Ingabe Izakhi Zethu Zofuzo Zisinqumela Kusengaphambili?

“SASICABANGA ukuthi ikusasa lethu linqunywa izinkanyezi. Manje sesiyazi ukuthi ngokwezinga elikhulu, ukudalelwa kwethu kunqunywa izakhi zethu zofuzo.” Washo kanjalo uJames Watson, ecashunwa esethulweni sencwadi ethi Exploding the Gene Myth, eyalotshwa uRuth Hubbard no-Elijah Wald. Nokho, ngezansi nje kwengcaphuno kaWatson, uR. C. Lewontin, uSteven Rose, noLeon J. Kamin bacashunwa bethi: “Akukho ukuziphatha kwabantu okuphawulekayo esikucabangayo okufakwe ezakhini zethu zofuzo ngendlela yokuthi akunakushintshwa izimo zezenhlalo.”

Isembozo saleyo ncwadi sifingqa ezinye zezinto eziqukethe futhi siqala ngalombuzo obalulekile, “Ingabe izenzo zomuntu zilawulwa izakhi zofuzo?” Ngamanye amazwi, ingabe izenzo zomuntu zinqunywa ngokuphelele izakhi zofuzo ezidlulisela izimfanelo ezingokomzimba nezici zomuntu ezizuzwa ngofuzo? Ingabe ukuziphatha okubi okuthile kufanele kwamukelwe ngesisekelo sokuthi kubangelwa izakhi zofuzo? Ingabe izigebengu kufanele zibhekwe njengezisulu zezakhi zazo zofuzo, zizithethelele ngokuthi bezingenakuzilawula izenzo zazo ngenxa yokuthambekela kwezakhi zofuzo?

Akunakuphikwa ukuthi ososayensi baye bathola izinto eziningi eziyinzuzo kuleli khulu leminyaka. Phakathi kwalezi zinto i-DNA ethakazelisayo, okuthiwa iyipulani yokwakheka kwezakhi zethu zofuzo. Ukwaziswa okuqukethwe yilezi zakhi zofuzo kuye kwabahlaba umxhwele ososayensi nabantu abavamile. Yini ngempela ukucwaninga okuye kwayithola emkhakheni wezakhi zofuzo? Okutholiwe kusetshenziswa kanjani ukuze kusekelwe imfundiso yanamuhla yokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili?

Kuthiwani Ngokungathembeki Emshadweni Kanye Nobungqingili?

Ngokwesihloko esithile esanyatheliswa kuyi-Australian, okunye ukucwaninga ngezakhi zofuzo kugomela ngokuthi “ukungathembeki emshadweni cishe sizalwa nakho. . . . Kubonakala sengathi izinhliziyo zethu ezikhohlisayo zidalwe ngaleyo ndlela.” Ake ucabange ukuthi lesi simo sengqondo singabangela inkathazo engakanani emishadweni nasemikhayeni ngokunikeza izaba noma ubani ofuna ukuthi ubengenakuyilawula indlela yokuphila ngokuziphatha okuxekethile!

Ngokuqondene nobungqingili, umagazini i-Newsweek wawunesihloko esithi “Ingabe Sizalwa Nabo Noma Sikhuliswa Ngabo?” Lesi sihloko sathi: “Isayensi nolwazi lwezifo zengqondo kuzama ngokuzikhandla ukuqonda ukucwaninga okusha okusikisela ukuthi ubungqingili kungenzeka bubangelwa izakhi zofuzo, hhayi indlela umuntu akhuliswe ngayo. . . . Emphakathini wongqingili ngokwawo, abaningi bayawamukela umbono wokuthi ubungqingili buqala ezicini zofuzo.”

Lesi sihloko sibe sesicaphuna uDkt. Richard Pillard, owathi: “Isici sezakhi zofuzo sokuthambekela kobulili siwukuthi, ‘Leli akulona iphutha, futhi akulona iphutha lakho.’” Esekela lombono “wokungabi naphutha,” uFrederick Whitam, umcwaningi wobungqingili, uphawula ukuthi “lapho betshelwa ukuthi ubungqingili bungokwemvelo, abantu bavame ukuba nomuzwa wokukhululeka. Kwenza imikhaya nongqingili bakhululeke emuzweni wecala. Kusho futhi ukuthi akudingekile ukuba umphakathi ukhathazeke ngezinto ezinjengothisha abangongqingili.”

Ngezinye izikhathi, lokho okuthiwa ubufakazi bokuthi ukuthambekela kobungqingili kunqunywa izakhi zofuzo kuvezwa imithombo yezindaba njengokuyiqiniso nokuqinisekile kunokuba kube into engenzeka nengaqinisekile.

Umagazini i-New Statesman & Society ukuchilizela eceleni okunye ukushiseka ngenxa yezinto ezitholiwe: “Kungenzeka umfundi odidekile uye wangakunaka ukuntuleka kobufakazi bangempela obuphathekayo—noma, uye wangakunaka ngempela ukuntuleka ngokuphelele kwesisekelo sokuzisholo okungokwesayensi [okuyiphutha] kokuthi ukuziphatha okuxekethile ‘kufakwe ezakhini zofuzo zabesilisa futhi kwagxiliswa ebuchosheni babo.’” Encwadini yabo ethi Cracking the Code, uDavid Suzuki noJoseph Levine banezela ukukhathazeka kwabo ngocwaningo lwamanje lwezakhi zofuzo: “Nakuba kungase kushiwo ukuthi izakhi zofuzo zithonya konke ukuziphatha, kuyinto ehluke ngokuphelele ukubonisa ukuthi isakhi sofuzo esithile—noma izakhi zofuzo ezibhangqiwe, noma ngisho nezakhi zofuzo eziningi—eqinisweni zilawula imininingwane ethile yokusabela kwesilwane endaweni yaso ezungezile. Kuleli qophelo, kufanelekile ukubuza ukuthi ukhona yini owake wathola imicu ye-DNA ethonya izenzo ezithile ngokuqondile, ngomqondo ophelele wokuhlolisisa ukwakheka kwama-molecule.”

Izakhi Zofuzo Zokuluthwa Utshwala Nezobugebengu

Sekuyiminyaka eminingi ukuhlola ukuluthwa utshwala kumangalisa abacwaningi abaningi bezakhi zofuzo. Abanye bathi ukuhlola kuye kwabonisa ukuthi ukuba khona noma ukuntuleka kwezakhi zofuzo ezithile kubangela ukuluthwa utshwala. Ngokwesibonelo, i-New England Journal of Medicine yabika ngo-1988 ukuthi “phakathi naleminyaka eyishumi edlule, ukuphenya okuthathu okuhlukene kuye kwaveza ubufakazi obuqand’ikhanda bokuthi ukuluthwa utshwala kuyisici esibangelwa ufuzo.”

Nokho, abanye ochwepheshe emkhakheni wokulutheka bawubekela inselele umbono wokuthi ukuluthwa utshwala kuthonywa ngokuyinhloko izici ezingokwemvelo. Umbiko othile kuyi-Boston Globe ka-April 9, 1996, wathi: “Asikho isakhi sofuzo esibangela ukuluthwa utshwala esizotholakala, futhi abanye abacwaningi bayavuma ukuthi into evelele abazoyithola cishe kuyoba ukuthambekela okungokofuzo okwenza abanye abantu baphuze ngokweqile ngaphandle kokudakwa—isici esingase sibachaye ekuluthweni utshwala.”

I-New York Times yabika ngomhlangano e-University of Maryland owawunesihloko esithi “Okushiwo Ukucwaninga Ngezakhi Zofuzo Nezenzo Zobugebengu Nokubaluleka Kwako.” Umbono wesakhi sofuzo esibangela ubugebengu ulula ngendlela emangalisayo. Izingqapheli eziningi zibonakala zimagange ngokusekela lombono. Umlobi othile wesayensi kuyi-New York Times Magazine wathi kungenzeka ukuthi ububi “bugxile ezicini zofuzo abazali bethu abazidlulisela kithi ngesikhathi sokukhulelwa.” Isihloko esithile kuyi-New York Times sabika ukuthi ukuxoxa njalo ngezakhi zofuzo ezibangela ubugebengu kwakha umbono wokuthi ubugebengu “bunomsuka owaziwa kabanzi—ukungasebenzi kahle kobuchopho.”

UJerome Kagan, isazi sokusebenza kwengqondo saseHarvard, ubikezela ukuthi kuyofika isikhathi lapho ukuhlola izakhi zofuzo kuyoveza izingane ezinobuntu obunobudlova. Abanye abantu babonisa ukuthi kungase kube nethemba lokulawula ubugebengu ngokuqondisa izici ezingokwemvelo kunokusebenzisa ushintsho lwezenhlalo.

Ulimi olusetshenziswa ekubikeni lemibono ephathelene nethonya lezakhi zofuzo ezenzweni ngokuvamile aluqondakali futhi aluqinisekile. Incwadi ethi Exploding the Gene Myth ilandisa ngokuhlola kukaLincoln Eaves, oyisazi sethonya lezakhi zofuzo ekuziphatheni, owathi utholé ubufakazi obubonisa ukuthi imbangela yokucindezeleka isezakhini zofuzo. Ngemva kokuhlola abesifazane okuthiwa bathambekele ekucindezelekeni, u-Eaves “wabonisa ukuthi umbono nezenzo [zalaba besifazane] ezibangela ukucindezeleka kungenzeka ziye zandisa amathuba ezinkinga ezinjalo ezibehlelayo.” Yiziphi lezi ‘zinkinga ezibehlelayo’? Abesifazane abahlolwa babeye “badlwengulwa, bahlaselwa, noma baxoshwa emsebenzini.” Ngakho ingabe ukucindezeleka kwabangela lezi zenzakalo ezibuhlungu? Lencwadi iyaqhubeka: “Umbono onjani lowo? Laba besifazane babeye badlwengulwa, bahlaselwa, noma baxoshwa emsebenzini, futhi bacindezeleka. Lapho babebhekana nezenzakalo ezibuhlungu ngokwengeziwe, kulapho babecindezeleka khona ngokuqhubekayo. . . . Mhlawumbe kwakuyofaneleka ukufuna imbangela yezakhi zofuzo ukuba yena [u-Eaves] wayetholé ukuthi lokhu kucindezeleka kwakungahlobene nanoma isiphi isenzakalo ekuphileni.”

Yona leyo ncwadi ithi lezi zindaba “zivamile emibikweni eminingi yamanje ephathelene nezakhi zofuzo [ezibusa ukuziphatha], kokubili emithonjeni yezindaba nasemaphephabhukwini esayensi. Lemibiko iqukethe ingxubevange yamaqiniso athakazelisayo, imibono engenabufakazi, nokweqisa okukhulu ngokubaluleka kwezakhi zofuzo ekuphileni kwethu. Into ephawulekayo ngokuningi kwalokhu kwaziswa ukuthi akuqondakali.” Iyaqhubeka: “Kunomehluko omkhulu phakathi kokuhlobanisa izakhi zofuzo nezimo ezilandela umbono kaMendel wofuzo nokusebenzisa ‘ukuthambekela’ kwezakhi zofuzo okucatshangelwayo ekuchazeni izimo eziyinkimbinkimbi njengomdlavuza noma umfutho wegazi ophakeme. Ososayensi bafinyelela esinye isiphetho lapho besikisela ukuthi ukucwaninga ngezakhi zofuzo kungasiza ekuchazeni imbangela yezenzo zabantu.”

Nokho, ngenxa yakho konke okushiwo ngenhla, imibuzo evame ukuphakanyiswa isasala: Kungani ngezinye izikhathi sizithola izenzo zethu zishintshile ekuphileni? Futhi imaphi amandla esinawo ezimweni ezinjalo? Siwazuza futhi siwalondoloze kanjani amandla okulawula ukuphila kwethu? Isihloko esilandelayo singase sibe usizo ekunikezeni ezinye izimpendulo kulemibuzo.

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 6]

Ukwelapha Ngezakhi Zofuzo—Ingabe Amathemba Agcwalisekile?

Kuthiwani ngokwelapha ngezakhi zofuzo—ukujova iziguli ngezakhi zofuzo zokwelapha izifo zofuzo ezizalwa nazo? Ososayensi babenamathemba amakhulu eminyakeni embalwa edlule. “Ingabe ukwelapha ngezakhi zofuzo kuwubuchwepheshe obufike ngesikhathi?” kubuza i-Economist ka-December 16, 1995, ithi: “Uma kubhekwa amazwi asobala abantu abakusebenzisayo, kanye nemibiko eminingi yezindaba, ungase ucabange kanjalo. Kodwa iqembu lososayensi baseMelika abangochwepheshe linombono ohlukile. UHarold Varmus, umholi we-National Institutes of Health (NIH), wacela ososayensi abavelele abayishumi nane ukuba bahlaziye lomkhakha. Ngemva kwezinyanga eziyisikhombisa zokucabangisisa bathi embikweni owawunyatheliswe ngesonto elidlule, nakuba ukwelapha ngezakhi zofuzo kunikeza ithemba, okukufinyelele kuze kube manje kuye kwanconywa ‘ngokweqile’.” Kwahlolwa iziguli ezingu-597 ezihlushwa ukuntuleka kwe-adenosine deaminase (ADA) noma esinye sezifo eziningi okucatshangwa ukuthi zingelashwa ngezakhi zofuzo zomunye umuntu. “Ngokwaleli qembu,” kusho i-Economist, “akukho noyedwa kulezi ziguli oye wazuza ngokusobala ngokuhlanganyela kulokhu kuhlola.”

[Izithombe ekhasini 7]

Naphezu kwalokho abanye abangase bakusho ngokuthambekela kwezakhi zofuzo, abantu bangazikhethela indlela abaziphatha ngayo