Ngo-2009, into ekukholelwa ukuba lelona laphu likhulu nelinqabileyo lelaphu elenziwe ngokupheleleyo ngesilika yegolide ye-silika orb-weaver laboniswa kwi-American Museum of Natural History eNew York. Kuthiwa “kuphela kwelaphu elikhulu elenziwe ngesilika yesigcawu sendalo ekhoyo ehlabathini namhlanje.” Lilaphu eliphefumlayo kwaye ibali lokudalwa kwalo linika umdla.
Esi siqwenga selaphu yayiyiprojekthi ekhokelwa ngokudibeneyo nguSimon Peers, umbhali-mbali waseBritane ogqwesa kwimpahla elukiweyo, kunye noNicholas Godley, iqabane lakhe leshishini laseMelika. Iprojekthi ithathe iminyaka emihlanu ukugqiba kwaye ixabisa i-£ 300,000 (malunga ne-$ 395820). Isiphumo salo mzamo sasiyi-3.4-meter (11.2 ft/) nge-1.2-metres (3.9 ft.) isiqwenga se-textile.
Impembelelo yesigcawu sobugcisa besilika
Ilaphu eliveliswe nguPeers kunye noGodley yitshawuli/ikapa ehonjiswe ngegolide. Ukuphefumlelwa kwalo msebenzi wobugcisa kwatsalwa ngooNtanga abasuka kwingxelo yesiFrentshi eyabhalwa ngenkulungwane ye-19. Le ngxelo ichaza ilinge lomvangeli wasemazweni ongumJesuit ongumFrentshi ogama linguTata uPaul Camboué lokukhupha nokwenza amalaphu ngesilika yesigcawu. Ngelixa iinzame ezahlukeneyo zenziwe kwixesha elidlulileyo ukuguqula isilika yesigcawu ibe yilaphu, uBawo Camboué uthathwa njengomntu wokuqala ophumelele ukwenza oko. Nangona kunjalo, i-spider web yayisele ivunwe kumaxesha amandulo ngeenjongo ezahlukeneyo. Ngokomzekelo, amaGrike amandulo ayesebenzisa indlu yesigcawu ukunqanda amanxeba angophayo.
Njengomthunywa wevangeli eMadagascar, uTata uCamboué wasebenzisa uhlobo lwezigcawu ezifumaneka kwesi siqithi ukuvelisa isilika yakhe yesigcawu. Kunye neqabane loshishino eligama lingu M. Nogué, ishishini lelaphu lesilika yesigcawu lasekwa kwesi siqithi kwaye enye yeemveliso zabo, “iqela elipheleleyo leebhedi ezijingayo” wade waboniswa kwi-Paris Exposition ka-1898. Umsebenzi we AmaFrentshi amabini sele elahlekile. Nangona kunjalo, yafumana ingqalelo ngelo xesha kwaye yanika impembelelo kwiPeers kunye nesenzo sikaGodley malunga nenkulungwane kamva.
Ukubamba kunye nokukhupha isilika yesigcawu
Enye yezinto ezibalulekileyo kwimveliso ye-Camboué kunye ne-Nogué ye-spider silk sisixhobo esasungulwa ngulo mva ukukhupha isilika. Lo matshini mncinane wawuqhutywa ngesandla kwaye wawukwazi ukukhupha isilika ukusuka kwizigcawu ezingama-24 ngaxeshanye ngaphandle kokuzonzakalisa. Oontanga bakwazile ukwenza umfanekiso walo matshini, kwaza kwaqalisa inkqubo 'yokwenza isilika yesigcawu.
Noko ke, ngaphambi koku, kwafuneka kubanjwe izigcawu. Isigcawu esisetyenziswa ngooNtanga kunye noGodley ukuvelisa ilaphu labo saziwa njengesigcawu esinemilenze ebomvu yegolide ye-orb-web (Nephila inaurata), luhlobo oluyinzalelwane yaseMpuma naseMzantsi-mpuma Afrika, kunye neziqithi ezininzi kwiNtshona yeIndiya. Ulwandle, kuquka iMadagascar. Kuphela ziimazi zolu didi ezivelisa isilika, zona ziyiluke zibe yimisonto. Iiweb zikhanya ekukhanyeni kwelanga kwaye kuye kwacetyiswa ukuba oku kwenzelwa ukutsala ixhoba, okanye ukusebenza njengento yokufihla.
KooNtanga kunye noGodley, kangangesigidi sezi zigcawu ze-orb-web zegolide ezimazi ezinemilenze ebomvu kuye kwafuneka zibanjwe ukuze zifumane isilika eyaneleyo yetshali / ikapa. Ngethamsanqa, olu luhlobo oluqhelekileyo lwesigcawu kwaye luninzi kwisiqithi. Izigcawu zabuyiselwa endle xa ziphelelwe yisilika. Noko ke, emva kweveki, ezi zigcawu zazikwazi ukwenza isilika kwakhona. Izigcawu zivelisa isilika yazo kuphela ngexesha lemvula, ngoko zabanjwa kuphela ngeenyanga phakathi kuka-Oktobha noJuni.
Ekupheleni kweminyaka emine, ishawl/icape enemibala yegolide yaveliswa. Yaboniswa okokuqala kwiMyuziyam yaseMelika yeMbali yeNdalo eNew York emva koko kwiMyuziyam yaseVictoria neAlbert eLondon. Lo msebenzi wawungqina ukuba ngokwenene isilika yesigcawu inokusetyenziselwa ukwenza amalaphu.
Ubunzima kwimveliso yesilika yesigcawu
Nangona kunjalo, akuyomveliso ilula ukuvelisa ngobuninzi. Ngokomzekelo, xa zihlaliswe kunye, ezi zigcawu zidla ngokuguquka zibe ngamazimu. Sekunjalo, kuye kwafunyaniswa ukuba isilika yesigcawu yomelele ngokugqithisileyo, kodwa ilula yaye ibhetyebhetye, nto leyo ebangela umdla kwizazinzulu ezininzi. Ngoko ke, abaphandi bebezama ukufumana le silika ngezinye iindlela.
Ngokomzekelo, omnye kukufaka imizila yemfuza yesigcawu kwezinye izinto eziphilayo (ezifana neentsholongwane, nangona ezinye ziye zazama oko kwiinkomo neebhokhwe), kwandule ke ukuvuna isilika kuzo. Iinzame ezinjalo zibe nempumelelo elinganiselweyo kuphela. Kubonakala ngathi okwangoku, umntu kusafuneka abambe inani elikhulu lezigcawu ukuba unqwenela ukuvelisa iqhekeza lelaphu kwisilika yalo.
