This is because tectonic plates on our planet repeatedly recycle the surface, burying evidence from before the time life formed.

这是因为地球上构造板块在地球表面反复循环，掩埋了命形成证据。

We think plate tectonics may have been really important for life on Earth, for the evolution of complex life on Earth.

我们认为板块构造可能对地球上命，特别是复杂命进化起到了非常重要作用。

Luckily for me, I recently teamed up with my friends from Howtown on an episode for their channel all about plate tectonics.

幸是，我最近与Howtown朋友们合作，在他们专注于板块构造频道上共同制作了一集节目。

On this orange, I've split the peel into different pieces, each of which can move independently, just as the tectonic plates are arranged on the Earth.

在这个橘子上，我把果皮分成不同部分，每个部分都可以独立移动，就像地球上构造板块一样。

On the placid, plateless moon there is no such mechanism and it has been easy to assume that basalt is for the most part all the planet has to offer.

在平静且没有板块构造月球上，不存在这样机制，因此很容易认为玄武岩就是这颗星球所能提供全部。

Instead, their brains might be the limiting factor after all – even though the physical pieces are mostly in place, their neural circuitry just doesn’t give them the fine level of control they need to mimic human language.

相反，他们大脑可能是真正限制因素——尽管身体上构造基本到位，但他们神经回路并没有提供足够精细控制， 使它们能够模仿人类语言。