— inothi lensimu No. 4 —
Kungani amadayinaso ashabalala
Impendulo emfushane
Eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-66 edlule, i-asteroid ebanzi cishe amakhilomitha ayishumi yashayisa olwandle olungajulile ngasogwini lwaseMexico yanamuhla. Uthuli lwamboza isibhakabhaka, izitshalo zayeka ukuthola ukukhanya, futhi ngesikhathi esifushane anyamalala onke amadayinaso ngaphandle kwezinyoni. Nezinyoni azisindanga ngaphandle komonakalo: amaqembu azo amaningi asendulo awayiphumelelanga le nhlekelele.
Akuwona wonke ashabalala
Kufanele siqale ngokulungisa iphutha: amadayinaso awashabalalanga. Undlunkulu ongaphandle kwefasitela lakho uyinzalo yawo eqondile, futhi ngobuhlobo bokuziphendukela kwemvelo izinyoni zingaphakathi kweqembu lamadayinaso njengoba amalulwane engaphakathi kweqembu lezilwane ezincelisayo. Yingakho izazi zezinsalela zikhuluma ngokunemba: kwashabalala amadayinaso angezona izinyoni. Lobu buhlobo buvelaphi, kuchazwa enothini elikhuluma ngezimpaphe.
Inhlekelele yashaya kude ngale kwaleli qembu. Kwanyamalala ama-pterosaur, kuhlanganise ne-Pteranodon, nezilwane ezihuquzelayo zasolwandle, phakathi kwazo ne-Mosasaurus. Zafa kanye namadayinaso, kodwa lokho akuzenzanga amadayinaso.
Yenzani i-asteroid
Isibazi sokushayisa ngumgodi weChicxulub enhlonhlweni yaseYucatán eMexico. Izimpawu zokushayisana zitholakala emhlabeni wonke: ungqimba oluncane emngceleni we-Cretaceous ne-Paleogene lugcine izinto ezavela ku-asteroid kanye nezinhlamvu zamaminerali ezaphotshwa yingcindezi enkulu ngokwesabekayo. Ngo-2024 ama-isotope e-ruthenium kulolu ngqimba aveza ukuthi lesi sivakashi savelaphi: kwakuyi-asteroid enekhabhoni eyakheka ngale komzila kaJupiter.
Umonakalo awuphelelanga lapho yawela khona. Ngokwezibalo zango-2023, imbangela enkulu kwaba wuthuli lwamatshe oluncane kakhulu: kanye nomsizi nesibabule lwahlala emoyeni iminyaka, lwamisa i-photosynthesis, indlela izitshalo ezenza ngayo ukudla ngokukhanya, cishe iminyaka emibili. Ngokwalelo modeli, izinga lokushisa ebusweni bomhlaba lehla kufika kumadigri angu-15. Kwaqala kwafa izitshalo ne-plankton, kwalandela izilwane ezazidla zona, ekugcineni nezilwane ezizingelayo.
Kuthiwani ngezintaba-mlilo?
Ngaleso sikhathi, endaweni manje eyiNdiya, kwakugeleza i-Deccan Traps: amathafa amakhulu e-lava, ohlobo olungasekho eMhlabeni namuhla. Amagesi ezintaba-mlilo ayeshintsha isimo sezulu. Ngokolwazi lwango-2024, ukuqhuma okukhulu okwenzeka cishe eminyakeni engu-30 000 ngaphambi kokushayisa kwapholisa umhlaba okungenani ngamadigri angu-5. Kodwa eminyakeni engu-20 000 ngaphambi kokuwa kwe-asteroid izinga lokushisa lase libuyele kulelo elalikade likhona. Yingakho manje izintaba-mlilo zinikezwa indima yesibili, nakuba impikiswano ingakapheli.
Kwakukade kucatshangwa ukuthi amadayinaso ayesevele ewohloka. Izifundo zango-2025 zithi okuphambene nalokho: izinhlobo zibonakala zimbalwa ngoba amatshe alobo budala agcineke amancane, kanti eNew Mexico imiphakathi yamadayinaso ehlukahlukene yaphila kwaze kwasala amakhulu ambalwa ezinkulungwane zeminyaka ngaphambi kokushayisa. I-Tyrannosaurus ne-Triceratops zazingezona izehluleki. Umhlaba washintsha ngokushesha okukhulu.
Kungani ezinye zasinda kanti ezinye zafa
Yayingekho iresiphi eyodwa yokusinda. Ezinye zasizwa ubuncane, ezinye ukungakhethi ukudla, ukuphila emanzini noma umkhuba wokucasha endaweni ephephile. Kodwa bonke balahlekelwa: nezinyoni nezilwane ezincelisayo zalahlekelwa ngamagatsha amaningi.
Ukusinda kweqembu akusho ukuthi zonke izinhlobo zalo zasinda. Emagatsheni asindile kancane kancane kwavela izinhlobo ezintsha, zagcwalisa kabusha umhlaba owawusushiyiwe ungenalutho. Umlando wamadayinaso awuphelanga lapho: uyaqhubeka njalo ekuseni lapho kuphakelwa khona izinyoni eduze kwakho.
Imibuzo nezimpendulo
Ingabe onke amadayinaso ashabalala?
Cha. Kwanyamalala amadayinaso angezona izinyoni, kodwa ezinye izinyoni zasinda kule nhlekelele. Zonke izinyoni zanamuhla ziyinzalo yazo.
Umgodi weChicxulub ukuphi?
Enhlonhlweni yaseYucatán eMexico. Ingxenye yawo ingaphansi komhlaba owomile, enye ingaphansi kolwandle.
Ukushabalala kwabangelwa yi-asteroid noma izintaba-mlilo?
Yi-asteroid. Ukuqhuma kwe-Deccan kwashintsha isimo sezulu, kodwa ngokolwazi lwango-2024 sasesibuyile esimweni saso ngaphambi kokushayisa, ngakho izintaba-mlilo zinikezwa indima yesibili.
Kungani izingwenya nezilwane ezincelisayo zasinda?
Asikho isizathu esisodwa esisebenza kuzo zonke. Amagatsha athile asizwa yinhlanganisela yendlela yokuphila nokudla: ubuncane, ukungakhethi, ukucasha, amanzi.
