Cabangela Ubufakazi

AKE sithi usesiqhingini esikude esingahlali muntu. Njengoba uhamba ogwini, ubona amagama aqoshwe edwaleni athi “John 1800.” Ingabe ubungaphetha ngokuthi ngenxa yokuthi lesi siqhingi sikude futhi asihlali muntu, lo mbhalo kumelwe ukuba wabangelwa umoya noma amanzi ashaya leli dwala? Akunjalo neze! Uphetha ngokufanele ngokuthi kunothile owawaqopha. Kungani? Okokuqala, izinhlamvu zamagama nezinombolo okubhalwe ngokucacile—ngisho noma kubhalwe ngolimi ongalwazi—akuzenzakaleli ngokwemvelo. Okwesibili, la magama anokwaziswa okunengqondo, okubonisa ukuthi avela emthonjeni ohlakaniphile.

Ekuphileni kwansuku zonke, sithola ukwaziswa okubhalwe ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene—njengeBraille noma izinhlamvu zamagama, kuhlanganise nemidwebo, amanothi omculo, amagama akhulunywayo, izimpawu zezandla, umsakazo, nezinhlelo ze-computer ezihlanganisa i-binary code esebenzisa izinombolo ezingu-0 no-1. Ithuluzi lokudlulisela ukwaziswa lingaba yinoma yini, kusukela emazeni okukhanya nawomsakazo kuya ephepheni noyinki. Kunoma yikuphi, ngaso sonke isikhathi abantu bahlobanisa ukwaziswa okuqondakalayo nengqondo ekhaliphile—kube yindaba ehlukile uma lokho kwaziswa kutholakala engqamuzaneni. Izazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo zithi lokho kwaziswa kwamane kwaba khona noma kwazibhala ngandlela-thile. Kodwa ingabe kunjalo? Cabangela ubufakazi.

Ingabe Ukwaziswa Okuyinkimbinkimbi Kungazibhala?

Kuyi-nucleus cishe yawo wonke amangqamuzana aphilayo emzimbeni wakho, kukhona uhlelo lweziyalezo olumangalisayo okuthiwa i-deoxyribonucleic acid, noma i-DNA. Le DNA isemabhandeni amabili amise okweladi elisontekile. I-DNA yakho iyindlela noma uhlelo oluqondisa ukwakheka, ukukhula, ukulondolozwa nokukhiqizwa kwezigidigidi zamangqamuzana omzimba wakho. Izakhi eziyisisekelo ze-DNA zibizwa ngokuthi ama-nucleotide. Zibizwa ngo-A, C, G, no-T, kuye ngokuthi zinaluphi uhlobo lwesakhi.a Njengezinhlamvu zamagama, lezi zakhi ezine zingahlanganiswa ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene ukuze zakhe “imisho” noma iziyalezo eziqondisa ukuphindaphindeka nezinye izinqubo ezenzeka ngaphakathi engqamuzaneni.

Konke ukwaziswa okuqukethwe i-DNA yakho kubizwa ngokuthi ufuzo. Ukulandelana kwezinye izinhlamvu zamagama ezikuyi-DNA yakho akufani nokwamuntu, ngoba i-DNA inokwaziswa okuwufuzo—umbala wamehlo, ibala lesikhumba, indlela ikhala lakho elimi ngayo njalonjalo. Ngamafuphi nje, ufuzo lungaqhathaniswa nomtapo omkhulu weziyalezo zokwakha zonke izingxenye zomzimba wakho, umphumela ube umuntu onguye.

Ungakanani lo “mtapo”? Wakhiwa uhlu olude “lwezinhlamvu” zokubhala noma ama-nucleotide ezingaba yizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezintathu. I-Human Genome Project ithi, uma lokhu kwaziswa bekungabhalwa ephepheni, bekungaba yimiqulu engu-200 elingana nencwadi yezinombolo zocingo enamakhasi ayinkulungwane.

La maqiniso asikhumbuza umthandazo omuhle kakhulu owalotshwa eminyakeni engu-3 000 edlule. Utholakala eBhayibhelini encwadini yeHubo 139:16, ethi: “Amehlo akho abona ngisho nombungu wami, futhi zonke izingxenye zawo zazilotshiwe phansi encwadini yakho.” Kuyiqiniso ukuthi umlobi wayengacabangi ngesayensi lapho esho la mazwi, kodwa ngolimi olulula nje waveza into ebalulekile ebonisa ukuhlakanipha okubabazekayo namandla kaNkulunkulu. Yeka indlela lokhu okuhluke ngayo ezincwadini zenkolo zasendulo, ezazigcwele izinganekwane nezinkolelo-ze!

Ubani Owaqokelela Lo “Mtapo”?

Uma kunengqondo ukuphetha ngokuthi amagama athi “John 1800” aqoshwe edwaleni abhalwa umuntu ohlakaniphile, akufanele yini kube njalo nangokwaziswa okunengqondo nokuyinkimbinkimbi okutholakala kuyi-DNA? Empeleni, ukwaziswa kuwukwaziswa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kutholakala kuphi noma kusetshenziswe yiphi indlela yokukubhala. Isazi sesayensi yokwaziswa nama-computer uDonald E. Johnson sathi imithetho yamakhemikhali neyezinto zemvelo ayikwazi ukuzakhela yona ukwaziswa okuyinkimbinkimbi noma izinhlelo ezifunda lokho kwaziswa. Kunengqondo ukuthi uma ukwaziswa okuqukethwe kuyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu, kudingeka ukuhlakanipha okukhulu ukuze kubhalwe. Ingane ingawabhala amagama athi “John 1800.” Kodwa ingqondo yothile ophakeme kunabantu engabhala uhlelo lokwakheka kokuphila. Ngaphezu kwalokho, “ukuba yinkimbinkimbi kwezinto eziphilayo kuye kwabonakala kwanda njengoba sifunda okwengeziwe” lapho kutholakala into entsha ebingaziwa, kusho iphephabhuku i-Nature.

Ukuthi umtapo wokwaziswa okuyinkimbinkimbi okuyi-DNA waba khona ngengozi noma ngenqubo engaqondiswa muntu, akunangqondo futhi akuhambisani nalokho umuntu aye wakubona.b Imfundiso enjalo yenza kudingeke ukuba sikholelwe into engenangqondo.

Zizama ukuphika ukuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona, ngezinye izikhathi izazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo ziye zafinyelela iziphetho okuye kwathi kamuva kwabonakala ukuthi ziyiphutha. Ngokwesibonelo, ake ucabange ngombono wokuthi amaphesenti angu-98 ofuzo “ayimfucumfucu”—okusho ukuthi awumtapo wezindlela zokwakha amangqamuzana onezigidigidi zamagama angenamsebenzi.

Ingabe “Ayimfucumfucu” Ngempela?

Sekuyisikhathi eside izazi zezinto eziphilayo zilokhu zithi i-DNA iyindlela yokwakha amaprotheni nje kuphela. Kodwa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kwacaca ukuthi amaphesenti amabili kuphela ofuzo anokwaziswa kokwakha amaprotheni. Iyini injongo yamanye amaphesenti angu-98 e-DNA? La maphesenti angaqondakali “kwavele kwathiwa ayimfucumfucu yokuziphendukela kwemvelo,” kuphawula uJohn S. Mattick, onguprofesa wesayensi Yamangqamuzana Ezinto Eziphilayo eYunivesithi yaseQueensland eBrisbane, e-Australia.

Usosayensi okuthiwa wavela negama elithi “i-DNA ‘eyimfucumfucu,’” kwakuyisazi sokuziphendukela kwemvelo uSusumu Ohno. Ephephabhukwini lakhe elithi “So Much ‘Junk’ in Our Genome,” wabhala ukuthi amaphesenti asele e-DNA “ayizinsalela zocwaningo lwemvelo olungaphumelelanga. Umhlaba ugcwele izinsalela zezinto eziphilayo ezashabalala; ingabe kufanele kusimangaze-ke yini ukuthi nofuzo lwethu lugcwele izinsalela zezakhi zofuzo ezashabalala?”

Lo mbono wokuthi kune-DNA “eyimfucumfucu” wawuthinta kanjani umkhakha wokucwaninga ngezakhi zofuzo? Isazi samangqamuzana ezinto eziphilayo, uWojciech Makalowski uthi indlela enjalo yokucabanga “yabayekisa abacwaningi abaningi ukucwaninga nge-DNA [eyimfucumfucu] engenako ukwaziswa kokwakha amaprotheni” ngaphandle kwedlanzana lososayensi okwathi “nakuba lizibeka engozini yokwenziwa inhlekisa, lacwaninga ngalo mkhakha ongathandwa. Ngenxa yabo, umbono nge-DNA eyimfucumfucu . . . waqala ukushintsha ekuqaleni kwawo-1990.” Uyenezela, manje izazi zesayensi yezinto eziphilayo zibheka lokho okwakubizwa ngemfucumfucu “njengegugu ocwaningweni lofuzo.”

Ngokombono kaMattick, imfundiso ye-DNA eyimfucumfucu iyisibonelo esimangalisayo senkambiso yezesayensi “yokusontwa kwenjongo yokucwaninga amaqiniso.” Uthi, “ukwehluleka ukubona imiphumela yalokhu njengoba injalo, kungase kube phakathi kwamaphutha amakhulu kakhulu emlandweni wesayensi yamangqamuzana ezinto eziphilayo.” Kuyacaca ukuthi iqiniso kwezesayensi kufanele linqunywe ngobufakazi, hhayi ngalokho okuthandwayo. Uma kunjalo, ubufakazi bamuva bembulani ngendima ye-DNA “eyimfucumfucu”?

Okwenziwa “Yimfucumfucu”

Imboni eyakha izimoto isebenzisa imishini ukuze yakhe izinsimbi zezimoto. Lezi zinsimbi singazifanisa namaprotheni engqamuzana. Imboni ibuye idinge imishini nezinhlelo zokuhlanganisa lezo zinsimbi zemoto nezinye ezizolawula umsebenzi ebhandeni lokuhlanganisa imoto. Kunjalo nangalokho okwenzeka ngaphakathi engqamuzaneni. Abacwaningi bathi i-DNA “eyimfucumfucu” ingena lapho-ke. Ingxenye enkulu yayo iqukethe indlela yokwakheka kwezinhlayiyana eziyinkimbinkimbi ezibizwa ngokuthi i-RNA (ribonucleic acid), ezidlala indima ebalulekile endleleni ingqamuzana elakheka ngayo, nelikhula futhi lisebenze ngayo.c UJoshua Plotkin oyisazi sezibalo namangqamuzana ezinto eziphilayo washo la mazwi kumagazini i-Nature, “Ukuba khona kwe-RNA kusikisela ukuthi lokho esikwaziyo ngezinto eziyisisekelo . . . akuhlakaniphile neze.”

Imboni esebenza kahle idinga nohlelo oluhle lokuxhumana. Kunjalo nangengqamuzana. UTony Pawson, oyisazi sesayensi yamangqamuzana ezinto eziphilayo eYunivesithi yaseToronto e-Ontario, uyachaza: “Ukwaziswa okudlulisa imibiko okusemangqamuzaneni kuhlelwe ngokuxhumana okuhlukahlukene kokwaziswa hhayi ngemigudu ehlukahlukene,” okwenza yonke le nqubo ibe “yinkimbinkimbi ngokumangalisayo” kunalokho okwakucatshangwa. Ngempela, kunjengoba isazi sezakhi zofuzo eYunivesithi yasePrinceton sasho, “ziseyimpicabadala namanje izinhlelo eziningi nezimiso ezilawula okwenzeka ngaphakathi engqamuzaneni nasendleleni asebenzelana ngayo.”

Konke okusha esikufundayo ngengqamuzana kubonisa izinga eliphakeme nakakhulu lokuhleleka nobunkimbinkimbi. Ngakho kungani abaningi nanamuhla besabambelele embonweni wokuthi ukuphila nesimiso sokwaziswa esiyinkimbinkimbi kunazo zonke ezaziwayo, kuwumphumela wenqubo yokuziphendukela kwemvelo?

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 5]

YINDE KANGAKANANI I-DNA?

Uma yelulwa yonke, i-DNA engaphakathi engqamuzaneni elilodwa emzimbeni wakho ingaba amamitha amabili. Abanye balinganisela ukuthi, uma ubungase uyikhiphe kuzo zonke izigidigidi zamangqamuzana ubeke umucu emva komunye, ubude bayo bebungacishe buliphinde izikhathi ezingu-670 ibanga elilingana nokusuka emhlabeni uye elangeni uphinde ubuyele emhlabeni. Ukuhamba leli banga ngejubane lokukhanya kungathatha amahora angu-185.