科学界的五大无名英雄

Rosalind Franklin

罗莎琳德・富兰克林

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 While many of her independently-researched papers on DNA's structure went unpublished， it was the language within them that greatly informed Watson and Crick's own reports on the subject.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.

我们都知道一些科学巨匠及其成就，像达尔文和他的进化论，以及牛顿和他的万有引力定律。但是科学界还有很多无名英雄，他们的成就也应该得到认可。罗莎琳德・富兰克林就是其中一位。她是一名分子生物学家，DNA结构得以发现，其背后所做的原始研究则要归功于她。

富兰克林拍摄的晶体衍射照片展示了前所未见的DNA结构图像。她远远领先于与自己同时代的人，乃至在她去世多年之后，沃森和克里克才继而因DNA双螺旋结构模型获得1962年的诺贝尔奖。克里克也欣然承认，如果没有富兰克林那至关重要的研究，他们也不可能会有此成就。尽管她的很多关于DNA结构的独立研究论文都没有得以发表，但其字字句句都非常明显地贯穿于沃森和克里克针对这一课题的报告中。富兰克林之后还在烟草花叶病毒和小儿麻痹症的研究上做出了很多贡献。然而在1957年，37岁的她因癌症去世，其开拓创新的一生也戛然而止。

Alfred Russel Wallace

艾尔弗雷德・拉塞尔・华莱士

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.

达尔文的《物种起源》在很大程度上被认为是有史以来最重要的有关进化的论文，但事实上还有一位堪称生物地理学之父的科学家至今仍然被人们遗忘。他就是英国探险家和博物学家艾尔弗雷德・拉塞尔・华莱士，自然选择进化论即由他独立提出。19世纪中期，华莱士记录下自己在马来西亚进行野外考察探险工作的研究成果后，将其寄给了好友查尔斯・达尔文，希望听听不同的意见。

这一研究成果鼓舞了达尔文，促使他写下自己对进化的看法。而且达尔文还将自己的观点和华莱士的研究成果结合起来，发表了一篇联名论文，而在之后的1858年达尔文才进而着手写自己关于进化论的论文。达尔文现在一直以进化论背后的唯一科学巨擘而闻名于世，与此同时却从没有人真正给予过华莱士同等的认可，尽管他发现了上千种新的动物物种，尽管事实上他的游记《马来群岛》被认为是19世纪出版的最好的科学探索游记。为何会有如此相差悬殊的结局？华莱士与同时代的人不同，投资失败后的他并没有家庭财富或者显赫的家世可以依赖。不管怎样，今天人们依然能够在英国自然历史博物馆里看到华莱士当年收集的那些蝴蝶和甲虫标本。

Charles Drew

查尔斯・德鲁

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.

在过去70年里，输血拯救了无数人的生命，然而关于发现这一方法的医学先驱，人们却知之甚少。查尔斯・德鲁是一位外科医生，身为非裔美国人的他与种族歧视做斗争，让输血技术造福普罗大众。他开展了革命性的研究，因而发现血液其实是可以保存的，而且在之后需要时还可以恢复原状使用。

德鲁发明了一个独创性的血液储存系统――他称之为“血库”。这些新建的血液中心改变了医学界，移动设备被研制出来，用于在美国境内运输一些至关重要的血液类型。德鲁的这些设施非常重要，结果在二战期间兴起了首次献血活动，用于在英美两国治疗前线作战的士兵。如果没有德鲁的研究成果，数十万生命都早已逝去了。

Miriam Rothschild

米丽娅姆・罗思柴尔德

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.

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.

不是每一个科学发现都必须改变整个世界才称得上重要。事实上，一些最伟大的发现正是那些潜藏在显微镜下的发现，而一些最伟大的科学家也正是那些在全球视野下成功展示肉眼可见的微小事物之重要意义所在的科学家。米丽娅姆・罗思柴尔德就是这样一位科学英雄。作为一名著名的昆虫学家和植物学家，罗思柴尔德对昆虫的研究已经站在了探究自然的最前沿。她从小就在充满野生动植物的花园中长大，她对昆虫的兴趣从孩提时代起就已经融入了她的血液。

随着年龄的增长，罗思柴尔德继续在蝴蝶和小虫的世界里做着更加详细的研究，直到有一天在研究那不起眼的跳蚤时获得了重大突破。罗思柴尔德是第一个研究出跳蚤跳跃机制的人，继而成为研究昆虫的最高权威。尽管这个研究结果可能听起来没那么重要，但却帮助阐明了寄生虫的本质，使科学家们能够控制跳蚤和其他昆虫的传播，否则人们所珍爱的宠物就可能会成为这些虫子的寄主。

然而，由于出生于显赫的金融世家，又没有接受过传统的学校教育，罗思柴尔德从来没有获得过她应得的科学界的认可，还常常被视为一个业余爱好者。在做了50多年的研究并发表了350篇论文之后，罗思柴尔德因其在微观领域的成就而被封为女爵士。但是由于她没有受过正统教育这个主要因素，她并没有被载入史册。

Fazlur Rahman Khan

法兹勒・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.

从科学研究到结构工程学，法兹勒・拉赫曼汗都被认为是20世纪最具影响力的建筑学家之一。你有可能会认出他的建筑作品，或者甚至曾从他的作品旁走过。即使如此，这位创新者的名气几乎还不及他在建筑界的一些同侪们。作为约翰・汉考克中心和芝加哥威利斯大厦背后的设计者，法兹勒负责设计了北美第二高的大楼，还是如今所有塔式建筑结构系统的发明者。

换句话说，如果没有法兹勒的结构技术，也就不可能有那些勾勒出天际线的、高耸入云的摩天大楼。法兹勒被誉为“结构工程学的爱因斯坦”，也是用电脑辅助建筑设计的先驱者，他所遗留的创新财产是其他人只有在梦中才能匹敌的。法兹勒是一个真正的梦想家，描绘出了我们对现代世界的构想，他也许没被载入史册，但其对于建筑垂直延伸的关注却在全世界各个城市中永垂不朽。