哺乳動物全滅絕
A paper recently published in Nature Geoscience envisions a possible mass extinction event on Earth 250 million years from now.
最近發表在《自然—地球科學》期刊上的一篇論文設想2.5億年後地球上可能發生大規模滅絕事件。
envision(v.)想像、設想(用於表達想像或設想未來的情景)envision a better future想像一個更美好的未來mass extinction大規模的滅絕
According to the research, this would coincide with the formation of a supercontinent called Pangea Ultima, on which conditions would be so harsh that no mammals would stand a chance of survival.
根據研究，這將與一個名為「終極盤古大陸」的超級大陸的形成同時發生，在這個大陸上，環境條件會非常惡劣，以致於沒有哺乳動物會有生存的機會。
coincide with與...同時發生=occur simultaneously=happen at the same timeThe launch of the new product will coincide with the company’s anniversary.新產品的推出將與公司的周年慶同時進行harsh(adj.)嚴苛的、苛刻的=severestand a chance of~有～的可能性
This sobering prediction, presented by a group headed by University of Bristol, UK, researcher Alexander Farnsworth, is the first to explore the potential disastrous combination of “geological rearrangement” on Earth and unchecked climate change.
這個令人警醒的預測由英國布里斯托爾大學的研究員亞歷山大·法恩斯沃斯率領的團隊提出，首次探討了地球上的「地質重組」與得不到遏制的氣候變遷相結合可能帶來的災難性後果。
sobering(adj.)令人警醒的、發人深省的=thought-provokingexplore(v.)探討unchecked(adj.)未受到控制的、未受遏制的The unchecked spread of the virus led to a major public health crisis.病毒未受控制擴散導致了一次重大的公共衛生危機。
The proposed results paint a picture of a scorched, lifeless Earth, while also offering insight to astronomers into what could make other planets potentially habitable.
所提出的結果描繪了一個燒焦的、沒有生命的地球，同時也為天文學家提供了深入的見解，使他們了解是什麼可能使其他行星適合居住。
paint a picture of~描述、呈現、勾勒出scorched(adj.) 燒焦的=burntlifeless(adj.)無生命的;沒有生氣的insight into…對...的深入了解、洞察habitable(adj.)適宜居住的=inhabitableinhabit(v.)居住uninhabitable(adj.)不適合居住的
According to the paper, Pangea Ultima would be formed by the merger of all current continents.
根據這篇論文，「終極盤古大陸」將由目前的各大洲合併而成。
merger(n.)合併the merger of the two tech giants兩家科技巨頭的合併
Along with the massive tectonic movement associated with the formation of this supercontinent, increased volcanic activity across the Earth would likely double the current amount of carbon dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere, while more radiation from the aging sun would also be present.
隨著這個超級大陸的形成而發生大規模板塊運動，地球各地更頻繁的火山活動可能會導致大氣中二氧化碳的含量翻倍，同時老化的太陽也會產生更多的輻射。
tectonic(adj.)地殼構造的tectonic movement 板塊運動tectonic plates板塊associated with與...有關聯、伴隨著Poor nutrition is often associated with various health problems.營養不良常與各種健康問題有關volcanic(adj.)火山的volcano(n.)火山volcanic eruption火山爆發radiation(n.)輻射present(adj.)存在的
The overall effect would be global temperatures 15 to 30 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial levels, creating extraordinarily humid climates along Pangea Ultima’s coasts and “extremely arid conditions in the vast inland deserts.”
整體效應將使全球溫度比工業革命前高出攝氏15至30度，從而在「終極盤古大陸」的沿海地區形成極端潮濕的氣候，而「在廣闊的內陸沙漠中則會出現極度乾旱的情況」。
pre-industrial levels工業革命前的水準extraordinarily(adv.)極度地;非常地;異常地arid(adj.) 乾旱的、乾燥的、不毛的vast(adj.)廣闊的=immense
Despite the evolutionary success of mammals in the recent history of Earth, researchers say that humans may have enough trouble surviving “the current self-caused climate crisis,” let alone the severe living conditions of the Pangea Ultima era.
研究人員表示，儘管哺乳動物在地球近代史中取得了進化上的成功，但人類在「當前由自身造成的氣候危機」中生存就已經夠困難的了，更不用說要在「終極盤古大陸」時代惡劣的生活條件中存活下來了。
revolutionary(adj.)演進的、演化的man-made(adj.)人為的let alone更不必說、更別提=not to mention=not to speak of
Beyond the extreme heat and changing global climates, this future period would also likely be highlighted by scarcity of food caused by the total “collapse of vegetation” on Earth.
除了極端的高溫和全球氣候改變外，地球上全面的「植被崩潰」造成的糧食短缺也可能是未來這個時期的一大特點。
highlight(v.)突出、強調、使顯眼scarcity(n.)缺乏、不足、短缺=shortagevegetation(n.)植被collapse of vegetation植被崩潰
Although this bleak vision of Earth’s future involves “a high level of uncertainty” and may not be entirely plausible, Farnsworth believes that it can act as a “reminder of the transience” of existence.
儘管地球未來的這種慘澹景象具有「高度的不確定性」，而且可能並不完全可信，但法恩斯沃斯認為，它可以作為存在「無常的提醒」。
bleak(adj.)蕭瑟的、慘澹的、無希望的a bleak outlook慘澹的前景a bleak future慘澹的未來plausible(adj.)貌似真實(或可信)的a plausible explanation貌似合理的解釋a plausible theory貌似合理的理論implausible(adj.)難以置信的;不可能的The whole plot of the film is ridiculously implausible.電影的整個情節荒謬得令人難以置信。transience(n.)短暫;轉瞬即逝;無常transient(adj.)短暫的;轉瞬即逝的
This is especially important as all living beings on Earth grapple with an increasing number of climate-related challenges in their daily lives.
這一點尤為重要，因為地球上所有生物在日常生活中都在努力應對越來越多與氣候相關的挑戰。
grapple with sth. 盡力解決、設法對付、盡量克服tackle(v.)處理、設法解決=deal with=cope with