5.The Tribe Of Giant Snake Victims
5.受巨蛇危害的部落
In 1962, anthropologist Thomas Headland moved to Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, setting up camp with the Agta people. While moviegoers watched Lawrence of Arabia, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, and the world focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Agta were living like ancient hunter-gatherers in the Filipino rainforests.
1962年，人类学家托马斯·黒德兰德（Thomas Headland）来到吕宋岛——菲律宾最大的岛屿，与阿格塔人（Agta）一起搭起帐篷。尽管看电影的人看着《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》（Lawrence of Arabia），蕾切尔·卡森（Rachel Carson）出版了《寂静的春天》（Silent Spring），世界聚焦于古巴导弹危机，阿格塔人却像远古那样，在菲律宾热带雨林里过着狩猎、采集的生活。
They were also at war with the local snake population. A quarter of the men had been attacked by reticulated pythons. The longest snake in the world, this creature can grow to over 7 meters (23 ft) and can weigh over 75 kilograms (165 lb). Compare that to the average Agta, who stands less than 150 centimeters (5′) and rarely weighs as much as an American 13-year-old. Since they were small, lived in the jungle, and competed with pythons over food, the Agta often came to blows with these giant snakes. Out of 120 interviewees, Headland found 26 percent of the men had encountered angry pythons, and many bore the scars to back up their claims. Between the 1940s and 1970s, six people were killed by these snakes, including two kids who were gobbled up on the same night.The Agta didn't just sit back and let these serpents slither all over them. Every single man had killed at least one python in his life—or so each claimed, at least. The men regularly went around armed with guns and machetes. The father of the kids who were eaten stabbed the python responsible to death.There aren't as many "man vs. snake" battles on Luzon today. Thanks to encroaching modernization, the Agta have largely given up their old way of life. Since they're no longer living in the middle of snake country, the attack rates have dropped dramatically. But the reticulated pythons are still out there, hunting in the jungle, so if you ever visit Luzon, stick to the cities.
他们也与当地的蛇类发生战争。1/4的人被带有网状花纹的巨蟒攻击过。蟒蛇是世界上最长的蛇，能超过7米（23英尺），而体重能超过75公斤（165磅）。与此相比，普通阿格塔人身高150厘米（浮动5厘米）以下，很少有人体重与美国13岁的少年相当。因为他们瘦小，住在丛林里，与巨蟒争夺食物，阿格塔人常常被这些巨蟒追得气喘吁吁。120位受访者中，黒德兰德发现26%的人遭遇过愤怒的巨蟒，许多人身上还有伤疤作证。20世纪40年代到50年代之间，有6人被巨蟒杀死，其中两个小孩在同一天晚上被巨蟒吞掉。阿格塔人不会仅仅待着不动，让这些蛇从他们身上滑过。每个人一生至少杀过一条巨蟒——或者至少人人都这么说。他们有规律地四处走动，带有枪支和砍刀。被吃掉的两个孩子的父亲刺死了巨蟒，履行起了自己的责任。现在，吕宋岛上已经没有那么多"人蛇大战"的战斗了。多亏四处蔓延的现代化，阿格塔人基本放弃了原始的生活方式。既然他们不再住在蛇的王国之中，被攻击的比率自然大幅下降。但是，带有网状花纹的巨蟒仍然存在，它们在丛林里觅食，所以如果你要去吕宋岛游玩，待在城里吧。
4.眼镜蛇村庄
While the Agta people weren't fond of snakes, things are totally different in Ban Kok Sa Nga. Located in northeastern Thailand, this community takes its passion for serpents to a dangerous extreme.
尽管阿格塔人不喜欢蛇，事情在Ban Kok Sa Nga却截然不同。这个村庄位于泰国东北部，人们对蛇的热情发展到了接近危险的极限。
This reptilian love affair started back in the 1950s when a doctor wanted to put his sleepy little town on the map. This physician convinced everyone in town to breed snakes and put on cobra shows.If you visit Ban Kok Sa Nga today, you'll find around 140 houses, and outside almost every home, you'll notice at least one wooden crate. Open up that box, and you'll find something long, legless, and in a bad mood. Ban Kok Sa Nga is full of all sorts of cobras and constrictors, some of whom star in the village's serpentine circus. During a performance, visitors might witness a cobra boxing match where handlers tease the snakes, kick at their heads, and dodge their bites. They might even see someone shove a cobra in their mouth.Despite their rough treatment, the folks at Ban Kok Sa Nga really love their snakes. In fact, they breed more cobras than needed for the show simply because they like them as pets. Snakes are such a way of life that children are taught to handle them from a young age, and whenever a cobra dies, its owners make an offering for the snake at the local temple. These irresponsible relationships often lead to accidents. One septuagenarian handler, Bualee Chai, has been bitten at least 21 times. But while he's missing a few fingers, he's pulled through each time thanks to an herb known as wan paya ngoo.
这种对爬行动物的喜爱始于20世纪50年代，当时一位医生希望把自己所在的安静的小镇绘在地图上。这个医生说服镇上每个人养蛇，并进行眼镜蛇表现。如果你今天去那儿，你会发现大约140座房子，在几乎每家每户外面，你都能看见至少一个木制板条箱。打开箱子，你会发现一些长而无腿的东西，心情跌至低谷。那里到处都有各种各样的眼镜蛇和蟒蛇，其中一些是村里蛇类表演马戏团的明星。在一场表演中，观众可能会看见"眼镜蛇拳击比赛"——耍蛇人挑逗蛇，敲它们的头，躲闪它们的大口。甚至还能看见有人把眼镜蛇一把推进自己嘴里。尽管对待蛇的方式很粗暴，当地人实际上很爱他们的蛇。他们养的眼镜蛇多于表演的需要，这只是因为他们喜欢，蛇是他们的宠物。蛇就是一种生活方式，儿童很小时就被教会怎样控制蛇。无论什么时候眼镜蛇死了，它的主人都会在当地寺庙为这条蛇摆上祭品。这些与蛇不计后果的亲密关系常常带来意外事故。一位70多岁的弄蛇人，Bualee Chai，至少被咬过21次。但是，尽管他丢掉了几个手指，他每次度过难关都受益于一种叫做Wan paya ngoo的草药。
3.军事武器
They say war is hell. That applies doubly when snakes are involved. While bullets and bombs do far more damage, serpents are excellent psychological weapons. Nobody wants to end up with a pair of fangs in their foot.
人们说战争就是地狱。当蛇牵涉其中时，这句话再正确不过了。虽然子弹和炸药造成的破坏更大，蛇是完美的心理武器。没人愿意被蛇咬一口，脚上留下一对毒牙，然后死去。
Perhaps the most famous example of reptilian tactics took place during the Vietnam War, down in the Cu Chi tunnels. Spanning over 240 kilometers (150 mi), this underground labyrinth let the Viet Cong travel undetected by enemy helicopters. But while they were safe from aerial attack, they had to worry about gutsy American troops ("tunnel rats") who'd crawl through the dark in search of the enemy. To make things difficult for their foreign foes, the Viet Cong loaded the tunnels with bamboo vipers.These serpents were nicknamed "one-step" or "two-step" snakes because, if you were bitten, that's how many steps you'd take before you dropped over dead. These vipers were placed inside hollowed-out bamboo sticks, so when a tunnel rat knocked one over, the snake would slither out and strike at his face. While death by snakebite was extremely rare during the Vietnam War, these traps definitely kept the Americans in a constant state of fear.Snake warfare goes back further than ‘Nam. While he's best known for his army of elephants, the famed general Hannibal used the creatures to inflict pain and suffering on his enemies. In 190 B.C., the Carthaginian commander was battling King Eumenes II of Pergamum. Their navies were duking it out when Hannibal launched pots full of snakes at the Pergamese ships. Historians guess these scaly missiles were probably horned vipers, animals whose venom can cause hemorrhaging, vomiting, and necrosis. Whatever they were, the snakes freaked out the Pergamese sailors, allowing Hannibal's men to board their vessels and win the day.
也许，爬行动物战术最著名的例子发生在越战期间，古芝隧道内。这个地下迷宫长达240多公里（150英里），使越共能避开敌方直升飞机的侦察而行动。但是，他们虽然躲过了空中袭击，却不得不担心勇猛的美国部队（"隧道老鼠"）——这些人在漆黑里搜寻敌人。为了给外国对手制造麻烦，越共在隧道里堆放了大量装有毒蛇的竹子。这些蛇被昵称为"一步"或"两步"蛇，因为如果被它咬中，这就是你倒地死亡前能走的步数。这些蛇被放在掏空的竹子里。所以当"隧道老鼠"靠近时，蛇就会滑出来，攻击他的面部。尽管越战期间因被蛇咬伤致死的例子十分罕见，这些陷阱着实让美国人十分惧怕。蛇参加战争的例子可以从越战往前追溯很久。尽管他最广为人知的是他的"大象之军"，著名的汉尼拔将军曾用这种动物给敌人带去痛苦和折磨。公元前190年，这位迦太基指挥官与帕加马欧迈尼斯二世国王交战。当海军正一较高下时，汉尼拔向帕加马船上抛掷了满满几罐蛇。历史学家猜测，这些有鳞片的发射物很可能是角蝰，它们的毒液能引起大量失血、呕吐和身体局部坏死。无论它们属于什么类别，这些蛇吓跑了帕加马水手，让汉尼拔的士兵登上了他们的战舰，赢得了那次胜利。
2.The Snake With A Clawed Foot
2.有一只爪子的蛇
Dean Qiongxiu woke up one night to find a snake on her bedroom wall, and this snake had a clawed foot sticking out of its side. The 66-year-old Chinese woman grabbed a shoe and beat the monster to death. She then shoved it in a jar and sent it to the West Normal University in Nanchang, China.
段琼秀（Dean Qiongxiu）一天晚上醒来，发现卧室墙上有一条蛇，这条蛇还有一只爪子一样的脚，伸在身体外面。这位66岁的中国妇女抓起一只鞋子，猛打这个怪兽，把它打死了。随后她把它放进一个广口瓶，送到南昌的西华师范大学。
Scientists were quite surprised, describing the one-footed snake as "truly shocking." Researchers planned to conduct an autopsy to discover if the leg was genuine, but the results were not made public. So was the snake some sort of mutant? Was it a practical joke? Or perhaps an unlucky lizard was punching its way out of the serpent's stomach?While we don't know the answer, snakes can indeed grow legs under the right circumstances. In fact, all of these fork-tongued reptiles once scurried around on scaly feet, as evidenced by the remains of hips and limbs on their skeletons. The trick lies in the Hox genes, regulatory genes that turn other genes off and on. Originally, Hox genes encouraged the growth of limbs in snakes, but over time, their job description changed to stopping legs from sprouting. With a few modifications, the Hox genes could be reversed, letting serpents crawl around like dragons. Such a reversal would need some sort of outside agent—like pollution, for which China is notorious. So perhaps Qiongxiu's snake really did grow a foot, and perhaps someday all snakes will regain their limbs. Thanks, China!
科学家很惊讶，说这条有一只脚的蛇"实在很让人震惊"。研究人员计划进行解剖，弄清这条腿是不是天生的，但是实验结果没有公布。这条蛇是基因突变的结果吗？是有人恶作剧吗？还是有可能一只倒霉的蜥蜴打通了逃出蛇腹的路？虽然我们不知道答案，但是蛇在一定环境下的确能长出脚来。实际上，所有这些舌头分叉的爬行动物曾经靠着带鳞片的脚四处爬动，它们骨架上残留的髋部和四肢就是证明。问题的关键在于同源基因——调控其他基因关闭和启动的控制基因。原本同源基因鼓励蛇类生长四肢，但是很长时间之后，它们的工作内容却变为阻止腿长出来。经过一些调整改变，同源基因有可能复原，这样就能让蛇像龙一样四处爬了。这样的复古转变需要一些外在环境的刺激——比如污染，中国的污染可是臭名远扬。所以，也许琼秀的蛇真的长了一只脚，也许某天所有蛇都会重新获得四肢。谢了，中国！
1.The Viper That'll Turn You Into A Kid
1.能将你变回小孩的毒蛇
Ever wished you could be a kid again? If you visit Southeast Asia, your dream might come true. The region is home to the Russell's Pit Viper, a snake responsible for thousands of deaths each year. All it takes is 40–70 milligrams of venom, and your blood will turn into thick, viscous goo. After that, you'll probably end up as a statistic, but if you're one of the lucky survivors, you might become the next Benjamin Button.
有没有希望过自己能再做一次小孩？如果你去东南亚看看，你的梦想可能成真。这个地区是响尾蛇科毒蛇（Russell's Pit Viper）的故乡，这种蛇每年会夺走几千人的生命。它只花费40～70毫克毒液，你的血液就会变成浓稠的黏性物质。然后，你多半成为一个统计数据，但如果你属于幸存者之一，你可能成为下一个本杰明·巴顿。
In addition to changing your blood into strawberry jam, the venom of a Russell's Pit Viper causes lots of internal bleeding. You suffer a hemorrhage in the pituitary gland, the part of your body in charge of hormone production. Among other things, it controls your thyroid activity, your body temperature, and the production of sex hormones. Once the toxin strikes, the pituitary gland shuts down. You then turn into a prepubescent child. About 29 percent of pit viper victims suffer from hypopituitarism, a condition that causes patients to lose their sex drive and fertility. It also causes body hair to disappear, male muscles to vanish, and female curves to fade away. Some folks even lose control of basic mental functions. They become little kids. If hormone replacement therapy doesn't help, at least they'll have a good excuse to play with Legos again. Isn't that what we all really want?
除了能将你的血液变成草莓酱，这种蛇的毒液还会引发大量内出血。你的脑垂体会大量出血——脑垂体控制着荷尔蒙的产生。此外，脑垂体还控制你的甲状腺活动、你的体温和性激素的产生。一旦受到这种毒素影响，脑垂体就会停止发挥作用。然后你就变成了一个青春期之前的孩子。被这种毒蛇咬过的人中约有29%垂体机能减退，这种症状会导致患者丧失性冲动和不孕不育。它还会导致体毛消失，男性肌肉萎缩，女性线条模糊。有些人甚至失去了控制基本思维的能力。它们变成了小孩。如果替代荷尔蒙的疗法没有效果，那么至少他们将有不错的借口再玩玩乐高积木。那不就是我们都想要的吗？
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