科學(xué)界的五大無名英雄

Rosalind Franklin

羅莎琳德·富蘭克林

We all know the scientific greats； Darwin and his theory of evolution， Newton and his laws of gravity. But there are lots of unsung heroes of the scientific world whose works deserve recognition. Rosalind Franklin is one of them. As a molecular2） biologist， Franklin was responsible for the original research behind the discovery of DNA's structure.

Franklin's crystallography3） snapshots4） featured images of DNA structure that hadn't ever been seen before. So ahead of her time was Franklin that she passed away years before Watson and Crick went on to win a 1962 Nobel prize for their DNA double-helix5） model； a feat6） which， as Crick readily admitted， wouldn't have been possible without her vital research. While many of her independently-researched papers on DNA's structure went unpublished， it was the language within them that greatly informed Watson and Crick's own reports on the subject. Franklin went on to contribute much research on the tobacco mosaic virus7） as well as polio8）. Her pioneering life was cut short in 1957， though， as she died at age 37 of cancer.

我們都知道一些科學(xué)巨匠及其成就，像達(dá)爾文和他的進(jìn)化論，以及牛頓和他的萬有引力定律。但是科學(xué)界還有很多無名英雄，他們的成就也應(yīng)該得到認(rèn)可。羅莎琳德·富蘭克林就是其中一位。她是一名分子生物學(xué)家，DNA結(jié)構(gòu)得以發(fā)現(xiàn)，其背后所做的原始研究則要歸功于她。

富蘭克林拍攝的晶體衍射照片展示了前所未見的DNA結(jié)構(gòu)圖像。她遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)領(lǐng)先于與自己同時代的人，乃至在她去世多年之后，沃森和克里克才繼而因DNA雙螺旋結(jié)構(gòu)模型獲得1962年的諾貝爾獎?？死锟艘残廊怀姓J(rèn)，如果沒有富蘭克林那至關(guān)重要的研究，他們也不可能會有此成就。盡管她的很多關(guān)于DNA結(jié)構(gòu)的獨立研究論文都沒有得以發(fā)表，但其字字句句都非常明顯地貫穿于沃森和克里克針對這一課題的報告中。富蘭克林之后還在煙草花葉病毒和小兒麻痹癥的研究上做出了很多貢獻(xiàn)。然而在1957年，37歲的她因癌癥去世，其開拓創(chuàng)新的一生也戛然而止。

Alfred Russel Wallace

艾爾弗雷德·拉塞爾·華萊士

Darwin's On the Origin of Species is largely considered the most important paper on evolution ever produced， but there is in fact another scientist who， to this day， remains a forgotten father of biogeography. Alfred Russel Wallace was a British explorer and naturalist who independently thought up the theory of evolution by natural selection. After recording his fieldwork expedition9） findings in Malaysia in the mid 1800's， Wallace sent his work to his close friend Charles Darwin for a second opinion10）.

The work inspired Darwin to write his own ideas on evolution， and he published his thoughts along with Wallace's findings in a joint paper before going on to write his own paper on the theory in 1858. As Darwin has become known as the sole scientific super power behind the theory of evolution， no one ever really gave Wallace the same kind of recognition， despite his discovery of thousands of new animal species or the fact that his journal， "The Malay Archipelago"， was considered the best scientific exploration journal published in the 19th century. Why such disparity11） in outcomes？ Unlike his contemporaries， when Wallace's investments failed he had no family wealth or name on which he could fall back12）. In any case， Wallace's butterfly and beetle collections can still be seen in the Natural History Museum today.endprint

達(dá)爾文的《物種起源》在很大程度上被認(rèn)為是有史以來最重要的有關(guān)進(jìn)化的論文，但事實上還有一位堪稱生物地理學(xué)之父的科學(xué)家至今仍然被人們遺忘。他就是英國探險家和博物學(xué)家艾爾弗雷德·拉塞爾·華萊士，自然選擇進(jìn)化論即由他獨立提出。19世紀(jì)中期，華萊士記錄下自己在馬來西亞進(jìn)行野外考察探險工作的研究成果后，將其寄給了好友查爾斯·達(dá)爾文，希望聽聽不同的意見。

這一研究成果鼓舞了達(dá)爾文，促使他寫下自己對進(jìn)化的看法。而且達(dá)爾文還將自己的觀點和華萊士的研究成果結(jié)合起來，發(fā)表了一篇聯(lián)名論文，而在之后的1858年達(dá)爾文才進(jìn)而著手寫自己關(guān)于進(jìn)化論的論文。達(dá)爾文現(xiàn)在一直以進(jìn)化論背后的唯一科學(xué)巨擘而聞名于世，與此同時卻從沒有人真正給予過華萊士同等的認(rèn)可，盡管他發(fā)現(xiàn)了上千種新的動物物種，盡管事實上他的游記《馬來群島》被認(rèn)為是19世紀(jì)出版的最好的科學(xué)探索游記。為何會有如此相差懸殊的結(jié)局？華萊士與同時代的人不同，投資失敗后的他并沒有家庭財富或者顯赫的家世可以依賴。不管怎樣，今天人們依然能夠在英國自然歷史博物館里看到華萊士當(dāng)年收集的那些蝴蝶和甲蟲標(biāo)本。

Charles Drew

查爾斯·德魯

Blood transfusions have helped save countless lives over the last 70 years， but little is known about the pioneering physician who discovered the process. Charles Drew was an African-American surgeon who fought racial prejudices to bring blood transfusion to the masses. He carried out revolutionary research that led him to discover that blood could in fact be preserved and reconstituted later when it was needed.

Drew came up with an ingenious system of storing the substance， which he called "blood banks". These new centers changed the medical world， and mobile units were developed which could transport the vital blood types across the USA. So essential were Drew's services that they culminated13） in the first ever blood drive14） during World War II to treat soldiers on the front line in both the States and in Britain. Without Drew's work， hundreds of thousands of lives would have been lost.

在過去70年里，輸血拯救了無數(shù)人的生命，然而關(guān)于發(fā)現(xiàn)這一方法的醫(yī)學(xué)先驅(qū)，人們卻知之甚少。查爾斯·德魯是一位外科醫(yī)生，身為非裔美國人的他與種族歧視做斗爭，讓輸血技術(shù)造福普羅大眾。他開展了革命性的研究，因而發(fā)現(xiàn)血液其實是可以保存的，而且在之后需要時還可以恢復(fù)原狀使用。

德魯發(fā)明了一個獨創(chuàng)性的血液儲存系統(tǒng)——他稱之為“血庫”。這些新建的血液中心改變了醫(yī)學(xué)界，移動設(shè)備被研制出來，用于在美國境內(nèi)運輸一些至關(guān)重要的血液類型。德魯?shù)倪@些設(shè)施非常重要，結(jié)果在二戰(zhàn)期間興起了首次獻(xiàn)血活動，用于在英美兩國治療前線作戰(zhàn)的士兵。如果沒有德魯?shù)难芯砍晒?，?shù)十萬生命都早已逝去了。

Miriam Rothschild

米麗婭姆·羅思柴爾德

Not every scientific discovery has to change the entire world to be significant. In fact， some of the greatest discoveries are those which lurk15） beneath the microscopes， and some of the greatest scientists are those who successfully convey the importance of the visually minuscule16） in a global context. Miriam Rothschild is one such scientific hero. A renowned entomologist17） and botanist18）， Rothschild's study of insects stood at the forefront of the natural inquiry. Having grown up in gardens full of wild flora19） and fauna20）， Rothschild's interest in insects was rooted into her consciousness from an early age.

As she grew older， Rothschild continued to study the world of butterflies and bugs in greater detail， until one day she made a breakthrough while studying the simple flea. Rothschild was the first to work out the flea's jumping mechanism and went on to become the foremost authority on the insect. While it may not sound so significant， her work helped to demystify21） the nature of parasites22） and enabled scientists to contain the spread of fleas and other insects， which might otherwise feed off23） our prized pets.endprint

However， for someone who lacked traditional schooling and hailed24） from a family of influential financiers， Rothschild never gained the scientific recognition she deserved and was often regarded as an amateur25）. More than 50 years and 350 papers later， Rothschild was made a Dame26） for her work within the microscopic kingdom. However， her lack of orthodox27） education has largely kept her out of the history books.

不是每一個科學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)都必須改變整個世界才稱得上重要。事實上，一些最偉大的發(fā)現(xiàn)正是那些潛藏在顯微鏡下的發(fā)現(xiàn)，而一些最偉大的科學(xué)家也正是那些在全球視野下成功展示肉眼可見的微小事物之重要意義所在的科學(xué)家。米麗婭姆·羅思柴爾德就是這樣一位科學(xué)英雄。作為一名著名的昆蟲學(xué)家和植物學(xué)家，羅思柴爾德對昆蟲的研究已經(jīng)站在了探究自然的最前沿。她從小就在充滿野生動植物的花園中長大，她對昆蟲的興趣從孩提時代起就已經(jīng)融入了她的血液。

隨著年齡的增長，羅思柴爾德繼續(xù)在蝴蝶和小蟲的世界里做著更加詳細(xì)的研究，直到有一天在研究那不起眼的跳蚤時獲得了重大突破。羅思柴爾德是第一個研究出跳蚤跳躍機(jī)制的人，繼而成為研究昆蟲的最高權(quán)威。盡管這個研究結(jié)果可能聽起來沒那么重要，但卻幫助闡明了寄生蟲的本質(zhì)，使科學(xué)家們能夠控制跳蚤和其他昆蟲的傳播，否則人們所珍愛的寵物就可能會成為這些蟲子的寄主。

然而，由于出生于顯赫的金融世家，又沒有接受過傳統(tǒng)的學(xué)校教育，羅思柴爾德從來沒有獲得過她應(yīng)得的科學(xué)界的認(rèn)可，還常常被視為一個業(yè)余愛好者。在做了50多年的研究并發(fā)表了350篇論文之后，羅思柴爾德因其在微觀領(lǐng)域的成就而被封為女爵士。但是由于她沒有受過正統(tǒng)教育這個主要因素，她并沒有被載入史冊。

Fazlur Rahman Khan

法茲勒·拉赫曼汗

From scientific study to structural engineering， Fazlur Rahman Khan is thought to be one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. Chances are you'll recognize his work or have even walked past it. Even still， the innovator isn't nearly as well recognized as some of his construction counterparts28）. The man behind the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower in Chicago， Fazlur is responsible for the second tallest building in North America and for the structural system behind all of today's towers.

In other words， the soaring skyscrapers that define our skylines wouldn't be possible without the structural skill of Fazlur. Known as the "Einstein of structural engineering"， he also pioneered the use of computer-aided architectural design， leaving behind a legacy of innovation that others can only dream of matching. A true visionary29） of our conception of the modern world， Fazlur may not be mentioned in history books， but his focus on vertical growth lives on in cities around the world.

從科學(xué)研究到結(jié)構(gòu)工程學(xué)，法茲勒·拉赫曼汗都被認(rèn)為是20世紀(jì)最具影響力的建筑學(xué)家之一。你有可能會認(rèn)出他的建筑作品，或者甚至曾從他的作品旁走過。即使如此，這位創(chuàng)新者的名氣幾乎還不及他在建筑界的一些同儕們。作為約翰·漢考克中心和芝加哥威利斯大廈背后的設(shè)計者，法茲勒負(fù)責(zé)設(shè)計了北美第二高的大樓，還是如今所有塔式建筑結(jié)構(gòu)系統(tǒng)的發(fā)明者。

換句話說，如果沒有法茲勒的結(jié)構(gòu)技術(shù)，也就不可能有那些勾勒出天際線的、高聳入云的摩天大樓。法茲勒被譽為“結(jié)構(gòu)工程學(xué)的愛因斯坦”，也是用電腦輔助建筑設(shè)計的先驅(qū)者，他所遺留的創(chuàng)新財產(chǎn)是其他人只有在夢中才能匹敵的。法茲勒是一個真正的夢想家，描繪出了我們對現(xiàn)代世界的構(gòu)想，他也許沒被載入史冊，但其對于建筑垂直延伸的關(guān)注卻在全世界各個城市中永垂不朽。endprint