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For many scientists, a species'success is measured by sheer numbers.
對很多科學家來說，一個物種的成功完全取決于數量。
In that case, the most successful species known toman is a type of bacterium known as S-A-R-11, or SAR-11 for short.
如果是那樣是話，為人類所知的最成功的物種就是一種簡稱“SAR-11”的細菌。
Scientists estimate that there are two-hundred and forty times a billion billion billion SAR11 cells floating around in the oceans.
科學家們估計海洋中的SAR11細胞的數量超過2 x 10的28次方個。
Now that makes six-billion humans sound like a merehandful.
那讓60億人類聽起來屈指可數。
SAR11 bacteria are known for their ability to transform one substance into another, which is whythey are such an important part of the Earth's chemical cycles.
SAR11細菌以其轉換物質的能力為人所知。而這也使得它們成為地球化學循環中重要的部分。
Although scientists are stilluncertain about SAR11's specific role, it appears to produce carbon dioxide using the oxygen andcarbon from organic matter that's derived from photo synthesis.
盡管科學家不能確定SAR11的具體作用。但它似乎可以使來自于光合作用的氧氣和有機物種的碳發生作用，產生二氧化碳。
Scientists speculate that SAR11plays a major role in the way the ocean's surface acts as a giant carbon pump that removescarbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
科學家推測SAR11在海洋表面扮演著重要的作用，作為一個巨大的碳泵移除空氣中的二氧化碳。
The catch is that SAR11 is what is known as an uncultured organism, which means that scientistshaven't been able to cultivate it under laboratory conditions.
但目前SAR11是為培養生物，也就是說科學家不能在實驗室里培養出這種細菌。
This requires scientists to developpretty indirect genetic methods just to be able to study SAR11 cultures.
因此需要科學家們研制出間接遺傳方法，來研究SAR11。
Now that this technologyis available, scientists are sequencing the SAR11 genome in order to figure out exactly what kindsof carbon it uses, and why it's so successful at ocean living.
既然這項技術可用，科學家為了弄清楚究竟SAR11用的是哪種碳以及為什么它會如此的成功在海洋中生活，正在排序它的基因組。
