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The charismatic megafauna may get all the attention, but it's amoebas, nematodes and microbes that make up the bulk of life on Earth. So how many microbes are in the sea floor? A new analysis published in Proceedings of the National Academies of Science suggests there are fewer cells than previously proposed.
魅力十足的巨型動物可能抓住了所有人的眼球，但是變形蟲，線形蟲還有微生物才是地球上占大多數的生命。那么在海底有多少微生物呢？美國國家科學院最近的一份研究報告表明細胞總數比之前提出的要少。
Based on transects and sediment samples, scientists now estimate that there are 29,000 quadrillion cells in the subsurface of the ocean—their numbers constrained by a lack of available food in places where sedimentation rates are low. Of course, it is microbes living in just such extreme conditions that are challenging scientists' notion of what constitutes life by surviving for thousands of years.
基于橫斷面和沉淀物樣本，科學家們估計有2900億億個細胞生長在次表層海洋里。在那些沉積物比率偏低的地方食物有限，因此細胞的數量也受到限制。當然，微生物就是在這種極端的環境下生存，這也挑戰了科學家們對于微生物的認知，是什么維持著這些繁衍了數千年的海底生命。
We also don't know much about what's going on with the massive microbial biomes in the soil or deep beneath the Earth—microscopic worms that prey on bacteria have been found thriving more than a kilometer down. Estimates of microbial biomass, like estimates of the number of species on the planet, are only loose approximations.
對于土壤里或者地球深處的巨大的微生物群落發生了什么，我們也知之不多。以細菌為食的微型蠕蟲在地底一千米處被發現，它們在那里繁衍生息。微生物數量的估計值只能大致接近事實，就像估計地球上物種數量一樣。
The truth is: we have no idea how much life there is on Earth. And we've only just begun even attempting to find out.
事實是：我們根本不知道地球上有多少生命。我們才剛剛開始試圖找到答案。
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