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A common forest salamander has a weird way of weaving in and out of its clutch of eggs.
一种普通的森林蝾螈会用一种奇怪的方式在它的卵窝里来回穿梭。
And it's not just being mysterious: It's transferring an antifungal bacteria from its skin onto its eggs.
这不仅很神秘：它把一种抗真菌细菌从它的皮肤转移到它的卵上。
The bacteria helps protect the eggs from a common type of fungus.
这种细菌帮助保护它的卵免受一种常见真菌的侵害。
But when scientists saw this, they wondered if there might be another application for that antifungal.
但当科学家们看到这个时，他们想知道这种抗菌剂是否可做他用。
They wanted to know if it could also be used to prevent a deadly chytrid fungus,
他们想知道是否可用它来预防一种致命的壶菌，
which infects more than 500 amphibian species around the world.
这种细菌可感染世界上500多种两栖动物。
Biologists have tried a number of strategies to control this fungus,
生物学家尝试过多种策略控制控制这种细菌，
but none of them seem practical for large populations, and others have had nasty side effects.
但这些方法似乎都不适用于大规模人群，还有一些产生了严重的副作用。
So hey, maybe this salamander stuff could be the solution.
所以或许这种蝾螈的物质可以解决这个问题。
In 2009, researchers tested their hypothesis on mountain yellow-legged frogs, which are very susceptible to chytrid.
2009年，研究人员在黄腿山蛙身上测试了他们的假设，这种蛙类对乳糜泻非常敏感。
It attacks tadpoles' mouths and damages adults' skin, so infected frogs typically die.
它攻击蝌蚪的嘴巴，损害成年蛙的皮肤，所以感染的青蛙通常会死亡。
In their experiment, scientists bathed frogs in a bacterial soup made from J. lividum,
在他们的实验中，科学家们将青蛙浸泡在由J. lividum粘菌制成的细菌汤中，
the same bacteria found on the skin of those salamanders.
这种细菌与蝾螈皮肤上发现的细菌相同。
And when those frogs were exposed to the fungus, none of them died.
当这些青蛙接触真菌时，没有一只死亡。
Meanwhile, frogs who didn't get a bacterial bath weren't so lucky. Over 80 percent of them didn't survive the fungus.
与此同时，没有接受细菌浴的青蛙就没那么幸运了。其中超过80%都没能从真菌中存活下来。
This treatment seems to work because the bacteria produces an antifungal called metabolite violacein,
这种疗法似乎有效，因为这种细菌会产生一种名为“代谢紫色杆菌素”的抗真菌物质，
which inhibits the fungus somehow. Scientists have tried to figure out how this works, but they're not sure.
它们会以某种方式抑制真菌。科学家们试图弄清楚其中原理，但他们并不确定。
They think it might be a byproduct of violacein's interactions with other bacteria.
他们认为这可能是紫色杆菌素与其他细菌相互作用的副产品。
In any case, it works, so they're going to keep doing it — and not just for the amphibians.
无论如何，这是有效的，所以他们将继续这样做——不仅仅是为了两栖动物。
Because violacein also has antibacterial and even anti-cancer properties.
因为紫色杆菌素也有抗菌甚至抗癌的特性。
So it might be able to protect us, too. You might not see it when you look at them, but coral really need algae.
它或许也能保护我们。你或许不知道，但珊瑚确实需要藻类。
The coral provides the algae with a safe place to live, and the algae give the coral all kinds of nutrients it needs to survive.
珊瑚为藻类提供了一个安全的生存环境，藻类为珊瑚提供了生存所需的各种营养物质。
So when that relationship is disrupted, bad things happen. Like coral bleaching.
所以关系失衡，不好的事情就会发生。比如珊瑚白化。
In the presence of stressors like rising temperature, corals expel their algae,
各种压力，如气候变暖等的出现，珊瑚排出藻类，
which makes the coral turn white and become vulnerable to disease.
使珊瑚变白，容易生病。
Bleaching can also stunt their growth and negatively affect their ability to reproduce.
白化也会阻碍它们的生长，并对它们的繁殖能力产生负面影响。
And a severe bleaching event can kill them.
严重的还会致死。
When we filmed this in early 2020, 27% of the world's coral reefs had already been lost due to bleaching,
当我们在2020年初拍摄这段视频时，全球27%的珊瑚礁已经因为白化而消失，
and experts think that number is likely to go up. But maybe it doesn't have to.
专家认为这个数字可能还会上升。但或许不必如此。
In 2018, researchers created a cocktail of different microorganisms, each of which possessed certain protective qualities.
2018年，研究人员创造了一种由不同微生物组成的组合，每种微生物都有一定的保护作用。
Some were chosen for their ability to produce catalase,
有一些被选上是因为它们能够产生过氧化氢酶，
which can reduce the concentration of dangerous, reactive oxygen species —
这种物质可以降低危险的活性氧的浓度——
ones that would damage proteins or genetic material and kill cells.
而活性氧会破坏蛋白质或遗传物质并杀死细胞。
Other microbes were good at converting nitrogen into a nutrient the corals could use,
其他微生物擅长将氮转化为珊瑚可以利用的营养物质，
while others were aggressive toward pathogens.
而另外的一些微生物则对病原体具有攻击性。
And when scientists added these microbes to a coral community,
当科学家们把这些微生物添加到珊瑚群落中时，
they reduced bleaching in the presence of warmer water and pathogens! Which is great!
它们减少了温暖海水和病原体存在时的白化现象！这很棒！
That doesn't mean the microbes prevented or reversed bleaching, though —
这并不意味着这些微生物能够阻止或逆转珊瑚白化，
they were just able to help the coral survive the bleaching event with fewer ill effects.
它们只是能够帮助珊瑚在白化中存活下来，而且带来的不良影响更少。
It still takes a reduction in water temperature and the return of algae to get the coral back on track.
海水温度的降低和藻类的回归才能使珊瑚回到正轨。
But maybe something like this could keep corals afloat during short warm spells.
但也许这样的东西可以让珊瑚在短暂的温暖期保持漂浮。
Finally, cleaning the messes humans have made remains one of our biggest challenges.
最后，清理人类制造的混乱仍然是我们最大的挑战之一。
And nowhere is this more evident than in superfund sites.
这一点在超级基金场址更为明显。
These are some of the most polluted places in the United States,
这些是美国污染最严重的地方，
and they get their name, superfund, from the trust Congress established to help pay for their cleanup.
它们的名字叫超级基金，来自为帮助支付清理费用而成立的信托国会。
Not superfun (it's hard to say it), superfund.
不是超级有趣（这很难说），而是超级基金。
And that cleanup is expensive and it's dangerous —for humans and for our non-human helpers.
清理很贵也很危险——无论是对人类还是对非人类的帮助者。
Poplar trees, for example, can naturally help remove
例如，杨树可以自然地帮助
a common industrial solvent called trichloroethylene, or TCE, from heavily-contaminated sites.
从污染严重的地方清除一种常见的工业溶剂三氯乙烯（TCE）。
But in the process, the toxicity may cause them to become stunted:
但在这过程中，毒性可能导致它们发育迟缓：
Their leaves can turn yellow, and their branches can wither. Some may even die. So, there's a balance here.
它们的树叶会变黄，它们的树干会枯萎。一些甚至会死亡。所以平衡在这。
Because trees are a great way to clean up polluted areas…but we also don't want to kill them. Cue the microbes!
因为树木是清理污染地区的好方法，但我们也不想杀死它们。提示细菌！
In 2017, researchers discovered that poplar trees fortified
2017年，研究人员发现添加了一种肠杆菌的杨树
with a kind of Enterobacter bacteria were able to remove the TCE with fewer ill effects.
可以有效地去除TCE，而且对人体的影响较小。
This specific strain of Enterobacter — called PDN3 — breaks down the TCE and releases a harmless chloride ion instead.
这种特殊的肠杆菌被称为PDN3，它能分解TCE，释放出一种无害的氯离子。
Researchers inoculated poplar trees by exposing their roots to the bacteria for one week,
研究人员将杨树的根暴露在这种细菌中一周，
then checking to make sure that the bacteria was able to colonize the roots.
然后检查以确保细菌能在根上定植。
The trees that were inoculated not only removed more TCE from the environment,
接种了疫苗的树木不仅从环境中清除了更多的TCE，
but they were also healthier and larger than the trees that didn't get any microbial assistance.
而且它们也比没有得到任何微生物帮助的树木更健康、更茂盛。
Because, like, when a toxin isn't trying to wither your leaves and kill you,
因为，比如说，当一种毒素没有让你的叶子枯萎并杀死你的时候，
it turns out you can do your job better. So, despite our aversion to them, because yes, they can kill you,
结果证明你可以做得更好。所以，尽管我们讨厌它们，因为是的，它们可以杀死你，
almost all microbes are either benign or positive. They make your yogurt yogurty and they make your cheese cheesy.
但几乎所有的微生物要么是良性的，要么是阳性的。它们能为你制作酸奶，为你制作奶酪。
But more than that, they can also help or even save species across the planet.
但更重要的是，它们还可以帮助甚至是拯救地球上的物种。
If you want to learn more about microbes, good news
如果你想了解更多关于微生物的知识，好消息：
There is so much to learn about them, from their behavior to their genetics.
关于它们，从它们的行为到基因，有太多需要了解。
But if you really want to dive in, it might be good to know a bit about computational biology.
但如果你真的想深入研究，最好对计算生物学有一点了解。
This field combines elements of physics, computer science, and bio.
这个领域结合了物理学、计算机科学和生物学的元素。
And if you want to get a sense of what it looks like, you can check out Brilliant's Computational Biology course.
如果你想了解它，你可以看看Brilliant的计算生物学课程。
It covers things like genomes, DNA composition, and molecular folding — all things that are important in the lives of microbes.
它涵盖了基因组、DNA组成和分子折叠等所有在微生物生命中很重要的东西。
And like all of Brilliant's courses, it does that in a really engaging, easy-to-understand way. So, props to them!
和所有Brilliant的课程一样，它以一种非常吸引人、容易理解的方式供人理解。所以，支持下吧！
If you want to check it out, you can go to Brilliant.org/SciShow.
如果大家想查看，请登录Brilliant.org/SciShow。
And the first 200 people to sign up there will get 20% off the annual Premium subscription.
前200名注册的用户可以享年度订阅8折优惠。
