Umhlaba—Ngaba “Wasekwa” Ngamabona-ndenzile?
UKUPHEPHA ukubaxeka kwemozulu, umhlaba umele ujikeleze kumgama ofanelekileyo ukusuka elangeni. Kuye kwafunyaniswa nezinye izijikelezi-langa ezijikeleza iinkwenkwezi ezifana nelanga yaye zigqalwa ‘njengezikwindawo ekunokuhlalwa kuyo’—nto leyo ethetha ukuba ziyakwazi ukugcina amanzi. Kodwa kwanezi zijikelezi-langa kuthiwa kunokuhlalwa kuzo basenokungakwazi ukuphila kuzo abantu. Zimele zijikeleze ngesantya esifanelekileyo zize zibe nkulu ngendlela efanelekileyo.
Ukuba umhlaba ubungaphantsi yaye ukhaphukhaphu kancinane kunokuba unjalo, amandla omxhuzulane ebeya kuba buthathaka uze nomoya ojikeleza umhlaba uthi phasalala esithubeni. Oku kunokubonwa kwimeko yenyanga nezijikelezi-langa ezibini uMercury noMars. Njengoko zincinane yaye zinobunzima obungaphantsi komhlaba, zinomnconwana womoya ozijikelezileyo okanye azinawo kwaukuba nawo. Kodwa kuthekani ukuba umhlaba ubumkhudlwana yaye unzima kunokuba unjalo?
Ngoko amandla omxhuzulane ebeya kuba maninzi ngakumbi uze umoya uzaliswe ziigesi ezinamandla ezinjengehydrogen nehelium. Incwadi yenzululwazi ethi Environment of Life ithi: “Okubaluleke nangakumbi kukuba, oko bekuya kuwaphithikeza kanobom amandla eegesi ezisemoyeni ojikeleze umhlaba.”
Okanye khawucinge nje ngeoksijin, ewuthatha lula umlilo. Ukuba umlinganiselo wayo ubunokwanda ngesinye ekhulwini, bekuya kuqhambuka umlilo emahlathini omnye emva komnye. Kwelinye icala, ukuba igesi ikharbhon diokside egcina ubushushu bomhlaba ibiya kuqhubeka isanda, besiya kuba senkathazweni yomhlaba onobushushu obungaphaya kwengqondo.
Ukujikeleza Komhlaba
Enye inkalo ebalulekileyo yindlela ojikeleza ngayo umhlaba. Ukuba ubujikeleza mbhoxo, bekuya kuba shushu ngendlela engaphaya kwengqondo. Kunoko, umhlaba ujikeleza kakuhle. Kambe ke, imeko ibiya kutshintsha ukuba isijikelezi-langa esikhulu njengoJupiter besinokudlula kufuphi nawo. Kwiminyaka yakutshanje izazinzulu ziye zatyhila ukuba ezinye iinkwenkwezi zinezijikelezi-langa ezikhulu njengoJupiter ezijikeleza kufutshane gqitha nazo. Uninzi lwezi zijikelezi-langa zifana noJupiter zijikeleza ngendlela eyodwa. Kwiimeko ezinjalo isijikelezi-langa esifana nomhlaba besiya kuba senkathazweni.
Isazi ngeenkwenkwezi uGeoffrey Marcy wathelekisa ezi zijikelezi-langa zangaphandle nezijikelezi-langa ezine uMercury, uVenus, uMhlaba, noMars ezibumba isijikelezi-langa sethu. Kudliwano-ndlebe, uMarcy wathi: “Khawukhangele indlela elisemagqabini ngayo eli [lungiselelo]. Ngathi sisacholo. Zijikeleza kakuhle. Zonke zimi ngendlela efanayo. Zonke ziyajikeleza ziya calanye. . . . Ayiqhelekanga le nto.” Ngaba kunokuthiwa le nto yenzeka ngamabona-ndenzile?
Ummandla wethu wezijikelezi-langa unenye inkalo ebalulekileyo. Izijikelezi-langa ezikhulu uJupiter, uSaturn, u-Uranus, noNeptune zijikeleza ilanga kumgama okhuselekileyo ukusuka kuthi. Kunokuba zisisongele, ezi zijikelezi-langa zinendima ebalulekileyo. Izazi ngeenkwenkwezi ziye zazifanisa ‘nezifunxi ezisemajukujukwini’ kuba umxhuzulane wazo ufunxa iintshakatsholo ezinkulu, ezisenokuba yingozi kwizinto eziphilayo emhlabeni. Enyanisweni, umhlaba ‘usekwe’ ngendlela esemagqabini. (Yobhi 38:4) Ubukhulu bawo nendawo omi kuyo kummandla wethu wezijikelezi-langa ifanelekile. Kodwa akuphelelanga apho. Umhlaba unezinye iinkalo ezikhethekileyo ukuze abantu baphile.
Ioksijin Nephotosynthesis
Iiathom zeoksijin zibumba ama-63 ekhulwini obunzima bezinto eziphilayo ezisemhlabeni. Ngokubhekele phaya, ioksijin egubungele umoya ojikeleza umhlaba ikhusela izityalo nezilwanyana zehlabathi kwimitha yelanga eyingozi. Kodwa ioksijin iyakhawuleza ukulwisana nezinye iziqalelo njengaxa ilwisana neiron ize ibangele umhlwa. Noko ke kwenzeka njani ukuba umlinganiselo wayo ungehli kodwa uhlale ungama-21 ekhulwini?
Loo nto ibangelwa yiphotosynthesis—inkqubo emangalisayo apho uhlaza lomhlaba lusebenzisa ukukhanya kwelanga ukuze lwenze ukutya. Enye imveliso yephotosynthesis yioksijin—ekhutshelwa kwisijikelezi-langa suku ngalunye kangangamawaka ezigidi zeetoni. IThe New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Ngaphandle kwe-photosynthesis bekungayi kuphela ukwanda kokutya okusisiseko kuphela kodwa ekugqibeleni uMhlaba ubuya kuphelelwa yioksijin.”
Iincwadi zenzululwazi zithabatha amaphepha aliqela zichaza ngokwamabakala le nkqubo yephotosynthesis. Amanye ke amabakala azikawazi ngokupheleleyo. Abo bamele indaleko abakwazi ukuchaza ukuba bakala ngalinye lavela njani kwinto nje elula. Enyanisweni kubonakala ngathi bakala ngalinye liya lintsonkotha. IThe New Encyclopædia Britannica iyavuma: “Akukho mbono yaziwa ngumntu wonke ngemvelaphi yenkqubo ye-photosynthesis.” Omnye okholelwa kwindaleko wayithi yala le ngxaki ngokuthi iphotosynthesis “yavela” “kwiiseli ezimbalwa ezazivelelayo.”
Loo mazwi, nangona engavisisani nenzululwazi, atyhila ukuba kukho enye into emangalisayo: Ukuze iqhubeke ngokukhuselekileyo iphotosynthesis kufuneka kubekho udonga lweseli, yaye ukuqhubeka kwale nkqubo kufuna ukwanda kweeseli. Ngaba konke oku kwenzeka ngamabona-ndenzile kusenziwa “ziiseli ezimbalwa ezazivelelayo”?
Ukususela Kwiiseli Eziziphindaphindayo Ukuya Kutsho Emntwini
Kunokwenzeka njani ukuba iiathom ziqokelelane ukuze zenze iseli nje elula eziphindaphindayo? Kwincwadi yakhe ethi A Guided Tour of the Living Cell, isazinzulu esaphumelela iBhaso likaNobel uChristian de Duve uthi: “Ukuba ulindele ukuba iiathom zingazidibanela ngamabona-ndenzile zize zivelise iseli yentsholongwane, ncama.”
Xa sikweli nqanaba, makhe sitsibe bunkawu sisuke kwiseli enye yentsholongwane siye kumawaka ezigidi eeseli ezikhethekileyo ezibumba ubuchopho bomntu. Izazinzulu zichaza ubuchopho bomntu njengeyona nto intsonkothileyo kummandla owaziwayo wendalo. Bukhetheke ngokwenene. Ngokomzekelo, iinxalenye ezinkulu zobuchopho bomntu kuthiwa ziindawo zokuxokomezela. Ezi ndawo zihlahla zize zichaze inkcazelo esuka kwizivamvo zobuchopho. Enye indawo yokuxokomezela esemva kwebunzi ikwenza ukwazi ukucinga ngemimangaliso yendalo. Ngaba ezi ndawo zokuxokomezela zinokubakho ngamabona-ndenzile? Omnye okholelwa kwindaleko, uGqr. Sherwin Nuland wavuma oku kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Wisdom of the Body: “Akakho amalungu abaluleke ngolu hlobo kuso nasiphi na esinye isilwanyana.”
Izazinzulu ziye zangqina ukuba ubuchopho bomntu buyakwazi ukuhluza inkcazelo ngokukhawuleza kuneyona khompyutha inamandla. Khumbula ukuba iikhompyutha zezi mini ziye zabakho emva kwamashumi eminyaka abantu bezama. Kuthekani ngobuchopho bomntu obukumgangatho ophezulu? Izazinzulu ezibini, uJohn Barrow noFrank Tipler bavuma oku kwincwadi yabo ethi The Anthropic Cosmological Principle: “Abo bakholelwa kwindaleko baye bavumelana kwelokuba ukuzivelela kobomi bomntu okrelekrele, onengqondo ekwaziyo ukuhluza inkcazelo, kuthandabuzeka kakhulu kangangokuba akunakwenzeka ukuba kube kwakha kwenzeka kuso nasiphi na esinye isijikelezi-langa kuwo wonke ummandla wendalo obonakalayo.” Ezi zazinzulu ziqukumbela ngelithi, ubukho bethu, “buyingozi eyenzeka ngethamsanqa.”
Ngaba Yonke Le Nto Yenzeka Ngamabona-ndenzile?
Wena ugqiba ngelithini? Ngaba ummandla wendalo kunye nazo zonke izinto ezimangalisayo kuwo ngokwenene wenzeka ngamabona-ndenzile? Ngaba akuvumi ukuba nawuphi na umculo omnandi umele ukuba unomqambi wawo yaye izixhobo zawo zimele ukuba zilungelelaniswe kakuhle ukuze ube mnandi? Kuthekani ngommandla wethu wendalo omangalisayo? Enye ingcali yezibalo nesazi ngeenkwenkwezi uDavid Block uthi: “Siphila kummandla wendalo olungelelaniswe kakuhle gqitha.” Uqukumbela ngelithini? “Ummandla wethu wendalo ulikhaya lethu. Ndikholelwa ukuba uyilwe sisandla sikaThixo.”
Ukuba nawe ugqiba kwelo, ngoko ngokuqinisekileyo uya kuvumelana nendlela iBhayibhile emchaza ngayo uMdali uYehova: “Yena nguMenzi womhlaba ngamandla akhe, Lowo ulimisela ngokuqinileyo ilizwe elinemveliso ngobulumko bakhe, naLowo wolula amazulu ngokuqonda kwakhe.”—Yeremiya 51:15.
[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 8, 9]
ISIJIKELEZI-LANGA ESIKHETHEKILEYO
“Iimeko ezikhethekileyo ezisemhlabeni ezibangelwa bubukhulu bawo ngomlinganiselo ofanelekileyo, ukwenziwa kweziqalelo zendalo, nokujikeleza kakuhle kumgama ofanelekileyo kwinkwenkwezi ekudala ikho, ilanga, kwenze kwaba nokwenzeka ukwanda kwamanzi kummandla womhlaba. Kunzima nokucinga ukuba ubomi babakho njani ngaphandle kwamanzi.”—Integrated Principles of Zoology, Uhlelo Lwesithandathu.
[Inkcazelo]
NASA photo
[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 10]
UBOMI—NGABA BABAKHO NGAMABONA-NDENZILE?
Ngowe-1988 incwadi ezama ukuchaza ukuba ubomi bavela ngamabona-ndenzile yahlolisiswa kulindixesha iSearch, opapashwe yiAustralian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science. Kwiphepha nje elinye lale ncwadi, umbhali wenzululwazi uL. A. Bennett wafumanisa “izinto ezili-16 ezisekelwe kuqikelelo, nganye kuzo ixhaswa yengasentla kwayo.” UBennett wafikelela kwesiphi isigqibo emva kokuba eyifunde yonke le ncwadi? Wabhala wathi: “Kulula gqitha ukwamkela ukudala ngokukhawuleza koMdali onothando ubomi aze abukhokele [ngokweenjongo] zakhe . . . kunokwamkela ‘ubudenge obuninzi bamabona-ndenzile’ ekuxhaswa ngabo iingcinga zombhali.”
[Imifanekiso]
I-“photosynthesis” ibalulekile ekuvelisweni kokutya neoksijin
Yintoni eyabangela iinkalo zomhlaba eziyimfuneko ukuze zinyamekele ubomi?
Izazinzulu zithi ubuchopho bomntu yeyona nto intsonkothileyo kwindalo. Kunokwenzeka njani ukuba bube bavela ngamabona-ndenzile?
[Inkcazelo]
Photo: Zoo de la Casa de Campo, Madrid
Monte Costa, Sea Life Park Hawaii
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 8, 9]
Izijikelezi-langa ziboniswe ngokobukhulu nokuma kwazo
Ilanga
UMercury
UVenus
UMhlaba
UMars
UJupiter
USaturn
U-Uranus
UNeptune
UPluto
[Inkcazelo]
Sun: National Optical Astronomy Observatories; Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Caltech/USGS; Venus and Uranus: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Caltech; Earth: NASA photo; Mars: NASA/JPL; Neptune: JPL; Pluto: A. Stern (SwRI), M. Buie (Lowell Obs.), NASA, ESA