leap to a conclusion 復習
NASA（アメリカ航空宇宙局）は昨日日本時間午前3時頃、太陽系の外にあるTRAPPIST-1 と呼ばれる恒星が7つの惑星をもつ惑星系を構成していると発表しました。これらは地球から40光年ほど離れており、そのうち一部の惑星は水が存在し生命が住むのに適する可能性があるとのことです。
文末の"leap to a conclusion"には「（慎重に考えず）即断する」という意味があります（『ジーニアス英和辞典』第5版）。昨日もtake a big leapという熟語をとらえたポスティングがありましたが，こちらの動詞 leapはWord Reference com には"to pass, come, rise, etc, as if with a jump"と定義されていました。"leap"は多義語ですが、ここでは動詞で「飛び移る」の意味で用いられています。直訳で「結論へ飛び移る」という訳を思い浮かべると忘れにくくなると思いました。なお、このフレーズは"leap"の他に"rush"や"jump"でも代用することが出来ます。(Mt.Fuji)
Star's seven Earth-sized worlds set record
Analysis - David Shukman, BBC Science Editor
So many planets have been discovered in planetary systems beyond our own that it's easy to become inured to their potential significance. Nasa's latest tally is an impressive 3,449 and there's a danger of hype with each new announcement.
But the excitement around this latest discovery is not only because of its unusualscale or the fact that so many of the planets are Earth-sized. It is also because the star Trappist-1 is conveniently small and dim. This means that telescopes studying the planets are not dazzled as they would be when aiming at far brighterstars.
In turn that opens up a fascinating avenue of research into these distant worlds and, above all, their atmospheres.
The next phase of research has already started to hunt for key gases like oxygen and methane which could provide evidence about whatever is happening on the surface.
Coverage of exoplanets can far too easily leap to conclusions about alien life. Butthis remote planetary system does provide a good chance to look for clues about it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39034050
