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.
Dr. Fariha Hasan is serving as the Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Microbiology in Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. She has more than 12 years of teaching and research experience in the field of Microbiology. Her research interests are Microbial Diversity of extreme habitats, polyextremophilic microorganisms, Astrobiology, microbial metabolites and biodegradation of synthetic polymers.
She is an advisor of the Astrobiology Network of Pakistan and very eager to promote this emerging field of science in her country. She has been delivering lectures on astrobiology for three years and recently two of her MPhil students have done their research on astrobiology and their research papers are in process.
Dr. Fariha Hasan while delivering a lecture on Astrobiology
Let us know about your academics? What kind of hobbies and
interests do you have?
I cleared my Masters, M. Phil, and Ph.D. from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad and since 2004, I have been working here as teacher and researcher in microbiology. Usually, people think that only youngsters have hobbies, but unlike others of my age, I have managed to maintain a few of interesting hobbies after all these years, like book reading especially English classics, stamp collection, sketching, artwork, and photography.
What would you say has been the highlight of your career?
I started research on glaciers in 2006 and still pursuing it due to my interest. Later, I did my Postdoctoral from the UK in the same field. It has been around 10 years now and I think that has been one of the most important milestones of my career. I was very lucky to do my Postdoc there with a group whom I am still in contact and continue to collaborate by sending my Ph.D. students over to them.
Can you explain what Astrobiology is about?
The word Astrobiology is made by the combination of Astronomy
and Biology, in which we question and imagine life in space; planet or any
other celestial body. What are the past and the future and what kind of things
are possible which we can call life. But before going into depth one has to
define ‘life’. Beyond science jargons it can define ‘anything that can
reproduce, sustain, and carry on information’ or simply ‘survive and multiply’,
is life.
One can link it with Astrobiology in that, what we see and imagine in our minds about the extraterrestrial life. A common man thinks of it as something about a creature with one, eye, five hands, weird body, and vice versa. In reality, extraterrestrial life is what we haven’t seen and cannot be imagined clearly. Astrobiology is something that aspires to search and answer such queries about the possibilities of life in our solar system or beyond the universe.
At Quad e Azam University Islamabad
How did you develop an interest in Astrobiology?
In my childhood, I used to watch movies/shows like Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Space 1999 and Star Trek. Consequently, these shows helped my imagination to grow, but I just wanted to study biology. When graduated, I started working on research projects like biodegradation and the involved enzymes. Later, I decided to find a way where I can combine my interest with research in studies because then I was free.
My interest in Astrobiology was very apparent and I thought that I can pursue, but as an undergrad, you couldn’t study physics and biology together. Rather I chose microbiology and researched on extremophiles i.e. microorganisms living in extreme environments. So while teaching it, I had those concepts which I was able to take into several directions. Meanwhile, during multiple conferences organized by European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, I got a chance to meet a few of Astrobiologists who helped me to keep my interest and soon I started teaching Astrobiology. Now I have two students of M. Phil who have done their research on Astrobiology and their papers are in pipeline.
This network is a very good initiative in Pakistan. I came to
know about ABNP while I was teaching the Astrobiology course that I have been
doing for around three years now. Interestingly, when I offered that course for
the first time, a lot of students in the class sat as if they were watching a
movie. They had something else in mind; like I would take them to a fancy
fantasyland and show a movie! Actually, I did ask them to watch “The Martian” which
was released during that time. But they wanted to know what it actually is about.
So, when I started teaching them, the concepts got clear as well
as how it can relate to other branches of science like Biology to Physics,
Chemistry, and Mathematics. Until now we only have a hypothesis about
extraterrestrial life and we still do not know whether other planets are
habitable or not? Though, there is no evidence so far. I think a network like
ABNP in Pakistan will inspire others to develop and clear concepts. We should
introduce it to a larger audience, working through it step by step. I found a
great passion for youngsters when I delivered my very first lecture on Astrobiology.
I think this is a good platform which youngsters can join, as
well as experienced individuals. Everyone should be an equal contributor, share
knowledge and take it in the right direction to make this step become
successful. To quote Neil Armstrong when he stepped on the moon, “One small
step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.
Can a person having littleexperience or background in Astrobiology be a part of it?
Yes, they can for sure! Because Astrobiology isn’t completely based on a specific subject but having a wide spectrum of different subjects. Like I am a biologist and from my perspective, I can see that Physics matters as much as Biology does. For example, we study the movement of the planets, the plasma, light, color spectrum, and things like that are important. Similarly, unless one didn’t study the organic or inorganic chemistry, he would unable to get the idea of how connected is the chemistry of the universe with the physics, since Chemistry is the basis of life. Being a Muslim we know life won’t be possible with just chemical combinations only until a Superior source adds the soul into it.
So the force that does all of this is Allah. We can try to initiate a chemical reaction in a flask, take the required elements of life like Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulphur that we call CHNOPS in Astrobiology that are the building blocks of all life forms, but even after mixing all these elements, we can’t make a life.
We need a force and that force is a supernatural being (Allah). Other biological and physical factors show that almost all subjects are involved in life. Being a biologist you need to study or have an in-depth analysis, as well as basic concepts about Astrophysics, Astrochemistry, Astroecology, and Astrogeology would suffice.
At Quad e Azam University Islamabad
Can you give us a timeline of when Astrobiology was conceived as
a proper subject?
As a subject, the terminology was conceived in 1953 by a Russian astronomer Gavriil Tikhov. Originally, it was just like another subject Exobiology. Exobiology is also about the life that comes from places other than earth but Astrobiology is more suitable as Earth itself is a planet too and it has life in it. So the study of life on Earth is also a part of Astrobiology as we are also a part of the solar system and ultimately the universe. From the Astrobiology perspective, life on earth also comes within the present and future of the universe, and this isn’t explained in Exobiology so Astrobiology is a wider and more appropriate approach.
Slowly the concept came into limelight that if life can start here, it can also happen anywhere else in the universe, which led to the establishment of the concept of ‘panspermia’ which states that life is present in space, planets, and planetary bodies and spread through dust particles or other materials like comets, asteroids. Since then it has been spreading across the universe. Many questions are still awaited to be answered.
What do you think how can we bring Astrobiology into the
mainstream as an essential subject in Pakistan?
Until now certainly, there were no steps to introduce Astrobiology
in the mainstream. At most someone would occasionally deliver a lecture or two.
The Astrobiology Network of Pakistan has the potential of becoming a big
platform. Furthermore, there should be an awareness program including but not
limited to lecture series, student activities, and field trips at different
places for enthusiasts. I joined it as a forum from where we can spread more
awareness and it can blossom into a bigger tree.
I would suggest monthly visits to ABNP chapter leads or
volunteers to schools/colleges and public places. Normally people target
private schools and I think everyone should be made aware of and be given an
opportunity to excel with their interests.
This network is open for all to join regardless of their background, subject, and interests. I think there is a need to target wider and younger audience because now I see that at the undergraduate or even at M. Phil level students don’t have the basic knowledge. So we have to clear the basic concepts step by step without going through the complex concepts indirect but developing interest, in the beginning, is necessary.
Is there any advice that you would like to give to those who
wish to pursue this field?
First of all, expand your interest and imagination. One needs to
understand concepts and join community groups like ABNP which is providing a
platform, international and national researchers and other discipline-related
enthusiasts are part of, also there are experts from NASA and communication is
easily accessible.
One can find a lot of opportunities and different activities, those will eventually help to quench their thirst. If we don’t answer the questions of a student, his/her interest doesn’t develop and ultimately it will appear as discouraging. ABNP is a group of seniors and experienced professionals as well as students from different disciplines, who are eager to help and sort out the confusions. The next step would be to expand outreach so interest will develop and no one is left unsatisfied.
Here are the glimpses of space news that was the talk of the town the year 2018.
NASA’s InSight lander detects the sounds of winds of Mars
The Mars rover
One of the biggest news of
2018 was the landing of NASA’s newest Mars rover called InSight. Moreover, pretty recently, the agency’s jet
propulsion laboratory also released clips of the sounds of winds blowing on the
surface of the red planet collected during the first-week
of operations by the rover. The estimated speed was around 10 and 15mph and was the very first sound ever captured from
Mars that is of low frequency but detectable within human hearing range. It was
a rare treat and presented by NASA in a recent news conference. This
out-of-the-world sound (literally!) was produced when the winds blew against
the solar panels of the rover resulting in vibrations that were recorded by
internal sensors. This sensor called the seismometer will soon be moved to the
surface of the red planet where it is expected to detect the underground
seismic waves that aren’t within the range of human hearing.
A Tesla Roadster launched into space by SpaceX
Tesla Roadster
Another big splash was made in the astronomy world when Elon Musk launched a
Tesla Roadster into space through the Falcon Heavy Rocket by SpaceX at a speed
of around 18,000mph. The car is currently cruising
around the earth and is present in a region of high radiation. The vehicle is expected
to roam around in space for millions of years unless destroyed under unexpected
circumstances. The car is also equipped with a number of interesting objects. In the driver’s seat, a
human mannequin in placed named after the famous David Bowie song “Starman”.
There are several songs played in a loop
on the car’s sound system which is just a clever gimmick as no one can actually
hear it being played in space. In the glovebox,
a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is also placed.
The vehicle’s circuit board displays the
message, “Made on Earth by Humans”.
Soyuz rocket failure forces the astronauts to abort mission
Soyuz Rocket
A major mishap that occurred in 2018 was
the Soyuz rocket failure that occurred for the first time ever in the history of ISS programme.
On Oct 11, 2018, the Russian-American crew on the rocket were forced to conduct
an emergency landing after the system suffered a malfunction just minutes after
launch into space from the Russian site. Thankfully, the astronauts didn’t suffer any harm and landed
safely in Kazakhstan but the incident definitely created an uproar as the Soyuz
rocket is known to be the only rocket used to send astronauts to the space
station. The launch was smooth at the beginning and the mission was bound to reach the International Space Station (ISS)
within the designated time but after 2
minutes the mission controllers reported a failure. Footage from the cabin that
was released later, showed objects floating and indicated
the problem. Soon, the crew aborted the mission and ejected their capsule. Rescue teams reached the landing site and
reported that the crew was safe. After a brief break and investigation, the mission was relaunched and was recently reported to be successful in the first attempt.
A Chinese space station falls into the Pacific Ocean
Tiangong-1
China’s first prototype space station
called Tiangong-1 fell apart on April 1, 2018. It was a part of the country’s ambitious space programme and was originally developed to function until 2013. But it wasn’t decommissioned and its period was extended. However, in the latter part of 2016, reports
suggested that it wasn’t under control and may come down sometime during the
next two years. China itself predicted
2018 but never specified the time and location
as it purely depended on its re-entry. The country’s
space agency using its Space Surveillance Network sensor and orbital analysis confirmed that it crashed into
the Pacific Ocean in April. The station
was designed as a part of the Chinese space programme that is currently
working to place their own station in space
by 2023. The station was 34 feet long and 11 feet wide weighing more than 9 tons and was composed of an “experimental
module” and a “resource module”. The fallen pieces are thought to be of extremely small size contaminated with space
junk.
Water found in underground lakes on Mars
Under ground lake on Mars
Water, the primary requirement for survival, has now been found on Mars. It was previously identified in the moons of the outer solar system and this is the first time it has been discovered in ample quantities on the red planet. The surface of Mars was scanned by radars and a reservoir of salty liquid water was found underneath the South pole. It might not be the only one and scientists are working to see if any other reservoirs are present or not. This discovery can be extremely helpful in providing an explanation about why and how Mars’ ancient oceans vanished and whether the human race can settle on the planet in the future or not. Water is an essential requirement for the existence of life and its presence will be a thrilling phenomenon for astrobiologists to work on, who look for suitable habitats and niches for extraterrestrial life. Scientists are very hopeful and insist that there is no reason not to believe the presence of similar water reserves on Mars.
Japanese billionaire to become the first private passenger to orbit around the moon
Japanese tycoon and space enthusiast Yusaku Maezaw
Elon Musk has continued to rule 2018 by announcing and launching exciting space programs. One of them was the announcement that he will be sending a Japanese tycoon and space enthusiast Yusaku Maezaw, on a trip around the moon. This will make Maezwa the first private passenger to orbit around the moon. Maezwa is a very successful entrepreneur who owns Zozo which is Japan’s largest online fashion retailer. He explained his passion and enthusiasm about traveling to space and said that he would be inviting artists to this 2023 trip. The Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) on which he would be traveling hasn’t been built yet but the project will start soon according to the SpaceX CEO. Musk is a known space geek and has successfully built a rocket company and continually brings fascinating and thrilling projects. He isn’t shy to speak about his fears of the extinction of human civilization on this planet and proposes to introduce travel programs so that humans can become a multi-planet civilization soon.
An isolated solar observatory reopens after an unexplained shifting
A solar observatory in New Mexico
A solar observatory reopened in New Mexico,
the USA that was previously closed on
unknown reasons. The organization that controls the site, the Association of Universities
for Research in Astronomy (AURA) said that it worked closely with law
enforcement agencies and investigation of a criminal activity that happened on
the site. They claimed that the Sunspot Solar Observatory was evacuated due to
a safety hazard that risked the lives of the staff and residents. The criminal
activity was never revealed and no one is quite sure at what is going on at the
observatory. It was speculated that the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was involved and some said that a spying incident
also occurred. However such rumors were
denied by the authorities as they said no credible source has given out any
sort of information on the incident.
The fastest-growing black hole known in space discovered
The fastest growing black-hole in space
The fastest growing black-hole in space was recently discovered by scientists at ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It has been labeled as a monster that can take up mass equal to the sun of our solar system within two days. This gigantic black hole is roughly the size of around 20 billion suns growing a percent every one million years. It is also able to shine an extremely bright light, more than that of a galaxy. Scientists have proposed that this might happen because of the number of gases sucked in as well as the friction and heat generated because of it. The energy emitted from this black hole was composed of UV light in higher quantities as well as some amount of X-rays. The scientists at the institute have also claimed that if the black hole were present in the middle or center of the Milky Way galaxy, it would radiate 10 times brighter than a full moon and may lead to fading out of the others stars in the sky.
NASA’s Dawn and Kepler missions meet their final fate
NASA’s Dawn &Kepler missions
Over the course of
history, NASA has managed to send some
very successful missions into space and two of those near their ends this year.
The missions are Dawn and Kepler that study large objects in the asteroid belt
and search for exoplanets respectively. In
Oct, the chief engineer and mission director for Dawn announced that the
spacecraft would run out of its supply of hydrazine by the middle of that month
and the depletion will result in the loss of attitude control and termination
of the mission. He also claimed that the planners and scientists were working to
sort a way out so that the spacecraft may remain functional till December but according
to current calculations that seems really unlikely. The Dawn spacecraft was launched
in 2007 and studied Vesta, the large asteroid, and Ceres, a dwarf planet, in
the big asteroid belt. It used hydrazine
in the thrusters that kept it going which became operational after the
spacecraft was unable to orient itself due to a failure of its reaction control
wheels some time ago. The other mission, Kepler, launched in 2009, will also be
experiencing the same fate as it uses hydrazine in its thrusters, an alternate
control mechanism, after the failure of the reaction wheels.
A Star is observed speeding near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy
A star speeding near a gigantic black hole
For the first time ever, astronomers
observed a star speeding near a gigantic black hole in the center of our galaxy. It was observed using a
large telescope in a region of Chile and the star, named S2, was seen passing through a high
gravitational field in the middle of the Milky Way. In the month of May 2018,
the star reached near the black hole and surged at extremely high speeds approving
some effects predicted by Einstein in his theory of general relativity. The
approaching star was being tracked by scientists and astronomers for around 16 years and which is also the time it takes by the
star to complete one orbit of the black hole. It was a unique moment and
opportunity for the observers at the Max Planck Institute for Extra-terrestrial
Physics who prepared enthusiastically for this event, waiting for it to occur
so as to observe the general relativistic effects. It was very challenging as
it was hard to pinpoint and search for a star that is relatively faint and
26,000 light yeast away from Earth, surrounded by other stars and glowing
debris in space.
