Popular Science

8-MINUTE VIDEOS

These videos are presented by Pervez Hoodbhoy.

• The Big Bang – Just A Myth?
  Every culture and religion has its own version of creation. But here is the evidence that science offers.
• بگ بینگ – محض ایک نظریہ؟
  ھر ثقافت اور مذھب میں ابتدائے کائنات اور زمین کی تخلیق کے بارے میں اپنے اپنے نظریات پائے جاتے ھیں۔ آئیے دیکھتے ھیں کہ اس بارے میں سائنس کیا کہتی ھے۔
• Where Is The Centre Of Our Universe?
  A student once asked me if Mecca was where the Big Bang started from. Yes, I said, but Karachi is also the centre.
• ہماری کائنات کا مرکز کہاں ہے؟
  ایک بار ایک طالب علم نے مجھ سے سوال کیا کہ کیا مکہ مکرمہ وہ مقام تھا، جہاں بگ بینگ واقع ھوا؟ میرا جواب تھا کہ ہاں! مگر اس حساب سے کراچی بھی کائنات کا مرکز بنتا ہے۔
• How Will Our Universe End?
  Until a decade ago we didn’t know how everything would end. Now, we do – and it’s nothing to look forward to!
• ہماری کائنات کیسے ختم ہوگی؟
  قریباََ ایک دھائی قبل ھم یقین سے نہیں کہہ سکتے تھے کہ کائنات کیسے ختم ھو گی ۔ مگر اب ھم یہ جانتے ھیں ۔ یہ آخر کیسے ممکن ھوا؟
• Making Black Holes in Europe?
  Citizens of France and Switzerland are very worried they will be eaten up by a black hole made at CERN. Should they be?
• کیا زمین پر بلیک ہول بنایا جا سکتا ہے؟
  فرانس اور سوئٹزر لینڈ کے شہری پریشان ہیں کہ کہیں سرن میں بنایا گیا بلیک ہول انہیں ہڑپ نہ کر لے۔ کیا ان کی یہ پریشانی بجا ہے؟
• Life in Outer Space?
  Over 1000 extrasolar planets have been discovered and there are billions more. What is the chance of finding life?
• غیر شمسی سیاروں پر زندگی؟
  ابھی تک ایک ھزار سے ذائد ماورائے نظام شمسی سیارے دریافت ھو چکے ھیں، اور ایسے اربوں سیارے ابھی دریافت ھونا باقی ھیں۔ ان میں زندگی کے آثار پائے جانے کے امکانات کتنے ھیں؟
• Is Our World Just 3-Dimensional?
  Physics requires that our world should be actually 10-dimensional. Why this bizarre claim and why are the other dimensions invisible?
• کیا ھماری دنیا واقعی سہ جہتی ھے؟
  طبیعات (فزکس) کے مطابق ھماری دنیا اصل میں دس جہتی ھونی چاھئیے۔ یہ عجیب و غریب دعویٰ آخر کس بنیاد پر کیا گیا ھے اور کیا وجہ ھے کہ ان میں سے زیادہ تر جہتیں غیر مرئی ھیں۔
• Sending Pakistan to Mars
  India erupted in joy when spacecraft Mangalyaan successfully entered the Martian orbit in late September. Pakistanis may well ask: can we do it too? What will it take?
• پاکستان مریخ تک کیسے پہنچ سکتا ہے؟
  خلائی جہاز منگلیان کے مریخ کے مدار میں داخل ہونے پر بھارتی خوشی سے جھوم اٹھے۔ پاکستان کے لوگ جاننا چاہتے ہیں کہ کیا وہ بھی مریخ تک پہنچ سکتے ہیں اور اس کے لئے کیا کچھ درکار ہوگا؟
• Making Solar Electricity
  Let’s have a quick tour of how the solar electricity is produced, stored and used. Also take a look at its advantages and some of the problems.
• شمسی بجلی
  آئیے دیکھتے ھیں کہ شمسی بجلی کیسے پیدا کی، زخیرہ کی اور استعمال میں لائی جاتی ھے؛ اس کے فوائد اور اس سے منسلک مسائل کیا ھیں؟

“THE TRUTH ABOUT ABDUS SALAM” BY PERVEZ HOODBHOY

• The Truth About Abdus Salam (Part One)
  How great a scientist was Abdus Salam? Some vilify him, others praise him excessively. Only facts can tell the truth.
• ڈاکٹر عبدالسلام، حقیقت کے آئینے میں ۔۔۔ حصہ اول
  ڈاکٹر عبدالسلام کتنے بڑے سائنس دان تھے؟ کچھ لوگ ان کی کردار کشی کرتے ھیں اور کچھ ان کی بے حد تعریف۔ حقائق کی بنیاد پر ھی ان کے رتبے کا تعین ھو سکتا ھے۔
• The Truth About Abdus Salam (Part Two)
  Abdus Salam often said his science was inspired by the Quran. So what inspired his atheist contemporary, Steven Weinberg?
• ڈاکٹر عبدالسلام، حقیقت کے آئینے میں ۔۔۔ حصہ دوئم
  عبد السلام نے اکثر اظہار کیا کہ ان کی سائنسی فکر قرآن پاک کی تعلیمات سے متاثر ھے۔ سوال یہ ھے کہ ان کے ھم عصر ملحد سائنسدان سٹیون وائن برگ کس سے متاثر تھے؟
• The Truth About Abdus Salam (Part Three)
  Abdus Salam was reputedly a man of peace. But doesn’t Pakistan’s atomic bomb owe to him?
• ڈاکٹر عبدالسلام، حقیقت کے آئینے میں ۔۔۔ حصہ سوئم
  لوگ کہتے ھیں کہ عبد السلام امن پرست تھے۔ لیکن کیا پاکستان کا ایٹم بم ان کا مرھون نہیں؟

CONVERSATION

• A Rare Clip: Prof. Abdus Salam Interviewed on PTV in 1989
  Excerpt of a rare clip: Professor Abdus Salam interviewed on PTV in 1989 by Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy. It is taken from Rastay Ilm Kay, a 13-part series made in the 1980’s that took a critical look at Pakistani education.
• Inside The Brain — Dr. Russell J. Andrews in conversation with Pervez Hoodbhoy
  Russell J. Andrews, a neurosurgeon affiliated with NASA Ames Research Center, talks about the techniques to help us better understand the human brain in his conversation with Pervez Hoodbhoy.
• Theoretical Physics: The Grand Issues — A Conversation
  What are the grand questions of physics today? A discussion with 4 eminent physicists who visited Islamabad in November 2015.

“SCIENCE KA ADDA” (CAFE SCIENTIFIQUE) WITH SALMAN HAMEED

• Where Is Our Home Located In The Universe? (Science Ka Adda, Episode # 1)
  Salman Hameed reflects on location of the Earth in the universe with respect to our Solar system & local supercluster of galaxies.
• The Reality Of Black Holes (Science Ka Adda, Episode # 2)
  Do such black holes exists in the universe as shown in the recent blockbuster film, Interstellar? Let’s explore such a possibility.
• Water and the Search for Life on Mars (Science Ka Adda, Ep # 3)
  Water on the Red Planet has long been sought by researchers. If Mars holds water, it might even hold life.
• Exploring Baby Solar Systems to Search for Our Own Origins (Science Ka Adda, Ep # 4)
  Salman Hameed talks about the discovery of a “protoplanetary disk” that can tell us a lot about the origins of our own solar system.
• The Arabian Nights and Water Geysers on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus (Science Ka Adda, Ep # 5)
  Why is there a crater named Sinbad on Saturn’s moon Enceladus? Is there an underwater ocean on Enceladus and what are the chances of life existing on such a moon? In this episode of Science ka Adda (SkA), Salman Hameed talks about the connection between “The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights” and one of the most mysterious, interesting, and puzzling objects in our solar system.
• Who owns Mars (Science Ka Adda, Ep # 6)
  Salman Hameed looks at United Nations Outer Space Treaty and explores the question: If we discover microbial life on Mars, will we then have a right to be on “their” planet and alter their future?
• Pluto – A New World – Again! (Science Ka Adda, Ep # 7)
  Salman Hameed examines some of the latest pictures from New Horizons spacecraft and talks about the mysteries that these pictures have opened up in our understanding of Pluto. And of course, he reaffirms his absolute support for redesignating Pluto as a planet!
• How the idea of extraterrestrials became scientific? (Science Ka Adda, Ep # 8)
  In this episode of Science ka Adda, Salman Hameed ponders on the possibility of aliens on other worlds.
• Urdu Floating at the Edge of Our Solar System (Science ka Adda, Ep # 9)
  There is a greeting in Urdu that is floating in space more than 19 billion kilometers from Earth! How did get there? Is it at the edge of our solar system? For that matter, how do we even figure out the boundaries of our own solar system?
• Cosmic Recycling Anticipating a Glorious Death of our Sun (Science ka Adda, Ep # 10)
  Our Sun has been a constant source of energy for the past 4.5 billion years but it will eventually run out of fuel (in about 5 billion years). While this will be bad for the inhabitants of the Earth (and probably for inhabitants of any other planet in our Solar system), this solar demise will be spectacularly beautiful. We know this by looking at the end stages of other stars in our Galaxy. Let’s talk about the future of our own Sun.
• Stars in Our Life (Science ka Adda, Ep # 11)
  In this episode, we talk about the fact that our bodies are constructed from elements that were processed inside stars or in the earliest few minutes after the Big Bang. Let’s talk about the role of stars in the making of life on our planet.
• A Look at the Farthest Galaxy in the Universe (yet) Discovered (Science ka Adda, Ep # 12)
  Our universe had a beginning 13.8 billion years ago. We now live in the Milky Way galaxy. But what were the earliest galaxies like? Astronomers can directly look at these young galaxies by looking farther out in space.

“HAMARI KAINAAT” (OUR UNIVERSE) WITH SALMAN HAMEED AND UMAIR ASIM

• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 1)
  Topic: Latest findings of the most earth-like planets found yet and extrasolar planets in general. Podcast published by Umair Asim and Dr Salman Hameed.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 2)
  In this episode, Dr. Salman Hameed and Umair Asim talk about the latest news of 5 rocky planets found in very ancient ‘solar system’ and more.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 3)
  Topic: Triple Transit on Planet Jupiter in January 2015, the importance of Jupiter in our solar system and some of its historical background.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 4)
  Topic: The recent outburst of a binary star system, U Geminorum, which became 100 times brighter than usual. What is U Geminorum and why it became so bright?
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 5)
  In this episode, we answer your submitted questions. We talk about protoplanetary disks, end of the Universe, expansion of the Universe, history of Sun-centered and Geo-centered model of the ‘Universe’, importance of Astrophotography in Astronomy and the efforts of amateur astronomers for popularizing Astronomy in Pakistan.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 6)
  In this episode, we talk about a recent nova that happened in the constellation Sagittarius; What is a nova? What are the processes that make it happen? What are the different types of novae? What is Chandrasekhar limit and why it is so important to understand white dwarf in a nova?
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 7)
  In this episode, we talk about stars: How did we first know the nature of stars in the night sky? What amazing knowledge spectroscopy of starlight has given to us? What different colors of stars can tell us about their physical properties?
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 8)
  Umair Asim & Dr. Salman Hameed discuss how to learn about different types of stars on H-R Diagram, and how to know the life cycle of any star by looking at its place on H-R Diagram. 
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 9)
  In this episode, Salman Hameed and Umair Asim discuss the latest news of water on Mars and its implications.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 10)
  In this episode, we talk about the new findings of exoplanets’ possibility in globular clusters and what impact it can make on any possible alien life in the system.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 11)
  In this episode, we talk about the recent finding on Planet X and discuss how credible it is.
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 12)
  Let’s talk about ‘Gravitational Waves.’ What are these waves? How they are produced? How did we detect it? and What is coming in the future?
• Hamari Kainat (Urdu Podcast, Ep # 13)
  In this episode, we talk about our own galaxy, Milky way. Where are we in our galaxy? What are the constituents of Milky way and what is the future of it?

“BAZM-E-KAINAT” (LIVING IN THE COSMOS) BY PERVEZ HOODBHOY

The series Bazm-e-Kainat (Living In The Cosmos) sought to demonstrate the power of scientific thinking and new scientific insights into nature. It was broadcast by Pakistan Television in 1994.

• ابتداۓ کائنات
  How did the universe begin and how do we know?
• سورج کی موت
  Our sun will die one day. When and how?
• زمین کتنی پرانی ہے؟
  The age of the earth was a matter of bitter scientific debate. But then a major breakthrough happened and all became clear.
• قسمت کے ستارے؟
  Stargazers and palm readers claim to know the future. But what does science say?
• ایٹم کی دنیا
  Inside the atom lies a world that was unknown to outsiders until now. Today we know a lot about its many different citizens.
• ایٹم سے زندگی تک
  Atoms and molecules turned into living matter – and then us. How?

“ASRAR-E-JEHAN” (MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE) BY PERVEZ HOODBHOY

Asrar-e-Jehan (Mysteries of the Universe) was broadcast for Pakistan Television in 2001.

• اسرار کی باتیں
  Amazingly all that we know can be understood from a few simple laws that we can actually discover.
• خطرے کی گھنٹی
  The earth’s climate is changing. Why, and how will this change life on earth?
• خلاء کا پیاسا مسافر
  Water is the key to interplanetary travel. But where can one find water in space? Maybe on the moon!
• آدم اور کمپیوٹر
  Can computers be made to think and can they become smarter than us?
• ہمیں ورثے میں کیا ملا؟
  DNA and genes determine what you are.
• جراثیم کی دنیا
  The microbial world is where battles of life and death are fought. Let’s look at the denizens of that world.
• …دل ہی تو ہے
  Sorry, the heart is not the centre of emotions. It’s just a fantastic piece of machinery that keeps us alive.
• انٹی میٹر کی تلاش
  For every known particle there’s an antiparticle. This is one of the greatest ideas of the 20th century. But be careful not to meet your anti-person!
• چلو چلو مریخ چلو
  Mars has fascinated humans and now we’re getting to know this planet better and better.
• مقناطیس کے کما لات
  Magnetism has fascinated humans ever since it was discovered by a shepherd. But now it is the basis of civilization.
• گریوٹی – ایک پرکشش حقیقت
  This apparently strong force which makes everything fall downwards is actually a very feeble force indeed. Understanding gravity is the key to much.
• وقت وقت کی باتیں
  Time is mysterious. It can be made to slow down. Even to stop!
• سوال اٹھتا ہے
  Viewers come up with their questions after watching this 13-part series.