Likewise, other countries of the world, in Pakistan the academia has fixed a borderline between the humanities and the general sciences and this division probably more absolute more than past because it seems almost practically impossible for a student to engage him/herself in two simultaneously different subjects. But still, a lot of people are interested in both and willing to read, write, or to know about what is happening in the various fields of science. This is not because the storytelling defines us as a human but it’s natural to be attracted by a scientific explanation of what we humans are, where did we come from and what is our place in this vast universe?
Science writing can play an important role in engaging a layman with science & technology and modern advancement. Consequently, it brings the work of researchers and scientists from the observatories/lab to the public spotlight. A science writer does not always need detailed, in-depth exper-tise, but should have a vast and up to date knowledge of a particular field of science and concerned topics. But the effort to become a science writer does not end here, a true passion and the ability to narrate pure scientific concepts to a non-scientific reader are mandatory as well.
The newly emerging field of science writing has caught the attention of an overwhelming number of people have good skills in writing. In the western culture, the students usually kickoff their career as a freelancer during their schooling, but here in Pakistan, neither it is promoted by our acade-mic intuitions nor by print or electronic media.
At its best, science writing is an emerging field of journalism that needs more than a desire to become a science writer. It is a matter of fact that a fewer number of writers broken into the profession through science blogging in Pakistan. Since it’s not so easy to make a career, it almost always takes month or years of unpaid labor. For most of the beginners, science blogging is not a standalone strategy but a tool for spreading awareness and passion for science among the masses.
I have been in print and electronic media for two years and with hundreds of my write-ups including but not limited to astronomy, astrobiology, and space-based astronomy, I tried hard to promote the passion of science writing in our new generation. When I started my writing career from ARY NEWS, there were fewer members of the science community who believe that science can be a genre in mainstream media. Eventually, the interesting write-ups by a few other passionate science writers helped more writers to come forward, define their beats and further hone their skills into this vibrant new digital age.
Consequently, the great motivation I got from the success stories of Pakis-tani scientists working abroad in NASA, ESA, and world’s top universities like Harvard and Oxford universities, whom I interviewed at times and had a meaning conversation on the lack of scientific research and writing in Pakistan, I came across a conclusion that the “bad science” our academia has been providing to our new generation is the backbone behind this lagging.
There are a fewer number of individuals have been struggling hard to make science as a genre and to reshape the narrative of science journalism in Pakistan. The monthly Urdu science magazine “Global science” had been promoting science for more than a decade and now a few of other public-ations are waving in print and electronic media as well. Arguably, the best science and technology magazine in the country at the current moment is technology times, whereas MIT technology review and Spectra magazine by UET Lahore students are making their way out to in journalism.
Eventually, with the support of the journalist community, a handful of science enthusiast and writers has recently been launched an online English astrophysics magazine “Scientia” which is the first of its kind in Pakistan. No doubt this is the much-needed initiative that provides the equal number of opportunities to skilled science writers who decide to strike out as a freelancer and having a passion for the promoting astro-physics, astronomy, astrobiology, Space & Earth Sciences. This is a unique opportunity for local talent either writers, science communicators, resea-rchers, or astrophotographers to show their talent on a genuine platform worldwide and also to tell science stories to a lay reader in Pakistan. The magazine contents like special science outreach reports, astrophotography, kids’ corner, and random astronomy articles give a chance to local talent to grow and evolve.
The new Government got overwhelming attention of common people in Pakistan with their slogan “NAYA PAKISTAN”, as per pre and post-election announcements the government beckons towards framing a new people-centered development paradigm to provide basic needs like quality educ-ation, health, and employment facilities on an equal basis. However, these efforts will bore no fruit unless we come across a scientific framework of all problems either social, economic, environmental or else. We are hopeful that the government and public sector will strengthen their hands in this much-needed initiative that eventually result in a better understanding of everyday problems for a layman and to reshape the narrative of science journalism in Pakistan.
The article was originally appeared on ARY News Blogs and re posted here with the permission of Author and ARY media group.
We know that the components of the universe are infinite. New research on the night sky revealed hundreds of thousands of new galaxies that were previously hidden. The study was done in an observatory in Paris where such telescopes were used that detected the sources of light not visible through other simple tools and instruments. It was not an individual effort, rather a team of international expert astronomers from 18 countries worked together on this project. It was explained that the discovery was groundbreaking, in that it unveiled some of the hidden mysteries and enigmas of the universe including the phenomenon like the evolution of galaxies and black holes etc.
Picture coutesy NASA
The radio astronomy technique was used to observe the sky above the northern hemisphere and distant galaxies that were 300,000 in number were revealed. At first, these were labeled as unseen light sources and the images perplexed the scientists who studied in detail to reveal the true nature of the things they had seen. Cyril Tasse, a researcher at the Paris Observatory, said that “This is a new window on the universe”. The mentioned technique helps to identify radiation and the changes produced when heavenly bodies interact. LOFAR (Low-Frequency Array) telescope was used to detect the trails of radiation, that extends to over millions of light years, and energies produced after the merging of galaxies. The sources can then be further pinpointed after analyzing the obtained data. These new light sources (or galaxies) can also help in figuring out the mysteries of black holes. The black holes are unique as they can engulf every matter due to a strong gravitational pull and they emit radiations afterward. The development and formation of black holes can be unders-tood by studying and analyzing this new research in depth as well. One may be surprised to learn that the map created by these observations has the same amount of data as ten million DVDs, but it only covers two percent of the sky!
The phenomenon of supermoon occurs when the full moon is at the closest distance to the Earth in its orbit. Such a moon is unusually brighter and closer than at regular days. This term has been used for quite a long time but gained popularity in recent years, when three supermoons occurred in a row. It happens quite a while and in the year 2019, two supermoons have already occurred on Jan 20-21 and Feb 19, with another one to appear on March 21.
A spectacular supermoon, pictured here with the Statue of Liberty in the foreground, in New York City on February 19th, 2019.
New York City on February 19th, 2019.
A stunning image captured in Vienna, Austria. The bright supermoon peeps through the buildings in a busy street.
A stunning image captured in Vienna, Austria
This wide image shows the biggest supermoon of the year 2019. Taken just before the bright daylight in Scotland, one can visibly see the surface and the carters on the moon.
Scotland
Alex Maragos captured the biggest supermoon of the year rising in Athens, Greece on Feb 19, 2019.
Athens, Greece
In Kings Park, Perth, the striking photo shows the Supermoon aligning perfectly between two buildings.
Kings Park, Perth
The super snow moon (called as such for appearing in winter) is rising behind the iconic coastline of Manhattan in New York City.
The iconic coastline of Manhattan in New York City.
There is a troll in ancient myths that an ugly creature, either a Giant or Dwarf lives in dark places such as caves or caverns. This creature always waits for anything passed by as a quick meal. A New York-based technology website ‘lifewire’ made an internet troll as a new version of the same mythical character. They are angry and disruptive like the original character more often, without no reason and can cause troubles on the internet. In Pakistan’ case, we can found thousands of such trolls on social and mainstream media having a large number of followers who in general, are sharing their personal views and ideologies, either religious or political and our electronic media is deliberately promoting these trolls. It is a matter of fact that here in Pakistan, almost all the media houses except PTV have been ruling by the corporate sector, who are prone to run media outlets with a typical business approach. Although, the literacy rate in last two decades has increased up to a significant level, especially in urban parts of all provinces of Pakistan the intellectual and liberal audiences have never been in their priorities and owners always apply cost-cutting measures to ensure more profit and high TRP ratings.
Eventually, the majority of the audience, either readers or viewers are forced to watch what is being aired or published by media houses as ‘news update’ or under the banner of ‘entertainment’, regardless of fact that most of the news are not authentic. However, updating their viewers about each and every advancement happening in the universe should be the prime responsibility of News organizations, instead, they have successfully created an illusion in minds of viewers to consider political advancements as ‘News’ only.
In such a scenario, it is quite sensational that the journalists in mainstream media are being used as puppets who are forced to blindly follow the policies of media houses and it is difficult if someone wants to pursue a career in the least interested beats like ‘science journalism’.
Science journalism deems as a daunting and least worthwhile beat in our News industry and why it shouldn’t be, because science based on facts and findings as well as on authenticity. But the ‘DON(s) of our media is brought up with business mindsets and are only interested in BENEFICIAL NEWS, which is a piety trade of Media outlets.
In the current face of communication technologies, the national borders are becoming increasingly meaningless and the social media giants such as Google, Facebook and YouTube have outnumbered the population of world’s most populated countries like China or India. Therefore, like the rest of the world, the Pakistani media is also in the phase of transformation from electronic to digital. Now our Business guru’s are having real-time data of news categories, and they exactly know about the interest of masses through these social giants.
Sadly but it is a sharp truth that science has never been in our people’s priority, and they are more interested in entertainment, politics and weird sort of News stories. This makes it easier for news editors to categorize Science as second-grade news or least interested news category. Another difficulty that science writers and reporters usually face in their daily routine is a “B.A pass Editor”. Since politics is a most trading product in the industry, it gives away to someone who has expertise in political journalism to become Chief Editor, and a science editor is compelled to work under him and a ‘Concept of Independent’ science editor is rare and exceptional.
Since our academia is not interested to pursue science communication as an educational field, it is hard for an editor, who didn’t study science as a subject of interest, to understand the significance of educating viewers about the advancements in the field of science and technology. Our country is lacking scientific approach in all aspects of life and media is equally responsible for it as well as our government.
Another difficulty, which science reporters have to counter is hunting for News. Pakistan is making no daily advancements, we rarely have some science or technology related news in our country. The last breaking news in science category from Pakistan was the launching of Pakistan’s remote sensing satellite and it happened back in July 2018.
Furthermore, Most of the private sector tech related news are killed (the term being used by news desk for the News story which can’t be aired or published) by marketing departments of media outlets, since they consider it as marketing stuff. Consequently, covering government sector tech related News is more difficult as most of our projects are being guarded by the military for security reasons, Like SUPARCO is under military control, so the reporters have to rely on the press releases only, which usually lack the scientific details.
Let’s have an overlook of Science writers and reporters. As Science journalism is not much rewarding field, so we rarely have a science writer who is specialized in scientific writings. Eventually, media organizations rely on people with good translation skills and these sort of writers usually become a curse in disguise. What they usually do with science and tech news is horrific story itself, like imagine, if someone is writing news of Enceladus –The Natural satellite of Saturn and he never went through a single book on astronomy or even not fully aware about our solar system
Concluding the discussions on a happier note that the launching of an online astronomy magazine from Pakistan is like “a ray of hope in the darkness”. It should not the end of a journey but the beginning of the new start. It is quite obvious that in Pakistan, Science journalism has to cover a long journey barefooted and I have all my wishes and support with “Scientia magazine” and its founding and editorial teams.
Everyone has a purpose in life and a unique talent to give to others. The journey to success begins when someone tries to blend this unique talent with service to others. One just needs to find that what distinguishes him/her from others and through passion, hard work, persistence, determination, true talent, and commitment anything can happen.
Pakistan has no lack of talent at all, nowadays not a single day goes by without the news of some extraordinary achievements of our countryman and women that worthy of banner headlines. Twelve years old Raadeya Aamir is among these talented guys who came into limelight and made us proud all over the world.
Raadheya Aamir
Raadeya Aamir has recently been selected for the NASA ‘s one-week internship program, that will include but not limited to a one-week long training session for next generation astronaut training experience. This training session will be a consequence of NASA’s mission to Mars and will include land, walk, and drive on Mars through virtual and motion simulation. Also, she will get a chance of spacewalk in microgravity.
Raadeyah an 8th-grade student at the British overseas school, Karachi is a space sciences enthusiast has ever been fascinated with space travel and wished to become an astronaut in future. This is because of her strong passion, determination, and persistence that her dream is now getting fulfilled and she will fly to NASA’s Kennedy space Centre Orlando on 16th of February 2019.
While talking to local media, she expressed her overwhelming joy over this “once in a lifetime opportunity” and fully determined to make her country proud all over the world with her talent and passion in the future too.
Black holes have been a
mystery for the scientists for a long time. There are many theories about black
holes as well as white holes. Before going into detail let’s first define what
the black holes really are. A black hole is a region of a
spacetime exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing—not even
particles and electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from inside
it. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass
can deform spacetime to form a black hole, so the black hole is a region
of space-time where extremely strong gravity prevents anything,
including light escaping from. We know that matterfalling
into black holes is no different from the matter which can be found
lurking around the rest of the Universe. Black holes have a finite
lifetime due to the emission of Hawking radiation. However, for most known
astrophysical black holes, the time it would take to completely evaporate
and disappear is far longer than the current age of the universe.
Black Hole
What are wormholes?
According
to the special theory of relativity, the laws of physics are the same for
all non-accelerating observers and the speed of light within a vacuum is the
same, no matter the speed at which an observer travels, so it means
that a white hole is a hypothetical region of spacetime which
cannot be entered from the outside, although matter and light can escape from
it. In this sense, it is the reverse of a black hole, which can only be
entered from the outside and from which matter and light cannot
escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a
sufficiently compact mass can deform space-time to form a black hole.
“White holes, which are
theoretically the exact opposites
Of black holes could constitute a major portion of the
Mysterious dark matter that’s thought to make up most
Of the matter in the universe.”
What are wormholes?
A wormhole is
consistent with the general theory of relativity, but
whether wormhole actually exists remains to be seen.
A wormhole could connect extremely long distances such as a billion
light-years or more, short distances such as a few meters, different universes,
or different points in time.
Worm Hole
Now we know the
actual difference between black and white holes is that light cannot escape
from a black hole and contrary cannot enter into a white hole. Another
difference one might hope to exploit is that unlike black
holes, wormholeshave no event horizon. This means
that things could go in a wormhole and come back out again.
In fact, theorists say one variety of wormhole wraps back onto
itself, so that it leads not to another universe, but back to its own entrance. There are a couple of
theories, let’s discuss them in detail.
Theory1:
White holes, which are
theoretically the exact opposites of black holes, could constitute a major portion of the mysterious dark
matter that’s thought to make up most of the matter in the universe, a new
study finds. And some of these bizarre white holes may even predate the Big
Bang, the researchers said.
Furthermore, Black holes
possess gravitational pulls so powerful that even the light which is the
fastest thing in the universe, cannot escape them. The invisible spherical
boundary surrounding the core of a black hole that marks its point of no return
is known as its event horizon.
A black hole is one
prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Another is known as a white hole, which is like a black hole in reverse: Whereas nothing can
escape from a black hole’s event horizon, nothing can enter a white hole’s
event horizon.
Previously, researchers
have suggested that black holes and white holes are connected, with matter
and energy falling into a black hole potentially emerging from a white
hole either somewhere
else in the cosmos or in another universe entirely. In 2014, Carlo
Rovelli, a theoretical physicist at Aix-Marseille University in France, and his
colleagues suggested that black holes and white holes might be connected in
another way: When black holes die, they could become white holes.
“The dark matter is
invisible; it does not emit,
Reflect or even block
light. As a result, dark
Matter can currently be tracked only through
Its gravitational effects on normal matter,
such
As that making up stars and galaxies.”
Theory2:
Black holes nowadays are thought to form when massive stars die
in giant explosions known as supernovas, which compress their corpses into the
infinitely dense points known as singularities at the hearts of black holes.
Rovelli and his colleagues previously estimated that it would take a black hole
with a mass equal to that of the sun about a quadrillion times the current age
of the universe to convert into a white hole.
However, prior work in the 1960s and 1970s suggested that black
holes also could have originated within a second after the Big Bang, due to
random fluctuations of density in the hot, rapidly expanding newborn universe.
Areas, where these fluctuations concentrated matter together, could have
collapsed to form black holes. These so-called primordial black holes would be much smaller than stellar-mass black holes, and
could have died to form white holes within the lifetime of the universe,
Rovelli and his colleagues noted.
However, even white holes with microscopic diameters could still
be quite massive, just as black holes smaller than a sand grain can weigh more
than the moon. Now, Rovelli and the co-author of research Francesca Vidotto, of
the University of the Basque Country in Spain, suggest that these microscopic
white holes could make up dark matter.
What is Dark matter?
Although dark matter is thought to make up five-sixths of all
matter in the universe, scientists do not know what it’s made of. As its name
suggests, dark matter is invisible; it does not emit, reflect or even block
light. As a result, dark matter can currently be tracked only through its
gravitational effects on normal matter, such as that making up stars and
galaxies. The nature of dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries
in astrophysics. The local density of dark matter, as suggested by the motion
of stars near the sun, is about 1 percent the mass of the sun per cubic parsec,
which is about 34.7 cubic light-years. To account for this density with white
holes, the scientists calculated that one tiny white hole — much smaller than a
proton and about a millionth of a gram, which is equal to about the mass of
“half an inch of a human hair,” Rovelli said — is needed per 2,400
cubic miles (10,000 cubic kilometers). These white holes would not emit any
radiation, and because they are far smaller than a wavelength of light, they
would be invisible. If a proton did happen to impact one of these white holes,
the white hole “would simply bounce away,” Rovelli said. “They
cannot swallow anything.” If a black hole were to encounter one of these
white holes, the result would be a single larger black hole, he added.
Dark matter
Theory3:
The Black holes are common in the cosmos—nearly every large
galaxy harbors a supermassive one in its nucleus, not to mention smaller
specimens. However, astronomers have yet to identify a single white hole. That
doesn’t rule out their existence entirely since it might be hard to see one: If
they effectively repel particles, there’s a small possibility they could be
lurking out there somewhere, invisible. Nevertheless, none of all the diverse
objects astronomers have observed seem to resemble what we’d expect from white
holes.
An even larger problem arises when we consider how white holes
could form. Black holes are the end result of gravitational collapse. When a
star at least 20 times the mass of the Sun exhausts its usable nuclear fuel, it
can no longer produce enough energy to balance the inward force of gravity. At
that point, the core collapses on itself, reaching ever higher densities until
its gravity is so intense that not even light can escape. That results in a
black hole with a mass comparable to a large star. Supermassive black holes,
which are millions or billions of times heavier than that, form by some
currently unknown mechanism.
In any case, they still are the result of the
gravitational collapse, whether from a huge super-star born in the early days
of the Universe, a huge cloud of gas at the heart of a primeval galaxy, or some
other phenomenon. Forming a white hole, however, would require something akin
to a gravitational sewer explosion, and it’s not clear how that sort of event
could ever occur. One possibility is that white holes might be “glued” to black
holes. In this view, a black hole and white hole are two sides of the same
thing, connected via a wormhole, a concept familiar from many science-fiction
stories, a similar principle proposed for a “warp drive”—but no evidence for such material exists.
Conclusion:
A probable conclusion of
the above discussion is that our Universe contains a multitude of black holes
but no white holes. That’s not because of a fundamental asymmetry in
time—general relativity still works just as well either way time flows—but due
to the nature of gravitational collapse: It only works one way. This
parallels the situation with the entire cosmos: There was a Big Bang, an
initial expansion of all we observe, apparently from a single point. But the
evidence points pretty strongly against the possibility of a Big Crunch, a
re-collapse of all we observe into a single point sometime in the distant
future. If current trends continue (specifically if dark energy doesn’t
drastically change its character), the Universe will continue to expand forever
at an ever-faster rate.
Just because the equations of general relativity allow white holes and big crunches, warp drives
and wormholes doesn’t mean these things actually exist in
nature. The asymmetry of time in gravity isn’t inherent but seems to arise from
the behavior of matter and energy: gravitational collapse at the end of time,
initial expansion at time’s beginning. The deep meaning of that is something
physicists are still trying to comprehend.
One of the most memorable and amazing films of the past year
was “First Man”. Directed by Damien Chazelle starring Ryan Gosling and Claire
Foy, this film explores the life of the first human to step on the moon, Neil Armstrong,
thus aptly named. The film is a spectacular feature and a great addition to the
science fiction genre. In Hollywood these days, where superhero franchises rule
the box office, this film seems to be a breath of fresh air telling the story
of a real-life hero.
After the end of World War II, the cold war continued between two giant superpowers i.e. America and The Soviet Union. One of the races was to become the first country to land on and explore the moon. The film highlights this issue in the beginning, showing the struggles and the journey of the American Space Program and their approach towards the achievem-ent of this certain goal. However, as this movie is based on the life on the life of Neil Armstrong, it starts with the depiction of his personal experien-ces that greatly affected his life. It is no surprise that it showed how the death of Neil’s daughter had a traumatic impact on his life, and afterwards, he became much soberer and more serious. He was a quiet man who had a brilliant mind, evident through his repeated selections in space programs by NASA.
Neil was selected to be in the team of the three people who
would go to the moon in the Apollo 11 Mission. The other members were Buzz
Aldrin and Michael Collins. However, this historic feat was not achieved in a
single year, rather it took many years and even lives to shape and develop a
perfect program. Neil’s competency was never argued and rejected as he performed
exceptionally well at each step. In the movie, a melancholy tone gripped the
entire plot which would surely intrigue the audience and keep them interested
till the end. It also showed the views of the Americans who were critical of
the program and NASA itself.
The script was written by Josh Singer and was based on the
book First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen. What I loved about
the film was it’s out of the world music by Justin Horowitz, the Academy award-winning
composer of films like Whiplash and La La Land. It was the fantastic tunes and melodies
that wonderfully complemented each scene and made it even more stunning. At
times it was satisfying and at times it was beautiful enough to take your
breath away. The final moments of the film showed the true compassion and
nature of Neil Armstrong, who was previously presented as a rather calm and
reserved human. One scene was so well crafted that I am sure it’ll bring tears
to the viewer’s eyes.
Moon landing
Unfortunately, the film suffered some major setbacks in the box-office
as well as the general audience in the USA due to some controversies. Some
argued that this film should’ve discussed more aspects of the Apollo mission to
the moon and should’ve included more stories and people. The major trouble was
created when people said that it was very wrong not to include the moment when
the American flag was placed on the lunar surface. Ryan Gosling, the lead
actor, said that it was not the story of the Americans but a hero who was human
and who didn’t care any less about the flag. He said that it was an achievement
for the whole humanity, and it would contradict the famous words of Neil
himself that were, “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind”. Also, this film included
several of his famous quotes including the iconic phrase, “Houston, Tranquility
Base here. The Eagle has landed”.
Rayn Gosling
The movie had amazing cinematography, direction, soundtrack
and acting among other things. Ryan and Claire Foy performed exceptionally well
and brought life to their characters. The supporting cast was also great and the
director Damien Chazelle, just like his other hit movies, proved that he would
soon stand out in the line of best directors of the century. Visually, the
efforts of the editors and visual effects artists must be appreciated as replicating
the landing wasn’t as an easy step as it sounded. Every department did their
best. Certain moments may bore those having a short attention span but can be
compensated by other stupefying bits. Neil Armstrong’s sons also applauded the
movie and it’ll be remembered in the years to come as a masterfully crafted work
of art.
It is a daunting task to portray such a hero but, in my
opinion, it was a job well done. Portraying human emotions, a historic scheme,
and a dangerous expedition needs skills and work which was aptly done by the
entire team of this film. It will certainly inspire many who like to dream big
and work hard while facing extreme personal issues. It is a lesson that if a
human possesses humility and commitment, nothing can stop from him/her from
going to the moon and back. Literally!
The universe is about 13.8 billion years old and resulted from
inflation, an unimaginably powerful expansion, called ‘the Big Bang’. The
radiation from quasars is recognized as the most energetic inhabitants of the universe,
drives from the black hole. The black holes are actually enormous gravity sink
in the core of ancient galaxies.
As the consequence of internal motions, an encounter with other
galaxies, and the evolution of stars, our Sun was born five billion years ago
and the solar system planets, asteroids, and comets condensed from its leftover
debris.
Though, a little record is available on the impression of the
early man of the heavens. Some of the ancient artifacts of comets, asteroids,
and supernova like that of Pueblo Petrograph tracked down the early human’s
interest in the astronomy but he was frightened and overwhelmed by the skies
especially from eclipses. Consequently, the motion of the heavens had a
profound influence on the daily affairs of mankind and that comes to manifest
itself in the religious interpretations of heavenly objects and phenomenon.
Later, history tells us that from five to twenty thousand years
ago, the humankind started to settle down and become civilized that eventually
led to the creation myths, the myths those had never been existing at all.
Though on the timeline of human history, the scientific inquiry is a very new
endeavor one can find the evidence of a SCIENCE TRIBE in ancient
civilizations. About 2600 years ago, with Thales of Miletus, the idea
arose that nature follows consistent natural laws that consequently replaced
the myths about origin and creation of our world and the universe.
In recent years, no more than a week goes by without the
news of a cosmic discovery or breakthrough. The international media has
successfully created an interest in the science of the universe in public that
in consequence, resulted in a slight increase in their appetite for space
sciences and astronomy. Therein western societies, a large number of
intellectuals can glimpse and understand the essence of science, it’s trying,
testing and trying again strategy and now they are widely applying it in their
everyday life.
Though at its best, the science writing weaves together for
knowledge and the moment of great insight to reveal that how science works and
why it matters to understand this vast universe. In a world growing more and
more complex, there is a serious lack of capable persons having a unique talent
such as science writing, a field that is now entering into a vibrant new age.
The science writing is the art and craft of narrating complex stories in a
simplistic manner without going out the richest in the story.
“The Scientia Magazine” provides another window to the universe not only to a lay-reader in Pakistan but to the writers equally to quench their thirst of knowing and sharing more about heaven and the universe. This is an effort to start a new era of science journalism in Pakistan to make our countryman more aware of science and its great influence in everyday life. Though, this was not as easy as it seems. The project got pended twice due to the lack of available resources and teamwork. Finally, we are bringing it to the public with some new exciting ideas and many things are still in pipeline. Our contents like News Bites, interview, and breakthrough connect the lay-reader to the international scientific and astronomers communities. Whereas, special outreach reports, astrophotography, kids’ corner, and random articles is an effort to highlight local talent on a genuine platform.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who
supported us in this process. My very warm and heartfelt thanks to Ahmad Yusuf
(Dawn in paper), Suhail Yusuf (Express-News), and Fawwad Raza (ARY News) for
sharing their precious time, support, advice, and enthusiasm for this
initiative.
Stephen Hawking led an incredible life and provided an
amazing service to science. He inspired millions and made an undeniable impact
not only among the scientific community but around the world. Here are a few glimpses
of his marvelous life.
Young Stephen Hawking in 1962
This is a picture of young Stephen Hawking. He studied natural sciences at Oxford and after receiving his B.A. in 1962, he went to Cambridge for graduate studies in Physics. He initially worked with his friend on the role of singularities in general relativity and later pursed and immortalized new concepts of space and time.
Stephen Hawking in 1985, after diagnosis with ALS
Hawking in 1985. After he was diagnosed with ALS, a motor neuron
disease, he used a special electric wheelchair equipped with new technologies
for locomotion.
At Cambridge, England, with his family
Hawking, on left, pictured in 1985, with his family in
Cambridge, England. He married his first wife two years before he was diagnosed
with the disease. Here, their two children are seen enjoying a cookout.
At Cambridge, England
Professor Hawking pictured with his family arriving at Cambridge to receive an honorary degree awarded to him for his services to scientific research.
At Trinity college Lawn.
Pictured in Cambridge. Stephen Hawking is seen here in the
Trinity College Lawn.
A Brief history of time
Hawking best selling book was published in 1988 called A Brief History of Time. He brought theories
of black holes, space exploration and cosmology to a wider audience around the world.
It has sold more than ten million copies and continues to break records.
1992 with Sue Lawley in a radio show
In 1992, he appeared on the radio show called Desert Island
Discs with Sue Lawley. He talked about his scientific interests and favorite
desserts.
An episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Stephen was extremely fond of Television and movies and appeared
in many famous shows. Here, he is seen in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also made cameos in The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, Futurama
etc.
1995, second marriage with Elaine Meson
In 1995, Stephen Hawking married his nurse Elaine Mason, five
years after his divorce from his first wife. His second marriage continued for
11 years and they got divorced in 2006.
At White House in 1998
In 1998, Hawking was invited at the White House by the [then] President Bill Clinton, for an event in which he discussed prospects and developments in science during a live telecast.
199, at Royal society of Arts
Hawking received the Albert Medal from Prince Philip of Britain in 1999. The Royal Society of Arts awarded him for popularizing physics among the general audience. He was also awarded CBE which is one of the biggest civil honors in Britain.
2001, at free University Berlin
Hawking is seen here attending a lecture in Free University,
Berlin in the year 2001. He gave many lectures and talks around the world
throughout his life.
In 2007, while experiencing gravity in US
In 2007, Hawking experienced zero gravity in a US institute and was captured all smiles and happy. He always talked about never limiting himself because of his condition.
At NASA’s 50th anniversar
On April 21, 2008, Hawking gave a lecture for NASA on its 50th anniversary. His daughter also served as a moderator for the event.
While receiving presidential medal of freedom
President of the United States of America, presented him the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 2009 which is a big civilian honor.
At Vatican City
He met with Pope Francis in Vatican City before a session at Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Although he was a known atheist, he still discussed the ideas of God and religion during many lectures. Stephen Hawking tries to teach POPE origins of the universe in an awkward meeting of minds.
2012, in London
Hawking is pictured
here giving a speech during the opening ceremony of Paralympics in London in
the year 2012.
2014, with Queen Elizabeth
Stephen Hawking is seen here meeting the Queen at a
disability charity in 2014.
At premier, Theory of every thing
In 2014, a film based on his life was released called The Theory of Everything. Here, he pictured with the leading stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Stephen Hawking delighted at Redmayne’s Oscar for The Theory Of Everything.
2018, Funeral service at Great St. Mary’s Church
After an
astonishing career and life, Stephen Hawking passed away on March 14, 2018. His
funeral service was held at Great St. Mary’s Church.
