Mhlawumbi sonke siwakhe seva umba othi "ilotto yezofuzo", kodwa wakhe wacinga na ngegalelo lokwenene lalo mba? Apha kwi-DNA ME sisebenza ngokusondeleyo nayo yonke into "yezofuzo", ngoko ke namhlanje ndiyanamkela ukuba nibe yinxalenye yokuhlalutya lo mxholo unobuchopho othi "Indalo ngokuchasene nokukhuliselwa" ukuze siqonde ukuba impumelelo ebomini bethu inxulumene kangakanani nethamsanqa nje, kwaye yeyiphi indawo apho umsebenzi onzima ubalasele khona.
Masisiqale ekuqaleni kwakusasa kohlobo lwe-Homo sapiens, malunga neminyaka eyi-600,000 eyadlulayo. Kwimida yemimandla yeXesha leKhephu, ootatomkhulu bakho abaziva ngathi "babalulekileyo" — baziva ngathi ngabantu abangaphantsi abangenela itoti elawulwa ngoomzala abasele beyazi yonke imimoya kunye nazo zonke iindlela ezimfutshane: amaNeanderthal, azinzileyo okwilitye, asebenza ngokoyikekayo, kwaye engabantu ngokupheleleyo kwindlela ahamba ngayo ngokungathi umhlaba ngokwawo ukwelecala labo. Ungaba nesibindi nobuchule uze usoyiswe kuba ukuphosa kwakho kude kancinci, kuba ubanda bukwebele isibambo, kuba impazamo enye yiyo yonke into efunekayo; ke, ndaweni ithile emva kokwahlukana komthombo wakho kunye neNeanderthal, ithamsanqa elingummangaliso litshintsha i-amino-asidi enye kwi-TKTL1—i-arginine endaweni ye-lysine—kwaye olu tshintsho alufiki ngesandi esikhulu, lufika njengosana olusindayo ngamabona-ndenzile (lunganayo ifiva, kukho ukutya okwaneleyo, kubekho nobusika obunobubele) ixesha elide ngokwaneleyo ukuba olu tshintsho lusasazeke.
I-TKTL1 yenye yezo zinto "otshintsho oluncinci, neziphumo ezikhulu": kulwazi lwabantu bale mihla, kuthiwa utshintsho olunye lwe-amino-acid (i-arginine endaweni ye-lysine yamaNeanderthal/eyakudala) lwatyhalela uphuhliso lwengqondo yosana esisibelethweni ekwenzeni iineuron ezininzi ze-cortical, ingakumbi kwiindawo zangaphambili. Ngokwenyani, oko bekungayi kwenza namnye umntu akrelekrele kwangoko—kodwa bekunokutshintsha amathuba kukhuphiswano olusondeleyo ngokuphucula ucwangciso, ulungelelwaniso, nokufunda kwanele ukuba, kwezizukulwana ezininzi, abantu abanamhlanje bahlala beqhuba ngobuchule iNeanderthal kunokuba baboyise ngamandla.
Iidinosarazi sisiphelo esihlekisayo sendalo kwibali 'lethamsanqa lokuphinda-phinda kwe-TKTL1': azizange zifumane nje ixesha lokuguquka, zafumana ixesha eligqithisileyo—imalunga neminyaka ezili-165 ezizigidi njengezilwanyana ezilawulayo emhlabeni—ixesha elide kangangokuba iShakespeare yedinosarazi ibinokuqala umdlalo othi "uHamlet, iNkosana yeeHadrosaur," igxekwe kakhulu ngabagxeki ngokuthi "inokuthetha yodwa kakhulu," kwaye isenokuba neminyaka ezizigidi ezimbalwa eseleyo yokuphinda isungule ityeatara. Kulo mzuzu wamaxesha, ukhetho lwendalo lwaba nemijikelo engenasiphelo yokubagqibezela babe zizixhobo zebhayoloji—isigcina-mzimba, ubukhulu obugqithisileyo, ubuzwilakhe bokuzingela obugqwesileyo, iingcali ezingaqhelekanga zeendawo ezithile—ngoko ke ukuba "umsebenzi onzima + ixesha" bekuyiqinisekiso lokusinda, bebesazakuba ngabanini beplanethi. Kodwa inkqubo yokuguquka kwezinto eziphilayo ayisosilingi; yitumente enotshintsho lwemithetho olungacwangciswanga, kwaye ngenye imini ukuphoswa kwengqekembe okukumgangatho weplanethi (ukungqubana kwenkweli kunye neempembelelo zayo kwimozulu) kwabhala ngokutsha imeko-bume ngokukhawuleza kunokuba ukuziqhelanisa kunokusabela. Isifundo se-science-pop: ithamsanqa elincinci linganceda ulwelo lwentsimbayo ukuba luphile omnye ubusika (umoya wakho we-TKTL1), kodwa ingozi enkulu ingacima iminyaka ezili-165 zezigidi "zempumelelo" kwintshukumo ye-geoloji enkulu—ishiya iintaka zizodwa njengeedayinaso ezisele zikwindawo.
Kwaye yiloo nto eyenza ibali libe nzima: yayingekuko "abona banamandla" ababeyaphumelela, yayikuko nabani na ofumene uthotho lweziphumo ezilungileyo—utshintsho olunye oluncinci lweprotheyini olusinde ixesha elide ngokwaneleyo ukuba lubaluleke, ubusika obunye obungazange bubulale osandul' ukuzalwa, isigqibo esinye esiphephe intili engeyiyo—kwaye ii-dinosaurs zingqina okuphikisanayo, ukuba iiminyaka ezili-165 zezigidi zobukhosi zisenokuphela ngenxa yokuphosa okukubi okukodwa okuvela esibhakabhakeni. Ukuba ithamsanqa linokulawula iijini kwaye licime iimbuso, ke ukufunda i-DNA asiyonto yokuzonwabisa yasemyuziyam; yindlela yokubona imigangatho emincinci, ekhulayo ngelixa kusekho ixesha lokuthatha amanyathelo ngayo.