Ingabe Kukhona Ukuphila Kwamanye Amaplanethi?
Umbuzo wokuthi ngabe sisodwa yini endaweni yonke uye wathakazelisa isintu amakhulu eminyaka. Izazi zefilosofi, ososayensi, kanye nabantu abavamile ngokufanayo baye bacabanga ngokuba khona kokuphila ngale koMhlaba. Ngokuthuthuka kobuchwepheshe kanye nokuhlola isikhala, lo mbuzo omdala usuthathwe ngezindlela ezintsha. Kulesi sihloko, sizohlola ukuqonda kwesayensi kwamanje kanye nokutholwa okusha okukhuthaza ukufuna kwethu ukuphila kwangaphandle komhlaba.
Ubukhulu Bendawo Yonke
Ukuze uqonde ukuthi kungenzeka kube nokuphila kwenye indawo, kubalulekile ukuqonda ubukhulu bendawo yonke. Umthala wethu iMilky Way wodwa uqukethe izinkanyezi ezingaba yizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-100, eziningi zinezinhlelo zazo zamaplanethi. Ngale komthala wethu, kunezinkanyezi ezilinganiselwa ku-trillion ezimbili endaweni yonke ebonakalayo. Imithala ngayinye igcwele izindawo zokuhlala ezingaba khona zokuphila. Isimiso sikaCopernican, esithi uMhlaba awuhlukile nokuthi imithetho efanayo yemvelo isebenza kuyo yonke indawo, sisikisela nokuthi ukuphila kungaba khona kwenye indawo.
Indawo Ehlalwa Kuyo
Ukusesha izinto eziphilayo zangaphandle komhlaba kuvame ukugxila “endaweni okuhlalwa kuyo” noma “endaweni yeGoldilocks” ezungeze izinkanyezi. Lesi yisifunda lapho izimo zingase zilungele khona ukuba khona kwamanzi acwebezelayo—okubhekwa njengento ebalulekile ekuphileni njengoba siwazi. Indawo yoMhlaba endaweni okuhlalwa kuyo yeSistimu yethu Yelanga ngokungangabazeki iyisici esibalulekile ekuthuthukisweni kokuphila. Ngenxa yalokho, izazi zezinkanyezi zinesithakazelo esikhulu ekutholeni amaplanethi angaphandle kulezi zindawo ezizungeze izinkanyezi ezikude.
I-Kepler Space Telescope idlale indima ebalulekile kulolu cwaningo. Yasungulwa ngo-2009, i-Kepler yathola amaplanethi angaphezu kuka-2,600 aqinisekisiwe, amanye awo ahlala ezindaweni zokuhlala zezinkanyezi zawo. Isibonelo, uhlelo lwe-TRAPPIST-1, oluqhele ngeminyaka yokukhanya engu-39, lunamaplanethi ayisikhombisa anobukhulu boMhlaba, amathathu awo asendaweni yokuhlala. Lokhu okutholakele kuqinisa umbono wokuthi amaplanethi angase asekele ukuphila awavamile njengoba kwakucatshangwa.
Ukuphila Okudlulele Emhlabeni: Isibonelo Sokuphila Kwangaphandle Kwalomhlaba?
Ukuphila Emhlabeni kuye kwabonakala kuhambisana nezimo ngendlela emangalisayo, kuchuma ezindaweni ezazibhekwa njengezingenabo ubungane. Ama-extremophile—izinto eziphilayo ezisinda ngaphansi kwezimo ezimbi kakhulu njengokushisa okukhulu, ukubanda, i-asidi, noma ingcindezi—ziye zandisa ukuqonda kwethu ukuqina kokuphila. Isibonelo, amagciwane atholakala eduze kwemigodi yamanzi ashisayo phansi kolwandle akhipha amandla kumakhemikhali emanzini, hhayi elangeni, eveza isibonelo sendlela ukuphila okungasinda ngayo ezindaweni ezifanayo zangaphandle komhlaba.
Laba bantu abaphila impilo engavamile emhlabeni baphefumulele ososayensi ukuba bafune ukuphila ezindaweni ezingajwayelekile. Izinyanga ezifana ne-Europa, i-Ganymede, ne-Enceladus zithakazelisa kakhulu. Ngaphansi kwezingqimba zazo ezibandayo kukhona ulwandle olukhulu olungaphansi komhlaba olugcinwa lumanzi ngenxa yokushisa kwamagagasi. Imisebenzi efana ne-Europa Clipper ezayo ihlose ukuhlola amandla ala lwandle okugcina ukuphila.
I-Mars: Umakhelwane Wethu Nomuntu Ozongenela Ukhetho Oluyinhloko
I-Mars ibilokhu ibamba umcabango njengomuntu ozophila ngale koMhlaba. Ubufakazi bemifula yasendulo, amachibi, kanye nezilwandle cishe busikisela ukuthi i-Mars yake yaba nezimo ezifanele ukuphila. Ama-rover e-NASA, i-Curiosity kanye ne-Perseverance, aklanyelwe ukufuna izimpawu zokuphila kwangaphambilini nokuqonda ukuthi i-Mars ingaphilwa khona. I-Curiosity isivele ithole ama-molecule e-organic, kuyilapho i-Perseverance igxile ekutadisheni i-Jezero Crater, okukholakala ukuthi iyindawo yasendulo enamachibi.
Obunye bobufakazi obunamandla kakhulu buvela ekutholakaleni kwe-methane emoyeni we-Mars. Emhlabeni, i-methane ikhiqizwa kakhulu yizinqubo zezinto eziphilayo, yize izindlela ze-geological nazo zingaba nomthelela wokuba khona kwayo. Amazinga aguquguqukayo e-methane abonwa ku-Mars aletha ukungaqondakali okuthakazelisayo emthonjeni walo gesi, okugcina amathuba okuphila evulekile.
Ukusesha Ama-Biosignatures
Ekufuneni impilo yangaphandle komhlaba, inselele eyodwa ebalulekile ukuthola “izimpawu zokuphila”—izinkomba zokuphila ezisukela kumagesi athile asemoyeni kuya kuma-molecule ayinkimbinkimbi ezinto eziphilayo. Ama-telescope anamuhla, njenge-James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), ahlonyiswe ngamathuluzi athuthukile, ahlose ukuhlola isimo sezulu se-exoplanet ukuthola izimpawu ezinjalo zokuphila.
Kugxilwa kakhulu kumagesi afana nomoya-mpilo, i-methane, nezinye izinto eziphilayo emkhathini weplanethi engaphandle. Ukuthola inhlanganisela yala magesi, ikakhulukazi ekungalinganini—lapho ukuba khona kwawo ndawonye kubonisa ukugcwaliswa okuqhubekayo yizinqubo zezinto eziphilayo—kungaba isibonakaliso esinamandla sokuphila.
Indima ye-SETI
Enye indlela yokuthola impilo yangaphandle komhlaba ihilela ukulalela izimpawu ezivela emiphakathini ethuthukile. I-Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) isebenzisa ama-telescope omsakazo ukuqapha isibhakabhaka ukuthola izimpawu ezingavamile ezivelele emsindweni wangemuva wendawo yonke. Nakuba kungekho zimpawu eziqondile ezitholakele kuze kube manje, usesho luyaqhubeka ngobuchwepheshe obukhulayo. Isibonelo, iphrojekthi ye-Breakthrough Listen ingenye yezinhlelo ze-SETI eziphelele kakhulu, eziskena izigidi zezinkanyezi ku-Milky Way ngisho nemithala eseduze.
Ukucatshangelwa Kokuziphatha Nefilosofi
Ukutholakala kokuphila kwangaphandle komhlaba bekungeke nje kube yingqophamlando yesayensi; bekuyoba nemiphumela ejulile yokuziphatha kanye nefilosofi. Ukutholakala okunjalo kungakushintsha kanjani ukuqonda kwethu impilo, ubuhlakani, kanye nendawo yesintu endaweni yonke? Izingxoxo mayelana nendlela yokusabela ekuthinteni noma ekutholeni impilo yangaphandle komhlaba ziyaqhubeka. Umphakathi wesayensi uneziqondiso, njengalezo eziphakanyiswe umphakathi we-SETI, kodwa umbuzo usavulekele ukufaka okubanzi komphakathi.
Isiphetho
Emizamweni yokuthola ukuthi kukhona yini ukuphila kwamanye amaplanethi, isintu simi endaweni ethokozisayo yesayensi. Nakuba singakatholi ubufakazi obuqinisekile, amathemba athakazelisayo anikezwa yizinto eziningi ezitholwe ngaphandle kwamaplanethi, ukuqina kokuphila ezindaweni ezikude kakhulu zoMhlaba, i-methane eyimfihlakalo eMars, kanye nokusesha okuqhubekayo kwezimpawu ze-biosignatures kanye nezimpawu zangaphandle komhlaba kukhuthaza ilukuluku lethu kanye nophenyo.
Njengoba intuthuko yethu kwezobuchwepheshe ikhula futhi ukuhlola kwethu kuqhubekela phambili endaweni yonke, amathuba okuphendula omunye wemibuzo ebaluleke kakhulu yesintu asondela kakhulu. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi sithola impilo yama-microbial phansi kwechibi laseMars, izinto eziphilayo eziyinkimbinkimbi olwandle olungaphansi komhlaba lwenyanga, noma ngisho nokuhleba okuncane komsakazo okuvela empucukweni ekude, ukufuna impilo yangaphandle komhlaba kuthembisa ukwandisa ukuqonda kwethu ngokuphila ngokwako kanye nendawo yethu endaweni yonke enkulu.
