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The solar system is a hostile place. Earth is under attack from deadly cosmic radiation. Life here is only possible because it is protected by the magnetosphere, an invisible force field that cocoons the planet. But new evidence reveals that this vital shield is weakening. A region above the south Atlantic is experiencing dangerous levels of radiation. It's earth loosing its magnetic shield.
太阳系是一个充满敌意地方。地球正遭受致命的宇宙射线。能在这里生活是因为受到磁体一种无形的力量的保护。但是新的证据表明这一至关重要的防护罩正在减弱。南大西洋地区正遭受着危险水平的辐射。地球正在损失这个磁场防护罩。
It's not a matter of if the earth's magnetic field will disappear some day, it's a matter of when.
问题不在于地球的磁场将会在哪天消失，这只是一个时间的问题。
And what will happen to life if it does?
如果消失，地球将会是什么样子呢？
Like a giant umbrella, earth's magnetosphere shields us from the steady stream of cosmic radiation that fills our solar system. Exposure to this is deadly.
像一个巨大的伞一样,地球磁场防护罩保护我们免于遭受充满我们的太阳系中络绎不绝的宇宙射线。暴露无疑是致命的。
The magnetic field coming out from earth makes a big bubble around the earth, the magnetosphere that protects us from the most violent actions of the sun.
磁场围绕地球产生了一层很大的保护罩,它让我们不暴露于太阳的危险照射下。
Many of the charge particles in the solar wind have enough energy so that they would represent a hazard to human beings if they made direct contact with the surface environment.
许多电荷的太阳风粒子在有足够的能量, 如果它们直接接触地面环境,就能构成对人类的危害。
If you are on the path that this oncoming charge particles zipping out from the sun, if you are not inside, some shielded, you are dead.
如果你受到来自太阳的这些粒子的直接照射,如果不是防护罩里面有些屏蔽的话,你已经死了。
Without the magnetosphere, all life is vulnerable to these high energy cosmic particles. They penetrate living tissue and cause severe damage to cells.
没有这些保护,所有生命在这些高能宇宙粒子面前都是异常是脆弱。他们穿透活体组织对细胞造成严重的伤害。
As the field becomes weaker and weaker, the effects of the space radiation will be felt at lower and lower and progressively lower altitudes. So possibly one outcome of a reduced magnetic shield would be, through increased exposure radiation, higher rates of cancer among populations.
保护罩变得越来越弱,空间辐射的影响将在低海拔逐步被感受到。所以可能的结果之一是,暴露在辐射之下,致癌发病率将会明显增加。
