AYO majambo yanditswe n’umwami Salomo, arerekana neza ingene abantu babona ubuzima. Kumbure kubera ko bataramba kandi badashobora guhunga urupfu, haraheze ibinjana n’ibindi bipfuza cane kubaho igihe kirekire. Inkuru n’ibitito vyinshi birerekana ko bamaze igihe kirekire barondera kuramba cane.

Reka dufate akarorero k’Umwami Gilgamesh wo muri Sumeriya. Hari ibitito vyinshi vyavuze ivyereke ubuzima bwiwe. Kimwe muri ivyo, kikaba kivuga ibijanye n’ubuhizi bwiwe, kivuga ko yagize urugendo ruteye akaga kugira yige ingene yohunga urupfu, ariko bimuta ku w’amazi.

Mu kinjana ca kane imbere ya Kristu, abahinga bo mu Bushinwa baragerageje guhingura umuti wo kunywa ngo wotumye badapfa. Bahavuye bahingura ikinyobwa c’uruvange rwa merikire na arisenike (arsenic). Bivugwa ko ico kinyobwa cahitanye abami benshi b’Ubushinwa. Mu Buraya bwa kera na ho, hari abahinga bagerageje guhingura inzahabu kugira abantu bazifungure, ngo ivyo vyotumye baca barushiriza kuramba kubera ko inzahabu idapfa kwononekara.

Ubu abahinga mu vy’ibinyabuzima no mu vy’utugingo ngengakamere bariko barondera kumenya igituma umuntu asaza. Cokimwe n’abahinguye wa muti ngo wotumye badapfa, utwo twigoro turerekana ko abantu bagifise ikizigizigi c’uko bazoteba bakamenya ingene batosaza canke ngo bapfe. None ubwo bushakashatsi bwavuyemwo iki?

Abanyasiyansi biga ibijanye n’utugingo ngengabuzima tw’umuntu bamaze gutanga ivyiyumviro birenga 300 bisigura igituma dusaza hanyuma tugapfa. Muri iyi myaka, abahinga baragize ubushakashatsi bwatumye utugingo ngengabuzima tw’abantu n’utw’ibikoko tudasaza n’ingoga. Ivyo vyatumye abatunzi bamwebamwe baterera cane abo bashakashatsi kugira ngo bamenye igituma dupfa. None nya bashakashatsi bakoze iki?

Baragerageje gutuma umuntu aramba. Hari abahinga bavuga ko ahanini dusaza kubera ibishikira udusunwa tw’utugingo ngengakamere (chromosomes) twacu bita télomères. Izo télomères ni zo zikingira amakuru atekeye mu tugingo ngengabuzima twacu igihe twigabagura. Ariko igihe cose twigabuye, télomères zica zirushiriza kuba ngufi. Amaherezo utwo tugingo turahagarika kwigabagura, umuntu agaca atangura gusaza.

Uwitwa Elizabeth Blackburn, uwaronse ka gashimwe  kitiriwe Nobeli mu 2009, we n’abo bakoranye barubuye mu mubiri inkabuzo ituma télomères ziteba kuba ngufi, bigatuma n’akagingo ngengabuzima kadasaza ningoga. Yamara rero, bariyemerera ko izo télomères zidatuma umuntu aca aramba mu buryo bw’igitangaro.

Kunagura utugingo ngengabuzima ni ubundi buryo bakoresheje mu kurwanya ubusaza. Iyo utugingo ngengabuzima dushaje ku buryo tudashobora kwigabagura, twoshobora guha amakuru atari yo abasoda b’umubiri bari iruhande yatwo, ivyo bigatuma umuntu avyimba, akamana ububabare kandi akarwara. Hari abahinga bo mu Bufaransa baherutse kunagura utugingo ngengabuzima bakuye mu bantu bashaje, bamwe bakaba bari barengeje imyaka 100. Porofeseri Jean-Marc Lemaître yari arongoye abo bahinga, yavuze ko ivyo bashitseko vyerekana ko utugingo ngengabuzima ‘dushobora gusubizwa itoto.’

Si abanyasiyansi bose bemera ko ivyo bakoresha mu kurwanya ubusaza bishobora gutuma umuntu arushiriza kuramba. Naho imyaka umuntu ashobora kumara yarongerekanye kuva mu kinjana ca 19, ahanini biva kw’isuku ryinshi, ku ngingo zifatwa mu kurwanya indwara ziterwa n’imigera, ku miti irwanya imigera no ku ncanco. Abahinga bamwebamwe bavuga ko ikiringo umuntu ashobora kubaho gisa n’ikimaze gushika aho kidashobora kurenga.

Haraheze imyaka nka 3.500 umwanditsi wa Bibiliya Musa avuze ati: “Imisi y’imyaka yacu ni imyaka mirongo irindwi; kandi naho yoba imyaka mirongo umunani bivuye ku nkomezi zidasanzwe, nubundi ibiyiranga ni ivyago n’ibibi gusa; kuko ihita ningoga, natwe tukaba tugurutse.” (Zaburi 90:10) Naho abantu bagira utwigoro kugira turushirize kuramba, muri rusangi ubuzima buguma burangwa n’ivyo bintu Musa yavuze.

Yamara rero, ibinyabuzima vyo mu mazi, nk’icitwa oursin rouge be n’ubwoko bumwe bw’ibifyera vyitwa palourde, birashobora kubaho imyaka irenga 200. Ibiti vy’inganzamarumpu vyitwa séquoia vyovyo biramara n’imyaka ibihumbi. None tugereranije imyaka tubaho be n’iyo ivyo binyabuzima be n’ibindi bimara, ntibituma twibaza duti: ‘Ubuzima buzokwama bumara imyaka 70 canke 80 gusa?’