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A Warming World, and a Stranger One: Natural disasters are a normal part of life on Earth, but 2020 layered historic levels of devastation on top of the COVID-19 pandemic. In North America, massive wildfires seared parts of the western U.S. from late summer into fall, forcing more than half a million people to evacuate in the midst of the health crisis. 一个变暖的世界，一个陌生的世界：自然灾害是地球上生活的正常部分，但2020年在COVID-19大流行之上分层了历史性的破坏。 (Credit: Noah Berger/AP images) A derecho — an intense windstorm sometimes referred to as an inland hurricane — pummeled parts of the Midwest in August with 100 mph winds. (Credit: Daniel Acker/Getty images) Hurricanes slammed the Caribbean and southern U.S. starting in June, causing flooding and extensive damage. Meanwhile, the pandemic made disaster relief an even more precarious process. Scientists say many of the increasingly severe and compounding events are no fluke of a cursed year but rather part of a distressing trend: As the world warms, natural disasters will likely continue to grow in force and frequency. 飓风从6月份开始袭击加勒比海和美国南部，造成洪水和大面积破坏。与此同时，大流行使得救灾工作更加不稳定。科学家们说，许多日益严重和复杂的事件并不是诅咒之年的侥幸，而是一个令人痛心的趋势的一部分：随着世界变暖，自然灾害的强度和频率可能会继续增加。 (Credit: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP images) Up Close: Molten lava or melted gold? Nope, you’re looking at the most detailed shot of the sun to date, taken by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope and released in January. The surface of our closest star is made of plasma, which churns in a cell-like pattern as heat emerges from the sun’s center. 熔岩还是熔金？不，丹尼尔，最详细的太阳照片。我们最近的恒星的表面是由等离子体构成的，当太阳中心有热量出来时，等离子体会以类似细胞的方式搅动。 (Credit: NSO/AURA/NSF) Not Quite Twins: Variations between these two squid appear subtle, but the biggest difference is invisible: The one on the right was edited with CRISPR. In July, scientists described the first successfully gene-edited squid, paving the way for future research on organisms with complex brains. 7月，科学家们描述了第一批成功的基因编辑乌贼， 为将来研究复杂大脑生物体铺平了道路。 (Credit: Karen Crawford) NEOWISE Lights Up the Sky: Nearly 7,000 years had passed since NEOWISE last zipped past Earth. This summer, stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere caught a glimpse of the dazzling comet’s return. (Credit: David Hajnal/Shutterstock) Smile for the Camera: Though scientists had believed the matamata turtles of South America were all one species, DNA analysis published in April proved otherwise. There are, in fact, two genetically distinct lineages: The previously established species is concentrated in the Amazon River basin, while the new-to-science species lives in the Orinoco River basin of Colombia and Venezuela. 尽管科学家们认为南美洲的马塔乌龟都是一个物种，但4月份发表的DNA分析结果却证明了这一点。事实上，有两个基因上截然不同的谱系：先前建立的物种集中在亚马逊河流域，而新进入科学界的物种生活在哥伦比亚和委内瑞拉的奥里诺科河流域。 (Credit: Rune Midtgaard/Senckenberg) A Long Shot: What might look like a floating shoestring is actually the longest animal in the world — depending on your definition of an animal. With the outer ring alone estimated at 154 feet, this siphonophore, discovered off the coast of Australia in March, may be as long as 390 feet in total. But the creature is actually a chain made up of much smaller individual clones called zooids, making it more of a colony than a singular animal. (Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute) 原标题： Top Science Photos From 2020: Natural Disasters, CRISPR Squids and an Interstellar Visitor These photos appeared in Discover’s annual state of science issue. Support our science journalism by becoming a subscriber. https://www./the-sciences/top-science-photos-from-2020-natural-disasters-crispr-squids-and-an?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BadAstronomyBlog+%28Bad+Astronomy%29  文章来源PaperRSS译文，如有侵权请及时联系PaperRSS小编删除，转载请注明来源。 温馨提示： 为方便PaperRSS粉丝们科研、就业等话题交流。我们根据10多个专业方向（植物、医学、药学、人工智能、化学、物理、财经管理、体育等），特建立了30个国内外博士交流群。群成员来源欧美、日韩、新加坡、清华北大、中科院等全球名校。 |
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