Leo's grant proposal aimed to probe（探查）/prәub/ how a volatile（易挥发的）/'vɒlәtail/ pollutant moved through Silver Marsh. His team would affix（附上）/ә'fiks/ a tiny radioactive（放射性的）/.reidiәu'æktiv/ marker to each molecule（分子）/'mɒlikju:l/, radiate（放射）/'reidieit/ plant samples under controlled light（在受控光线下）/ˈəndər kənˈtroʊld laɪt/, and gauge（测量）/geidʒ/ change over an interim（过渡期的）/'intәrim/ month. An array（阵列）/ә'rei/ of sensors would amplify（放大）/'æmplifai/ a weak signal. The proposal sounded ultra（极其）/'ʌltrә/-modern, but reviewer Rina saw no homogeneous（同质的）/.hәumә'dʒi:niәs/ control cluster（组）/'klʌstә/. Without one, two samples might collide（碰撞）/kә'laid/ by chance（偶然地）/baɪ ʧæns/ and create a cumulative（累积的）/'kju:mjulәtiv/ pattern that did not embody（体现）/im'bɒdi/ cause.

The field plan combined botany（植物学）/'bɒtәni/ with animal observation. A hawk（鹰）/hɒ:k/ might ascend（上升）/ә'send/ above the marsh, a bass（鲈鱼）/bæs/ devour（吞食）/di'vauә/ an insect, or a beak（鸟嘴）/bi:k/ carry marked material away（带走标记材料）/ˈkɛri mɑrkt məˈtɪriəl əˈweɪ/. Leo had to differentiate（区分）/.difә'renʃieit/ such movement from diffusion through water. He proposed to dilute（稀释）/dai'lju:t/ the marker, disarm（停用）/dis'ɑ:m/ each device after use, and allocate（分配）/'ælәukeit/ samples by zone（按区域）/baɪ zoʊn/. Yet the budget would allot（拨给）/ә'lɒt/ funds to a prototype（原型）/'prәutәtaip/ before an ethics board could certify（认证）/'sә:tifai/ it. That order made the team's confidence look complacent（自满的）/kәm'pleisnt/.

Rina said, “You assert（主张）/ә'sә:t/ that the dose is safe, but where is the physiological（生理学的）/.fiziә'lɒdʒikl/ evidence?” Leo replied, “We can confer with the clinic（与诊所协商）/kənˈfər wɪθ ðə ˈklɪnɪk/ and add a non-radioactive analogue（增加非放射性类似物）/æd ə non-radioactive ˈænəˌlɔg/ as a control（作为对照）/ɛz ə kənˈtroʊl/.” Dr. Sun warned, “Do not let deadline fury（愤怒）/'fjuri/ turn a manageable menace（威胁）/'menis/ into a ruthless（无情的）/'ru:θlis/ decision.” Leo answered, “I vow（保证）/vau/ to postpone submission（推迟提交）/poʊstˈpoʊn səbˈmɪʃən/ unless the revised design can reassure（使放心）/.ri:ә'ʃuә/ the board.”

They rebuilt the study. One composite（复合的）/kәm'pɒzit/ tray held clean water; another received the marker. Sensors formed a parallel array, and a cloak（遮布）/klәuk/ covered equipment during a solar flare（耀斑）/'flєә/. The team would elicit（引出）/i'lisit/ baseline readings, embed（使嵌入）/im'bed/ them in a shared file, and unveil（公开）/.ʌn'veil/ each step. A visible label would designate（指定）/'dezigneit/ radioactive material. If a storm became a menace, the protocol required a trek（长途跋涉）/trek/ back to shelter. No outlaw（违规的）/'autlɒ:/ shortcut could replace certification, and no researcher would persecute（迫害）/'pә:sikju:t/ a colleague for reporting a problem.

The revised budget aggregated（汇总）/'ægrigәt/ costs by epoch（时期）/'i:pɒk/ and reduced the prototype's magnitude（规模）/'mægnitju:d/. Its summary stated: The proposal aimed to probe how a volatile pollutant moved through the marsh. Without a control, two samples might collide by chance. Rina's margin note asked, Where is the physiological evidence that the dose is safe? The team had to conceive（构思）/kәn'si:v/ a defensible test and testify（如实说明）/'testifai/ honestly about uncertainty. It added a flow test because the marker could diffuse（扩散）/di'fju:z/ instead of（而不是）/ˌɪnˈstɛd əv/ staying in one tray. The design did not merely assert safety; it specified who would stop the work. A separate table named who would certify and monitor it. Rina approved a later submission. The delay did not bury the project under a cloak of failure. Instead, it transformed a volatile idea into a study whose controls, allocation, and ethical limits could withstand scrutiny（经受审查）/wɪθˈstænd ˈskrutəni/.