Oososayensi babekade becinga ukuba ingcungcu isebenzisa ulwimi lwayo ukufunxa incindi ngombhobho omncinci—into ebizwa ngokuba yicapillary action (loo nto ithetha ukufunxa). Kamva uphando luye lwabonisa ukuba ingcungcu isebenzisa enye indlela ebhetele kakhulu ebizwa ngokuba yifluid trap (ukuthatha nokuvalela incindi).

 Cinga ngoku: Xa ulwimi lwengcungu lufunxa incindi, ulwimi luyohlukana luze lube ngamacala amabini. Kula macala mabini kubakho imisele. Le misele ivalekile. Xa kungena le ncindi, imisele iyavuleka, uze umphambili wolwimi ukwazi ukugoba uthathe incindi, ikwazi ukuzingenela emlonyeni endaweni yokuba ifunxwe. Xa ulwimi ludibana, luyavaleka ibe sele ingaphakathi incindi.

 Abaphandi uAlejandro Rico-Guevara, Tai-Hsi Fan, noMargaret Rubega bathi yonke le nto ithatha “ixesha elingaphantsi komzuzwana.” Kwakhona bathi: “Olu lwimi luyatshintshatshintsha njengokuba ifunxa incindi.”

 Kwakhona, ulwimi lwale ntaka incinci akufuneki lusebenzise amandla ukuze luyenze le nto. Xa kukho izinto eziphazamisa incindi, umphambili wolwimi uyavuleka uphinde uvaleke njengokuba incindi ingena emlonyeni.

 Kuba ulwimi lwengcungcu luyenza kakuhle kakhulu le nto yokuthatha incindi, abaphandi bathi le nto inokulinganiswa ekwenzeni amayeza, izinto zeerobhothi, nasekwenzeni ezinye izinto. Ingade ibe luncedo ekwenzeni izinto zokuklina xa kuchitheke izinto okanye ioli.

 Ucinga ntoni? Ngaba ulwimi lwengcungcu olwenza izinto ezimangalisayo lwazivelela? Okanye ngaba lwadalwa?