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Centuries ago, the Inca developed ingenuous suits of armor that could flex with the blows of sharp spears and maces,
几个世纪前，印加人发明了一种独特的盔甲，这种盔甲能够随着锋利长矛和狼牙棒的打击而弯曲，
protecting warriors from even the fiercest physical attacks.
从而保护士兵免受于哪怕是最猛烈的物理攻击。
These hardy structures were made not from iron or steel, but rather something unexpectedly soft: cotton.
这些坚固的结构并不是由铁或钢制成的，而是由一个极其柔软的材料制成：棉花。
These thickly woven, layered quilts of cotton could distribute the energy from a blow across a large surface area, shielding warriors without restricting their mobility.
这些厚厚编织、层层堆叠的棉花能够将击打的力量分散在一块较大的表面积，因此在保护士兵的同时，也不会局限他们的活动能力。
These seemingly contradictory features -- strength and flexibility, softness and durability
这些看似相互矛盾的特性--强硬度和灵活性、柔软度和耐用性，
have their roots in the intricate biology of the nearly invisible cotton fiber.
来源于复杂生物学中肉眼几乎无法看见的棉纤维。
These fibers begin life deep within a cotton flower, on the surface of a seed.
这些纤维的生命始于棉花花朵表面的种籽。
As many as 16,000 fibers will festoon a single seed, bulging from the seed's surface like miniature water balloons.
一个种子中能被多达16,000根的纤维充斥，宛如迷你水气球，从种子表面向外膨胀。
Each cotton fiber, no matter how large it grows, is made of just one cell. That cell has multiple layers of cell wall.
不论长成多大个，每根棉纤维都是由一个细胞构成的。这种细胞有好几层细胞壁。
After a few days, the sides of the first layer, called the primary cell wall, stiffen, pushing cell growth in one direction and causing the fiber to elongate.
几天后，第一层细胞壁，亦称为初生细胞壁，变硬，向一个方向推动细胞生长，从而使纤维被拉长。
The fiber elongates quickly for about 16 days. Then it begins the next stage: strengthening the cell wall.
在16天左右的时间，纤维被快速拉长。其后，它便进入下一个生长阶段：强化细胞壁。
It does this by making more of the carbohydrate cellulose. Cellulose will make up 34% of the cell wall at this stage and swiftly increases.
这是通过产生更多的碳水化合物纤维素来完成的。在这一阶段，该纤维素占细胞壁构成成分的34%，且占比仍旧快速上升。
This new growth also reinforces the cell wall by going against the grain of the existing wall.
这一生长促使对现有细胞壁纹理的抵触，因此也强化了细胞壁。
The strengthened wall is more rigid, restricting further growth.
被强化的细胞壁变得更加坚硬，会限制其进一步生长。
That means if the fiber remodels its walls too early, it will be short, and ultimately make rough, weak fabrics.
这意味着如果纤维素过早改变细胞壁结构，棉花纤维就会很短，最终只能产出粗糙且易破的布料。
But if cell wall strengthening begins too late, the wall won't be sturdy enough -- producing fibers that are too weak to hold fabrics together well.
但如果细胞壁强化阶段开始得过晚，那层细胞壁就会不够坚固，生成的纤维会过为柔弱，难以很好地将布料合成。
In ideal growing conditions -- with the right temperature, water, fertilizer, pest control, and light
理想的生长条件是：适宜的温度、水、肥料、害虫防治，还有光线，
a cotton fiber can grow up to 3.6 centimeters long with only a 25 micrometer width.
这样，一根棉纤维可以生长至长3.6厘米，宽仅为25微米。
Long, fine fibers can wrap around one another better than shorter, less fine fibers,
细长且高品质的纤维相较于短且质量较次的纤维，能更好地缠绕彼此，
which means those long, fine fibers make stronger threads that hang together better as fabric.
这表示那些细长且高品质的纤维能够制造出更坚韧的棉线，编织成更好的面料。
Cotton with these qualities has diverse uses -- from soft textiles to the U.S. dollar bill, which is 75% cotton.
因为棉花的特性，它们被广泛使用，从柔软的纺织品到美元纸钞--内含75%的棉成分。
The next crucial stage of the cotton fiber's growth begins as it thickens its secondary cell wall by depositing large quantities of cellulose into the secondary layer.
在下一个棉花纤维成长的关键阶段，大量纤维素在次生细胞壁内堆积并从而强化细胞壁。
Cellulose goes on to make up over 90% of the fiber's weight.
纤维素的重量占比上升，超过纤维净重的90%。
The more cellulose that gets deposited, the denser that secondary layer becomes -- and this determines the strength of the final fiber.
越多纤维素堆积，次生细胞壁就变得更紧实--这决定了最终棉花纤维的强度。
This stage is essential for developing long-lasting material for the likes of, say, a T-shirt.
对于后阶段是否能产出经久耐用的材料，比如T恤，这一生长阶段至关重要。
The garment's capacity to withstand years of washing and wear is largely determined by the density of that secondary cell wall.
一件成衣经受多年穿洗的能力很大程度上取决于次生细胞壁的密度。
On the other hand, its softness is strongly influenced by the length of the fiber, established with the remodeling of the primary wall layer.
从另一方面来说，成衣的柔软性主要受到棉纤维长度的影响，而纤维长度是由初生细胞壁重塑的。
Finally, after about 50 days, the fiber is fully grown. The living matter within the cell dies off, leaving behind only the cellulose.
终于，在大约50天后，纤维生长完毕。细胞死亡，只留下纤维素。
The dried cotton seed pod, or boll, that surrounds the fibers cracks open, unveiling a burst of several thousand fiber cells in a fluffy mass.
包裹纤维的干燥的棉籽荚，也叫棉铃裂开了，露出一簇簇柔软蓬松的纤维细胞。
The thread-like fibers we see -- thinner than a human hair -- are the remains of those dense, dried out walls of cellulose.
我们看到的丝状纤维--比人类毛发还要细--是那些紧实干燥的纤维素壁（原细胞壁）的残留物。
Tens of thousands of these fibers spun into yarn will go on to make everything from fabric, to coffee filters, diapers, and fishing nets.
数以万计的这些纤维被纺织成纱线，随后继续加工生产为各种东西，从面料织物，到咖啡过滤器、尿布，还有渔网。
And with the help of modern science, cotton might soon be softer, stronger, and more resilient than ever
利用现代科学的帮助，棉花可能在不久将来变得更柔软、更坚硬，以及更有韧性，
as researchers investigate how to optimize its growth based on nutrients, weather conditions, and genetics.
因为科研人员正在研究如何基于调整营养、气候和基因等学科因素优化棉花的生长。
