Umhlaba okwindawo enamatye kumbindi we-Antarctica awuzange ube nazo iintsholongwane.
Okokuqala, izazinzulu ziye zafumanisa ukuba akukho nto iphilayo emhlabeni kumhlaba. Umhlaba uvela kwiinduli ezimbini ezivuthuzayo, ezinamatye ngaphakathi kwe-Antarctica, iikhilomitha ezingama-300 ukusuka kwi-South Pole, apho amawaka eenyawo zomkhenkce angena ezintabeni.
“Abantu bebesoloko becinga ukuba iintsholongwane zomelele kwaye zinokuhlala naphi na,” utsho uNoah Firer, isazi ngezinto eziphilayo kwiYunivesithi yaseColorado Boulder oqela lakhe lifunda umhlaba. Ngapha koko, izinto eziphilayo ezineseli enye ziye zafunyanwa ziphila kwimizila ye-hydrothermal enamaqondo obushushu angaphezu kwe-200 degrees Fahrenheit, kumachibi angaphantsi kwesiqingatha semayile yomkhenkce e-Antarctica, kunye neemitha ezili-120,000 ngaphezu koMhlaba. Kodwa emva konyaka esebenza, uFerrer kunye nomfundi wakhe ogqirha uNicholas Dragon abakafumani zimpawu zobomi kumhlaba we-Antarctic abawuqokelele.
UFire kunye noDrakane bafunda imihlaba ukusuka kwiintaba ezili-11 ezahlukeneyo, ezimele uluhlu olubanzi lweemeko. Ezo zisuka kwimimandla yeentaba ezisezantsi nezingabandi kakhulu zineentsholongwane kunye nokungunda. Kodwa kwezinye iintaba zeentaba ezimbini eziphakamileyo, ezomileyo nezibandayo akukho zimpawu zobomi.
“Asinakuthi azinyumba,” utshilo uFerrer. Iingcali zebhayoloji ziqhele ukufumana izigidi zeeseli kwitispuni yomhlaba. Ngoko ke, inani elincinane kakhulu (umz. i-100 leeseli ezisebenzayo) lingaphuncuka ekubhaqweni. "Kodwa ngokokwazi kwethu, aziqulathanga naziphi na iintsholongwane."
Nokuba umhlaba othile awunabo bomi ngokwenene okanye ufunyaniswe kamva ukuba uneeseli ezisindileyo, izinto ezintsha ezifunyenweyo ezipapashwe kwijenali JGR Biogeosciences zinokunceda ekukhangeleni ubomi kuMars. Umhlaba wase-Antarctic umkhenkce ngokusisigxina, uzele ziityuwa ezinetyhefu, yaye awunamanzi angamanzi kangangezigidi ezibini zeminyaka—afana nomhlaba waseMartian.
Baye baqokelelwa ngexesha lohambo lweSizwe lweSayensi oluxhaswa ngemali ngoJanuwari 2018 kwiindawo ezikude kwiiNtaba zeTransantarctic. Badlula kumbindi welizwekazi, besahlula intlango ephakamileyo esempuma kumkhenkce osezantsi osentshona. Izazinzulu zamisa inkampu kwiShackleton Glacier, ibhanti lokuthutha lomkhenkce eliziikhilomitha ezingama-60 eliqukuqela phantsi komsantsa osezintabeni. Basebenzisa iihelikopta ukubhabha ukuya kwiindawo eziphakamileyo kwaye baqokelele iisampulu benyuka behla kumkhenkce.
Kwiintaba ezifudumeleyo nezimanzi emazantsi omkhenkce, eziimitha nje ezingamakhulu ambalwa ngaphezu komphakamo wolwandle, bafumanisa ukuba umhlaba wawumiwe zizilwanyana ezincinci kunembewu yesesame: iintshulube ezincinane, iitardigrades ezinemilenze esibhozo, iirotifers kunye neentshulube ezincinane. ebizwa ngokuba yi-springtails. Izinambuzane ezinamaphiko. Lo mhlaba umqwebedu, onesanti uqulathe ngaphantsi kwewaka leebhaktheriya ezifumaneka kwingca egcinwe kakuhle, ngokwaneleyo ukubonelela ngokutya kwezilwanyana ezincinci ezitya utyani ezincame ngaphantsi komhlaba.
Kodwa ezi mpawu zobomi zathi shwaka ngokuthe ngcembe njengoko eli qela lalityelela iintaba eziphakamileyo kumkhenkce. Encotsheni yomkhenkce, batyelela iintaba ezimbini—iMount Schroeder neMount Roberts—ezingaphezu kweemitha ezingama-7 000 ukuphakama.
Ukutyelela iSchroeder Mountain kwakunenkohlakalo, ukhumbula uByron Adams, isazi ngebhayoloji kwiYunivesithi yaseBrigham Young eProvo, eUtah, owayekhokela lo msebenzi. Iqondo lobushushu ngolu suku lwasehlotyeni lisondele ku-0°F. Lo moya ubhudlayo wawunyusa kancinane umkhenkce nekhephu umphunga, ushiya iintaba zithe qelele, isisongelo esiqhubekayo sokuphakanyiswa nokujulwa kwemihlakulo yasegadini ababeze nayo ukuze bombe intlabathi. Eli lizwe ligutyungelwe ngamatye abomvu entaba-mlilo aye akhukuliseka kumakhulu ezigidi zeminyaka ngumoya nemvula, ewashiya enemingxuma yaye ekhazimlisiwe.
Xa izazinzulu zaliphakamisayo eli litye, zafumanisa ukuba isiseko salo sasigqunywe yityuwa emhlophe—iikristale ezinetyhefu zeperchlorate, chlorate nenitrate. Iiperhlorati kunye neeklorati, iityuwa ezitshisayo ezisetyenziswa kwi-rocket fuel nakwi-industrial bleach, nazo zifumaneka ngobuninzi kumphezulu weMars. Ekubeni kungekho manzi okukhukula, ityuwa iqokelelana kwezi ntaba zomileyo zeAntarctic.
“Kufana nesampulu kuMars,” utshilo u-Adams. Xa ufaka umhlakulo, "uyazi ukuba uyinto yokuqala ukuphazamisa umhlaba ngonaphakade-mhlawumbi izigidi zeminyaka."
Abaphandi bacebisa ukuba kwanakwiindawo eziphakamileyo ngolo hlobo nakwiimeko ezinzima, baseza kufumana iintsholongwane eziphilayo emhlabeni. Kodwa olo lindelo lwaqala ukuphela ngasekupheleni kuka-2018, xa i-Dragon yasebenzisa ubuchule obubizwa ngokuba yi-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ukubona i-microbial DNA kumdaka. Idragoni ivavanye iisampulu ezingama-204 ukusuka ezintabeni phezulu nangaphantsi komkhenkce. Iisampulu ezivela kwiintaba ezisezantsi, ezipholileyo zivelise izixa ezikhulu zeDNA; kodwa iisampulu ezininzi (20%) ezisuka kwiindawo eziphakamileyo, kubandakanywa uninzi olusuka eMount Schroeder naseRoberts Massif, azizange zivavanyelwe naziphi na iziphumo, ezibonisa ukuba zinee-microorganisms ezimbalwa kakhulu okanye mhlawumbi azikho kwaphela.
UFerrell wathi: “Xa wayeqala ukundibonisa iziphumo, ndacinga ukuba, 'Kukho undonakele.' Wayecinga ukuba kukho into engalunganga ngesampulu okanye kwisixhobo selebhu.
I-Dragon emva koko yenza uthotho lweemvavanyo ezongezelelweyo zokukhangela iimpawu zobomi. Wawunyanga umhlaba ngeglucose ukuze abone ukuba izinto eziphilayo ezithile emhlabeni ziyawuguqula ube yikharbon diokside. Wayezama ukufumanisa ikhemikhali ebizwa ngokuba yi-ATP, esetyenziswa zizo zonke izinto eziphilayo emhlabeni ukugcina amandla. Kangangeenyanga ezininzi, wayelima amaqhekeza omhlaba kwimixube eyahlukeneyo yezondlo, ezama ukukholisa ii-microorganisms ezikhoyo ukuba zikhule zibe ngamathanga.
“U-Nick uphose isinki yasekhitshini kwezi sampuli,” utshilo uFerrell. Phezu kwazo zonke ezi mvavanyo, akazange afumane nto kweminye imihlaba. Iyamangalisa ngokwenene.
UJacqueline Gurdial, isazi ngendalo esingqongileyo kwiYunivesithi yaseGuelph eKhanada, ubiza iziphumo “ezinomtsalane,” ngakumbi iinzame zikaDragon zokufumanisa ukuba zeziphi izinto eziphembelela amathuba okufumana iintsholongwane kwindawo ethile. Ufumanise ukuba ukuphakama okuphezulu kunye noxinzelelo oluphezulu lweklorate zezona ziqikelelo ezinamandla zokungaphumeleli ukubona ubomi. “Oku kukufumanisa kunomdla kakhulu,” utshilo uGoodyear. "Oku kusixelela okuninzi malunga nemida yobomi eMhlabeni."
Akaqinisekanga ngokupheleleyo ukuba umhlaba wabo awunabomi, ngokuyinxenye ngenxa yamava akhe kwenye indawo ye-Antarctica.
Kwiminyaka eliqela eyadlulayo, wafunda ngomhlaba osuka kwindawo efanayo kwiiNtaba zeTransantarctic, indawo ekwiimayile ezingama-500 kumntla-ntshona weShackleton Glacier ebizwa ngokuba yiUniversity Valley ekusenokwenzeka ukuba ayizange ibe nokufuma okubalulekileyo okanye amaqondo obushushu anyibilikayo iminyaka eyi-120,000. Wathi akuwufukamela kangangeenyanga ezingama-20 kwi-23°F, iqondo lobushushu eliqhelekileyo lasehlotyeni kuloo ntlambo, umhlaba wawungabonakali bomi. Kodwa xa wayefudumeza iisampulu zomhlaba idigri ezimbalwa ngaphezulu komkhenkce, ezinye zabonisa ukukhula kwebhaktiriya.
Ngokomzekelo, izazinzulu ziye zafumanisa ukuba iiseli zebhaktheriya zihlala ziphila nasemva kwamawaka eminyaka kumkhenkce. Xa zibanjiswa, inkqubo yemetabolism yeseli inokucothisa izihlandlo ezisisigidi. Ziya kwindawo apho zingasakhuli, kodwa zilungisa kuphela umonakalo we-DNA obangelwa imitha ye-cosmic engena emkhenkceni. UGoodyear uqikelela ukuba aba "basindileyo abacothayo" banokuba ngaba bafumene kwiKholeji yeKholeji-uyakrokrela ukuba ukuba i-Drakane kunye noFirer bahlalutye amaxesha angama-10 ngaphezulu komhlaba, babenokubafumana eRoberts Massif okanye iSchroeder Mountain.
UBrent Christner, ofunda ngeAntarctic microbes kwiYunivesithi yaseFlorida eGainesville, ukholelwa ukuba lo mhlaba uphakamileyo, owomileyo unokunceda ukuphucula ukukhangela ubomi kuMars.
Waphawula ukuba isiphekepheke seViking 1 neViking 2, esahlala kuMars ngowe-1976, senza amalinge okubona ubomi obusekelwe kwinxalenye yohlolisiso lomhlaba ophantsi kufutshane nonxweme lwaseAntarctica, ummandla obizwa ngokuba ziiNtlambo Zomileyo. Eminye yale mihlaba iba manzi kumanzi anyibilikayo ehlotyeni. Aziqulathanga kuphela ii-microorganisms, kodwa kwezinye iindawo zineentshulube ezincinci kunye nezinye izilwanyana.
Ngokuchaseneyo, umhlaba ophezulu, owomileyo wase-Mount Roberts kunye ne-Mount Schroeder unokubonelela ngeendawo ezingcono zokuvavanya izixhobo ze-Martian.
“Ubuso bukaMars bubi kakhulu,” utshilo uChristner. “Akukho nto iphilayo eMhlabeni inokuphila phezu komhlaba”—ubuncinane ingaphezulu kwe-intshi okanye ezimbini. Nasiphi na isiphekepheke esiya apho sikhangela ubomi kufuneka silungiselelwe ukusebenza kwezona ndawo zinzima eMhlabeni.
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