs, those are the most common stars in our universe, and they happen to host a lot of planets in their Goldilocks zone.

这种生物荧光只会短暂闪烁，但足以让地球上的人发现。尤其是当他们已经在观测m型恒星的时候。也被称为红矮星，它们是我们宇宙中最常见的恒星，它们的适居带恰好有很多行星。

Unfortunately, they also happen to occasionally spew annihilation in the form of solar flares. The study suggests those flares could act more like a paintbrush tagging hidden biospheres for astronomers.

不幸的是，它们偶尔也会以太阳耀斑的形式喷射湮灭。这项研究表明，对于天文学家来说，这些耀斑可能更像是一个标记隐藏生物圈的画笔。

"This is a completely novel way to search for life in the universe," O'Malley-James said. "Just imagine an alien world glowing softly in a powerful telescope."

“这是在宇宙中寻找生命的一种全新的方式，”O'Malley-James说。“想象一个外星世界在一个强大的望远镜里发出柔和的光。”

Three times the size of Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to gaze deeper into space. (Photo: Northrop Grumman/NASA)

With the ability to pry deep into space — and special equipment for sniffing out planets with atmosphere — the James Webb Telescope could reveal a bold new universe.

凭借探测太空深处的能力——以及利用大气探测行星的特殊设备——詹姆斯·韦伯望远镜可以揭示一个大胆的新宇宙。

And, perhaps even, one that shimmers with life.

甚至可能是一个闪烁着生命光芒的人。