灿烂的花朵(An illuminated bloom)

水母可以在世界上所有的海洋中以各种形状和大小观察到。大约有2000种不同种类的水母，它们都缺乏心脏、骨骼和大脑。这里看到的太平洋海麻水母以其鲜艳的金棕色钟形和长长的触手而闻名，栖息在加利福尼亚州和俄勒冈州的沿海水域。月球水母脸色苍白，触手短，1991年，它们乘坐哥伦比亚号航天飞机冒险进入太空，帮助科学家研究它们独特的生物学，这是一个意想不到但又有些恰当的转折。无论种类如何，水母在海洋的食物链中都扮演着至关重要的角色，因为它们是包括海龟在内的许多海水动物的主要食物来源。Jellies受到气候变化、海洋污染和过度捕捞的威胁，对其种群的破坏对依赖它们的海洋生物产生了影响。
原文：
Jellyfish may be observed in all the world's oceans in an array of shapes and sizes. There are about 2,000 different species of jellyfish, and they all lack hearts, bones and brains. Pacific sea nettle jellyfish, seen here, are known for their vibrant golden-brown bell and long tentacles, and inhabit the coastal waters of California and Oregon. Moon jellyfish are pale and have short tentacles, and in an unexpected but somewhat appropriate twist, they ventured into space aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1991 to help scientists study their unique biology. No matter the species, jellyfish play a vital role in the ocean's food chain, as they are the primary food source for many seawater animals, including sea turtles. Jellies are threatened by climate changes, marine pollution and overfishing, and damage to their populations has reverberating effects on the sea life that depends on them.
《© Jim Patterson/Tandem Stills + Motion》