第3163期:Dolphin research is dedicated to animal conservation.

Dolphins are what we call charismatic megafauna, which means that people view them as charismatic. 海豚被我们称作是魅力大型动物，因为它们真的很有魅力。

People get excited about some animals more than they get excited about others. 人们有时候更偏爱某一类动物。

But that's okay, because then we can use that to get them to conserve in general. 但没关系，因为我们可以利用人们的偏爱去保护更多动物。

So, if they're conserving the dolphins that means we're conserving their habitat, which means we are conserving all the animals that live in that habitat as well. 如果人们保护海豚，就会保护它们的栖息地，这也意味着我们同时也在保护生活在那个栖息地的所有动物。

Hi, guys. My name is Dr. Kelly Jaakkola. I am a cognitive researcher, right now work with dolphins. 我是凯利·贾科拉博士，从事认知研究，现在主要研究海豚。

You want to do a high five? No? This one? You can't really reach. I know it is hard to reach up here. 想击个掌吗？不想？这个呢？你其实够不到。我知道这个高度你够不到。

For other people, they might get inspired by the dolphin's beauty or their athleticism etc. 其他人可能对海豚美丽的外形或是运动天赋更感兴趣。

I know. Very nice. I know. Oh, you want to come play too? What do you think? 我知道。非常好。我知道。你也想来玩吗？你觉得呢？

For me it was watching them think. Wow, now it's yourturn? Now it's yourturn? 我喜欢看着它们思考。现在轮到你了？

So, Dolphin Research Center is a non-profit research and education facility in the Florida Keys. 海豚研究中心是佛罗里达群岛的一个非营利性研究和教育机构。

And there are a number of questions that you can't answer in the wild. 在自然界里有许多问题你无法找到答案。

You'll see situations where they seem to be cooperating. They seem to be doing the same thing at the same time. 有时候你会看到海豚似乎在合作。也有可能它们只是恰好在同一时间做着同样的事情。

But you can't tell from just looking at that whether or not they're understanding cooperation or if they're just doing something at the same time. 但你仅凭观察无法判断他们是在理解合作，还是只是同时在做某件事。

In this study we set up a game. And the game was, we had two buttons and to win the game, the dolphins had to press the buttons at the same time within a one second window which is really, really close. 在这项研究中，我们设置了一个游戏。游戏内容是，我们有两个按钮，而为了赢得游戏，海豚必须在同一秒的时间窗口内同时按下按钮，这个时间差真的非常短。

So, in order to show that they understand cooperation, you have to sometimes send them at different times. 为了表明他们理解合作，你有时必须让他们在不同时间出发。

Okay, so, Reese was sent first. And you see he doesn't go immediately to his button. And now Delta was sent and we'll see, and they did it! 里斯先被放出来了。但它并没有直接去触碰按钮。现在德尔塔也被放出来了，我们来看看，他们做到了！

By the end of this study, they were pressing an average of a third of a second apart which is really tight coordination. 研究结束时，它们触碰按钮的平均时差是三分之一秒，这是非常紧密的合作。

The most obvious next step is okay, well how are they doing it? Are the dolphins using some sort of verbal communication? 接下来最明显的问题是，它们是如何做到的呢？海豚在用某种语言交流吗？

Maybe they are using synchrony, so maybe they sync up with each other and swim together etc. 也许它们使用了共时性，也许它们会彼此同步，一起游动等等。

Other questions we can look at are: are there ways that that cooperation in the wild might be disrupted? 我们还可以研究其他问题：是否有一些因素会扰乱它们的合作？

So, for example, if they are using a kind of vocal communication, then noise pollution might get in the way of that. 例如，如果海豚在以某种形式的语言交流，那么噪音污染就可能会干扰这种交流。

Alright, are you guys ready? Any sort of facility has to have a way of supporting their animals. 好了，你们准备好了吗？任何动物机构都必须找到方法保护这些动物。

And for us, that largely comes from the visitors that walk through the door. 我们的方式主要就是让人们前来参观。

One of the big roles that marine mammal facilities play is getting people to make a connection in order to get people to conserve and then care. 海洋哺乳动物机构的一个重要作用就是帮助人们与动物建立联系，然后让他们去保护动物、关爱动物。

And it's that moment of connection that is the start of conservation mindedness. 这种联系正是动物保护意识的开端。

You know, it's fine to give people information. Information is great. 进行科普是很好的。

But that information is only useful if people care enough to actually go out and do something. 但只有当人们足够关心并真正走出去采取行动时，这些科普才有意义。