I-Astrobiology ibonisa ukuba ubomi buninzi kwindalo iphela kwaye iintlobo zobomi be-microbial zakudala (ngaphaya komhlaba) zinokufunyanwa ngaphambi kweentlobo ezikrelekrele. Ukukhangela ubomi obungaphandle komhlaba kubandakanya ukukhangela iimpawu zebhayoloji kufutshane nenkqubo yelanga kunye nokukhangela imiqondiso yerediyo okanye iimpawu zobugcisa kwindawo ekude enzulu . Kukho imeko yokugxininisa ngokutsha ekukhangeleni izibonakaliso zobugcisa zobomi kwindalo iphela.
Ukuba kukho ubomi ngaphaya kwale planethi ? Lo mbuzo ubusoloko ubangela umdla ebantwini kwaye bekukho izinto ezininzi ezibangela umdla kunye nengqwalasela kwimidiya kwizidalwa ezingaphandle komhlaba . Kodwa isayensi imi phi? Ngoku sinendawo epheleleyo ye-astrobiology ezinikele ekufundeni imvelaphi, ukuvela kwendalo, kunye nokusasazwa kobomi kwindalo iphela.
Kumbuzo wokuba kukho ubomi ngaphaya komhlaba , kukho ithemba malunga nokuba kunokwenzeka ukuba kubekho ubomi obungaphandle komhlaba (Billings L., 2018). I-NASA Kepler telescope ibonise ukuba ihlabathi elinokuhlalwa kulo lininzi kwindalo iphela . Kunjalo ke nangezinto zokwakha ubomi, ngoko ke kubonakala kufanelekile ukugqiba kwelokuba ubomi bufanele ukuba buninzi kwindalo iphela.
Ngaba kunokwenzeka ngokwenene ukufumana ubukrelekrele obungaphandle komhlaba? Ewe, kukho amathuba akhulayo ngenxa yokuqhubela phambili kwetekhnoloji (Hirabayashi H. 2019). Ngoko ke ngokuqinisekileyo kukho imeko yokukhangela ubomi kwezinye iiplanethi ; uhlobo lobomi obungaphandle komhlaba lunokuba lolwakudala okanye oluntsonkothileyo nolukrelekrele. Uqikelelo lubonisa ukuba kukho amathuba okuphumelela ekukhangelweni kohlobo lobomi bokuqala kunolo lukrelekrele (Lingam noLoeb, 2019). Ingcinga ephambili kwi- astrobiology kukuba "uqhagamshelwano lokuqala" nobomi obungaphandle komhlaba lunokuba lubomi be-microbial kwenye indawo (Billings L., 2018).
Sizikhangela njani? Ukukhangela ubomi kwindalo iphela ngoku kubandakanya iindlela ezimbini - ukukhangela ii-biosignatures ( iisignatures zebhayoloji) ngaphakathi nangaphandle kwenkqubo yelanga kunye nokukhangela ngomsakazo ii-technosignatures (iisignatures zeentlobo zobomi eziphambili kunye netekhnoloji) eziphuma kwimithombo ekude kakhulu kwinkqubo yelanga kwi- galaxy nangaphaya. Iiprojekthi ezifana neMars kunye ne-Europa landers, iJames Webb Space Telescope zijolise ekukhangeleni iisignatures zebhayoloji kwinkqubo yelanga ekufutshane ngelixa inkqubo ye-NASA ye-SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) kunye neprojekthi ye-Breakthrough Listen (BL) ziyimizekelo yokukhangela iisignatures zobugcisa kwindawo enzulu kakhulu.
Zombini ezi ndlela zibonelela ngeenzuzo kodwa ukukhangela i-technosignatures kubonakala ngathi kuyancedisa ekufuneni i-biology kodwa kwandise uphando ukusuka kwindawo yelanga ukuya kwindalo iphela ukuya kwi -galaxies.
Ukukhangela iitekhnoloji ezibandakanya ukuqhelanisa, ukurekhoda kunye nohlalutyo lwemiqondiso yerediyo okanye ukuqhuma okuvela kwindawo enzulu kuza ngexabiso eliphantsi kakhulu (xa kuthelekiswa nokukhangela imiqondiso yebhayoloji), umzekelo, uhlahlo-lwabiwo mali lonyaka lwenkqubo ye -SETI ye-NASA yayimalunga ne-10 yezigidi zeerandi. Uninzi lwendawo lunokujoliswa kwaye lukhangelwe imiqondiso yerediyo enomxholo wolwazi olomeleleyo, ukufunyanwa okuqinileyo kunye nokutolikwa. Ngaphaya koko, ukukhangela irediyo kunemvelaphi yesayensi kunye nomxholo omiselweyo.
Ityala lokukhangela itekhnoloji yenzelwe ukuba umthamo wokukhangela owenziwe isampuli ukuza kuthi ga ngoku uphantsi kakhulu. Umthamo wokukhangela unokwandiswa kungekudala kwixesha elizayo. Oku kuya kufuna ufikelelo olongeziweyo kwiiteleskopu zikanomathotholo, izibonelelo, ukwakhiwa ngokutsha kwenkqubo yendalo yophando kunye nokuhambisana nehardware kunye nenkqubo yesoftware (uMargot et al 2019).
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Inqaku lomhleli:
UDkt. Jean-Luc Margot wase-UCLA ucebise ukuba 'i-NASA ayinayo inkqubo ye-SETI. Ayikaze ibe nayo inkqubo ye-SETI kangangeminyaka engaphezu kwama-25. Nceda ucinge ngokulungiswa.'.
Singathanda ukongeza ukuba inkqubo ye-NASA ye-SETI yarhoxiswa ngo-1993. Ngelo xesha uhlahlo lwabiwo-mali lonyaka lwenkqubo ye-SETI lwalumalunga ne-10 lezigidi zeedola.
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Umthombo (s)
1. Margot J et al 2019. Ukhangelo lukanomathotholo lweetekhnoloji kwiminyaka elishumi ka-2020-2030. I-Pre-Print arXiv:1903.05544 ingeniswe nge-(13 Mar 2019). https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.05544
2. Billings L., 2018. Ukusuka eMhlabeni ukuya kwindalo iphela: Ubomi, ubukrelekrele, kunye ne-Evolution. Ithiyori yebhayoloji. 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13752-017-0266-6
3. I-Hirabayashi H. 2019. I-SETI (Khangela kwi-Intelligence Extraterrestrial). I-Astrobiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3639-3_30
4. ULingam M kunye noLoeb A 2019. Ubunokwenzeka obunxulumeneyo beMpumelelo kuPhando loBomi baPhakamileyo ngokuchasene noBukrelekrele bokwaNgaphandle koMhlaba. I-Astrobiology. 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2018.1936
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