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We human beings diligently scan the night sky hoping to find something new, and every now and then keeping an open ear pays off.
我们人类探寻夜空，孜孜不倦，希望能有新的发现，处处留意终得回报。
In 2007 astronomers detected a sudden blast of radio waves that lasted just a few milliseconds and dubbed it a Fast Radio Burst.
2007年，天文学家探测到了一股突然爆发的无线电波，它持续数毫秒，被称之为快速射电暴。
Since then they've found about two dozen more, but one in particular has them intrigued.
从那时起，他们已经发现了20多次，但其中一次引起了他们的特别兴趣。
Speaking of being intrigued though, have you visited our friend Simon at Today I Found Out?
但说到着迷，你今天在Today I Found Out拜访我们的朋友西蒙了吗？
If you're watching Seeker you obviously like learning new things, so definitely check out Simon's channel -- Today I Found Out -- because that is what it's all about!
如果你在看Seeker，你显然喜欢学习新事物，所以一定要看看西蒙的节目——Today I Found Out，因为这里拥有关于新事物的一切！
There's a link in the description to this video about the dogs we launched into space, FOR SCIENCE.
这段视频中有一段关于太空狗的描述，那是我们为了科学，发射进入太空的。
Okay, back to the fast radio bursts.
好的，回到快速射电暴。
The source is called FRB 121102, so called because it was first observed on November second, 2012.
这个源被称为FRB 121102，这样命名是因为，第一次观察到它是在2012年11月2日。
The reason FRB 121102 is special is because sometimes it repeats, the only Fast Radio Burst we've found that does so.
FRB 121102之所以特殊是因为它会不时重复，我们已发现的快速射电暴中，只有它是这样。
Knowing that it pipes up from time to time, astronomers have paid close attention to FRB 121102's patch of sky, and sure enough on August 26, 2017,
知道它不是闪现，天文学家们一直对FRB 121102保持着密切关注，果然在2017年8月26日，
they detected 15 MORE bursts, bringing the total number to over 150.
他们又捕获到了15余次电暴，总数超过150次。
No one's sure exactly what causes these fast radio bursts.
没有人确切地知道，这些快速射电暴发生的原因。
It's possible they're generated by a young and fast spinning neutron star with an intense magnetic field.
它们可能是由一颗快速旋转的年轻中子星产生的磁场引起。
Or maybe, just maybe, it's aliens and they're sending out a hailing frequency and we're gonna be best friends and go on kickass adventures.
或者，也许，也许，这是外星人，他们正发出一个欢呼频率，我们会成为最好的朋友，开启大冒险。
I'm sorry I just get really excited when something might be aliens.
很抱歉，当有事情关乎外星人的时候，我真的很兴奋。
But in truth it's a pretty distant possibility. Like, really distant.
但事实上，这种可能性微乎其微。相当渺茫。
Since FRB 121102 repeats we've been able to figure out where it's coming from, a dwarf galaxy 3 billion light years away.
由于FRB 121102电暴的重复发射，我们已经能够找出它的来源，一个距离我们30亿光年远的矮星系。
That means if it IS aliens, they sent the signal 3 billion years ago, when life on Earth was just single celled organisms.
这意味着如果真的是外星人，他们在30亿年前就发出了信号，那时地球上的生命仅仅是单细胞生物。
Any reply wouldn't get back to them for another 3 billion years.
给他们的任何回复再要30亿年才能送到。
If these aliens haven't died out, they've probably forgotten they even called.
如果这些外星人还没有灭绝的话，他们可能已经忘记，他们还曾发过信号了。
I bet they moved on with their lives, got married, started a family, evolved into completely different life forms with 60 tentacles, that sort of thing.
我打赌他们继续着他们的生活，结婚，组建家庭，并演化出拥有60个触手，完全不同的生命体，诸如此类的事情。
Fast radio bursts may be more common than we thought, with some astronomers estimating that one goes off somewhere in the universe every second.
快速射电暴可能比我们想象的更普遍，一些天文学家估计宇宙中每秒钟都有一次爆炸。
So either they're just some as-yet-unexplained and totally mundane phenomenon, or there are a lot of life forms out there trying to reach out and touch someone with their 60 gelatinous arms.
所以他们要么只是一些无法解释，但完全稀松平常的现象，要么就是那一大堆试图联系外界，用60个凝胶状手臂触摸人类的生命体。
Either way, we'll keep listening to find out.
无论哪种方式，我们都会继续倾听，找出答案。
Remember to subscribe to Seeker for more videos and to check out Simon on Today I Found Out to learn why we sent dogs into space!
请记住订阅更多的视频，并查看西蒙今天的节目《Today I Found Out》，去了解为什么我们把狗送入太空！
It had to be ruff for them. You know? That was horrible.
要吃他们。你知道吗？那太可怕了。
With all this talk about aliens we can't forget that an asteroid flew through our solar system and of course, some people thought IT was aliens too.
有这么多关于外星人的讨论，我们无法忘记一颗小行星飞过我们的太阳系，当然，也有人认为它是外星人。
But it wasn't. This video explains why. Thanks again for watching.
但不是。这个视频解释了其中原因。再次感谢收看。
