Farewell to James Lovelock
别了，詹姆斯·洛夫洛克
In 2020 James Lovelock told "The Observer" that "the biosphere and I are both in the last 1% of our lives". He was wrong about himself, by a factor of about two: he died on July 26th, his 103rd birthday.
2020 年，詹姆斯·洛夫洛克在接受《观察家报》的采访时表示，“生物圈和我的寿命都只剩最后的 1% 了”。然而，他对自己（生命余额）的预估错了，是实际的二分之一：7 月 26 日，洛夫洛克逝世，当天正值他 103 岁的生日。
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Dr Lovelock was one of the most influential scientific minds of the 20th and 21st centuries. He was best known for the Gaia hypothesis, which captured the imaginations of the scientifically minded with its proposal that life on Earth behaves like a mega-organism.
洛夫洛克博士是 20、21 世纪最有影响力的科学家之一。他凭盖亚假说闻名于世；该假说将地球生命视为一个超级有机体，这一论述勾起了科学爱好者们的无尽想象。
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He argued that all living things combine, through their interactions with each other and the physical systems around them, to regulate the planet's temperature and chemistry in such a way that keeps conditions relatively stable and suitable for their persistence.***
他认为，地球上的所有生命体会通过其相互间的作用和对周围物理系统的利用，来调节地球温度及其化学组成，从而保持生态环境的相对稳定，以适于生命体的生存与延续。
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The idea seduced the public and divided scientists. John Maynard Smith, another great evolutionary biologist of the 20th century, dubbed the idea "an evil religion". Nevertheless, the hypothesis endured and inspired. Richard Betts, head of the climate science division of the British Met Office, said after Dr Lovelock's death that his "first book on Gaia was a major reason why I chose to work on climate change and Earth system modelling".
这一说法令公众如痴如醉，但也让科学界产生分歧。20 世纪另一位伟大的进化生物学家约翰·梅纳德·史密斯，将这一假说戏称为“邪恶的宗教”。尽管如此，盖亚假说依然流传甚广并给人以启发。洛夫洛克去世后，英国气象局气候科学部负责人里查德·贝茨就表示，“我第一本关于盖亚假说的书，是我选择投身气候变化和地球系统建模工作的一个主要原因”。
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Speaking to "New Scientist" aged 81, Dr Lovelock said of his eventual passing: "It is comforting to think that I am a part of her [Gaia], and that my destiny is to merge with the chemistry of our living planet." As the research community mourned his death this week, Dr Betts echoed this sentiment: "Rest in Gaia, Jim, you will be missed."
曾经，81 岁的洛夫洛克博士在接受《新科学人》采访时，这样谈论死亡：“想到我是她（盖亚）的一部分，我终将与构成这颗勃勃生机的星球的化学组成融为一体，我感到很欣慰。” 本周，研究界在悼念洛夫洛克时，贝茨博士的讲话刚好与之呼应，他说：“吉姆，在盖亚里安息吧，我们会想念你的。”
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主编：思瑶、咯咯
品控：思瑶、啾笛
审核：咯咯
重点词汇
biosphere
/ˈbaɪ.oʊ.sfɪr/
n. 生物圈
词根词缀：bio-（表示“生物的”）
相关词汇：sphere（n. 圈，层；球，球体）
派生词：atmosphere（n. 大气层）
派生词：hydrosphere（n. 水圈，水界）
文化补充：生物圈（biosphere）是包括微生物在内的地表有机体及自下而上环境的总称，是地球上最大的生态系统。它包括大气圈的底部、水圈的大部以及岩石圈的表面。
factor
/ˈfæk.tɚ/
n. 系数，倍数
搭配短语：by a factor of + 数字（表示“……倍”）
例句：The price of vegetables had once increased by a factor of two during the lockdown.（价格翻番）
capture
/ˈkæp.tʃɚ/
v. 引起（注意、想象、兴趣）；（用文字、图像等准确地）表达、刻画；抓捕，捕获
英文释义：to catch
例句：The soldiers were captured by enemy force.（抓捕，俘虏）
例句：He did a series of sketches, trying to capture all his moods.（表达，刻画）
搭配短语：to capture one's attention（吸引某人的注意）
近义词（组）：to catch / grab / attract / draw one's attention
搭配短语：to capture the imaginations of sb. with sth.（用某物勾起某人的想象、使人浮想联翩、心驰神往）
mega-organism
/.me.ɡə-ˈɔː.ɡən.ɪ.zəm/
n. 超级有机体
相关词汇：organism（n. 有机体，生物）
英文释义：a living thing
派生词：micro-organism（n. 微生物）
词根词缀：micro-（表示“微小的”）
词根词缀：mega-（表示“巨大的，了不起的”）
派生词：megastar（n. 明星大腕）；mega-retailer（n. 超大型零售企业）
chemistry
/ˈkem.ə.stri/
n.（物质的）化学组成，化学构成；化学
搭配短语：a person's body chemistry（人体的化学组成）
condition
/kənˈdɪʃ.ən/
n.（生态）环境；情况，状态健康状态；天气状况；（居住、工作）环境，条件
搭配短语：one's living / working conditions
seduce
/səˈduːs/
v. 吸引；引诱，诱惑
英文释义：to attract powerfully
例句：The melody seduced the ear with warm string tones.
文化补充：本句话中也用到了“提喻”的修辞手法，ear（耳朵）指代整体的“人”。
divide
/dɪˈvaɪd/
v. 使意见不一，产生分歧；使分开，使割裂
英文释义：to split something up
例句：The experts are / remain divided on this issue.
dub
/dʌb/
v. 给……起绰号，把……戏称为
搭配短语：to dub sb. sth.
例句：She was dubbed "Dolores Umbridge" by some netizens.
merge with
与……融合，结合
例句：After a while the narrow trail merges with a wider path.
mourn
/mɔːrn/
v. 哀悼，悼念
搭配短语：to mourn (for) sb.
相关词汇：mournful（adj. 忧伤的，悲痛的）
近义词：melancholy（adj. 悲伤的，沮丧的）
搭配短语：a mournful / melancholy song
echo
/ˈek.oʊ/
v. 呼应；重复，附和（想法，看法）
词性拓展：echo（n. 回声，回响；共鸣，附和）
搭配短语：to find an echo in sth.
例句：His words found an echo in the hearts of many of the netizens.
英文释义：to repeat an idea or opinion because you agree with it
例句：This opinion was echoed by a few other visitors, who also felt that the prices were competitive.
sentiment
/ˈsen.t̬ə.mənt/
n.（基于情感的）观点，看法；情绪，情感
英文释义：a feeling or an opinion, especially one based on emotions
例句：I shared your sentiments on this problem.
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