麻豆约拍

D猫 tha na litrichean 鈥淕M鈥� a鈥� ciallachadh dhuibhse? Don chuid as motha de mhuinntir Bhreatainn, tha iad a鈥� ciallachadh mar a bhios biadh air atharrachadh le bhith ag atharrachadh nan gineachan 鈥� neo 鈥済enes. Genetically Modified, mar a chanas iad.

Ach tha ceangal nas sine aig na litrichean GM do ghineachan agus don t-saidheans a bh鈥檃ir a chruthachadh timcheall ghineachan 鈥� saidheans ris an canar 鈥済intinneachd鈥� 鈥� neo genetics. 鈥橲 e am fear a dh鈥檌onnsaich an toiseach mar a bhios gineachan ag obair 鈥� fear air an robh na litrichean G agus M mar a鈥� chiad litir anns gach ainm aige. Gregor Mendel.

鈥橲 e manach a bh鈥檃nn an Mendel agus bha e a鈥� fuireach ann am manachainn anns an Ostair 鈥� a tha a-nise mar phairt de Phoblachd nan Teagach. Rugadh e anns a鈥� bhliadhna ochd ceud deug is a dha ar fhichead (1822). Aig aois ceithir deug ar fhichead (34), th貌isich e air rannsachadh air lusan 鈥� air peasraichean a bha e a鈥� cur ann an leas na manachainn.

Bha an rannsachadh aige s矛mplidh gu le貌r, ach 鈥檚 e a bha math mu dh猫idhinn gu robh Mendel gu math c霉ramach. Aig an toiseach, bha e a鈥� coimhead air d矛reach aon rud 鈥� cho 脿rd 鈥檚 a bha an lus. Fhuair e lusan 脿rda agus lusan beaga, an d脿 chuid gun se貌rsa sam bith eile nan sinnsearachd. An uairsin chuir e poilean bho fhl霉raichean an darna fhir air fl霉raichean an fhir eile. Chuir e na s矛l 鈥� na peasraichean 鈥� a th脿inig 脿s a sin, agus rinn e tomhas air cho 脿rd 鈥檚 a bha na lusan 霉ra 鈥� an ath ghinealach, neo 鈥淔 a h-aon鈥� (F1) mar a chanas iad. Agus bha iadsan air fad 脿rd.

An uairsin, dh鈥檕braich Mendel leis an F a h-aon, agus rinn e an aon rud, a鈥� cur poilean bho chuid de lusan air na fl霉raichean aig lusan eile. Agus d猫 thachair anns an ath ghinealach? Uill, rud a bha iongantach 鈥檚 d貌cha. Bha feadhainn aca 脿rd a-rithist, d矛reach mar a bha am p脿rantan, ach bha feadhainn eile ann a bha beag 鈥� d矛reach mar a bha na lusan beaga nan sinnsireachd.

鈥橲 d貌cha gu robh feadhainn eile a bharrachd air Gregor Mendel air rudan mar sin fhaicinn. Ach rinn Mendel rudeigin s矛mplidh nach do rinn duine sam bith eile roimhe. Chunnt e na lusan. Bha tri cairteal dhiubh 脿rd, is cairteal dhiubh beag. Thuig Mendel an uairsin gun gabhadh seo m矛neachadh nan robh d脿 rud ann 鈥� d脿 ghine 鈥� airson 脿irde, le fear aca nas l脿idire nan fhear eile. Agus 鈥檚 ann 脿s a sin a th脿inig na riaghailtean bunaiteach air gintinneachd ris an canar an-diugh 鈥淣a Laghan Mendealach鈥�, 脿s deidh a鈥� mhanaich.

Ach d猫 am beachd a bhiodh aig GM 鈥� Gregor Mendel 鈥� air biadh GM an-diugh, agus air an deasbad ann am Breatainn mu dh猫idhinn? Nuair a bha e a鈥� deanamh rannsachadh air na lusan aige, an robh beachd aige gum biodh luchd-saidheans ceud bliadhna as d猫idh a bh脿is

a鈥� cur gineachan bhon aon se貌rsa luis ann an lusan de she貌rsa eile? Neo, gu dearbh, bho bheathaichean gu lusan, is bho lusan gu beathaichean? Chanainn nach robh. Ach a bheil sin a鈥� ciallachadh gum biodh e mi-thoilichte mu dh猫idhinn?

Tha an seanfhacal ag r脿dh, 鈥淣uair a bhriseas aon bh貌 an g脿rradh, th猫id a dh脿-dheug a-mach air.鈥� Bhris Gregor Mendel g脿rradh aineolais o chionn c貌rr math is ceud bliadhna. 鈥橲 e an t-eagal a th鈥檃ir m貌ran gun dean an dusan b貌 eile cron m貌r fhad鈥檚 a tha iad a鈥� ruith mun cuairt gun smachd orra. Ge bith d猫 thachras, tha mi鈥檔 d貌chas nach gabh an sluagh droch bheachd air an t-saidheans a chruthaich Mendel. C脿it鈥� am bitheamaid an-diugh as aonais?

a' ciallachadh: meaning; ceangal: tie, connection; saidheans: science; gine, gineachan: gene, genes; an Ostair: Austria; Poblachd nan Teagach: the Czech Republic; peasraichean: peas; c霉ramach: careful; iongantach: surprising; tomhas: estimation, measurement; bunaiteach: basic, fundamental.

air atharrachadh: changed, modified; rugadh e: he was born; chuir e na s矛l: he planted the seed; g脿rradh aineolais: a wall of ignorance; ge bith de thachras: whatever happens; c脿it. am bitheamaid?: where would we be?; as aonais: without it.

Am parantan: their parents. The possessive "their" can be given in two ways in Gaelic -聽firstly by using "aca" (at them). Seall air a'ch脿r 霉r aca! (look at their new car!). A second, neater way is to use "an". eg Seall air a' chloinn - tha an s霉ilean gu l猫ir gorm (look at the children聽- all of their eyes are blue (ie they are all blue-eyed). Tha an leabhraichean air a' bh貌rd (their books are on the table). For ease of pronunciation "an" becomes "am" before certain consonants ie b, f, m, p). Tha am pr猫asantan fon chraoibh (their presents are under the tree). The "an" and "am" become "nan" and "nam" when we want to say "in their" ie nan sinnsearachd (in their ancestry); bha na pinn nam p貌caidean (the pens were in their pockets). Note that "p貌caidean" is not lenited. This allows you to distinguish it from "in my pockets" in which the noun is lenited ie bha na pinn nam ph貌caidean (the pens were in my pockets).

Nuair a bhriseas aon bh貌 an g脿rradh, th猫id a dha-dheug a-mach air: When one cow breaks the wall, twelve will go out (ie make their escape). Notice that in Gaelic we say a-mach air for "out of". So we get a-mach air an doras (out of the door) and a-mach air an uinneig (out of the window). In crofting areas g脿rradh generally means a dry-stone wall, usually running around a house, garden or field. But it has alsocome to mean "garden" and this is its more common meaning in the towns. Another word for "garden" is leas which appears in this letter聽- leas na manachainn - the monastery garden. In some dialects this is lios. Lismore is Liosm貌r (great garden) - a fitting description of a fertile and beautiful island.