The Space transport vehicle is now approaching the planet Xenon, distant from our Earth as far as 30 Decas (a Deca equals 10 light years). I traveled by the “21Longway” wormhole to reach here; it was calmer than the “57Pathfinder”, mostly used for traveling to Arion. It was part of our training program to journey all planets in Adam’s Empire.
It’s not that we don’t have the technology to go beyond the empire; it’s just that human control has its limits in the domain of time. We have discovered dozens of planets in the outskirts of the empire that cover many nearby galaxies, lurking nearby just some Decas farther. Some of these neighbors lack the essential aspects we require to establish habitable colonies. Xenon is one such planet. It was named after the Xenon gas because no space telescope had been able to analyze the atmosphere and surface of this planet. That made its properties somewhat synonymous with the Xenon gas, “Invisible,” to be precise.
I am now entering the atmosphere. It was bleak, greyish with a pale blue sight that was due to the “sunset” time. As I completed the entry into the atmosphere, the sight became bleaker. The atmospheric sensors were showing high levels of Nitrogen! Yes! And oxygen was present, too! Xenon had an atmosphere similar to Earth. It was denser in some respects. Perhaps a dense foggy day would be very close to these conditions, that too in visual metrics.
The space transport vehicle’s sensors showed fluctuating readings of some other elements in the Earth-like air. I searched for a plan for the vehicle to settle down. Two small mountains had a clear surface between them. I landed my vehicle on it. Although the sensors showed signs of a breathable atmosphere, I put my helmet on because I didn’t want to risk myself in this alien oxygen. The gravity was slightly more than Earth. 10% stronger, to be exact. I had to put in an effort to get to the door of my vehicle. Perhaps the journey of 30 Decas had its toll on me! I glanced at my watch; it was 45 ticks past 6 UMT (Universal Meridian time). I looked out and up towards the sky of Xenon. It seemed I had about 25 ticks before dark.
As I set foot on the surface, I felt the stronger gravity. I am pulling and dragging each step forward, such as weights tied to my ankles, and heavy bags of more than 5 kgs are placed on my shoulders to dampen my movement. I put my atmosphere sensor out. It showed stable readings of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, and methane. I started taking the soil sample. The upper soil is dark greyish-blue in color. As I brushed it and collected some in my sampler, the underneath became visible. It was dark blue.
I filled half of my sampler and stood up. It was getting darker. I had walked about 5 or 6 yards from my vehicle. I was approximately at the centre of the two small mountains. I looked around and took photographs. Then I took out my binoculars and looked towards one of the mountains. I zoomed in 50 % vis. The mountain seemed of the same greyish-blue color. A slight breeze was blowing across the valley.
I looked at the mountain’s surface up towards its flat peak. I saw a shadow, no, it was a figure! Wearing a long black robe! I zoomed in 80 %; yes, it was human-like! Having a proper human body! Hurriedly, I zoomed in 100 %. yes, it was very much like a human, facing toward me, but its face was hidden in the hood of the robe. I was astonished! Startled to the very soul, my eyes froze at the figure as it moved its hand and tightened its hood as if it felt cold in the Xenon breeze! Was it an alien?
But we never found any such being on our journeys throughout the empire. Was it another captain? That sounded probable, but why is he wearing a black robe? My mind couldn’t find an explanation neither could it contemplate my next move. I kept staring at the figure through my binoculars as the darkness began to deepen. The robed figure kept facing me and seemed to turn its head as if looking around. Then suddenly it started to run down the mountain! I had difficulty walking on this surface, and that “robe thing” was running on it! Now, increasing my astonishment with fear, it was running towards me!
Life on Earth is possible with the ideal and optimal conditions that support the existence of all forms of life on its surface. The atmosphere up and around, the humidity, the temperature and countless other biotic (like plants, animals, microorganisms) and abiotic factors (air, water, soil, energy, forces) contribute to the proliferation of life forms from the microscopic level to the organisms of most giant magnitude on Earth.
Life in space requires superhuman chemistry to survive from the dangers of extreme radiation exposures, oxygen-less atmosphere and devastating sunburns. One can barely survive in this environment unless it is an extremophile (capable of surviving extreme environmental conditions) like the Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium.
EXTREMOPHILES IN SPACE
Microbiologists have spent decades studying extremophiles, the organisms that can withstand extreme limits of survival, to find out the origin of life on Earth. Some extremophiles can live unprotected in space for several days; others can endure for years, but only by carving out a home inside rocks.
Now, new findings published in Frontiers in Microbiology, based on that experiment on the International Space Station, show that the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans can survive at least three years in space. Akihiko Yamagishi, a microbiologist at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences who led the study, says the results also suggest that microbial life could travel between planets unprotected by rock.
The bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans can survive at least three years in space
Lab studies have found that Deinococcus radiodurans is capable of withstanding an acute dose of 5,000 grays (Gy)**, or 500,000 rad, of ionizing radiation with almost no loss of viability, and an acute dose of 15,000 Gy with 37% viability.
Let’s compare for a better understanding that the dose of 5,000 Gy is estimated to introduce several hundred double-strand breaks (DSBs) into the organism’s DNA. For comparison, a chest X-ray or Apollo mission involves about 1 mGy, 5 Gy can kill a human, 200–800 Gy will kill E. coli, and more than 4,000 Gy will kill the radiation-resistant tardigrade (segmented micro-animal ).
REFLECTING RADIATIONS
D. radiodurans, are normally resistant to damage from radiation. Their genes code for unique proteins that repair DNA. While human cells carry about two copies of DNA, and most bacterial cells carry one, D. radiodurans contain up to 10 redundant copies. Having more copies of essential genes means the cells can synthesize more copies of proteins that fix DNA damaged by radiation. This inherent defence mechanism, combined with protective outer layers of cells, kept the microbes alive despite radiation levels over 200 times higher than those on Earth.
Murray RGE. 1992. “The family Deino- coccaceae”. In The Prokaryotes, ed. A Ballows, HG Truper, M Dworkin, W Harder, KH Schleifer 4:3732–3744. New York: Springer-Verlag
As winter approaches, a sinister grey cover blankets the city of Lahore, Pakistan. On 17th Nov 2021, Lahore was declared the most polluted city on the planet. The air quality index (AQI) value reached 348, more than the mentioned hazardous level of 300 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A similar situation was observed in the city of Delhi, India, where the hospitals suddenly reported an increased number of patients with respiratory problems. Other symptoms include irritation in the nose as well as itchy eyes. The authorities have shut down schools and colleges due to the worst air quality. About 50% of the private sector staff were told to work from home amid the smog.
This air quality index value of 348 was unprecedented. Those wondering what these numbers mean can refer to the table below:
Daily AQI colour
Levels of Concern
Index value
Description
Green
Good
0-50
Satisfactory. No risk or threat
Yellow
Moderate
51-100
Acceptable. But it may affect people who are sensitive to air quality
Orange
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
101-150
Sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected
Red
Unhealthy
151-200
The general public may experience health effects. Sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects
Purple
Very unhealthy
201-300
Health alert: the risk of health effects increased for everyone
Maroon
Hazardous
301+
Health warning or emergency: everyone is more likely to be affected
So the question here is, why does air quality decline in winter?
To understand this, we have to take a look at what smog is! Smog is a combination of two words – smoke and fog. The main constituents of smog are generally hydrocarbons, vehicular emissions, industrial smoke and agriculture waste burning, and dust. One must consider weather and climate to understand how and why the concentration intensifies, especially in winter.
We all have learned in school that warm air rises and cool air sinks. This is because the colder air is denser than, the warmer air. Being denser means the gas molecules have less space between each other than in warm air. We also know that because particles in smog are suspended in the air, the particles do not have much free space to move or escape in the colder air. Also, cold air does not move as quickly as warm air and does not allow the pollutants to disperse. Hence why, air pollution in winter remains for much longer. This increases people’s exposure to polluted air for extended periods, causing respiratory problems.
Rain acts as a natural cleanser of contaminants in the atmosphere. Additionally, cold air is dryer and generally cannot sustain moisture. This leads to lower levels of precipitation in winter. The lower level of precipitation means there just isn’t enough rain to wash away the pollutants.
‘Tis the season
During winter, energy demand substantially increases to keep up with the weather. More and more electricity and gas are consumed to keep our homes warm. We often leave our cars idle to defrost or to wait till a point where the heater starts to warm up the car. These activities contribute to increased air pollution. People in rural areas burn wood and coal to keep themselves warm.
Considering Lahore, one of the reasons for hazardous air quality is the burning of stubble and other agricultural waste in the surrounding region, which significantly increases pollutants in the atmosphere. Other sources include using low-grade fuels for farming purposes, emissions from brick kilns, industries including steel mills and vehicles, etc., and construction sites. Incomplete data makes it difficult to point out the exact sources and their contribution in this regard.
In contrast to the areas of the world that have moist winters, the seasonal experience can differ. Moist air brings high precipitation, cleansing the pollution from the air by natural means.
Why it matters
Air pollution has been a major cause of respiratory diseases as well as heart and kidney problems. An estimated seven million people die due to diseases related to air pollution every year in the world. A recent estimate by WHO (March 2019) shows the mortality rate has increased to 8.8 million people annually. That’s roughly 75% more than the deaths caused by COVID-19 until Dec 31, 2020. China and India are the worst-affected regions, where air pollution accounted for 9.85% and 8% of total deaths in 2017, respectively.
Steps to reduce air pollution
We have seen that most of the air pollution is caused by vehicular, industrial, and agricultural emissions. In order to prevent air pollution, every one of us has to play our part in it. The reason is that we and only us are responsible for this. We can start by taking little steps towards a better society.
Drive less and take public transport. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), vehicles cause 75% of the total carbon monoxide emissions. Less number of cars on the road will definitely help in reducing air pollution. Using cars that follow the standards of cleaner emission standards. The use of greener and cleaner fuels can help lessen vehicular emissions. Furthermore, people often walk or ride bicycles to work. This is not just a healthy activity but better for the environment. The government can help by funding research towards greener and cleaner technologies.
Conserve energy. Turning off extra lights and using less power-consuming appliances and energy-efficient devices at home can help conserve energy. Insulating your homes properly helps reduce energy consumption and bills. By doing this, you will also reduce energy production, which is a major cause of air pollution
Shift to renewable energy sources. Solar energy is an efficient way to reduce your carbon footprint and help minimize your electricity bills. However, the installation cost can be high, but it will be worth it in the longer run.
Plant trees and stop deforestation. Trees absorb carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere and provide us with oxygen, consequently reducing the greenhouse effect. Trees planted in urban areas can also reduce the warming effect caused by the concrete, providing a natural cooling system.
Final words! If every one of us, as an individual, cared about our environment rather than pointing fingers at each other, our world would be a better place for us and others. Secondly, we should start promoting green technologies and ventures. The government should promote and fund projects that do not cause pollution in the first place. Investing in cleaning technologies does help, but promoting intrinsically green technologies helps a lot more. In short, just do your part well!
For decades, UFOs have raised questions about the existance of extraterrestrial life in the universe. The first sighting of a mysterious, flying, saucer-like object was witnessed by a pilot named Kenneth Arnold in 1947 while flying his small plane near Mount Rainier in Washington State. Since then, a surfeit of such sightings have been reported. The fascination with these unidentified flying objects led to the birth of UFO organizations at national and international levels in the 1950s and 60s.
At the peak of Cold war, UFO sightings were linked to national security. Most people believed that they were either the US military’s secret weapons or the US military or secret aircraft of the USSR. To resolve this conundrum, multiple government-sponsored programs were initiated to investigate whether UFOs posed a national security threat to the US.
By the end of the cold war, the interest in UFOs had subsided. However, this interest was reignited in 2017 with the revelations about the secret UFO project in Pentagon. Furthermore, for the first time in over 50 years, a rare public US congressional hearing into UFO sightings took place on May 17, 2022. But, it ended with few answers about the unexplained phenomenon.
On June 9, 2022, just a few weeks after the historic congressional hearing, NASA announced that it would initiate an independent study into UAPs, popularly known as Unidentified Flying Objects or UFOs. To date, most of the research on UAPs has been conducted by military and intelligence agencies, and they were not interested in the phenomenon as a scientific issue.
However, NASA has undertaken an initiative to study the Unidentified Ariel Phenomenon (UAPs) from a scientific perspective. The Agency wants to apply scientific rigor to this vexing issue. For that, it has commissioned a study team comprising 16 individuals to participate in its independent study of UAPs. This study began on October 24, 2022, and will continue for a period of nine months. Over the course of this time, the study will lay the groundwork for future studies on the nature of UAPs. This study is reportedly independent of Pentagon’s efforts to study the UAPs and will cost less than $100,000.
By the end of the cold war, the interest in UFOs had subsided
Moreover, instead of focusing on classified encounters with military jets, the agency will focus on unclassified data, including the videos captured by civilians. This study will focus on three things.
Firstly, the agency will identify the existing set of data available on UAPs gathered by civilian, government, non-profit or commercial entities that could be potentially helpful in shedding light on this phenomenon. Secondly, it will recommend a roadmap for collecting data on UAPs in the future because access to an extensive data set is required to verify, understand or explain any observations.
Thirdly, this study will also shed light on how NASA could use this data to scientifically discern the nature of UAPs. Moreover, the goals of NASA include ensuring air traffic safety and national security. Hence, it is critical to understand the already available data surrounding UAPs to draw scientific conclusions about the happenings in our sky. Establishing which unidentified phenomenon is natural is important because identifying the cause would help mitigate it and ensure aircraft safety.
At the heart of NASA’s work is exploring the unknown in space and the atmosphere. Exploring this issue fits the agency’s mission of looking for life beyond Earth. The space agency is well-equipped to investigate the UAPs, as it has the tools and team needed for the scientific inquiry into the unknown. It has access to a broad range of observations of Earth from space that could be helpful in this study.
Astrophysicist David Spergel, the president of the Simons Foundation, led the independent study team of NASA. The team includes Scott Kelley, a former NASA astronaut, and Nadia Drake, a science journalist, as well as the world’s leading scientists, astronomers, astrophysicists, biologists, oceanographers, aerospace safety experts, data and artificial intelligence experts. Once the study is completed, the team’s findings will be publicly released in a report by mid-2023 according to NASA’s scientific integrity, transparency, and openness principles.
To conclude, this study will provide a comprehensive understanding of UAPs by giving a scientific perspective to the efforts already underway by the intelligence organizations and Pentagon to make sense of such sightings. This study will forward scientific knowledge of UAPs. By the end of this study, even if all of the questions are not answered, this study will hopefully move us forward in our understanding of UAPs and perhaps lay a roadmap to make future progress.
According to humans, the most intelligent creature on the planet is- human. You agree with this statement if you are presumably aware of the monumental achievements humans have bagged within their short time span of existence on Earth at the cosmic scale. Humans have been hanging around on the earth for just the last few seconds on the cosmic calendar. To understand this, just imagine the time elapsed from the Big Bang to the present as one calendar year, with the Big Bang marking January 1st while the current time is the 31st of December at midnight.
On this scale, all the recorded human achievements and industrial and technological advancements have shown up for the past 12-14 seconds. We are just a blip in this cosmic year, yet we have been intelligent enough to have a pretty good understanding of the laws and the rules that run this cosmos and the driving forces behind it. For most of our existence, we have been wanderers, hunters, and gathers, relying on our environment for our safety and survival. It has been just a few thousand years since we devised tools and methods to survive and thrive by exploiting our planet’s resources. This could have been possible because of our intelligence, driven partly by the creed for survival and partly by our curiosity.
Since the advent of our collective consciousness, we have been quenching our curiosities through explorations of our surroundings. From domesticating fire to fantasizing about life on other planets, we have tried to satisfy the intelligent beings within us. Space explorations have become a new area of interest for a class of intelligent people worldwide. There has been a plethora of questions that these people have been attempting to search answer for to. Some of them have and will pave the way for successful applications of space exploration, while some of them have been and are merely meant for the satisfaction of our intellectual ego.
Nevertheless, many of these questions are more significant than others and have an excellent reputation in the club of cosmic mysteries. One such big mystery is the possibility of intelligent life outside the Earth. But, before we hunt for life in the cosmos, we must have an introspection within our planet. Before we step outside our world in search of life, let’s first examine how much we know of life as it is on Earth.
Prof. Stephen Hawking, in an interview, once said that he would be more worried than excited if an alien civilization were able to find us and would visit us. There is a mere chance of them trying to enslave us for their benefit.
Life on the Earth probably germinated around 25th September on the cosmic calendar. The nature of life that originated on Earth was based on the chemical elements and their inter-relations with each other. These elements were original, manufactured in the core of the supermassive star that prevailed before our sun was born from its remnants when it exploded at the time of its death in a fierce explosive event called a supernova. The considerable amount of heavy elements like carbon, oxygen, iron, nickel, etc., got scattered with the star’s debris, star’s debris which later condensed to give birth to the balls that we call ‘Planets’.
These planets revolve around the next generation of stars, called our ‘Sun.’ Our planet, Earth, is among the newly formed balls (planets) that form the Sun’s family, which is that supermassive star’s next generation. When life on Earth originated, the raw material required to create life was already present in the form of the same heavy elements that create our planet and were once manufactured in the core of a supermassive star. Life on Earth is made of the same elements that compose the life of a star. So, technically, we are all made up of ‘Stardust’.
Now that we know that life on earth is based on its chemical composition, by analyzing the chemical composition of all the life forms that ever were present on earth, we can state that life on earth is based on the element carbon. Carbon is an extraordinary element that sports the property of making long chains of stable chemical bonds with itself and all other elements found on the periodic table. This property of carbon is called Catenation. This extraordinary element is the backbone of the diversity of life forms on our planet.
Life forms on Earth may seem very different in nature, color, shape, and size. There may be drastic differences in how they eat, reproduce, catch their prey, avoid predators, communicate or perform their daily activities. However, one factor common in all life forms on earth is that all these life forms are based on the element Carbon. Now, the only life form that we know is based on Carbon. But are we sure that, if there is some other life form present outside our planet, it would also be based on Carbon?
The answer to this can be a straight- No. We can never be sure about the possibility of carbon or some other element being the rudimentary base of life in the cosmos. Who knows, there can be a life form based on silicon, magnesium, or even hydrogen, the most abandoned element in the cosmos. Do we understand the role of chemical elements in the formation and sustenance of life? Or do we know the possible number of elements that can serve as the bases of life formation? So, before we find an evidence-based answer to this, we cannot move ahead with the hunting of life any further.
It has been for just a few thousand years since we devised tools and methods to survive and thrive by exploiting our planet’s resources.
Now, let’s discuss the possibility of finding ‘Intelligent Life’ out in the cosmos. As for the earth, we end the debate by stating that humans are arguably the most intelligent form of life. And there have been reasons and evidence in support of this statement. I mean, just look at the monumental achievements we have embossed on the face of this planet. The Pyramids of Egypt, the use of computers and machines, the understanding of natural phenomena and their predictions, etc., testify to the fact that humans are the prime representation of ‘intelligent life on earth as we know it. Now, there is one question that we must ask before we begin searching for intelligent life.
Do we understand ‘Intelligence’ in the first place? Intelligence, as we define it on earth, is the ability to exploit our surrounding resources effectively and progressively for our existence and to be able to evade potential hazards that may pose a threat to us. Now, one can argue that even beavers can exploit their surrounding natural resources and avoid predators, so do we categorize them as the same intelligent life as us?
Maybe yes, but the counter-argument can be put in this way- since the beavers or any other relevant species is not able to forge new things out of the natural resources and spare time to develop the advanced understanding of the natural world only to exploit the resources, in many ways imaginable, we cannot categorize them as intelligent as humans.
Now, this idea of intelligence can be self-defying for us. Let’s think of an alien who locates our planet and makes a maiden visit to us. Suppose he manages to peek through a snake while in the action of hunting its prey down. Upon his return to his world, his report to his senders can be like this- I saw life form on this planet. It had non-limbs but could move to places, yet can detect its prey through infrared technology and kill its prey by injecting venomous chemicals.
Even if we succeed at finding a form of life elsewhere in the cosmos, there are chances that the planet is yet to host intelligent beings.
This report is of some extraordinary display of intelligence present on earth. Through this example, we can be sure of the fact that we cannot define intelligence in a generic term implementable to the whole universe. In some cases, we find a rock on Mars that grows in size yearly, and we discard it as a non-living thing.
Another point needs to be discussed before we raise our excitement toward witnessing intelligent life. Statistically, the possibility of finding intelligent life can be very low in the vast cosmos, contrary to the fact that the cosmos is filled with billions and billions of galaxies, stars, and exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). This idea is well-known as the ‘Fermi Paradox’. Suppose we look back at the history of life on earth.
For billions of years, it has been dominated by single-celled life forms. The existence of complex life can be traced back around a billion years. If we zoom into the history of the existence of intelligent life, we might find it dating back to just a few million years. So, this indicates that even if we succeed at finding a form of life elsewhere in the cosmos, there are chances that the planet is yet to host intelligent beings. We might wait and return in the distant future to be able to communicate with them. At present, we have, according to the facts of science, developed tools to communicate with our counterparts if and when they show up.
Now, let’s presume we succeed at finding an alien civilization outside our planet and even establish communication with them. We are unsure whether that rendezvous would result in our favour or turn out to be our ultimate mistake! Renowned science fiction writer Arthur C. Clark said whether we are alone in the universe or not, both scenarios are worth freaking out about.
We are free to debate the question of the possibility of life for hours and might return to the same question again. We might be the leading representation of life on Earth with the potential to be the leader for the whole universe sometime in the future. Still, we cannot ignore the fact that something in contrast to this has an equal possibility of occurrence. After all, the only model we know of representing intelligent life is ours.
Now, this sounds scary to me. Prof. Stephen Hawking, in an interview, once said that he would be more worried than excited if an alien civilization were able to find us and would visit us. There is a mere chance of them trying to enslave us for their benefit. Now, you may ask what makes him think such a sceptic like that! Then, read the human history of colonization. Our history is full of evidence that we, as human beings with better intelligence, have tried to enslave inferior human beings. The same can be done to us if we encounter some superior intellectual life form from outside our planet.
So, now we have the last but most important question to answer. After this much analysis, should we keep our search for extraterrestrial life anymore? I would say –Yes. Despite many unanswered questions, we must satisfy our curiosity to know everything. This is what we live for. These explorations define our ingenuity and calibre to mark our names in the history of life at the forefront of life forms as ever.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines Sentience as ‘the quality of being able to experience feelings. ‘Sentient’ is an adjective encompassing a complex whole of cognitive and other high mental functions which definitely cannot be explained abridged.
We have come to know of and associate sentience with humans ( many of us do so ) since we occupy the top of the food chain and proudly sit at the apex of the complex pyramid of life on Earth. So, what is it that makes us sentient? Is other life on earth sentient as well? What about life beyond our planet and in some far-off solar system in ours or a distant galaxy?
SENTIENT LIFE ON EARTH
Humans are social animals, as they say. We live our lives based on what we feel, imbibe and imprint from those around us and the environment. Our complex minds enable us to feel, analyze, assimilate and react to the different stimuli around us. Our lives are shaped by our emotions. We laugh, cry, lament and despise all through. This is done primarily through our senses, both physical and, yes, through those hunches you call gut feelings.
Our minds perceive the world in relation to our identities, which are unique. We are physically distinct from each other, but there is another more profound construct at work here. That is the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is called self-awareness, which tells me I am not part of someone else but rather a unique entity. That ‘I’ is unique in having boundaries, e.g., physical or spiritual.
Our existence on earth for millions of years has depended on our complex emotional skillsets, which have enabled us to survive, interact, reproduce and build complex civilizations. Though, as a species, we have done a lot of harm by perpetuating extremes of emotions in hatred, animosity, and fear-mongering. This, too, obviously has come along with the complex package of being ‘Sentient’. Some people wear their emotions on their sleeves ostentatious in expressing their inners.
While others do not express themselves at all, making it difficult for others to actually peer into the reclusive minds as to what they think or feel. Therein lies our inaptness to actually deal with these dilemmas daily, which is where our other skill sets come into play. We try to assess the reactions of others to what we do or say and then respond accordingly, considering the risks and benefits of our responses. This awareness of ourselves and our interests in relation to the environment and other beings is what makes us sentient. An agglomeration of emotions, consciousness, and intelligence.
Being human, we know that hurting someone will cause anguish, pain, and suffering, which is why we try to abstain (well, mostly). However, as previously mentioned, we do not necessarily know what the other person or animal, for that matter, is feeling at a particular moment. If we apply that to animals since we cannot ascertain their feelings, are we at liberty to cause harm to them? Assuming that they won’t feel a thing? Experiments have been carried out repeatedly, showing that many animals, like cats, dogs, and octopuses, show self-awareness and complex thinking patterns.
The same goes for plants; we know they react to environmental variables quite drastically, showing they are aware of themselves and the environment’s effect on them. Ruthless deforestation and hurting or killing animals makes you question our intelligence as a species where we consider no being sentient beyond our bubble of the human ego. Respecting other sentience may be too much to ask for, considering the loss of innocent human lives in ongoing bloody wars.
SENTIENT LIFE BEYOND EARTH
Our highly complex mind of ours, with all its perks, has one issue. It can be very rigid in terms of adhering to preconceived notions and ideas. It can have a hard time thinking out of the box and beyond specific patterns with which it is already familiar. We ‘assume’ that life would have developed based on the same principles whereby it flourished here on earth. We also ‘assume’ that the same molecular building blocks would be required to develop life elsewhere: ribose sugars, nitrogenous bases, and phosphoric acid. While life on earth depends on water to sustain itself, who knows, life elsewhere might need some other vital ‘elixir’ to thrive.
What if some Aliens have totally different emotional skill sets from ours? Credit: Hunain Riaz
Maybe it’s the least we can do, thinking about life beyond Earth in the image of our own civilization. What really adds more intrigue to the possibility of Alien life elsewhere in the cosmos is that the universe has been around for around 13.5 billion years. While our solar system came into existence roughly 4.5 billion years ago. Our presence here on earth is merely a few hundred million years, which probably would account for a minute on the cosmic clock that has been ticked up till now.
There is a possibility that intelligent life developed elsewhere earlier on the cosmic time scale and probably exhausted itself in terms of achieving the pinnacle of civilization. Or maybe intelligence is flourishing somewhere but has not reached the point whereby it can reach out to live in the cosmos. The vast distances mean that our means of communication are pretty shorthanded in terms of reach. We use radio waves to send out messages and expect to receive the same from some distant part of our galaxy or beyond.
Make no mistake; when I talk about sentient life, I refer to life with intellectual, emotional, and functional capacities that can enable them to develop civilizations. We as humans have a tremendously broad spectrum of emotions and feelings and probably expect alien life to have a bit of the same faculties or maybe the same. What if they are on a totally different wavelength? What if they possess advanced intelligence and functional abilities or even advanced means of communication with each other, say utilizing telekinesis?
Hollywood has been riding the bandwagon of ‘Aliens coming here for nefarious purposes for far too long now. It gets obnoxiously unfair to portray any galactic neighbours as only sinister. Humans love to love, and yes, we have also loved to kill throughout history, and it seems to go on and on. What if some Aliens have totally different emotional skill sets from ours? Maybe they aren’t humanoids with brains or similar structures. Maybe they have minds which work in unison and have senses which can feel and communicate across long distances (quantum entanglement, if you will)
What if they are devoid of destructive emotions of greed, selfishness, envy, and hatred? And they only care about harmony, stability, and love for the universe and its contents. On the contrary, it could be the other way round, mirroring how the entertainment world presents aliens, Nefarious, warmongering, and usurpers of resources (I highly doubt this idea).
SENTIENT ALIEN LIFE AND EARTH, A RABBIT HOLE!
We as a species appear to be quite content with our apparent isolation in the known universe till now. What would it mean to human life knowing that there are beings who are more, if not equally, sentient? How would the human race react to this reality? Over the past many years, there has been a great debate and mystery surrounding unexplained phenomena in the skies. With different opinions regarding the subject matter, with experts divided. That, however, is a pandora’s box and beyond this article. However, the common folk generally have an opinion that if Aliens have, in fact, visited our planet and currently are doing so ( as per some enthusiasts ), why haven’t they made themselves known to life on Earth?
This opinion can be challenged in an intellectual manner. Suppose we assume that they are here and have been coming here for some time now. Now assuming that one would also have to assume that they are at a technological standpoint where they are hundreds if not thousands of years ahead of us. And maybe they are space-faring or even dimension-faring entities. Such a species would definitely be highly developed in terms of intellectual prowess.
Why haven’t the aliens made themselves known to life on Earth?
While observing us humans, would it make sense to intervene in our matters or reveal themselves in all their glory only to make people run amok? That does not just feel like the right thing to do, meddling with the social & religious status quo of a civilization. Yes, they could be observing us, or maybe even concerned for us, considering how we are ruining our environment with all the fossil fuel usage and even nuclear weapons. This is the point that I would like to highlight: such sentient life, which can traverse light years and dimensions, would know how to survive and sustain itself and would want other life elsewhere to do the same.
THE SEARCH AND WHAT TO EXPECT
Scientists are doing their best to send out signals and awaiting a return message using our radio tech. And the recently launched groundbreaking James-Webb telescope will look out for exoplanets and habitable atmospheres. Our rovers rolling about on our neighboring planets. We certainly do our part in looking out there. And here on Earth, we have intricate and large telescope array systems like the ALLEN telescopic array, which has the added edge of listening for signals across large swathes of the sky.
But as I mentioned earlier, maybe sentient life somewhere is too advanced to use the technology which we use to communicate. We aren’t even aware of the true nature of dark matter, which is to say we know that sentient Alien life would use the same means of communication and, for that matter, follow the same ladder of civilization evolution. Scientists and organizations should keep open minds and preserve the niche of abstract ideas and possibilities.
Regarding how evolved a civilization could be regarding technological progress, a scale was devised by Russian Astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev in 1964. The Kardeshev Scale. The scale categorized possible Alien civilizations according to the energy they can utilize. The scaling was from 0 to III. Type I would be one that would be able to harness all the energy of the nearby star and store and use it as required ( we aren’t even a type 1 civilization as yet since it would need us to bolster our energy production by thousands of times to reach the first step).
Type II civilization would be able to use starlight energy and control the star’s production of energy utilizing colossal structures (Dyson spheres). The hypothetical III civilization would be what one could call a genuinely galactic race that has mastered everything about energy production, storage, and utilization. If you consider humans to reach this pinnacle of progress, we would probably have developed sentient robots or even human/robot hybrids by then. Beings that could traverse the vastness of space without the worries of biological vulnerability. Astronomers have extended this scale up to V, which eventually includes the omega point of civilizational progress, where the whole universe’s energy is at its disposal.
To round off, It would be pertinent to question our preparation to disclose and un curtain Sentient Alien life. Are the world Governments ready? Is there an organization that has made specific rules and regulations concerning contact? What will concern right and wrong in dealing with such sentience? These ideas might seem sci-fi right now, but this will be inevitable, and we need to be prepared for it.
The fear-mongering done by media and other outlets makes me fear the freakishly panicky response humans might have to unequivocal disclosure. This would call for bringing together people of expertise and repute who could formulate specific guidelines and solutions to tackle the ruckus disclosure may cause.
Current news and media outlets are teaming up with articles and news regarding the possibility of life elsewhere and whether we are being visited or not, considering the revelations regarding UAP/UFO’s. For one, I would keep my views regarding potential sentient Alien life as being benevolent and benign whether we are faced with disclosure in our lifetimes or not.
Samsun, Türkiye: A group of students from the Institute of Space Technology won 1st place while representing Pakistan in Turkey’s largest technological festival named TEKNOFEST 2022. The students participated in the Black Sea Competition (held in Samsun) and the International Free Mission UAV category (held in Kütahya) and competed with more than 96 teams internationally.
The students from IST formed a team, named AIRoSE (AI-based Robotic Systems Engineering) which had developed a swarm of UAVs (2 quadcopters and 1 hexacopter) to help in search and rescue missions in remote areas and presented their project in front of judges. These students also won the ‘Incentive Award’ for their demonstration of this project.
The team won medals, a shield and a cash prize awarded by the Turkish Government. Photo winner team
“Our project was a biomimicry of ant behavior on UAVs. When ants hunt for food, they deposit a chemical trail known as pheromone which can be sensed by other ants. This encourages attraction towards the trail to food, which is why you observe long lines of ants towards a food source” Rehmoz said in a statement. “We implemented this process by doing the opposite: the UAVs deposit pheromone to discourage search of areas they are searching, i.e., the search is more distributed, which is what you’d expect to see in search missions. Expansion of search parties lead to more area coverage, which is the basis for this algorithm.”
We participated in this event to show that Pakistan is no less than any other country when it comes to talent.” said Asad. Photo winner team
The team won medals, a shield and a cash prize awarded by the Turkish Government. “Aerospace is a relatively secluded field in Pakistan. We participated in this event to show that Pakistan is no less than any other country when it comes to talent.” said Asad while talking to Scientia Pakistan. “Unfortunately, only 3 out of 8 members of our team made it here due to lack of financial support, but we are glad that we proved our mettle here. We will continue to further such endeavors in the future.”
The overall student team was composed of: Asad Mahmood, Ahmed Hassan, Rehmoz Ayub, Abdullah Afzal, Dilawaiz Saghir, Faryal Batool, Roohan Ahmed and Nauman Rauf.
The list of Australia’s top researchers is published every year to showcase the country’s top researchers in fields of academic endeavor, spanning the sciences, and the social sciences through to the humanities and the arts. The Australian newspaper and analytics firm League of Scholars analyzed a database of over 77,000 Australian researchers to identify the top researcher in each field.
This is the third time Dr. Aziz has received the award. Photo HA
This is the third time Dr. Aziz has received the award. He is an academic at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, and the director of UNSW Sydney’s Institute of Artificial Intelligence. His research is at the intersection of computer science and game theory that has applications to multi-agent systems and the design of incentives in markets.
Dr. Aziz originally hails from Lahore and took his undergraduate education at LUMS – Lahore University of Management Sciences. He has studied at Oxford and Warwick and worked at TU Munich. He has also been a visiting academic at Paris Dauphine, Oxford, and Harvard. In 2016, he was mentioned by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) in the ‘AI 10 to Watch’ researcher list. The latter list is published every two years.
Talking with Scientia Pakistan Haris Aziz said that:
“I am humbled that I was highlighted in the list of academic field leaders in Australia. I would like to thank all my group members, colleagues, and co-authors as scientific research is highly collaborative and we all stand on the shoulders of giants. As immigrants and academics, we try to do our bit for society so it was nice to receive messages from both the Australian and Pakistani high commissioners.”
Astronomical events have captivated mankind for thousands of years, records have been found in the earliest human societies, and the excitement and wonderment don’t halt even today. Many archaeological sites have been found to have records of the transit of the moon at the sun. All over the world, amateur astronomers, professional observatories, and space agencies do observe and record this event, with great gatherings and celebrations.
Pakistan lies in the Global North, and several of its bigger cities do have local astronomy societies organizing and observing celestial events. The partial eclipse was visible in the country, beginning at 13.58 PST and ending at 18.02 PST, with the highest magnitude (0.500) occurring at 17.01 PST, covering around 51% of the Sun, visible from its most prominent city “Karachi” (According to Timeanddate.com).
In this article, we have compiled and presented all the observations, taken from all over the country, showing a variety of captures, recording the beauty of the Partial Solar Eclipse held on 25 October 2022.
To mark this event, the Insitute of Space Sciences and Technology- University of Karachi, organized the biggest event in the country at their Observatory, where they used “Meade LX-200 (16-inch) and Sky-Watcher (8-inch) telescopes to take the observations under the supervision of Dr. Prof. Jawed Iqbal.
This photo was captured using the Meade LX-200 (16-inch) Telescope mounted at the ISST Observatory. The photo also has two identified Sun Spots, 3131 and 3126. (Catalogued By/Credits: Yazdan Zuhad)
Director ISST – Dr. Prof Jawed Iqbal’s sharing the exciting reasons behind the phenomenon of the Solar Eclipse Event with the KU Times. (Credits: ISST)
Ayesha Mujtaba, giving an interview to the Hum News – discusses her aspirations in the field of Astrophysics; she is currently a master’s student at the ISST. (Credits: ISST)
Photo of Mr. Yazdan Zuhad (M.Phil Scholar in Astronomy) helping Hamas Ahmed (Undergraduate) to capture an Image of the eclipse. (Credit: ISST)
A group of students of M.Sc (Astrophysics) made observations through the Sky-Watcher (8 inches) installed at the ISST Observatory. (Credit: ISST)
An aerial view of the participants at the Partial Solar Eclipse Event organized by the ISST. (Credit: ISST)
Meade LX-200 (16 inches) is one of the largest optical telescopes in the country, which is installed at the Observatory of ISST. (Credit: ISST)
Photo of some students after observing the Eclipse from the dome of the ISST Observatory. (Credit: ISST)
The entire event of the Solar Eclipse was live through Facebook and other social media platforms of the ISST for the first time. (Credit: ISST)
Another photo taken by a student shows the mesmerizing glow of our star – Semi-hided by our Moon. (Image Credit: Maheen Mansoor)
Here, we can also see the captivating captures posted by the Karachi Astronomers Society’s Group. The entire community of amateur astronomers and enthusiasts were talking about the event in the group.
The photo is highly detailed; it also shows the features of the sun – amazing the few active sunspots if we look at it carefully. (Credit: Muhammad Mehdi Hussein – President KAS & Founder Mareekh Dynamics)
Another photo of the event, captured by the Karachi Astronomers Society at the Clifton Beach of Karachi, shows the transiting of a bird above the moon, which is transiting the sun, capturing the beauty of nature and leaving the viewer in awe. (Credit: Muhammad Mehdi Hussain – KAS President)
Another photo of the Solar event captured from the Taqwa Observatory, Balochistan, shared by Moiz Ahmed, an astrophysicist from Karachi. (Credit: Taqwa Space Observatory)
Another beautiful image by an Astrophotographer from the River of Jehlum, Punjab. (Credit: Muhammad Ibraheem – IG: @milky_astrophile
Another photo was shared by Dr Farrukh Shahzad in the group of Pak Astronomers Society.
A timely series of the entire solar event, capturing all the phases of the Partial Solar Eclipse, by a team of Astronomers at the ISST. (Credits are mentioned within the photo)
One of the most energetic and lovely photos of future astronomers from Lahore observing the event.
Kids from the Zaawiya Trust School watching the event safely through solar viewers/glasses. The Kainaat Studio arranged the session, which has also started Astronomy Clubs in Lahore, Pakistan, to educate and encourage students about the field of Astronomy. (Image Credit: Prof. Dr. Salman Hameed – Founder Kainaat Studious & Professor of Astronomy at the Hampshire College).
In the end, we would like to include the mini-catalogue called “Image of the Week” shared by Roshaan Bukhari, uniting the captures from all over the country, creating a moment of pride for all the astronomy enthusiasts, uniting their passion for science and outreach. (Image Credits: LAHORE ASTRONOMERS SOCIETY)
The relationship between astronomy and meteorology is one that goes back to antiquity. Astronomy has been linked with studying weather patterns for centuries, and it is now understood that weather conditions and climate change result from astronomical changes. This blog discusses the effects of astronomy on meteorology in detail, explaining how solar and lunar eclipses, planetary movements, and other factors impact the climate.
In addition, this blog also explores the relationship between the seasons and solar and lunar eclipses, as well as how these events have affected global catastrophic events in the past. So read on to learn more about the role of astrophysics in meteorology and the weather!
The History of Astronomy and Meteorology
Astronomy and meteorology are two of the oldest sciences, dating back to the time of Ancient Greece. These fields have been used throughout the ages to understand and forecast weather patterns in both Earth and space. Today, meteorologists use astronomical data for weather forecasting for the next few days or weeks in a given location. Thanks to modern technology, astronomers can track celestial objects much more accurately than ever!
By understanding how stars move, astronomers can predict the weather in advance. Knowing that a planet will pass in front of a star can cause conditions on Earth to change. By understanding how stars move, astronomers can also study the origins and evolution of galaxies. This knowledge has led to modern astronomy’s development and implications for meteorology.
How Astronomy Influences Weather
Space Science is one of the oldest sciences, and its influence on meteorology and the weather is undeniable. By understanding the positions of planets, stars, and galaxies, you can help predict what kind of weather will occur. Atmospheric administration has been developed to work on the best possible forecast model to give possible predictions of extratropical cyclones, tropical cyclones, monsoons, air pressure, heavy rain, and the large-scale impact of the chaotic nature of the atmosphere in future times due to astronomical changes by using quantitative data.
Additionally, understanding atmospheric pressure can help you understand which areas are likely to experience more severe storms or tornadoes. Besides, NASA has been studying the effects of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, CFCs, etc., on our environment. In understanding the weather in the united states or any part of the globe in a particular month, i.e., October, knowing space sciences is necessary to help you better understand the universe.
View of cloud storm with thunder lightening
How the Weather is Affected by Celestial Bodies
The weather is one of the most important things we take for granted daily. But did you know that the weather is affected by celestial bodies? The sun, moon, and planets have a gravitational pull that affects the atmosphere and the weather in various ways. The positioning of planets like Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn in our solar system is studied in environmental sciences to study their effects on weather conditions.
For example, different elements in these bodies cause drastic changes in atmospheric pressure, temperature, and precipitation. Knowing when to expect specific weather patterns is vital for personal safety and health. The celestial bodies impose their impact on large-scale climate changes effects.
The seasons and their relationship to solar and lunar eclipses
There’s something about the cycles of the sun and moon that fascinates us. Whether it’s the way they change the appearance of our sky, the way they dictate the seasons or the way the sea and ocean behave, everything revolves around them. The stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere extending from about 10 km to 50 km just above the troposphere at the top of the Earth’s surface, is responsible for controlling how much sunlight reaches the planet’s surface.
The Sun in our planetary system casts a massive shadow on this layer, directly affecting Earth’s weather conditions. Many outdoor activities are affected when weather conditions change suddenly because of an astronomical event like the solar eclipse. The high ocean tides result from the Lunar Eclipse or Moon perigee. These high or low tides affect monsoons, rainfalls, tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, cloud formation, wind direction, or speed per km.
The biggest astronomical catastrophe could happen again
The astronomical event could cause a massive catastrophe on Earth. Evidence suggests that dinosaurs were wiped out entirely about 65 million ago due to an asteroid’s impact on the Earth. The effect has caused volcanic eruptions creating large-scale climate changes. The asteroid or comet collision effect would have been catastrophic to all life forms. The climate changes that would have occurred globally include a period of dim sunlight because of the absorption of solar radiation followed by the ice age.
Consequently, there would have been a short-term temperature drop resulting in diminished sunlight, extinct land, marine life, and killed photosynthetic plants. High-energy solar flares threaten our satellites, ISS, and knock-out communications. A supernova, gamma beam, comet, or variable star could cause an astronomical catastrophe.
Artistic depiction of an asteroid hitting the Earth. (Credits: stock.adobe.com)
Conclusion
Astronomy is vital to meteorology and the weather. It provides information about what’s happening in space, helps us understand how planets interact, and help us forecast future events. The history of astronomy and meteorology is intimately intertwined, with both fields repeatedly benefiting from the other’s insights. From understanding the effects of celestial bodies on the weather to forecasting seasons, astronomy has a significant impact on meteorology and the weather. In this blog, we have covered the main points of how astronomy influences meteorology and the weather.
In conclusion, astronomy influences meteorology and the weather in many ways! The positions of planets, stars, and galaxies affect our climate on a global scale. Astronomical meteorology will be crucial in weather prediction, climatic effects at high latitudes, and details about metrology mysteries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between astronomy and meteorology?
Astronomy and meteorology are both related to one another in many ways. For one, astronomy influences meteorology by helping us understand the movements of celestial objects. These movements can result in changes in atmospheric pressure, which then changes weather patterns. In addition, by studying astronomy, we also learn about the history of our planet and its atmosphere.
How do astronomers use data from the stars to predict weather patterns?
Astronomers use data from the stars to predict weather patterns. Specifically, they study the movement of planets, principals, and galaxies to understand how they affect our world. By exploring these patterns, they can determine how storms will develop on Earth. For example, by knowing that Venus or Jupiter’s moon Io causes different patterns in Earth’s atmosphere, astronomers can anticipate when a storm might form.
Why is it important to learn about astronomical events to understand the weather?
Weather is a huge topic and can be difficult to understand on a fundamental level. By understanding the patterns of astronomical events, meteorologists can predict weather patterns weeks in advance. These predictions are then used to warn people living in coastal areas and during storms. In addition, the study of astronomy helps us understand how Earth’s atmosphere works and the role that our Sun plays in climate change.
What happens when Earth’s orbit is close to a star, such as during an alignment of planets called astrological conjunction?
Whenever Earth is close to a star, the planet’s atmosphere gets bombarded by high levels of energy from the star. This intense energy causes disturbances in the Earth’s weather patterns that we experience in meteorology and the weather. For example, when Earth is close to the sun, solar wind and the auroras are more active during astrological conjunction. Conversely, the lunar wind and night sky are more engaged when Earth is close to the moon.
Will studying astronomy help me become a better meteorologist or forecaster?
Studying astronomy is a great way to learn about the Earth’s atmosphere and weather. We can make more accurate predictions by understanding how various astronomical objects affect our planet’s weather patterns. Meteorologists and forecasters also study mathematics and physics to improve their skills as weather analysts. Additionally, meteorology and forecaster careers often require an undergraduate degree in either meteorology or atmospheric science.
