科学故事 (英语)

Discovery
Diane Ackerman/迪安.阿克曼

The word “discovery” literally means, uncovering something that’s hidden from view. But what really happens is a change in the viewer. The familiar offers comfort few can resist, and fewer still want to disturb. But as relatively recent inventions such as the telescope and microscope have taught us, the unknown has many layers. Every truth has geological strata, and you can’t have orthodoxy without a heresy.
The moment a newborn opens its eyes, discovery begins. I learned this with a laugh one morning after delivering a calf. When it lifted up its fluffy head and looked at me, its eyes held the absolute bewilderment of the newly born. A moment before it had the even black nowhere of the womb, and suddenly its world was full of color, movement and noise. I’ve never seen anything so shocked to be alive.

“发现”一词，字面上是指揭开某种视线以外的隐藏的事物。不过其实是观察者自身发生了变化。很少人能抗拒熟悉事物带来的舒适，愿意扰乱这种舒适的人更少。然而，正如望远镜、显微镜这些较为近期的发明所揭示给我们的，求知事物具有多种层次。每个事实