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The results shocked Dr Morono,
結(jié)果讓Morono博士感到震驚，
"At first I was sceptical, but we found that up to 99.1% of the microbes in sediment deposited 101.5m years ago were still alive."
“起初，我表示懷疑，但我們發(fā)現(xiàn)在1.015億年前沉積物中，99.1%的微生物仍然存活著。”
And there was quite a variety of them, too. The team found representatives of phyla called Actinobacteria,
并且種類多樣。該團隊發(fā)現(xiàn)的門類有，放線菌、
Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, all of which are familiar to microbiologists.
擬桿菌、厚壁菌門和變形菌，所有這些都是微生物學(xué)家所熟悉的。
In one sample (admittedly from a mere 13.5m years ago) they also discovered representatives of the archaea,
在一個樣本中（無可否認(rèn)，它來自1350萬年前），他們也發(fā)現(xiàn)了古生菌的代表，
a group of organisms that resemble bacteria under a microscope,
這是一組有機體，在顯微鏡下看起來像細(xì)菌，
but have a biochemistry so different that they are regarded as a separate domain of life.
但在生物化學(xué)上卻截然不同，因此被視為生命體的一個獨立領(lǐng)域。
To find such living fossils from as far back as the Cretaceous is extraordinary.
能發(fā)現(xiàn)白堊紀(jì)的活化石是非同了不起的。
It is not possible to be sure, given the length of time involved, that they have undergone no growth and cell division whatsoever.
鑒于所涉及時間的長短，無法肯定它們是否經(jīng)歷過任何生長和細(xì)胞分裂。
But if they have, it will have been minimal given the lack of nutrients in the ooze they were found in.
但如果有，那也只是最低限度的，因為它們所處的軟泥中缺乏營養(yǎng)。
Nor is it likely that they migrated there from layers above.
它們也不可能是從上層遷移過去的。
The ooze in question was sealed off by a bacteria-proof layer of chert-like material called porcellanite.
上述軟泥被一種類似硅質(zhì)巖的材料——瓷狀巖——的隔菌層所封閉的。
This discovery will therefore throw interesting light on the evolution of bacteria on Earth.
因此，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)將為地球上細(xì)菌的進(jìn)化提供有趣的線索。
It will also raise the spirits of those who hope to find life elsewhere in the solar system.
它還將激勵那些希望在太陽系其他地方找到生命的人。
The sediments that will be examined for signs of biology by Perseverance,
“毅力”號火星探測器將檢測一些沉積物中的生物跡象，
an American Mars rover which was awaiting lift-off from Cape Canaveral, in Florida, as The Economist went to press,
本刊付印時，“毅力”號火星探測器正在佛羅里達(dá)卡納維拉爾角等待發(fā)射
are 35 times older than those studied by Dr Morono and Dr D'Hondt,
這些沉積物比Morono博士和D'Hondt博士研究的那些還要古老35倍，
and have not had the protective shielding from environmental degradation
并且沒有因埋藏在海底許多米深深的覆蓋層下
that comes from being buried at the bottom of the sea under many metres of overburden.
而出現(xiàn)的防止環(huán)境惡化的防護(hù)屏。
But future Mars rovers will drill beneath the planet's surface into strata that have had equivalent levels of protection from rock above them, if not from seawater.
但未來的火星探測器將深入地球表面，鉆探到具有同等保護(hù)水平的地層，這些地層即使沒有受到海水的保護(hù)，也會受到上面巖石的保護(hù)。
And a factor of 35, though large, does not sound insurmountable.
35倍差距的因素雖影響較大，但聽起來并非不可克服。
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