Chile’s New National Park Offers a Glimpse of Life in the Cosmos从智利新国家公园窥宇宙生命

A new national park in Chile will protect 141，000 acres of biodiverse ecosystem in the Atacama Desert， where a rare superbloom paints one of the world’s most barren places with red， magenta1， and marigold wildflowers. Last October’s impressive display， the first in five years， inspired the government to form northern Chile’s sixth national park， Desierto Florido.

在智利阿塔卡马沙漠里，有面积达141，000 英亩的生物多样性生态系统。一场罕见的野花“超级盛开”，将这一人间至贫至瘠之所在，用大红、洋红的野花和野生万寿菊浓妆艳抹起来。为保护这一生态系统，智利政府将新建一座国家公园。2022年10月那次令人印象深刻的绽放，是五年来的第一次，激发了智利政府在该国北部建立第六个国家公园：花海沙漠国家公园。

The Atacama， the world’s driest nonpolar desert， brims with blooms that sprout every three to ten years; the insects and birds that rely on them; and the microorganisms that flourish in the zone’s harsh， hyper-arid core. Many of these microbes hold clues about survival on an increasingly arid Earth， as well as the potential for life beyond it.

阿塔卡马沙漠系世界上最干燥的非极地沙漠。这里处处显露出生机：有每3到10年盛开一次的花朵，有依附其生存的昆虫和鸟类，还有在该地区严酷而极其干旱的核心区繁衍生息的微生物。其中不少微生物提供了在日益干旱的地球上生存的密码，以及地外可能有生命存在的线索。

Land of extremes

极端之境

The 600-mile-long Atacama is wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains， both of which shield the desert’s core from precipitation2. It’s nearly 50 times drier than Death Valley， and some weather stations here have yet to record a drop of rain.

600英里长的阿塔卡马沙漠，仿佛楔子插在太平洋和安第斯山脉之间——这两者像盾牌阻断了沙漠核心区的降水。这里比死亡谷还要干燥近50倍，沙漠中有些气象站迄今未曾记录过一滴降雨。

In the past 40 years， the Atacama has seen an estimated 15 superblooms， according to the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The phenomenon typically occurs between September and mid-November （the Southern Hemisphere’s spring）. They often follow El Niño’s warm weather; winter’s heavy rains strip the protective coat from dormant seeds， which leads to their blossoming. The magnitude of October’s bloom surprised scientists， since it occurred after the lower-than-usual temperatures of La Niña.

据智利天主教大学估算，阿塔卡马地区在过去40年里出现了15 次“超级盛开”的花海。这通常出现在9月到11月中旬（南半球的春季）。“超级盛开”经常随着厄尔尼诺带来的温暖天气而发生；丰沛的冬雨剥离了休眠种子的保护层，使之开花。此次10月绽放的规模颇令科学家感到惊讶，因为它发生在低于常温的拉尼娜现象之后。

We still have much to learn about Chile’s superbloom. According to a 2022 study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution， little is known about the eco-evolutionary process that desierto florido （flowering desert） triggers， such as how the plants have evolved to guarantee pollination3 during the rare and short blooming period.

智利的“超级盛开”仍有诸多有待研究的问题。根据 2022 年发表在《生态学与进化前沿》上的一份研究报告，人们对鲜花盛开的沙漠引发的生态进化过程所知甚微。比如，植物如何进化到可以确保在罕有且短暂的开花期内成功授粉。

The new park will lie near Chile’s northern coast， between the towns of Copiapó and Vallenar， says Verónica Kunze， undersecretary of tourism for the Chilean government.

智利旅游部次长维罗妮卡·昆策介绍，新公园将坐落于智利北部海岸附近，位于两座小城科皮亚波和巴耶纳尔之间。

In addition to its blooms， the park will give travelers a chance to explore the Atacama’s craggy4 southern coast， where peacock-blue waters shimmer. For astronomy fans， Atacama’s lustrous night skies give visitors rare peeks into the galaxy. “As long as you head to remote places， like Desierto Florido National Park， you’ll have fantastic stargazing，” says Timothy Dhalleine， guest engagement manager for Cascada Travel， a Chilean adventure outfitter.

除了鲜花之外，去公园的游客还有机会探访阿塔卡马南部峻峭的海岸，观赏那里闪闪发光的孔雀蓝海水。阿塔卡马璀璨的夜空也能让天文迷一睹罕见的银河系。智利瀑布旅行社（一家探险旅行用品供应商）的客户互动经理蒂莫西·达莱尼说：“只要您去往像花海沙漠国家公园这样的偏远地区，就能收获美妙的观星体验。”

A link between Earth and Mars

地球与火星之间的纽带

While preserving these blooms is important for the region’s ecosystems， Chilean microbiologist Cristina Dorador says protections should extend to the critical species we can’t see—microorganisms.

智利微生物学家克里斯蒂娜·多拉多表示，虽然对该地区生态系统而言，保护这些花朵很重要，但保护措施还应延伸到肉眼看不见的极危种——微生物。

In the northern desert’s hyperarid core， microorganisms get savvy. They nestle inside rocks and survive off minuscule water droplets from overnight fog. “It’s a microhabitat; there’s a whole ecosystem inside a rock，” Dorador says. These microscopic adaptations can teach us a lot—including lessons about life on the red planet5.

在北部沙漠极度干旱的核心区，微生物变得聪明起来。它们龟缩在岩石中，靠夜间雾中的微小水滴生存。“这是一个微栖息地；一块岩石内部就有一个完整的生态系统。”多拉多说。此类微观适应现象对我们富于教益——包括有关“红色星球”上生命的启示。

The Atacama core’s crusty6 salt flats and rugged valleys don’t just look Martian; in a way， they are. “The soil chemistry is quite similar，” says Dorador. That’s why astrobiologists research Atacama’s highly adaptable species to understand if life could exist elsewhere in the universe.

阿塔卡马核心区的硬壳盐滩和崎岖的山谷不仅看起来像火星上的；在某种程度上，它们就是火星地貌。“土壤化学性质非常相似。”多拉多说。这就是为什么天体生物学家可以通过研究阿塔卡马的高度适应性物种，来了解生命是否可能存在于宇宙的其他地方。

“In the Atacama， you can study the extreme of what at least Earth life can adapt to in terms of managing water，” says Michael Meyer， lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration program. Understanding the Atacama’s microscopic life forms has helped NASA decide where to send its Mars rovers， including Perseverance’s 2021 landing in the Jezero Crater， once an ancient river delta. “We know water was there once upon a time，” Meyer says.