Some organisms have adapted to live in extreme environments; we call them extremophiles.

有些生物已经适应了极端环境；我们称它们为极端微生物。

Well, that would be just perfect for these extremophiles.

很好、很适合这些嗜温生物。

And these extremophiles play another important role in this cave.

这些嗜极生物还在这个洞中扮演着另一个非常重要的角色。

And there are other lifeforms called extremophiles, which can thrive in even harsher environments.

还有一种叫做“极端微生物”的生命形态，它们可以在更恶劣的环境中茁壮成长。

The extremophiles belong to this group.

极端微生物就属于这个群体。

Here, we find one of my favorite examples of desert extremophiles...organisms living under stones in deserts.

这里，我们发现了我最喜欢的沙漠嗜极菌的例子...有机体在沙漠的石头下生存。

Yes, that's true. But remember, extremophiles are microorganisms – they're really tiny.

这没错。但你要知道，极端微生物属于微生物，他们非常小。

No. I imagined extremophiles would be like insects, because insects are pretty tough, aren't they?

不知道。我以为极端微生物和昆虫一样，因为昆虫有着顽强的生命力，不是吗？

Astrobiologist Chris McKay is an expert on extremophiles. He's discovered them in Earth's most unforgiving places.

太空学家克里斯·麦凯是嗜极菌专家。他在地球上一些无情的地区发现了它们。

Some have dubbed these early life forms extremophiles or thermophiles, organisms that can live in extreme environments.

有人称这些低等生物为嗜温生物或嗜极生物就是能在极端环境下生存的微生物。

Meaning the worms may be natural-born extremophiles.

这意味着蠕虫可能是天生的极端微生物。

I asked: which US National Park is home to geysers that have extremophiles living in them?

美国哪一个国家公园有间歇泉，其中生存着极端微生物？

You can also find these extremophiles hanging out in hot acid, or surviving desiccation in salt-crusted deserts.

您还可以发现这些极端微生物在热酸中徘徊，或者在盐结壳的沙漠中幸存下来。

Modern day extremophiles may prove that life could have survived and adapted under the extreme conditions on Earth during its turbulent infancy.

这些现代嗜温生物表明生命的能够生存和适应如地球早期的那些极端环境之下。

They’re adorable little extremophiles that can survive things that would kill most other life, from freezing temperatures to high doses of radiation.

它们是可爱的小型极端微生物，可以在会杀死大多数其他生命的环境中存活下来，从冰冻温度到高剂量辐射。

The subject of today's show is extremophiles– these are microorganisms that have adapted to live in what we would consider to be extreme conditions.

今天节目的主题是极端微生物——可以适应极端环境的微生物。

But, moving on, now, Neil, did you know that extremophiles belong to an entirely different group of living things to other animals and plants?

现在我们继续。尼尔，你知道吗，极端微生物是完全不同于其他动植物的生物群。

And this is the lifecycle on the saltflat, all of which we call extremophiles, and which eke out an existence in a mudflat like this.

就是繁衍在这些贫瘠土地之中的生命我们所称的这些嗜极生物很好的生存于这样的泥滩上。

Yes. The thing is, what sounds hostile – or unfriendly – to us, are perfect environments for extremophiles and in fact they wouldn't survive without them.

没错，对我们不利的环境却非常适合极端微生物生活。事实上如果没有这种环境，它们将无法存活。

But they also found that even nematodes that weren't from Mono Lake seemed to have the genetic ability to resist the lethal element- meaning the worms may be natural-born extremophiles.

但他们同时发现，即使不是来自莫诺湖的线虫似乎也有抵抗致命元素的遗传能力，这意味着线虫可能是天生的极端微生物。