Kodi Majini Athu Amaikiratu Zamtsogolo Mwathu?

“TINKALINGALIRA kuti nyenyezi zimaikiratu zamtsogolo mwathu. Tsopano tikudziŵa bwino lomwe kuti majini athu ndiwo amaikiratu zamtsogolo mwathu.” Anatero James Watson, wogwidwa mawu kuchiyambi cha buku lakuti Exploding the Gene Myth, lolembedwa ndi Ruth Hubbard ndi Elijah Wald. Komabe, pansi pa mawu a Watson, R. C. Lewontin, Steven Rose, ndi Leon J. Kamin agwidwa mawu akunena kuti: “Tikhulupirira kuti kulibe khalidwe lodziŵika la umoyo wa munthu limene linamangidwa m’majini athu m’njira yakuti silingasinthidwe ndi mikhalidwe ya m’chitaganya.”

Chikuto cha bukulo chili ndi chidule cha zina zimene zili mkati mwake ndipo chimayamba ndi funso lofunika kwambiri lakuti, “Kodi khalidwe la munthu limachokera m’majini?” M’mawu ena, kodi khalidwe la munthu limadalira kotheratu pa majini amene amanyamula mikhalidwe yachibadwa ya thupi lake kuchokera kwa makolo? Kodi khalidwe linalake loipa liyenera kuvomerezedwa pamaziko akuti limachititsidwa ndi majini? Kodi apandu ayenera kuonedwa monga olamuliridwa ndi majini awo, okhoza kukana mlandu chifukwa cha zimene zili kale m’majini?

Sitingakane kuti asayansi apeza kale zinthu zopindulitsa zambiri m’zaka za zana lino. Pakati pa zopezedwazi pali DNA yochititsa chidwiyo, imene imatchedwa kuti pulani ya mpangidwe wathu wa majini. Chidziŵitso chimene majini amakhala nacho chachititsa chidwi asayansi ndi anthu wamba omwe. Kodi nchiyani kwenikweni chimene kufufuza za majini kwapeza? Kodi ndi motani mmene zopezedwazo zagwiritsidwira ntchito kuchirikiza chiphunzitso chamakono cha kulinganizidwiratu kapena kuikiratu zamtsogolo?

Bwanji Ponena za Kusakhulupirika mu Ukwati ndi Umathanyula?

Malinga ndi kunena kwa nkhani ina yofalitsidwa mu The Australian, kufufuza majini kwina kukusonyeza kuti “kusakhulupirika mu ukwati mwinamwake kumachititsidwa ndi majini athu. . . . Zikuoneka kuti mitima yathu yonyengayi inalinganizidwa kukhala choncho.” Tangolingalirani mmene lingaliro limeneli lingaonongere maukwati ndi mabanja mwa kupanga pothaŵira pa aliyense amene akufuna kukana mlandu wa moyo wake wachiwerewere!

Ponena za umathanyula, magazini a Newsweek anali ndi mutu wakuti “Chibadwa Kapena Makulidwe?” Nkhaniyo inati: “Asayansi ndi akatswiri a nthenda zamaganizo akuyesetsa mwamphamvu kumvetsetsa kufufuza kwatsopano kumene kukupereka lingaliro lakuti umathanyula ungakhale nkhani ya majini, osati maleredwe. . . . Pakati pa amathanyula iwo eni, ambiri amavomereza lingaliro lakuti umathanyula umayambira m’ma chromosome.”

Ndiyeno nkhaniyo ikugwira mawu Dr. Richard Pillard, amene anati: “Kugwirizanitsa majini ndi chikhumbo cha kugonana ndiko kunena kuti, ‘Kumeneku si kulakwa, ndipo si mlandu wako.’” Pochirikizanso lingaliro limeneli la “palibe mlandu,” Frederick Whitam, wofufuza umathanyula, akunena kuti “anthu ali ndi mzimu wakuti, pamene auzidwa kuti umathanyula ngwachibadwa, mitima yawo imakhala pansi. Zimachotsa liwongo pa mabanja ndi amathanyula. Zimatanthauzanso kuti anthu sayenera kuda nkhaŵa ndi zinthu zonga aphunzitsi ochita mathanyula.”

Nthaŵi zina, zimene amati ndiwo umboni wakuti malingaliro amathanyula amadalira pa majini zimatchulidwa ndi ofalitsa nkhani monga zenizeni ndi zotsimikizirika m’malo mozitchula monga zotheka ndipo zosatsimikizirika.

Magazini a New Statesman & Society akunyodola mawu okopa ogwiritsidwa ntchito mwaluso kuti: “Woŵerenga wachidwi angakhale atanyalanyaza kusoŵeka kwa umboni weniweni wotsimikizirika—kapena, ndithudi, kupandiratu maziko kwa lingaliro lolakwika kotheratu m’zasayansi lakuti uchiwerewere ‘uli m’majini achimuna ndi kuti uli wosindikizidwa mu ubongo wachimuna.’” M’buku lawo lakuti Cracking the Code, David Suzuki ndi Joseph Levine akuwonjezerapo nkhaŵa yawo ponena za kufufuza majini kumene kukuchitika akumati: “Pamene kuli kwakuti nkotheka kunena kuti majini amasonkhezera khalidwe mwachisawawa, ndi nkhani inanso kusonyeza kuti jini yakutiyakuti—kapena majini aŵiri, kapena ngakhale majini ambiri—kwenikweni amalamulira machitidwe akutiakuti a nyama malinga ndi malo amene imakhalamo. Pamenepa, kuli bwino kufunsa ngati pali aliyense amene, mwa njira ya kupezadi mamolekyu ndi kuwasintha wapeza nkhosi zilizonse za DNA zimene zimayambukira khalidwe lakutilakuti modziŵikiratu.”

Majini a Uchidakwa ndi Upandu

Kufufuza za uchidakwa kwachititsa chidwi ofufuza majini ambiri m’zaka zambiri zapitazi. Ena amanena kuti kufufuzaku kwasonyeza kuti kukhala ndi majini akutiakuti kapena kusakhala nawo ndiko kumachititsa uchidakwa. Mwachitsanzo, The New England Journal of Medicine mu 1988 inanena kuti “m’zaka khumi zapitazi, ofufuza atatu osiyana atulutsa umboni wotsimikizirika wakuti uchidakwa ndi choloŵa.”

Komabe, akatswiri ena a zomwerekeretsa tsopano akutsutsa lingaliro lakuti chibadwa ndicho kwenikweni chimasonkhezera uchidakwa. Nkhani ina ya mu The Boston Globe ya April 9, 1996, inati: “Pakuoneka kuti jini yauchidakwa sidzapezeka posachedwapa, ndipo ofufuza ena akuvomereza kuti chimene kwenikweni adzapeza ndicho mkhalidwe wa majini umene umalola anthu ena kumwa kwambiri popanda kuledzera—mkhalidwe umene ungawachititse kukhala zidakwa.”

The New York Times inasimba za msonkhano wa ku University of Maryland wa mutu wakuti “Tanthauzo ndi Zotulukapo za Kufufuza Majini ndi Khalidwe Laupandu.” Lingaliro lonena za jini yaupandu nlapafupi kwambiri. Othirira ndemanga ambiri akuoneka kukhala ofunitsitsa kulichirikiza. Wolemba za sayansi wina mu The New York Times Magazine ananena kuti kuipa mwinamwake kuli “kosindikizidwa m’ma chromosome olukanalukana amene makolo amatipatsira pamene mimba ikhala.” Nkhani ina ya mu The New York Times inanena kuti makambitsirano osatha onena za majini a upandu akupereka chithunzi chakuti upandu uli ndi “chiyambi chimodzi—chilema china mu ubongo.”

Jerome Kagan, katswiri wa zamaganizo wa ku Harvard, akulosera kuti nthaŵi idzafika pamene kupima majini kudzasonyeza ana amene angakhale apandu. Anthu ena akunena kuti pangakhale chiyembekezo cha kuchepetsa upandu mwa kusintha chibadwa m’thupi m’malo mwa chilango.

Mawu amene nkhanizi zimagwiritsira ntchito pomasimba za malingaliro ameneŵa onena za khalidwe lochititsidwa ndi majini kaŵirikaŵiri amakhala osalunjika ndi osatsimikizira. Buku lakuti Exploding the Gene Myth likunena za kufufuza kochitidwa ndi Lincoln Eaves, wodziŵa za khalidwe lochititsidwa ndi majini, amene ananena kuti anapeza umboni wa majini ochititsa tondovi. Atafufuza akazi amene amalingalira kuti amakonda kuchita tondovi, Eaves “ananena kuti malingaliro ndi mkhalidwe [wa akaziwo] wa tondovi uyenera kuti ndiwo unapangitsa kuti mavuto okhoza kugwera aliyense ameneŵa awachitikire.” Kodi “mavuto okhoza kugwera aliyense” ameneŵo ndi otani? Akazi amene anafufuzidwawo “anagwiriridwa chigololo, kuvulazidwa, kapena kuchotsedwa ntchito.” Chotero kodi kuchita tondovi ndiko kunachititsa zochitika zovutitsa maganizo zimenezi? “Ndi kuganiza kotani kumeneko?” bukulo likupitiriza motero. “Akaziwo anagwiriridwa chigololo, kuvulazidwa, kapena kuchotsedwa ntchito, ndipo anachita tondovi. Pamene anakumana ndi zochitika zovutitsa maganizo zambiri, ndi pamenenso kuchita tondovi kunakula. . . . Kukanakhala koyenera kufunafuna majini ochititsa ngati iye [Eaves] anali atapeza kuti kuchita tondovi kumeneko sikunadze chifukwa cha zochitika zilizonse m’moyo.”

Buku limodzimodzilo likunena kuti nkhani zimenezi ndizo “chitsanzo chabwino kwambiri cha nkhani zamakono zochuluka zonena za majini [a khalidwe], za ofalitsa nkhani ndi za m’magazini a zasayansi omwe. Izo zimakhala ndi maumboni ochititsa chidwi, malingaliro osiyanasiyana opanda maziko, ndi nkhani zokometsera zosiyanasiyana zongopeka zonena za kufunika kwa majini m’moyo wathu. Chimene chimaonekera kwambiri m’nkhani zimenezi ndicho kuvuta kwake kumva.” Limapitiriza kuti: “Pali kusiyana kwakukulu pakati pa kugwirizanitsa majini ndi mikhalidwe imene imatsatira njira ya choloŵa ya Mendel ndi kugwiritsira ntchito zimene amalingalira kukhala ‘zikhoterero’ za majini kuti afotokoze mikhalidwe yocholoŵana monga kansa kapena [BP]. Asayansi amathamangiranso kugamula pamene amanena kuti kufufuza za majini kungathandize kupeza chochititsa khalidwe la munthu.”

Komabe, pambuyo polingalira zonsezi, mafunso ofunsidwa kaŵirikaŵiri akalipobe: Kodi nchifukwa ninji nthaŵi zina timaona kusintha kwa khalidwe m’moyo wathu? Ndipo kodi timakhala ndi ulamuliro wotani m’mikhalidwe imeneyi? Kodi tingayambe motani kulamulira moyo wathu ndi kupitiriza kumatero? Nkhani yotsatira idzakhala yothandiza pa kupereka mayankho ena a mafunso ameneŵa.

[Bokosi/Chithunzi patsamba 20]

Kuchiritsa ndi Majini—Kodi Ziyembekezo Zake Zakwaniritsidwa?

Bwanji ponena za kuchiritsa ndi majini—kulasa odwala jekeseni ya majini ochiritsa kuti awachiritse matenda obadwa nawo okhala m’majini? Asayansi anali ndi ziyembekezo zazikulu zaka zingapo zapitazo. “Kodi kuchiritsa ndi majini ndiko tekinologi imene nthaŵi yake yafika?” ikufunsa motero The Economist ya December 16, 1995, ikumati: “Malinga ndi zimene ochita machiritsowa amanena, ndi nkhani zambiri zofalitsidwa, mungaganize choncho. Koma gulu la asayansi olemekezeka a ku America likukana. Asayansi otchuka 14 anapemphedwa ndi Harold Varmus, wotsogolera National Institutes of Health (NIH), kupenda nkhaniyo. Pambuyo pa miyezi isanu ndi iŵiri ya kusinkhasinkha, iwo, mu lipoti limene linafalitsidwa mlungu watha, ananena kuti ngakhale kuti kuchiritsa ndi majini kumapatsa chiyembekezo, zimene kwakwaniritsa kufikira pano ‘zathokozedwa mopambanitsa’.” Kuyesa kunachitidwa koloŵetsamo anthu 597 odwala adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency kapena amodzi a matenda ambirimbiri amene amawalingalira kuti akhoza kuchiritsidwa mwa kuika majini ochokera kwina. “Malinga ndi kunena kwa ofufuzawo,” ikutero The Economist, “palibe wodwala ndi mmodzi amene wapindula motsimikizirika mwa kukhala ndi phande m’kuyesa kumeneku.”

[Zithunzi patsamba 21]

Mosasamala kanthu za zimene ena amanena pa chisonkhezero cha majini, anthu akhozabe kusankha mochitira zinthu