10个疯狂的假设场景 第二部分(下)

Would Happen if We Collided with Another Universe?

5.如果我们与另一个宇宙碰撞了会怎样？

In the multiverse theory, there are an infinite number of universes running parallel to our own. And parallel is exactly how we want the universes to run, because if one collides with our own, we're in big trouble.

在多重宇宙的理论中，存在无数个平行宇宙。而平行正是我们希望宇宙运行的状态，因为一旦有一个和我们的发生碰撞，我们就有大麻烦了。

The good news is that we won't be able to tell it's happening because it will happen so fast. In fact, the exterior wall of the other universe will be traveling nearly at the speed of light when it hits us. Anthony Aguirre, a physicist at the University of California-Santa Cruz, says that if we could slow it down, it would look like a giant mirror crashing down on us. It would look like a mirror because the outer boundary of the other universe would reflect light.

好消息是，因为碰撞的过程非常之快，我们根本不会知道发生了什么。事实上，另一个宇宙的边缘将会以光速撞上我们。 加州大学圣克鲁兹分校的物理学家安东尼·阿吉雷认为，如果用慢镜头看，就像一面巨大的镜子砸向我们。因为别的宇宙的边界是可以反射光的。

After that, we won't feel anything because we'll no longer exist. Boy, isn't this becoming one heck of a feel-good list?

之后，我们就什么也感觉不到了，因为我们已经不存在了。老天啊，这个列表是不是越来越让你珍惜现有生活了？

Would Happen if You Fell Into a Volcano?

4.如果跌入火山里会怎样？

There's pretty much no hope for this one. You'd die, but the interesting question is how would you die if you fell into a volcano? Would you drown like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings? Or would you burn to death?

这样的话真的没什么生还希望了。你会死，但有趣的问题是跌入火山究竟会怎么死，是会像《魔戒》里咕噜那样被淹没，还是被烧死？

If you fell into a volcano, you'd fall onto a pool of magma, which is molten rock that is below the earth. The difference between magma and lava is that lava is molten rock that has come to the surface. Nevertheless, magma and lava behave very similarly when it comes to falling on it.

如果你跌入火山，那你就相当于落到熔岩池里，那是地底熔化的岩石。岩浆和熔岩都是熔化的岩石，但两者的区别在于，岩浆是暴露于地表的。不管怎样吧，只要掉进去，产生的结果都是相似的。

Magma and lava are about two-to-three times denser than water and it can be thousands to millions of times more viscous than water, so it isn't as easily deformed. It would be like landing on wet cement. You'd make a small indentation, but wouldn't submerge or sink in.

岩浆和熔岩的密度是水的2-3倍，粘性则可以达到水的成千上万倍，所以它们不容易变形。跌入的话就像掉到没干的水泥上，会在上面砸出个凹陷，但不会沉下去。

The good news is that you may be dead before hitting the magma. As you fall and get closer to the magma, your lungs could char or you might asphyxiate. If you aren't killed while falling, then hitting the magma at a high rate of speed will probably break your neck or skull, which should kill you.

好消息是你在接触到岩浆之前就已经死了。当你逐渐下落到岩浆的过程中，热浪会烧焦你的肺，或者你会窒息而亡。如果你在下落过程中存活了，高速砸向岩浆时很有可能折断脖子或摔碎头骨，结果还是死。

If you do survive all that, your body will burst into flames the instant you hit the magma and you'll melt into the magma or become specks of ash. So try to avoid jumping into an active volcano, alright?

如果经历了以上这些你都还活着，那你在接触到岩浆的一瞬间就会被烧成灰烬，或与岩浆熔为一体。所以，不要跳进活火山里，好吗？

Happens if a Hole Opens Up on an Airplane While it's Flying?

3.如果在飞行过程中飞机机身漏了个洞会怎样？

It is by far one of the biggest movie tropes of all time: There's a hole in an airplane, it sucks people out, and they fall to their deaths. Since it's been in so many movies, it has to be real, right?

这是电影史上最喜欢使用的桥段：飞机上出现了一个洞，人们都被洞吸出去摔死。既然这么多电影里都是这么刻画的，那必然是事实了，对吧？

First off, if a hole does open in an airplane, it's not going to be because someone opened a door mid-flight. It's physically impossible to open a passenger door on modern planes while they are in flight because the cabins have a higher pressure than the outside, so there is around 6 pounds per square inch of differential pressure against a door that is hundreds of square inches.

首先，如果飞机上出现了一个洞，不可能是因为某人在飞行途中打开了舱门。因为从机械原理上是无法实现的，现代的飞机在飞行途中舱内的压力比外界高，大约每平方英尺的门上有6磅的压力差，一扇门有100多平方英尺，算算看，以人力根本不可能打开。

But what happened if, for whatever reason, a giant hole forms in the side of the plane that you're aboard? If that's the case, there would be an explosive decompression, which would cause someone standing next to the hole to be sucked out. If someone is buckled into their seat near the hole, they won't fly out because plane seats are secured into the plane so that they won't fly out the hole. In other words: when the flight attendants tell you to buckle up, do what they say.

但是如果，由于某种原因，飞机上就是出现了一个大洞究竟会发生什么事呢？如果是这样，由于压力爆炸式的释放，站在破洞旁边的人就会被吸出去。但要是破洞旁边的人安全带是系好的，那他们也不会被吸出去，因为座位是跟飞机紧密相连的。换句话说：当空乘人员叫你系好安全带时，照做！

Now all you have to worry about is possibly being violently thrown off a flight that you paid for so that the airline's staff can fly instead.

现在你需要担心的是本来买好了票，但为了临时多出来的空乘，被强制请出飞机的可能。

Would Happen if You Didn't Shower or Bathe for a Year?

2.如果你一年不洗澡会怎样？

Obviously, you'd stink.

很明显，你会很臭。

Dead skin would accumulate on top of your skin and part of that dead skin is a protein that is really smelly. Also, bacteria would grow on your skin and when it mixes with sweat, it gives off a terrible odor.

死亡的皮肤会逐渐聚集在表皮上，死皮的成分中含有蛋白质，腐烂的蛋白质非常难闻。还有，细菌会在皮肤表面生长，细菌与汗液混合后，散发出的臭味可怕到极致。

Brown clumps will also grow in areas where your body produces the most oil, like behind your ears and under your arms. Your head would itch something fierce, because of all the dead skin accumulated on top of it. Acne and puss bumps will also become common.

棕色的块状物会出现在身体油脂分泌旺盛的区域，比如耳后和胳膊下方。由于死皮的积累，头会奇痒无比。粉刺和痤疮也会更频繁的出现。

Your groin will also be another major problem area because rashes could become common. It's even possible that the scum between your toes will spread to your groin.

随着皮疹的增加，腹股沟的卫生会是另一个主要问题。甚至足间的泥垢都会传播至腹股沟处。

One of the biggest problems you'd face is infection. If you cut yourself, the first thing you're supposed to do is wash the cut so it doesn't get infected. So if you're covered in bacteria, that means you're more likely to get a soft issue infection.

另一个你需要面临的大问题是感染。如果你不小心割伤了自己，要做的第一件事是清洗伤口避免感染。所以要是你全身都被细菌覆盖，那受到感染的可能性会更大。

Finally, if you wanted to return to normal (and let's be honest, who wouldn't?), the bad news is that it would take several weeks. That means if you want to try this experiment – which we beg you not to do – you may not want to set up a date within the first month of showering again.

最后，如果你想回归正常（说实话，谁会不想？），坏消息是需要花费好几周的时间才行。所以要是你想试试看（但我们极力不推荐本实验），结束后你最好腾出一个月来洗澡。

Would Happen if Every Species Became Self-Aware and Intelligent

1.要是每个物种都产生了自我意识而且有智能了会怎样？

In the Planet of the Apes films, we have a problem when one species becomes intelligent and self-aware. But what would happen if all species suddenly became self-aware and intelligent? Innes Cuthill, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Bristol, thinks that it will be an all-out war between the species.

在电影《人猿星球》中，只是一个物种产生了自我意识和智能，我们就陷入了大麻烦。那要是所有的物种突然之间都产生了自我意识而且有智能了会怎样？布里斯托大学的行为生态学家英尼斯·卡特希尔认为如果是这样，那么各个物种间将会爆发全面战争。

Humans would probably set out to wipe out any animals we'd view as threats like lions, tigers, and bears (Oh my! Yeah, we know). Next, we'd have to kill off the primates before they got organized because if they somehow got ahold of human technology like guns or even computers and learned how to use them, we would be in big trouble. Physically, they are much bigger, stronger, and more agile than us, so if they became smarter and used technology it could be too hard for us to overcome.

首先，人类极有可能会灭掉被我们视为威胁的动物，比如狮子、老虎和熊（我的天，太可怕了！是的，我们知道）。第二，我们必须在灵长类动物组织起来之前杀光它们，因为要是它们掌握了人类的科技，例如枪支武器，甚至计算机技术并加以应用的话，我们的麻烦就更大了。生理上，它们要更高大、更强壮、更敏捷，所以，如果它们在智能上也超越了我们，还懂得利用科学技术，我们将很难战胜它们。

But in the end, there is a good chance humans would win the early stages of the war because there are so many of us and we're already armed, plus we have already access to technology and – most importantly – know how to use it.

但到最后，人类在战争早期阶段肯定能大获全胜，因为毕竟我们已经有这么多人武装上了，再加上我们已经有了先进的科技——并且懂得如何利用它们，这点非常重要。

We just have to hope that something like bacteria doesn't gain intelligence, because a smart bacterium could probably kill off all humans (and everything else) and take over the planet.

我们现在只希望细菌什么的不要进化出智能，因为一只聪明的细菌大概就能杀光全人类（和其他的一切活物），掌管地球。

Even if a bacterium doesn't gain intelligence, the war of the species would be horrible for anyone who survives because ecosystems will collapse and only things like cockroaches will survive.

即使细菌没有智能，物种战争结束后的幸存者将会面对非常可怕的世界，因为生态环境会被破坏殆尽，大概只适合蟑螂们生存。