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Thanks to Skillshare for supporting this episode of SciShow.
感谢Skillshare对本节目的支持。
From the Moruga Scorpion to the Carolina Reaper or even the mysterious Pepper X,
从莫鲁加毒蝎椒到卡罗莱那死神辣椒，甚至是神秘的X辣椒
adventurous eaters are constantly on the hunt for the next hottest thing.
喜欢冒险的吃货们在不断地寻找下一个最辣的食物。
And they might even think they've found it, if they've tried a drop of pure capsaicin, the potent chemical that gives those peppers their heat.
如果他们已经尝过纯辣椒素的话，他们甚至可能以为自己已经找到了。正是辣椒素这种强效化学物质赋予了辣椒灼辣感。
But the hottest chemical we know of isn't made by a pepper. It's a compound called resiniferatoxin. And trust me, you do not want to eat it.
但是人类已知的最辣化学物质并不是由辣椒制成，而是一种被称为树酯毒素的化合物。相信我，你不会想要去尝试这种物质的。
When we say something is "hot" or "spicy", what we really mean is that it activates heat-sensitive neurons that have a receptor called TRPV1.
当我们说某些东西“辣”或“辛辣”时，我们指的是这个东西激活了热敏神经元，这种神经元中含有一种受体—辣椒素受体（TRPV1）。
This particular receptor normally triggers pain nerves to fire when they're exposed to high temperatures or acids.
当这种受体暴露于高温或酸类物质之中时就会触发疼痛神经。
So spicy things feel hot because your brain actually thinks you're being burned.
所以辛辣的食物之所以辣是因为你的大脑以为你被烧着了。
Capsaicin, the main spicy chemical in chili peppers, strongly activates this receptor.
辣椒素是红辣椒中的主要辛辣化学物质，它会强烈激活这种受体。
And resiniferatoxin, or RTX for short, does what capsaicin does, just better. In lab tests, it's anywhere from 100 to 10,000 times as potent.
树酯毒素或简称RTX和辣椒素功能一样，甚至更好。在实验室测试中，其强效范围是辣椒素的100到10000倍。
Of course, foodies don't run experiments in test tubes or petri dishes.
当然，美食家们不会在试管或培养皿中进行实验。
They measure spiciness using Scoville Heat Units or SHUs, which are named after their creator, pharmacist Wilbur Scoville.
他们是用史高维尔单位（SHUs）来测量辣度，这个单位是以其创造者——药剂师韦伯·史高维尔的名字命名。
His 1912 paper defines an SHU as how much a pepper extract needs to be diluted before someone can no longer taste it.
1912年他做出以下定义：SHU指需要稀释多少辣椒提取物，人们才能完全尝不出辛辣的味道。
So 10 SHUs means the heat is gone after a 1:10 dilution.
所以10 SHUs意味着经过1:10的稀释后，辣度才会消失。
Using this scale, a jalapeno is about 2,500 to 8,000 SHUs, a Carolina Reaper is 1.5 to 2.2 million SHUs, and pure capsaicin is 16 million SHUs.
按照这种比例，墨西哥胡椒是约2500到8000 SHUs、卡罗莱那死神辣椒是150万到220万 SHUs、纯辣椒素是1600万 SHUs。
But RTX blows them all out of the water with a staggering 16 billion SHUs. That's Billion with a B!
但RTX以惊人的160亿 SHUs完胜以上所有物质。是十亿哦！
There's no hot sauce that contains RTX, and that's a good thing.
没有一种辣椒酱中含有RTX，这是一件好事。
Scientists estimate eating as little as 10 grams of the stuff, about the same weight as 10 M&Ms, could be fatal.
科学家估计食用10克RTX（大约相当于10颗MM豆的重量）即可致命。
And it's considered so dangerous that researchers working with it don gloves and respirators to prevent chemical burns.
这种物质如此危险，因此研究人员在处理它的时候会戴上手套和呼吸器防止化学灼伤。
While it might seem like something so dangerously spicy could only be created by a mad scientist,
似乎只有疯狂的科学家才会创造这种如此危险辛辣的物质，
it's actually produced by a cactus-like plant native to Morocco.
但事实上，这种物质生产者是一种像仙人掌的植物，原产于摩洛哥。
The molecule itself is a diterpene, a kind of carbon-and-hydrogen molecule with lots of double bonds.
该分子本身是一种双萜，一种带有大量双键的碳氢分子。
That makes it similar to a lot of compounds produced by plants,
这使得它和植物所产生的大多数化合物质很相似，
including ones that fight against microbes, though so far, none of them can match its spicy kick.
包括那些抵御细菌的化合物质，虽然，到目前为止，没有一种可与它的辣度相匹敌。
Weird as it might sound, scientists are looking into using RTX medically, to treat severe pain.
这听起来或许会很奇怪，科学家正在观察将RTX用作药物治疗剧烈疼痛。
That's because it activates pain-sensing neurons so strongly that they essentially get exhausted.
这是因为RTX可以强烈激活痛觉神经元，这种强烈的程度会让它们精疲力尽。
So they either make themselves less sensitive to the stuff, or die. Either way, you end up with fewer pain signals being sent to the brain.
因此它们要么是让自己变得没那么敏感要么是死去。不管哪一种，最终送入大脑的痛觉信号会变少。
But while the medical potential of RTX is intriguing, it's a very dangerous substance.
但是虽然RTX的医学潜能引起了大家的兴趣，但它是一种非常危险的物质。
So it's not something you should try at home, therapeutically, or to spice up your curry.
所以这不是你可以在家进行临床尝试的东西，也不要把它加进你的咖喱里。
The good news is, if you are looking to spice up your cooking, there are plenty of other ways to do that.
好消息是，如果你正在寻找烹饪的佐料，有很多其他你可以尝试的方法。
For example, you could try a cooking class from Skillshare!
例如，你可以看看Skillshare上的烹饪课！
I like this one by culinary instructor Shefaly Ravula, which goes over five techniques for classic Indian cooking.
我喜欢烹调导师Shefaly Ravula的这期课程，她在课上讲到了做印度菜的五种方法。
She teaches you things like how to make a good chutney, and how to toast and grind your own spices, although RTX is definitely not on that list.
她会教你如何制作美味的辣椒酱，如何烤和磨香料，虽然RTX绝对不在其中。
By the end of the videos, you end up with a ton of useful skills that can be applied to all kinds of recipes.
视频结束后，你将学到很多可以运用于所有食谱的厨艺。
And if you're already a cooking pro, Skillshare also has more than 20,000 other classes where you can try something new.
如果你已经是大厨了，Skillshare还有其他两万多种课程，你可以从中学习新的东西。
Right now, Skillshare is offering SciShow viewers 2 months of unlimited access to all their classes for free! Just check out the link in the description.
现在Skillshare为科学秀的观众提供了两个月权限免费观看他们的所有课程！点击下方链接进行查看。
