本集内容

Could the Moon help save endangered animals?

月球能帮我们拯救濒危动物吗？

文字稿

Scientists are taking animal cells to the Moon... but why?

科学家打算把动物细胞带到月球上，这是为什么呢？

The idea is to create a kind of bank of endangered species there.

他们的想法是在月球上建立一个濒危物种库。

We'd need to keep the cells at around -200°C – and parts of the Moon, like the poles, are really cold.

我们需要将动物细胞在零下 200 摄氏度的温度中保存。而月球上的部分地区，比如南北两极，本身就非常寒冷。

Here on Earth, this would require lots of electricity, for example.

在地球上，这种保存方式需要消耗大量资源，比如电力。

Plus, the Moon is far away from the risks we face here on Earth, like wars, climate change and natural disasters.

并且，月球环境远离我们在地球上面临的许多风险，比如战争、全球变暖和自然灾害等等。

But getting these cell samples there wouldn't be easy.

但把细胞样本送到月球上并不容易。

Their packaging would need to handle tough conditions like high radiation levels.

它们的包装需能够应对各种严苛的环境，比如高强度的辐射。

And scientists are not sure how low gravity might affect the cells over time.

科学家也不确定长期处于低重力环境对细胞会有何影响。

It will be many years before something like this happens, but there are plans to send other samples, like plants, in case they were needed in the future.

月球上的濒危物种库可能还需要许多年才能建成，但已经有将其它种类的样本，比如植物，也送到月球上的计划了，以防未来之需。