Edwin Hubble via Vision.

Science and its academic disciplines have shaped and transformed our modern world arguably more so than any other force. Despite this, there still remains a large chasm between the public’s perception of and the reality of the scientific method and the epistemology of science. Public intellectuals such as Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman, have sought to bridge this gap by using their background as scientists and ability as writers and orators. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Lawrence Krauss, physicist, director of the Origins Initiative at Arizona State University and best-selling author speak about the nature of science with respect to the development of theories about the universe.

Reaching the starting place

Dr. Krauss, whose exceptionally lucid speaking style places him among the great modern public intellectuals, set the tone of the lecture with a quote by the American poet Louise Bogan: “The initial mystery that attends any journey is how did the traveler reach his starting point in the first place?” The starting point of the universe is one of the mysteries that has perplexed scientists for years.

After figuring out that the universe was not static, early modern physicists sought to find the precise age of the universe. Edwin Hubble, who described the expanding universe, predicted the age of the universe to be 1.5 billion years. However, this was problematic and paradoxical at the time, since scientists were aware that the age of the Earth was much older than 1.5 billion years.

Uncertainties are an inevitable part of science, and knowledge that known unknowns and unknown unknowns exist is what pushes research forward. Seeking to determine a more accurate age for the universe, later observational data improved on measurements of the distance between galaxies, obtaining a closer estimate of 13.75 billion years. These improvements include standard candles obtained from supernovae.

The House of Cards

In his lecture, Dr. Krauss said that he considers one of the biggest misconceptions about science to be that scientists want to be right, remarking humorously, “They don’t want to be wrong, but they want their colleagues to be wrong.” He highlighted the nature of science as one where theories are constantly proven wrong, and new ideas emerge to replace old ideas.

Several examples of this evolving process were evoked throughout the lecture. One of these was the debate regarding the nature of universe as quasi-static verses expanding. Einstein, the father of modern physics, subscribed to the notion of a quasi-static cosmos which held the universe to be a dynamically stable and infinite system. As early as 1917, however, other physicists and astronomers were critical of this view noting that Einstein’s formulas did not present any evidence for this. Based on observational data, other physicists began to present evidence instead that the universe is changing, expanding.

In the 1920s Edwin Hubble outlined comprehensive evidence for the expansion of the universe based on a decade of measuring of red-shift velocities of galaxies. He realized that every galaxy was moving away at a speed proportional to its distance from us. This meant that the universe had a discernable genesis, and strongly supported the big bang and the model of an expanding universe—disproving the static model of the cosmos.

Today, modern physics is a house of cards built on two principles, special relativity and quantum mechanisms, which accurately describe physical phenomena, but appear to be irreconcilable with one another. Reflecting on the persisting challenges facing theoretical physics Dr. Krauss described the public misconception of scientific theories, and affirmed an integral component of the scientific method: “You cannot prove a theory, you can only disprove it.”

Jigsaw Falling into Place

The most compelling aspect of the lecture by Dr. Krauss was his discussion of the nature of the material in the universe. Efforts to uncover the nature of the material in the universe, and weigh it all, began in the post-renaissance era of astronomy, in the observatories of people like Tycho Brah.

Einstein’s Field Equations (EFEs), published in 1915, were the most comprehensive set of mathematical equations to describe the nature of the universe. These set of ten equations describe the curvature of space-time by matter and energy:

On the left side is the Einstein tensor, describing space and time; and on the right side is the stress-energy tensor, describing energy and momentum.

Using these equations, and later postulations about the conformation of the universe as flat, open or closed, physicists have been able to approximate Ωm which is the matter density of the universe. Matter itself appears to be of an enigmatic nature, Dr Krauss said that in fact most of the mass of protons is not due to steady quarks, “but virtual particles that pop in and out of existence.” What is even more perplexing, Dr. Krauss noted, is that ordinary matter has been calculated to make up only about 5% of the total mass-energy of the universe. In fact in the flat universe model, the energy of empty space makes up to 70% of all energy in the universe.

Dark matter and dark energy have been theorized to resolve these discrepancies. Dark matter is thought to be a substance composed not of protons and neutrons, but of exotic weakly interacting particles that are undetectable by us. Dark energy is thought to be a repulsive force in space that allows the universe to expand at an exponential rate. Physicists and astronomers are still exploring the nature of dark matter and dark energy, whether they do in fact exist, and how they shape our universe.

In this lecture, Dr. Krauss encouraged the audience to look at the body of scientific knowledge critically, and always leave space for the possibility that we, as scientists, may be wrong. In fact, he described the whimsical possibility that in a trillion years, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation will have faded, and it is possible that dark energy will have disappeared—and for those humans who may look to unravel the secrets of the universe then, based on the evidence, they may return to the inaccurate model of a static universe.

However, the possibility that we too may never reach objective truths about the universe has not dissuaded scientists from trying. As Dr. Krauss has remarked in the past, “Scientists love mysteries. They love not knowing.” Indeed, that mystery, knowing something is out there waiting to be unraveled is what drives me as a scientist-in-training. After all, the history of science is one of ebbs and flows, one of failures and success, but most of all a constant struggle to grasp a jigsaw piece of truths hidden a universe of smoke and mirrors.

We were once sleepwalkers, wandering through days entangled with memories of the past and visions of the future, in a hazy delirium of what was and what might be, unconscious of what is.

You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.

-Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965)

I decided to begin putting up some of the videos I’ve taken, and this is probably my favorite one– it has a nicer background music than I anything I could ever come up with. I hadn’t been to Hafezieh, the resting place of the Persian poet Hafez, since I was seven. The last time I was at the Hafezieh I was absolutely mesmerized. It was the single most beautiful place I’d ever seen. I was awed by it again, though surprised by how much smaller it was compared to what I remembered. Back then, I made two wishes on a coin which I threw in the fountain, one of which was that Hafez would invite me back when I had done something worthy in the world. This was always on my mind and after fifteen years, I figured that the wish must have been taken seriously… However, last summer I was at the Hafezieh again, perhaps by fluke. But the lesson had been learnt and this time I was careful to not make any conditional wishes.

“To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

Honest, practical advice to not succumb to cynicism despite hard times. Nicely done.

I try not to be overtly meta in this blog, but I think it’s a good idea to reflect on the purpose of what one is doing every couple of years. When I read the works of people who write well, I can’t help but envy them and wonder how they do it. Writing is really a love and hate relationship for me. Sometimes when I put my hands on the keyboard, it’s as though I’ve set a flame beneath a paper with invisible ink– words just appear, fluent and natural. Other times, words tear through my flesh and rip my fingers as they come out. The rest of the time, when I have a million thoughts and fingers too reluctant to write, the words remain like a knot in my throat.

During the writing process I have the singular obsession to achieve perfection. To ensure that every word is properly placed, that every sentence serves a purpose. After all that is done comes the self-consciousness, which strangely enough has become more prominent the more experience I’ve had. I begin to question– Is this well written? Am I getting better? But perfection, as the saying goes, is a moving target. So, while on occasion a piece goes into the recycling bin, I mostly end up revising until I am satisfied. Writing for me is not always a pretty process, but it is one that I find necessary… and it’s nice to look forward to that moment when the challenge has been overcome .

A couple of days ago I was looking at the statistics for visitors to my blog in 2009… London, New York, and Chicago topped a list of 5,233 cities, the majority of which I had never heard of before… Now while I’d like to flatter myself, I’m sure not all of them stuck around, but even twenty years ago you had to be an accomplished writer in order have any number of people actually stumble upon what you wrote. In the blogs that I am subscribed to, people produce content that is timely, thoughtful, and in many ways exceptional; but many are not writers in the traditional sense. Today all you need is access to the internet and passion. While writing has its own intrinsic value, to know that out of the thousands of people that pass by, one person will actually read and enjoy what you’ve written is both humbling and stirring. It boils the desire to write more, and to write better.

I’ve had this site for five years, and over the course of the 76 entries I’ve written, it’s been a great place to share my thoughts. So while I’m never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down… I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how to orient what I write here, and give it more purpose than simply the repository for my occasional musings. I think rather than stifling my creativity, refining the ideas on the blog may put some method to the madness and pave way for even better ideas.

Speaking of creativity, I found an amazing channel on youtube which contains exceptional and creative advertisements from all over the world. This was their most recent one:

Google revealed today that they’ve detected a sophisticated attack on their infrastructure originating from China back in December, an attack which they say impacted more than twenty other large companies in various sectors. Specifically, the attackers attempted to access Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Google does not lay blame on any specific party, however, it does indicate that it is reconsidering its approach to China.

These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn

Externally Google has been pressured by various NGOs and governments with respect to its approach in China since it decided to censor its search results in the country. A move which some claimed was antithetical to the Company’s mantra “Don’t be evil.” In fact Google along with other search results faced a US congressional hearing back in 2006. Nonetheless, many queries in google.cn continue to deliver this note as part of the results: ” 据当地法律法规和政策，部分搜索结果未予显示。” or “According to local laws, regulations and policies, some search results are not shown.” Until today, it appeared that the revenue from China outweighed the costs.

With this move, the pendulum has clearly shifted. However, many questions remain regarding how decision was arrived at and how it will play out: Whether the costs of operating in country have become too much compared to the net revenue (to the tune of 22 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2009)? Or if Google is simply finding its infrastructure too vulnerable in the country? Has Google returned core values with respect to freedom of information, or caved in to external pressure regarding China’s censorship policies? Will China comply with Google, or will they reach a compromise? And if Google does indeed pull out of the Chinese market will its place be filled with other foreign search giants like Yahoo, or will it set precedent?

This is really the first major news this decade about cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks have become commonplace in recent years, however in this case the economic and diplomatic stakes are incredibly high. Beyond the scope of the attack on Google, and the battle of the nerds… cyberwarfare between nations is not such a remote possibility as the internet and information technology take a more prominent role in national infrastructures. The following is an excerpt from a piece I wrote late last year on the transformation of war:

“… Constructivism takes an optimistic approach towards norms and progress. However, while norms can change to ameliorate conflict among nations, they can just as easily bring an ever-changing face to war. Indeed the 20th century was witness to a shift in the paradigm of warfare that took conflict from the trenches into cities. The democratization of war was a shift in norms which instead of creating taboos of war, propagandized war. This led to even more destructive weapons and created a situation where wars were supplied by, and waged on citizens. It is possible that even if the killing of human beings as a part of warfare becomes taboo (to the extent that state-sanctioned slavery is today), war itself might evolve. Going back to the definition of war, it is an act that is a means and not an end; and certainly any act that engages two parties in aggression, and achieves the desired outcome by force may constitute warfare. For example, in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, cyber attacks are becoming increasingly threatening^*. Equipment disruption, invasion of data banks and information highway can all be considered modes of cyber warfare. This type of warfare would not require massive troop mobilization; and it may not lead to civilian casualties, unless that is desired. But compromising critical systems in a nation could paralyze it and threaten its security. This type of warfare would have little resemblances to historic wars, however, it would achieve the same outcomes.”

*Hildreth, S. A. (2001). Cyberwarfare. Congressional Research Service policy paper.

I’ve began to go through my pictures and journal entries from the past summer. These pictures were taken this past summer at Pârk-e Mellat (the National Park) in Tehran, Iran. It’s adjacent to Valiasr Street and is the central park of Tehran and one of its largest. I visited the park a couple of days after the initial massive post-election protests that took place passing through the lengthy Valiasr street. In front of the entrance of the park there are many small kiosk shops that sell lovely handicrafts. There I heard the shopkeepers’ recollections about the protests they had witnessed. As with future encounters, in general some people were hesitant, but the majority of the people spoke quite openly which actually surprised me. One lady said “I saw it with my own eyes. There was a sea of people passing, but everyone was silent.”

Kamal-ol-molk - painter.

Nima Yooshij - modern persian poet.

Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi - alchemist, chemist, physician, philosopher.

Mohtasham Kashani - poet.

Statue of Mother.

Statue of Mother (close-up).

Working hard to keep green.

Lanterns at the park.

Permanent smog in the air.

The park's enclosed zoo.

Swans in the lake.

Deers on the grounds.

A resting kiosk.

Entrance of the park.

Reaching out to the sun.

I was raised in the decade when towers fell, when tyrants fell, when millions of innocents fell. I was raised in a decade of fewer wars than before, but even lesser peace. Axis of evil became the emblem, and we became familiar with allies, enemies, sanctions, and moral crusades. Us and them. Them and Us. Religions. Cultures. Languages. The Clash of Civilizations self-prophesized. Plain talking, simple talking. Dude, where are my WMDs? Reality is TV and we’re all stars. Vote each other off islands, houses, and the stage. But Keep watching. With SARS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, our lungs never caught a break. Mad Cow, West Nile, and Anthrax just in case you weren’t scared.

Earthquakes wiped out ancient mud cities, tsunamis wiped out modern steel cities, and hurricanes came and went from Y2K to 2012. Broken ice-sheets, broken promises, broken levees. Green bags, green protests, green earth. Poisoned rivers feed largest dam, and black gold feeds humanity as starvation abounds. It was a decade of threats and terror. Sixty years since the bomb, look north of the 38th parallel. Planes, subways, only bikes are safe now. And no carbon footprint.

But we connected. We forged friendships on walls, carved our aspirations on the screen. Mundane life or the greatest tweet ever. Status update: Will you accept my friend’s request please? The Roman forums became the digital platforms for dialogue between civilizations. Cell phone cameras became the eyes of the world jury, and our redemption. The world is watching your every move. Seriously? Seriously.

We changed our perspectives. We saw more than ever. The world at our fingertips, Gorillas in our Midst, planets in worlds far off, and the hobbits in humankind’s family tree. Stem cells created parts of us. Millionaires traversed space, and shuttles disintegrated while one lone mathematician solved the Poincaré Conjecture. When I was your age, Pluto was a planet… and the Hadron Collider investigated the essence of the universe. Before it had a Wardrobe Malfunction. Wiki stored our collective knowledge. The threads of our existence were unraveled and their codes became just one click away. Data, data, data. I’ve been Swallowed in the Sea, will you Lift me up? Ice from Mars for the iGeneration. Order from your nearest online retailer. Man from monkey? The debate rages on a hundred and fifty years later.

Millions voted in world’s biggest democracy. With solidarity, with courage, millions turned out against wars, for civil rights, in white, orange, green and all the colors of a rainbow. Funny men on TV made us think. Elections were won and lost, or in dispute, or recalled. Candidates assassinated. Men became presidents. Proud Cowboys and Humble Street Sweepers. They wore their faith on their sleeves. Epic Fail– You Betcha that’s What She Said. Recessions didn’t recede, but swept the globe. Watch the numbers fall, fall, fall. Dollars, schemes, prisons, and bail-outs.

We LOLed at cats, and shed tears when massacres took lives. Batons, Kalashnikovs, mines and bombs. White phosophorous gave a light blue shade to the heavens above, and tear gas burnt. We clash, we collide, and sometimes we headbutt. Run fast. You are Bolt. Keep running when they make you fall. You are gold. Black man became most powerful person in the world, and gave us all a change and a glimpse of hope, however transient.

I grew in the 2000s, and it was worthwhile. Google it.

What do you remember?