美國航天局模擬"在火星上種土豆"
NASA to simulate growing potatoes on Mars in Peru
Do Peru's potatoes have the right stuff?
秘魯的土豆能經受住考驗嗎？
That's the question scientists will be asking in Lima next month, when a selection of tubers will begin undergoing tests to determine whether they're fit to grow on Mars.
這是下個月科學家將要在秘魯首都利馬問的一個問題,屆時,經過精心挑選的土豆塊莖將接受測試,以確定它們能否在火星上種植.
NASA, the US space agency, is conducting the pioneering experiment together with Lima's International Potato Center (CIP).
美國航天局（NASA）將與利馬國際馬鈴薯中心（CIP）聯手,進行這一開創性實驗.
They will cultivate a hundred selected varieties already subjected to rigorous evaluation in extreme, Mars-like conditions that could eventually pave the way to building a dome on the Red Planet for farming the vegetable.
他們將對100種精心挑選的、已在類火星極端環境下嚴格評估的品種進行培育,而這最終將為人們在這顆紅色星球上建立蔬菜種植"大棚"鋪平道路.
The selection was made from a total of 4,500 varieties registered at CIP, a nonprofit research facility that aims to reduce poverty and achieve food security.
國際馬鈴薯中心是一個致力于削減貧困、保證糧食安全的非營利研究機構.這些土豆是從在國際馬鈴薯中心登記注冊的4500個品種中挑選出來的.
Of the selected candidates, 40 are native to the Andes Mountains, conditioned to grow in different ecological zones, withstand sudden climate changes and reproduce in rocky, arid terrain.
在獲選土豆中,有40種是安第斯山脈土生土長的品種.這些品種可在不同生態地區生長、對氣候的突然變化具有耐受性,并可在多巖石的干旱土壤中生長繁育.
The other 60 are genetically modified varieties able to survive with little water and salt. They are also immune to viruses.
另外60種土豆均為轉基因品種,能夠在缺水和低鈉的環境中生存.此外,這些品種還對病毒免疫.
Those that pass the tests must meet a final criterion -- they must be able not only to grow well on Mars but also reproduce in large quantities.
這些品種最終必須達到一個標準：不僅能在火星上茁壯生長,而且還能被大量繁育.
"We're almost 100 percent certain that many of the selected potatoes will past the tests," said Julio Valdivia Silva, a Peruvian NASA astrobiologist who is taking part in the ambitious project.
參與美國航天局此項宏偉計劃的秘魯裔太空生物學家胡里奧·瓦爾迪維亞·席爾瓦說："精選出來的土豆中,將會有不少品種通過測試,對此我們有百分百的把握."
The scientists hope the experiment will also help address the earthly scourges of hunger and malnutrition by identifying varieties suited to growing in harsh conditions.
