Etikhatsini talamuhla, bososayensi nabonjiniyela baye bavumela titjalo netilwane kutsi tibafundzise. (Jobe 12:7, 8) Kute bakhe tintfo letinsha futsi batfutfukise leto lesetivele tikhona, bahlolisisa futsi balingise tici letitsite tendalo leyehlukehlukene​—lokusifundvo lesatiwa ngekutsi yi-biomimetics. Njengobe ucabangela letibonelo letilandzelako, tibute: ‘Ngubani mbambambamba lokufanele atfole ludvumo ngaletintfo letidaliwe?’

Umkhoma ungabafundzisani labo labakha tindiza? Kunyenti kakhulu. Umkhoma lokhulile unesisindvo lesingaba ngemathani langu-30​—lokusisindvo lesilingana neseloli legcwele nswi! Umkhoma unemtimba locinile kanye netimphiko letinkhulu. Lesilwane lesingemamitha langu-12 sisheshisa ngendlela lemangalisako nasintjuza emantini.

Lokwabamangalisa kakhulu bacwaningi kwaba yindlela lesilwane lesinemtimba locinile lesikwati ngayo kugoba sakhe tiyingiliti letincane. Babona kutsi imfihlo isendleleni letakheke ngayo timphiko temkhoma. Tincenye letingembili tetimphiko tawo atisheleli njengetimphiko tendiza, kodvwa timavengevenge futsi tinemachubu lalandzelanako, labitwa ngekutsi ngema-tubercles.

Njengobe umkhoma untjuza, lamachubu akhulisa litubane lekukhuphuka kwawo kute ungashobeli emantini. Njani? Incwadzi letsi-Natural History ichaza kutsi lamachubu enta emanti ajikelete kuletimphiko ngekuhleleka, ngisho nobe umkhoma ukhuphuka ucondze etulu.¹⁰

Kungasetjentiswa njani lokwatiswa lokutfolakele? Kubonakala shengatsi timphiko tendiza letentiwe njengetimphiko temkhoma betingeke tidzinge tintfo letinyenti kute tilawule umoya. Timphiko letinjalo betingaphepha kakhulu futsi kube melula nekutinakekela. John Long, losati sekusebenta kwemisipha (biomechanics), ukholelwa kutsi ngalelinye lilanga “kutawuba nendiza yeluhlobo lwe-jet lenetimphiko letinemachubu.”¹¹

Kuliciniso kutsi timphiko tetindiza setivele tifanana netetinyoni. Nanobe kunjalo, esikhatsini lesincane lesengcile bonjiniyela bayitfutfukisile indlela labalingisela ngayo timphiko tetinyoni. I-New Scientist iyabika: “Bacwaningi e-University of Florida bakhe indiza lesibonelo lehanjiswa mishini lekhashane, lekwati kundiza, kuntjuza kanye nekuphakama njenge-seagull.”¹²

Ema-seagull andiza ngendlela lemangalisako emoyeni, ngekuvula aphindze avale timphiko tawo. Lomagazini utsi nayilingisela timphiko letigobekako te-seagull “lendiza lesibonelo lengema-intji langu-24 isebentisa umshini lomncane kute ucondzise tinsimbi letilandzelanako letinyakatisa letimphiko.”  Letimphiko letihlelwe ngekuhlakanipha tenta lendiza lencane ikwati kundiza nekuntjuza emkhatsini wetakhiwo letindze. Lamanye emabutfo etimphi atimisele kwakha tindiza leticondziseka melula langatisebentisela kusesha tikhali temakhemikhali nobe temagciwane labulalako emadolobheni lamakhulu.

I-seagull ayigongobali ngisho nobe ime echweni. Lenyoni itigcina njani ifutfumele? Lenye indlela lekwenta ngayo loko, ikusebentisa sici lesitsite lesimangalisako lesitfolakala etilwaneni letinyenti letihlala etindzaweni leticandzako. Lesici sibitwa ngekutsi luhlelo lwekufutfumeta umtimba (countercurrent heat exchanger).

Luyini loluhlelo lwekufutfumeta umtimba? Kute ulucondze, cabanga ngemaphayiphi lamabili emanti laboshwe kanyekanye. Kulelinye lalamaphayiphi kuhamba emanti lashisako kantsi kuleli lelinye kuhamba lacandzako. Nangabe lamanti lashisako nalawa lacandzako aya endzaweni lefananako, kushisa lokungaba nguhhafu lokusuka kulamanti lashisako kutawuya kulawa lacandzako. Kodvwa nangabe lamanti aphambana, cishe konkhe kushisa lokusuka kulamanti lashisako kutawuya kulawa lacandzako.

Nangabe i-seagull ime echweni, letintfo tekuyifutfumeta letisemilenteni yayo tishisisa ingati lekhuphukako ibuya etinyaweni tayo leticandzako. Letintfo tekuyifutfumeta tigcina kushisa emtimbeni walenyoni futsi tenta nekushisa kungaphumi etinyaweni tayo. Arthur P. Fraas, longunjiniyela wekusebenta kwemishini kanye nekwakhiwa kwetindiza (mechanical and aeronautical engineer), uchaza loluhlelo njengalolo “loluphumelela kunato tonkhe tintfo tekufutfumeta umtimba emhlabeni wonkhe.”¹³ Loluhlelo lubonisa kuhlakanipha kangangekutsi bonjiniyela baye balusebentisa.

Ngakulolunye luhlangotsi, i-National Aeronautics and Space Administration yakha lirobhothi lelinetinyawo letinyenti lelihamba njengafecele, kantsi bonjiniyela base-Finland bakhe sigulumba lesinemasondvo lasitfupha lesikwati kukhuphuka etindzaweni letisitsiyo njengobe kwenta silwanyana lesikhulu. Labanye bacwaningi bakhe indvwangu lenetintfo letiphephetelako letilingisa indlela tigaca temphayini (pinecones) letivuleka tiphindze tivaleke ngayo. Indvwangu lenjalo iyashintjashintja ivumelane nelizinga lekushisa laloyo loyigcokile. Inkampani yekwakha timoto yakha imoto lelingisa indlela lemangalisako ye-boxfish yekonga emandla. Labanye bacwaningi bahlolisisa kwakheka kwemagobolondvo enhlanti i-abalone layenta icine ingalimali nayishayiseka, kute bakhe timphahla tekuvikela umtimba letimelula kodvwa leticinile.

Indalo iletse imibono leminyenti lemihle kangangekutsi bacwaningi bente luhlelo lwabongcondvomshini lolunemininingwane leminyenti ngemikhuba leyehlukehlukene yetintfo letiphilako. I-The Economist itsi bososayensi bangacwaninga kuloluhlelo kute batfole “emakhambi emvelo etinkinga tetintfo labatakhile.” Kutsiwa tintfo letiphilako tibanikati baletinhlelo temvelo. Imvamisa, inkampani nobe umuntfu uniketwa ligunya lelisemtsetfweni njengemnikati wemshini lawakhile nobe umbono lavele nawo. Nayikhuluma ngalemininingwane, i-The Economist itsi: “Bacwaningi nabatsi tintfo letiphilako ‘tibanikati baletinhlelo temvelo’ lokususelwa kuto tintfo letakhiwe, ecinisweni basuke bagcizelela kutsi imvelo ingumnikati wato tonkhe tintfo letentiwe bantfu.”¹⁴

Imvelo yayitsatsa kuphi yonkhe lemibono lehlakaniphile? Bacwaningi labanyenti bebangatsi lokuhlakanipha lokubonakala endalweni kwavela ngemuva kwetigidzi teminyaka yekutiphendvukela kwemvelo. Kodvwa labanye bacwaningi bafike esiphetfweni lesehlukile. Michael J. Behe, losati setintfo letincane kakhulu letiphilako (microbiologist) wabhala ephephandzabeni i-New York Times ya-February 7, 2005: “Bufakazi lobucinile bekudalwa [lobubonakala emvelweni] busenta sifike kulesiphetfo lesingasetsemba: nangabe intfo lecanjiwe ibonakala ihamba, ifanana futsi ikhala njengelidada, futsi kubebete bufakazi lobunyenti  bekukuphikisa loko, sinesizatfu lesivakalako sekuphetsa ngekutsi ilidada.” Bewuyini umbono wa-Behe? “Nangabe kudalwa kubonakala kusebaleni entfweni letsite, akukafaneli kuphikiswe ngunobe ngubani.”¹⁵

Kuliciniso kutsi njiniyela lowakha luphiko lwendiza loluphephile futsi lolusebenta kahle angafanelwa kudvunyiswa ngemsebenti wakhe. Ngendlela lefananako, umuntfu lowakha indvwangu letsambile nobe imoto lesebenta kahle angafanelwa kudvunyiswa ngemsebenti wakhe. Ecinisweni, umuntfu lokhicita tintfo letisekelwe embonweni walomunye umuntfu kodvwa ehluleke kumcaphela nobe kumdvumisa, angatsatfwa njengesigebengu.

Asewucabangele nakha emaciniso: Bacwaningi labafundze bagogodzela basebentisa imikhuba yetintfo letidaliwe kute bacatulule tinkinga tabo tebunjiniyela. Nanobe kunjalo, labanye bangatsi kuhlakanipha lokubonakala endalweni kwavela ngekutiphendvukela kwemvelo lokungakahlakaniphi. Kubonakala kunengcondvo yini loko kuwe? Nangabe intfo leyakhiwe isuselwa kulenye idzinga umakhi lohlakaniphile, kutsiwani-ke ngalentfo yekucala? Ngubani vele lokufanele atfole ludvumo lolukhulu, ngucwephesha nobe ngumfundzi lolingisa tintfo letentiwe nguloyo cwephesha?

Ngemuva kwekuhlola bufakazi bekutsi ukhona umuntfu lowenta indalo, bantfu labanyenti bavumelana nemavi aPawula, umbhali weliBhayibheli, lowatsi: “Kusukela ekudalweni kwemhlaba nemkhatsi emandla akhe laphakadze nebuNkulunkulu bakhe bebufihlekile emehlweni ebantfu; noko bekukhona etingcondvweni kutsi bubonakale etintfweni latentile.”​—Roma 1:19, 20.