Interactive transcript · 203 lines
Good morning, science lovers, and welcome to TalkCast, your daily digest of the most fascinating
早上好，科学爱好者们，欢迎收听 TalkCast，这是为您带来的每日最引人入胜的摘要
news from around the world and beyond.
来自世界各地乃至更远地方的新闻。
I am Caleb.
我是卡勒布。
And I am Chloe.
我是克洛伊。
Happy September 8th, 2026, everyone.
大家 2026 年 9 月 8 日快乐。
If you are tuning in while sipping your morning coffee, we've got some mind -bending stories to wake
如果你一边品尝着早晨的咖啡一边收听，我们为你准备了一些令人惊叹的故事来
your brain right up today. Absolutely.
唤醒你的大脑。绝对没错。
But before we dive into the cosmos, we want to say a massive thank you to all our TalkCast members.
但在我们深入探索宇宙之前，我们要向 TalkCast 的所有会员表示由衷的感谢。
Your incredible support keeps this show running every day.
你们令人难以置信的支持让这个节目每天都能正常运转。
Yes, thank you so much.
是的，非常感谢你们。
We appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm.
我们非常感谢大家的反馈和热情。
And if you are not a member yet, please consider joining our TalkCast membership.
如果您还不是会员，请考虑加入我们的 TalkCast 会员。
We truly need your support to keep bringing you these high -quality daily deep dives.
我们真正需要您的支持，以继续为您带来这些高质量的每日深度探究。
Now, let us look at what is coming up in today's headlines.
现在，让我们来看看今天的头条新闻有哪些。
First up, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured something truly bizarre forming at Saturn's south
首先，哈勃空间望远镜捕捉到了土星南极正在形成的一些真正古怪的现象
pole, a massive, geometric, ten -sided storm.
极点，一个巨大的、几何的十边形风暴。
Then we will head deep underground to look at a mysterious signal that has physicists whispering
然后我们将深入地下，看看一个让物理学家悄声议论的神秘信号
about the elusive dark matter particle.
关于那种难以捉摸的暗物质粒子。
Could we finally be touching the invisible part of our universe?
我们终于能够接触到我们宇宙中看不见的部分了吗？
After that, we'll check in on Mars, where NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered extensive organic
在此之后，我们将关注火星，美国国家航空航天局的“毅力号”火星车在那里发现了广泛的有机
carbon in ancient river rocks, making the case for ancient life stronger than ever.
碳存在于古老的河岩中，这使得远古生命存在的证据比以往任何时候都更加有力。
Plus, we'll look at some hidden ice giants right here on Earth, a map of a tiny brain that is a
此外，我们还将探讨地球上一些隐蔽的冰巨行星，绘制一张微小大脑的地图，这对于
massive deal for neuroscience, and why global timekeepers are planning to ditch the leap second.
神经科学界来说是一件大事，以及为什么全球计时人员计划废除闰秒。
It is a packed morning, so let's get started with our top story.
这是一个内容丰富紧凑的早晨，所以让我们从头条新闻开始吧。
Our lead story today takes us over a billion kilometers away to the ringed planet, Saturn.
我们今天的头条新闻带我们来到 10 多亿公里之外的带环行星——土星。
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted a giant ten -sided storm forming at
使用哈勃空间望远镜的天文学家发现了一个正在形成的巨型十边形风暴，位于
Saturn's south pole.
土星的南极。
Whoa, back up a second, Caleb.
哇，稍等一下，卡勒布。
Ten sides?
十个边？
That's a decagon, right?
那是一个十边形，对吧？
Like a stop sign, but with even more corners?
就像一个停止标志，但有更多的角？
Exactly, Chloe, a decagon.
确实如此，克洛伊，一个十边形。
It's about 104 ,000 miles wide.
它大约有 104,000 英里宽。
To put that in perspective, that's several times the diameter of our entire Earth.
直观地说，那是我们整个地球直径的好几倍。
That is absolutely massive.
那绝对是巨大的。
But wait, why is it a ten -sided shape?
但等等，为什么它是十边形状？
I thought storms in space, like the great red spot on Jupiter, were always round or oval.
我以为太空中的风暴（就像木星上的大红斑）总是圆形或椭圆形的。
How does a storm get sharp corners?
风暴怎么会有尖锐的角呢？
It's all about fluid dynamics and atmospheric jet streams.
这完全与流体动力学和大气射流有关。
Saturn actually already has a famous geometric storm at its north pole, a perfect hexagon, which has
土星在其北极实际上已经拥有一个著名的几何风暴，一个完美的六边形，它有
six sides.
六条边。
For decades, scientists wondered if the south pole had something similar.
在过去数十年间，科学家们一直想知道南极是否有类似的东西。
Now they have found this decagon, which is basically the hexagon's geometric twin.
现在他们发现了这个十边形，它基本上是六边形的几何孪生体。
That is wild.
太疯狂了。
It's like the planet's atmosphere is doing giant geometry homework.
就像这颗行星的大气层正在做巨型几何作业一样。
Do scientists know how these sharp corners actually form in a spinning gas giant?
科学家们知道这些尖角究竟是如何在一个旋转的气体巨星中形成的吗？
They think it's because of intense wind currents moving at different speeds.
他们认为这是因为以不同速度移动的强烈的气流造成的。
When these fast -moving winds collide in a confined polar region, they create standing waves.
当这些高速移动的风在受限的极地地区碰撞时，它们会产生驻波。
These waves naturally lock into geometric patterns.
这些波自然地锁定为几何图样。
It's a bit like when you vibrate water on a metal plate and see beautiful geometric patterns emerge
这有点像你在金属盘上振动水，看到美丽的几何图形出现
on the surface.
在表面上。
Nature's own art class.
大自然自己的艺术课。
That is a brilliant way to picture it.
那真是个绝妙的想象方式。
I guess Saturn's south pole is officially the coolest geometric puzzle in the solar system right now.
我想土星南极现在绝对是太阳系中最酷的几何谜题了。
It really is.
确实如此。
Now from the macro scale of planetary storms, let's shrink down to the subatomic level.
现在从行星风暴的宏观尺度，让我们缩小到亚原子级别。
Physicists around the world are buzzing with excitement over a suspicious signal detected in a dark
世界各地的物理学家都对在暗物质中检测到的可疑信号感到兴奋不已
matter detector.
物质探测器。
Okay, Caleb, you know I have to ask, what exactly is dark matter?
好的，凯莱布，你知道我一定要问，暗物质到底是什么？
I hear the term all the time in science news, but it sounds like something straight out of a science
我一直在科学新闻里听到这个术语，但听起来就像是从科学
fiction movie.
科幻电影里走出来的一样。
That's a very fair question.
这是个非常合理的问题。
Think of the universe as a giant cosmic tree.
把宇宙想象成一棵巨大的宇宙之树。
All the stars, planets, and galaxies we can actually see are just the leaves on that tree.
我们真正能看到的所有恒星、行星和星系，都只是那棵树上的叶子。
But there's an invisible wind blowing those leaves, moving them in ways we cannot explain by just
但是有一股隐形的风吹动着这些叶子，以我们仅凭
looking at the leaves themselves.
观察叶子本身无法解释的方式推动它们。
That invisible wind is dark matter.
那股隐形的风就是暗物质。
It's a mysterious form of matter that doesn't emit, absorb, or reflect light, meaning we cannot see
它是一种神秘的物质形式，不发射、不吸收也不反射光，这意味着我们无法
it directly.
直接看到它。
But we know it must exist because of its massive gravitational pull on everything else.
但我们知道它必定存在，因为它对其他一切事物都有巨大的引力作用。
Ah, I see.
啊，我明白了。
So it's the invisible glue holding galaxies together, but we've never actually touched a single
所以它是将星系聚在一起的无形胶水，但我们实际上从未接触过哪怕一个
piece of it? Exactly.
碎片？确实如此。
It makes up about 85 % of all the matter in the universe, yet we've never directly detected a dark
它占据了宇宙中所有物质的约85%，然而我们从未直接探测到暗
matter particle.
物质粒子。
Until, perhaps now.
直到，也许是现在。
Scientists running highly sensitive underground detectors have picked up an unusual signal.
运行着高度灵敏的地下探测器的科学家们捕捉到了一个不同寻常的信号。
It's a tiny, unexpected excess of energy that doesn't match any known background interference.
这是一个微小的、出乎意料的能量过量，与任何已知的背景干扰都不匹配。
Oh, that is thrilling.
哦，那太令人兴奋了。
So is this the actual dark matter particle making its grand entrance?
那么这就是真正的暗物质粒子隆重登场吗？
It could be.
可能是的。
Physicists are cautious but highly excited.
物理学家们很谨慎，但又极其兴奋。
If this signal holds up under further testing, it could be the first direct evidence of a dark
如果这个信号在进一步测试中成立，它可能是首个直接证据，指向暗
matter candidate particle, like a weakly interacting massive particle or an axion.
物质候选粒子，比如弱相互作用重粒子或轴子。
This would fundamentally rewrite our physics textbooks and solve one of the greatest mysteries in
这将从根本上重写我们的物理教科书，并解开其中一个最伟大的谜团
modern science. Wow.
现代科学中的谜团。哇。
From invisible cosmic wind to a real testable particle.
从无形的宇宙之风到真正可检验的粒子。
I will definitely be keeping my eyes on this story as it develops.
随着事件的发展，我绝对会持续关注这个报道。
Speaking of cosmic mysteries, let us talk about the search for alien life.
说到宇宙之谜，让我们谈谈对外星生命的探索。
NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been exploring the dusty surface of Mars, has just found
美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的“毅力号”火星车一直在探索火星多尘的表面，刚刚发现
extensive organic carbon and ancient river rocks inside Jezero Crater.
在耶泽罗撞击坑内发现了大量的有机碳和古老的河流岩石。
Organic carbon?
有机碳？
That sounds promising.
这听起来很有前景。
But does organic carbon automatically mean there were tiny Martian microbes swimming around in the past?
但有机碳是否就自动意味着过去曾有微小的火星微生物在游动？
Not quite, though it is a massive step in that direction.
不完全是，尽管朝那个方向迈出了一大步。
Let us clarify what organic carbon actually is.
让我们澄清一下到底什么是有机碳。
In chemistry, organic molecules are simply compounds that contain carbon -hydrogen bonds.
在化学中，有机分子简单来说就是包含碳氢键的化合物。
They are the essential chemical building blocks of life as we know it.
它们是我们所知的生命不可或缺的基础化学构件。
Think of them as the bricks used to build a house.
把它们想象成用来盖房子的砖块。
Ah, that makes sense.
啊，这很有道理。
So we found the bricks, but we don't know for sure if they were ever built into a house, or if they
所以我们找到了砖块，但我们不确定它们是否曾经被用来盖房子，或者它们
were just lying around as raw materials. Precisely.
只是作为原料随意散落着。正是如此。
Organic carbon can form through biological processes, like ancient decomposing microbes, but it can
有机碳可以通过生物过程形成，比如古代分 解的微生物，但它也
also form through non -biological chemical reactions, like volcanic activity or asteroid impacts.
可以通过非生物化学反应形成，比如火山活动或小行星撞击。
What makes this discovery so compelling, though, is that Perseverance found these organic molecules
不过，让这一发现如此令人瞩目的是，毅力号找到了这些有机分子
in ancient river mudstones.
存在于古老河流的泥岩中。
Billions of years ago, Jezero Crater was a lake fed by a rushing river.
数十亿年前，耶泽罗陨石坑曾是一个由奔腾的河流供水的湖泊。
If there ever was life on Mars, a quiet, muddy river delta is exactly where you would expect to find
如果火星上曾经存在过生命，那么一个平静、泥泞的河流三角洲正是你预期会找到
its preserved remains.
其保存完好的遗迹的地方。
This is so fascinating.
这真的太引人入胜了。
First we find evidence of ancient liquid water, and now we find the organic ingredients.
首先我们找到了古代液态水的证据，现在我们又找到了有机成分。
Mars is looking more and more like Earth's ancient twin every day.
火星看起来一天比一天更像地球古代的孪生兄弟。
It really is.
确实如此。
Now let us pivot to our daily quickfire news roundup, starting with a surprise discovery right here
现在让我们转向我们的每日快讯集锦，首先从就在我们这里的一个意外发现开始
on Earth.
在地球上。
Scientists have used advanced gravity measurements to discover a massive reservoir of ice hidden
科学家们利用先进的重力测量技术，发现了一个隐藏着的庞大冰川储藏库
beneath Utah's Rocky Mountains.
位于犹他州落基山脉的下方。
Wait, ice in Utah?
等等，犹他州有冰？
Like completely underground? Yes.
像是完全在地下？是的。
Deep inside Utah's rocky glaciers, hidden under thick layers of stone and dirt, scientists found
在犹他州岩石冰川的深处，隐藏在厚厚的石块和泥土之下，科学家们发现了
nearly 1 billion tons of water locked away as ice.
近十亿吨以冰的形式封存的水。
That's enough water to fill 600 Olympic -sized swimming pools.
这足够填满600个奥运会标准游泳池。
This underground ice acts as a vital water reserve, slowly melting to feed local ecosystems during
这段地下冰起到了至关重要的储备水作用，在炎热干燥的夏季缓慢融化以滋养当地的生态系统
hot, dry summers.
在炎热干燥的夏天。
That is incredible.
那真是不可思议。
It's like a secret mountain canteen keeping the environment alive.
这就像一个隐秘的山区水壶，维持着环境的生机。
It really is.
确实是这样。
Next up, in the world of biology, researchers have achieved a major milestone in neuroscience by
接下来，在生物学界 ，研究人员在神经科学领域取得了一个重大里程碑，通过
completing the second -ever complete map of an animal's brain.
完成了有史以来第二个完整的动物大脑图谱绘制。
And the subject?
至于实验对象？
A male fruit fly.
一只雄性果蝇。
A fruit fly brain?
果蝇的大脑？
That must be tiny.
那一定非常微小。
Why did it take so long to map out?
为什么花了这么长时间来绘制它？
Even though a fruit fly brain is smaller than a grain of salt, it contains about 150 ,000 neurons and
尽管果蝇的大脑比一粒盐还要小，但它包含大约 15 万个神经元和
tens of millions of connections, called synapses.
数以千万计的连接，被称为突触。
Mapping every single one of these connections, a field of science called connectomics, took years of
绘制每一个连接图谱，这个被称为连接组学的科学领域，耗费了多年的
international collaboration.
国际合作。
This detailed map, or connectome, will help scientists understand how specific brain circuits
这张详细的图谱（或称连接组）将帮助科学家了解特定的大脑回路如何
control complex behaviors, which could eventually help us understand the human brain.
控制复杂的行为，这最终有助于我们理解人类的大脑。
It is amazing how much complexity is packed into such a tiny creature. Absolutely.
如此微小的生物体内蕴含着如此高的复杂性，真是令人惊叹。确实如此。
And our final short story today takes us back to the Ice Age.
而我们今天的最后一个短篇故事带我们回到了冰河时代。
For years, scientists believed that a prehistoric cat that roamed North America was an ancient
多年来，科学家们一直认为漫游在北美洲的一种史前猫科动物是某种古老的
relative of the modern cheetah, earning it the nickname the American cheetah.
现代猎豹的亲戚，并为其赢得了美洲猎豹的绰号。
Let me guess.
让我猜猜。
Ancient DNA proved them wrong?
古代 DNA 证明他们错了？
It did indeed.
确实如此。
Scientists successfully extracted and analyzed ancient DNA from bones found in the cold soils of the Yukon.
科学家成功地从育空地区寒冷土壤中发现的骨骼中提取并分析了古代 DNA。
They discovered that this extinct cat was not actually a cheetah at all.
他们发现这种已灭绝的猫科动物实际上根本不是猎豹。
Instead, it was closely related to modern pumas and poogers.
相反，它与现代美洲狮和美洲豹密切相关。
Its physical resemblance to cheetahs was just a case of convergent evolution.
它在形态上与猎豹的相似性仅仅是趋同演化的一个案例。
Convergent evolution?
趋同演化？
What does that mean?
那是什么意思？
It means both species independently evolved similar traits, like long legs and aerodynamic bodies to
这意味着这两个物种独立演化出了相似的特征，比如长腿和符合空气动力学的身体，以便
run fast across open plains, even though they are not closely related.
在开阔的平原上快速奔跑，尽管它们的亲缘关系并不近。
They looked like cousins, but they were actually just wearing the same running outfit.
它们看起来像堂兄弟，但实际上只是穿着同一套跑步装备。
I love how modern genetic technology can bust these long -held historical myths.
我喜欢现代基因技术能够揭穿这些长久以来的历史迷思。
It's like scientific detective work.
这就像是科学侦探工作。
It's truly remarkable.
这真的很非凡。
Now, for our final story of the morning, let us talk about time itself.
现在，关于今天早晨的最后一个故事，让我们来谈谈时间本身。
Global timekeepers, known affectionately as the Time Lords, are preparing to phase out the leap
全球的计时员——被亲切地称为“时间领主”——正准备逐步淘汰闰
second and kick it into the next millennium.
秒，并将其推迟到下一个千年。
The leap second?
闰秒？
I have heard of leap years, where we add a day to February, but what on Earth is a leap second?
我听说过闰年，也就是在二月增加一天，但究竟什么是闰秒呢？
Well, our daily lives are measured by incredibly precise atomic clocks, which keep perfect time.
嗯，我们的日常生活是用极其精准的原子钟来衡量的，它们保持着完美的时间。
However, our physical day is determined by how long it takes Earth to complete one full rotation on
然而，我们物理意义上的一天是由地球完成一次完整的自转所需的时间决定的，
its axis.
围绕它的地轴。
The catch is that Earth is not a perfect timekeeper.
关键问题在于地球并不是一个完美的计时员。
Its rotation speed fluctuates due to things like ocean tides, winds, and even melting glaciers.
它的自转速度由于海洋潮汐、风甚至融化的冰川等因素而波动。
So, Earth is a bit of an irregular spinner? Exactly.
所以，地球是一个有点不规则的旋转体？一点没错。
When the physical rotation of Earth gets slightly out of sync with our atomic clocks, scientists
当地球的物理自转与我们的原子钟出现轻微的不同步时，科学家们
have historically added a leap second to our official clocks to let the Earth catch up.
在历史上一直在向我们的官方时钟增加一个闰秒，让地球跟上进度。
It is like hitting a tiny pause button on our clocks so the spinning planet can keep pace.
这就像按下了我们时钟上的微型暂停按钮，以便这颗旋转的星球能跟上节奏。
That sounds sensible.
那听起来很合理。
Why do they want to get rid of it?
为什么他们想要摆脱它？
Because in our ultra -connected digital world, that tiny one -second pause is a total nightmare for
因为在我们高度互联的数字世界里，那微不足道的一秒钟暂停对计算机来说完全是一场噩梦，
computers, satellite navigation systems, and financial networks.
对卫星导航系统和金融网络也是如此。
A sudden extra second can cause massive software crashes and communication errors.
突然多出的一秒会导致巨大的软件崩溃和通信错误。
Because Earth's rotation has actually been speeding up slightly in recent years, timekeepers have
因为近年来地球的自转实际上一直在轻微加快，计时员们已经
decided to abandon the leap second entirely by the year 2035, allowing the discrepancy to grow naturally. Wow.
决定到2035年完全废除闰秒，允许这种差异自然扩大。哇。
So, no more sudden digital hiccups.
所以，不再有突如其来的数字小故障了。
It makes total sense why tech companies would want to get rid of it.
科技公司为什么想摆脱它完全合情合理。
I had no idea that a single second could cause so much trouble.
我完全不知道单单一秒钟竟然会引起这么大的麻烦。
It is a classic example of how high -tech our world has become, where even a single tick of the clock matters.
这是一个典型的例子，说明我们的世界已经变得多么高科技，甚至连时钟滴答响一下都至关重要。
What a mind -expanding lineup of stories today, from cosmic storms to microscopic brain maps.
今天的故事阵容真是让人大开眼界，从 宇宙风暴到微观脑图谱。
It certainly was.
那确实是的。
And that brings us to the end of today's episode of TalkCast.
这就带我们来到了今天这期 TalkCast 的尾声。
Before we go, we have an interesting question for you, our listeners, based on our final story.
在我们结束之前，根据我们的最后一个故事，我们为各位听众准备了一个有趣的问题。
If you could add one extra hour to your day, what is the one thing you would spend that hour doing?
如果你一天可以额外增加一小时，你会用这一个小时做哪一件事？
Oh, I know exactly what I would do.
哦，我确切地知道我会做什么。
But we want to hear from you.
但我们想听听你们的想法。
Make sure to write down your answers in the comment section below, and check out what other
请务必在下方的评论区写下你的答案，并查看其他
listeners would do with their extra time.
听众会用额外的时间做什么。
It is always so fun to read through your creative ideas.
阅读你们富有创意的想法总是那么有趣。
Yes, we love reading your feedback and thoughts.
是的，我们非常喜欢阅读你们的反馈和想法。
Don't forget to subscribe to TalkCast on your favorite podcast platform, and share this episode with
别忘了在你最喜欢的播客平台上订阅 TalkCast，并将本期节目分享给
your friends who love science or are practicing their English.
你那些热爱科学或正在练习英语的朋友。
And a quick reminder for our English learners, the complete written transcript of today's episode is
给我们的英语学习者一个快速提醒，今天节目的完整书面逐字稿可以在
available on our official WeChat public account, TalkCast.
在我们的微信官方公众号 TalkCast 上获取。
It's a fantastic tool to read along while you listen, so be sure to check it out.
这是一个边听边读的极好工具，所以一定要去看看。
Thank you all so much for your warm support.
非常感谢大家的热情支持。
Have a wonderful morning, and we will see you tomorrow.
祝大家度过一个美妙的早晨，我们明天见。
Goodbye, everyone!
再见，大家！
