Universal mysteries

KIC 8462852 is the name of a newly discovered planet that has set the scientific world abuzz. It lies 1500 light years from Earth. Since its discovery, the scientific community has been brimming with anticipation of something big. Why?
In short, the reason the planet got the scientific community so excited was its dimming patterns, which did not conform to normal dimming patterns of newly found planets. This gave rise to an astonishing and rarely thought of possibility: the presence of a Dyson sphere. The concept of the Dyson sphere was proposed by a physicist by the name of Dyson, who thought that any alien civilisation could use huge solar panel like structures to capture the energy of its star and use that enormous energy to power their world.
With the discovery of KIC 8462852, the possibility and presence of a Dyson sphere seem to be more of a reality. This Dyson sphere, if there is one, could be causing the irregular fluctuations in the dimming of KIC 8462852. And if it is a Dyson sphere, then there would be an intelligent, advanced alien civilisation out there that has built this sphere. Within days of this discovery, all radio telescopes were turned towards KIC 8462852 as the world (at least the scientific one) anxiously awaited the results of further studies to determine whether we have finally found life beyond our planet.
Take note that I am not a physicist. But also notice how easily I described this very complicated event. This was made possible by all those astronomy followers and science writers on their blogs and their columns. They understand very well that the majority of their readers are neither aware of complicated scientific terms, nor do they take much interest in it. So they make it easy for us.
The discovery of this (probable) planet is only one of the exciting developments in the western world. Their year, till now, includes discoveries and events like 2015 being recorded as the warmest year since temperatures began to be recorded from 1886 onwards, researchers announcing that the Earth’s sixth mass extinction has already begun, NASA announcing the discovery of water on Mars.
The year has also seen the completion of the largest fusion reactor in Germany (a work of extreme complexity that took 19 years), the discovery of a new member (the Denisovan) in the human lineage (through extraction of DNA from a primitive tooth found in a Siberian cave), Voyager 2 (a space probe) crossing the boundary of the Milky Way, the historic flyby over Pluto that gave the world astonishing new details about the farthest planet in our solar system, the discovery of the remains of Sodom and Gomorah in Jordan.
The world also successfully tested tractor beams (what we thought was fiction when showed in Star Trek movies), EM drive engines that are set to revolutionise travel, and the Cassini space probe flying towards Europa (one of planet Jupiter’s moons) to collect samples of water that are pushed out from its surface.
And lest I forget, Europe’s Rosetta probe landed on a comet that is hurtling towards the sun. Its mission is to gather samples from its surface in order to gauge what happened at the beginning of the birth of the universe. In an age when our pilots find it difficult to land a huge commercial plane properly, this achievement might seem hard to believe.
So how did our year in Pakistan go till now? Here are a few snapshots. Petrol vanished from petrol pumps at the start of the year, gas shortages continue unabated, electricity shortages are as rampant as ever, the Nandipur Power Project adds another chapter to our sordid history of mega corruption scandals, civil-military tensions have flared up again, the prime minister announces reduction in petrol prices while inaugurating yet another motorway (the ones already present are operating in losses), the biggest intellectual debate happening in Pakistan is whether to lift the ban on YouTube or not.
We also managed to achieve ‘record’ foreign exchange reserves by piling on ‘record’ debt (the PM ‘felicitated’ the nation on this ‘achievement’), economists and donor agencies again caught the government for presenting fudged figures (why does it always happen under Ishaq Dar’s watch). In addition, the finance minister has declared Pakistan’s economic fundamentals to be strong and the economy ready for takeoff (this he stated while chairing the meeting of the Data Darbar renovation committee).
The PTI is once again crying foul over an election it lost (another dharna in the offing?), Bilalwal ‘Bhutto’ Zardari is promising roti, kapra and makan to people in his by-rote Roman Urdu speeches, the student chapter of the JI is beating up students for their ‘immoral’ act of playing cricket with girls, Umar Akmal is again caught doing something, and jihadi organisations are again declaring their resolve to hoist Pakistan’s flag over the Red Fort in New Delhi.
NASA and other space agencies can keep searching for other intelligent species outside of our solar system, but at least I can clearly discern two different sets of species living within this world. One set is an intelligent form that believes in scientific and intellectual progress, and has come to accept reason, logic, intuition, research and creativity as the basis of their existence. The other set of species is mired in centuries-old dogmas. In one part of the world, scientists find fame, acceptance and respect. In places like ours, scientists like Dr Abdus Salam and Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy are reviled, rejected and mocked.
We have to recognise that our everyday existence is caught in a ‘cycle of intellectual mediocrity and decline’. The west, thanks to the Renaissance, managed to escape this vicious cycle. It should not come as a surprise that the Industrial Revolution, that monumental event that changed the course of history, came after the Europeans managed to escape this cycle. Only when we too can manage to escape this cycle will we reach some sort of parity with the western world.
This will only happen when we become more accepting of science and change. As Heraclitus said some 2000 years ago, the only constant in this world is change. And change we must, at least in our intellectual outlook, if we have to escape our mediocre predicament.
Email: shahid.mohmand@ gmail.com
Twitter: ShahidMohmand79