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Listen to part of a lecture in an archaeology class.
聽一段節選自考古學課堂的講座。
One of the important aspects of the field of archaeology...one of the things that excites me about the field...is that seemingly insignificant things can suddenly change the way we think about a culture.
考古學領域中重要的方面之一……使我對這一領域感興趣的一點是看似無關緊要的事情能突然改變我們對文化的看法。
We are always making new discoveries that have the potential to challenge widely held beliefs.
我們總是有新的發現，它有可能完全挑戰我們持有的信念。
Take something like the banana, for example. It turns out that this ordinary fruit may be forcing scientists to rewrite major parts of African history!
以香蕉舉例。結果是這種普通的水果可能迫使科學家重寫非洲歷史的主要部分！
We know the bananas were introduced to Africa via Southeast Asia.
我們知道香蕉是通過東南亞引入非洲的。
And until recently, we thought we knew when they were introduced—about 2,000 years ago.
直到最近，我們也以為我們知道它們是什么時候被引進的，大約2000年前。
But discoveries in Uganda, that's in Eastern Africa, are throwing that into question.
但是在東非烏干達的一些發現卻開始使它陷入質疑。
Scientists studying soil samples there discovered evidence of bananas in sediment that was 5,000 years old!
研究那里土壤樣品的科學家發現了5000年前香蕉沉淀物的證據。
Now, let me explain that it's not easy to find traces of ancient bananas.
現在讓我解釋一下，找到古代香蕉的蹤跡不是那么容易。
The fruit is soft and doesn't have any hard seeds that might survive over the ages.
這種水果很軟，而且沒有任何硬的種子能使它存活多年。
So after 5,000 years, you might think there would be nothing left to study.
因此5000年后，你可能會以為沒有任何東西可以研究了。
Well, fortunately for archaeologists, all plants contain what are called phytoliths in their stems and leaves.
但是對于考古學家來說，很幸運的是所有的植物在它們的莖和葉子上都有一種被稱為植物巖的物質。
Phytoliths are microscopic structures made of silica, and they do not decay.
植物巖是由二氧化硅形成的微小結構，而且它們不腐爛。
When plants die and rot away, they leave these phytoliths behind.
當植物死掉或者腐爛的時候，它們會留下植物巖。
Because different plants produce differently shaped phytoliths, scientists can identify the type of plant from ancient remains.
因為不同種植物會產生形狀不同的植物巖，科學家可以從這種古老的殘余物質判斷是哪種植物遺留下來的。
So, those scientists in Uganda, dug down to sediments that were 5,000 years old.
因此在烏干達的科學家挖到5000年前的沉淀物。
And what do you think they found? Banana phytoliths!
你們猜他們發現了什么。香蕉植物巖！
