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< Back to Issue 5 Black Holes: Defying Reality and Challenging Perception Mahsa Nabizada 24 October 2023 Edited by Arwen Nguyen-Ngo Illustrated by Louise Cen Black Holes: Portals to the Unknown Black holes are among the most mysterious and fascinating objects in the vast universe. Often portrayed as portals to the unknown, they distort space and time such that it challenges our understanding of reality (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018). In this article, I want to take you on a journey through the mysteries of black holes, exploring some philosophical questions, debunking myths, and shedding light on their profound significance in the universe. What is a Black Hole? A black hole is a place in space where gravity exerts an extraordinarily powerful force, to the extent that not even light can escape it. This intense gravitational pull results from the compression of matter into an incredibly compact region (NASA, 2018). When a massive star reaches the end of its life and exhausts its internal thermonuclear fuels, its core becomes unstable, gravitationally collapsing inward upon itself. The star's outer layers are blown away, giving rise to the formation of a black hole. Other methods of black hole formation may exist, but are yet to be understood. As a star nears the end of its life, it enters this pivotal phase that results in the formation of a black hole. For this transformation to occur, the star must possess sufficient mass, a condition that even our own Sun does not meet. When the gravitational collapse of the star’s core begins, what is known as a singularity is created—a point where the conventional laws of physics cease to apply. This singularity is characterized by an immense density, a consequence of the continuous collapse that occurs within. Black holes are invisible to the human eye. In order to detect and study them, astronomers rely on space telescopes equipped with specialized tools capable of discerning the distinctive behaviors of stars in close proximity to these gravitational phenomena. These observations provide invaluable insights into the presence and nature of black holes in the universe. Philosophy Meets Relativism: Challenging Reality and Perception Black holes challenge our understanding of reality and perception, particularly through the lens of relativism. As objects approach a black hole, space and time are distorted, creating a gravitational lensing effect. This phenomenon, predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity, is akin to looking through a cosmic funhouse mirror, where the very fabric of the universe appears twisted and surreal. Imagine standing at the event horizon of a black hole, the point of no return. To escape its gravitational pull, you would need to travel faster than the speed of light - an impossibility according to our current understanding of physics. However, a black hole isn't a vacuum. Rather, it warps space around it so profoundly that even light is trapped. This raises profound questions about the limits of our knowledge and the nature of reality itself. The Cosmic Duets: Black Hole Pairs and Gravitational Waves Beyond philosophy, black holes engage in cosmic duets, forming pairs of black holes that orbit each other in the dark expanse of space. As they draw nearer, they merge, releasing powerful gravitational waves that ripple through the universe. This phenomenon, observed by instruments like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), provides an unprecedented chance to directly observe and study cosmic events (LIGO Caltech, 2019). By recording the motion of these gravitational waves, scientists can deduce the size and characteristics of the merging black holes, providing insight into their properties. These observations also challenge our perceptions of the universe, as they remind us that even the most elusive cosmic entities are within the reach of human exploration. Types of Black Holes: From Stellar to Supermassive Black holes come in various types, each with its own characteristics. Stellar black holes, relatively small in size, originate from the remnants of massive stars and may number in the hundreds of millions within our Milky Way galaxy alone. On the other end of the spectrum, we find supermassive black holes situated at the center of galaxies, including our own Milky Way (Volonteri, 2012). These giant astronomical objects, with masses millions or billions of times that of our Sun, play a crucial role in the formation and evolution of galaxies. The Cosmic Life Cycle: Birth, Existence, and Beyond A black hole's existence is not static. It evolves through various phases, influenced by variables like mass, rotation, and charge. Schwarzschild black holes are static, while Kerr black holes rotate, adding complexity to their behaviour. These defining characteristics, alongside their mass and spin, contribute to the diverse array of black holes in the cosmos. Inside a black hole, the laws of physics reach their limits, and we encounter the mysterious concept of the singularity, where space and time cease to exist as we know them. What occurs beyond this point remains a mystery, a subject of ongoing scientific inquiry and philosophical speculation. The Inscrutable Massiveness: Philosophical Reflections As we ponder the immense mass and gravity of black holes, we confront our own limitations as observers of the cosmos. These objects challenge us to question whether true understanding is attainable, considering the profound mysteries they represent. They beckon us to consider the nature of our universe and our place within it, inspiring philosophical contemplation about the boundaries of knowledge. Recent scientific discoveries have unveiled alternative pathways to black hole formation, expanding our understanding beyond the conventional route of star collapse and revealing novel mechanisms. This encourages ongoing research and theory that redefines our perception of these cosmic entities, demonstrating that they may not solely be life-takers. Instead, they may potentially play a role as essential components in the intricate fabric of the universe. Black holes, distorting space and time, challenge our understanding of reality and serve as profound philosophical enigmas, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and imagination. As we continue to unravel their mysteries, black holes stand as a testament to the boundless curiosity and spirit of exploration that define the human quest to understand the universe. References The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Black hole | Definition, Formation, & Facts . Encyclopædia Britannica. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/science/black-hole LIGO Caltech. (2019). What are Gravitational Waves? [Internet]. LIGO Lab | Caltech. Available from: https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/what-are-gw NASA. (2018). Black Holes | Science Mission Directorate . [Internet]. Nasa.gov . Available from: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes/ Volonteri, M. (2012). The Formation and Evolution of Massive Black Holes. Science, 337(6094), 544–547. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1208.1106 Wicked back to

< Back to Issue 2 How to use a time machine Whilst time travel is thought to be nothing more than science fiction, the very laws of physics point to its possibility. Physicists have long sought the answer to such a phenomenon using knowledge from rockets to generating wormholes. by Sabine Elias 10 December 2021 Edited by Niesha Baker Illustrated by Quynh Anh Nguyen So you have just entered the TARDIS machine and are trying to work out how to use it to travel to the past to re-write the present and save the future? Well, look no further because you have come to right place. In this article, I will be describing how to jumpstart your time traveling vehicle and by the end, you will be proficient in navigating your way through the universe and evading time. Do be warned however, that batteries are not included and the simulation may crash at times. Now, you are probably wishing that you could travel back in time to have not clicked this article and saved yourself these two minutes of life that you will never get back. But is time travel really a possibility? We often think about the world as a state of order. Social and political constructs generally keep society running in a systematic manner. But what if I told you the entire universe came to exist from disorder? Before we get to logistics, let me introduce you to a little something known as ‘entropy’. Entropy describes the state of disorder (1). Take a closed bottle containing gas. Once you open this bottle, the gas will diffuse out into the open space with no way to retrieve it in the exact same state back inside the bottle. In essence, this gas has become ‘disordered’ and thus its entropy has increased. For years, scientists have understood that the entropy of the universe is always increasing, which means that stars, planets and galaxies are in constant motion away from each other (1). If we wanted to travel back in time, we would essentially have to reverse every single chemical reaction that has occurred from the point in time we currently stand in, to the point in time that we wish to travel to (2). This is theoretically impossible as we would be violating the laws of physics and decreasing the entropy of the universe but we still do not know if it is physically impossible. Let Brain Cox explain: Another problem with time travel would be altering events of the past. Take the Grandfather Paradox: if someone travelled back in time to kill their ancestor, then the possibility of their existence in the future would be zero (3). Thus, they would have been unable to time travel to begin with to have killed their ancestor. This issue of causality is expanded upon through the Novikov Self-Consistency Principle (4). This states that if an event causes a paradox or changes the past, the possibility of this event occurring would be impossible. However, this principle is not widely accepted by time travel enthusiasts. Now, whilst your TARDIS machine may be nothing but a prop at this point in time, it could still help provide evidence on the possibility of time travel. Take this example: you set up two duplicates of the same clock that read the same time and placed one into a rocket that blasts off into space. The rocket orbits around the Earth and then returns and is compared to the clock that remained on Earth. You would find that less time has passed on the clock that was in the rocket. Why? Because moving clocks run slower than stationary clocks. That is, as you move faster through space, you move slower through time. This is known as Time Dilation (5). An example of time dilation is the comparison of time on the International Space Station (ISS) to the time on Earth. Astronauts who have spent 6 months in the ISS have aged 0.005 seconds less than people on Earth (6). This does not seem like much because the astronauts are not traveling close to the speed of light. To see the effects of time dilation multiply, one would need to be very close to the speed of light. If you were to travel in space at 90 per cent the speed of light, whilst everyone on earth would age by 22 years you would only have aged by 9! Speed is not the only thing that affects how fast we age, gravity also affects our experience of time. A stronger gravitational field means that time travels slower in that field. For instance, your feet age slower than your head considering the slightly smaller gravitational pull on your feet compared to your head. Now take a black hole; we know that black holes have immensely strong gravitational fields where one hour near a black hole would equal approximately 100,000,000 years for a person on earth (7). So what would happen if you travelled through a black hole? No one really knows what occurs inside a black hole but we know trying to enter will likely turn you into spaghetti (8). That being said, we can only observe things that go as far as the event horizon of the black hole, so once something has entered it, we do not know what has happened. Black holes have however, been especially useful in theoretically explaining the possibility of time travel. Placing someone in a strong gravitational field or having them experience motions close to the speed of light would have them experience time slower compared to someone on Earth. This brings us to wormholes. Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicts the existence of wormholes which would theoretically permit time travel. To travel to a galaxy that is 2.5 million light years away with the fastest rocket on earth would be impossible as it would take longer than a human lifetime. This is where wormholes come to the rescue. A wormhole would provide us with a shortcut to our location of interest. Imagine folding a paper in half and poking a pen through it to represent your route of travel. You are essentially skipping the length of the paper and traveling from one end to the other. Source: The Independent. (2008). The Big Question: Is time travel possible, and is there any chance (9). You then situate one mouth of the wormhole in a spacecraft traveling close to the speed of light and the other mouth on Earth. If you then went through the mouth on Earth and travelled through to the space craft, you would be traveling back in time. This is because time would be passing much slower at the other end of the wormhole than where you entered from. However, physicists have not yet developed such advanced technology capable of this, but theoretically speaking, this is a possibility if such technology was developed in the future. Whilst you may have thought that time travel was merely based on science fiction, the laws of physics do not forbid its existence. However, here is some food for thought: “If time travel is possible, where are the tourists from the future?” Stephen Hawking Perhaps with time, we may transform this theory into reality. So for the time being, just sit back and enjoy the presence of your TARDIS machine. Perhaps you might even get lost in time from the very thought of time travel. References: 1. Wehrl, Alfred. “General Properties of Entropy.” Reviews of Modern Physics 50, no. 2 (April 1, 1978): 221–60. https://doi.org/10.1103/revmodphys.50.221. 2. BBC. “Brian Cox Explains Why Time Travels in One Direction - Wonders of the Universe - BBC Two.” YouTube, March 10, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQSoaiubuA0. 3. Smith, Nicholas J.J. “Time Travel (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, November 14, 2013. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/time-travel/#GraPar. 4. Carlini, A., V.P. Frolov, M.B. Mensky, I.D. Novikov, and H.H. Soleng. “Time machines: The principle of self-consistency as a consequence of the principle of minimal action.” International Journal of Modern Physics, no. 05 (October 1995): 557–80. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0218271895000399. 5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Time Dilation | Explanation, Examples, & Twin Paradox.” In Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/science/time-dilation. 6. Dickerson, Kelly. “Here’s Why Astronauts Age Slower than the Rest of Us Here on Earth.” Business Insider Australia, August 20, 2015. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/do-astronauts-age-slower-than-people-on-earth-2015-8. 7. Gharat, Sarvesh Vikas. “Relativity and Time Dilation.” International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology 7, no. 11 (November 30, 2019): 650–51. https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2019.11103. 8. "Death by spaghettification: Scientists record last moments of star devoured by black hole." NewsRx Health & Science, November 1, 2020, 236. Gale Academic OneFile. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A639405517/AONE?u=unimelb&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=6812ee05. 9. “The Big Question: Is Time Travel Possible, and Is There Any Chance.” The Independent, February 8, 2008. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/big-question-time-travel-possible-and-there-any-chance-it-will-ever-take-place-779761.html. Previous article back to DISORDER Next article

Issue 2: Disorder 10 December 2021 A few words on (Dis)Order! Sophia, Maya, Patrick and Felicity A few words on (Dis)Order! Columns ​ Maxing the Vax: why some countries are losing the COVID vaccination race Grace Law This piece discusses key challenges faced by some countries in increasing their rates of getting the jab. ​ Tactile communication: how touch conveys the things we can’t say Lily McCann Our daily dose of touch has decreased through months of lockdowns. But why is touch so important to us, and why do we feel the lack of it so severely? ​ Hiccups Rachel Ko Evolution might be a theory, but if it’s evidence you’re after, there’s no need to look further than your own body. From the column that brought you a deep-dive into ear wiggling in Issue 1, here’s an exploration of why we hiccup! ​ Postdoc Possibilities Renee Papaluca Thinking about postgraduate research? This column has some advice for you, courtesy of a recent PhD graduate. ​ Building the Lightsaber Manthila Ranatunga Some of the most iconic movie gadgets are the oldest ones. For this issue we look at how the lightsaber was brought to life. Features Making sense of the senses: The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Dominika Pasztetnik What do spicy food, menthol lozenges and walking around blindfolded have in common? They all activate protein receptors, newly discovered by 2021 Nobel Prize winners. Law and Order: Medically Supervised Injecting Centres Caitlin Kane Keeping people safe from the harms of drug use is an important public health goal, but some question the value of medically supervised injecting centres in improving health and community outcomes. Spirituality and Science Hamish Payne Common thinking is that science is a rigid, cold and largely academic field which sneers at the domain of spirituality. I posit that one must move beyond this point of view in order to do good science, and to find the true aims and values of the discipline. Hidden Worlds: a peek into the nanoscale using helium ion microscopy Erin Grant How do scientists zoom further in than the typical optical microscope? Through the helium ion microscope – revealing beauty that at scales too small to imagine! Man-Made Science: On the Origins of the Gender Gap Mia Horsfall Scientific practice remains doused in centuries of unreasoned discrimination against women. But what is the best way to unravel the complexities of such an intricate web of injustice, intellectual theft and suffering? What’s the forecast for smallholder farmers of Arabica coffee? Hannah Savage Changing weather patterns are threatening the livelihoods of smallholder Arabica coffee bean farmers in rural East Timor and Ethiopia. How will dramatically reduced global coffee yields touch Melbourne’s privileged cafe culture? Discovery, Blue Skies... and Partisan Bickering? Andrew Lim Journeying from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Melbourne, Australia, this feature ponders over deadlocked bills, economic mandates and the era of the scientist-politician, considering science in the age of politics. The Evolution of Science Communication Monica Blasioli With social media users in now having far more power over content posted online than before, how does this impact the information which others receive about the COVID-19 pandemic? How to use a time machine Sabine Elias Whilst time travel is thought to be nothing more than science fiction, the very laws of physics point to its possibility. From rockets to wormholes, physicists have long sought the answer to such a phenomenon. Mastering Chaos with Pen and Paper Xen Papailiadis Drawing upon physics and meteorology, the mathematical laws which govern our chaotic and complex universe have found special use in describing the rapidly changing global climate.

issue 3 : alien 10 September 2022 This issue is about exploring all things exotic, unfamiliar, unknown. Dive into the column and feature articles by our talented writers below! columns The Body, Et Cetera “Blink and you’ll miss it”: A Third Eyelid? By Rachel Ko This article unpacks the fascinating evidence for evolution reflected within our very own eyes, connecting us to our reptilian ancestors. Chatter Belly bugs: the aliens that live in our gut By Lily McCann In this issue we explore how microbes influence our health and emotions, and what this means for our concept of identity. Humans of UniMelb In conversation with Paul Beuchat By Renee Papaluca I caught up with Paul Beuchat to learn more about his research journey and his potentially ‘alien’ methods of teaching. Our Past, Present & Future Waving Hello to the Aliens By Reah Shetty Our interaction with the idea of aliens has evolved. The question is how far have we come and how far will we go? Science Books Believing in aliens... A science? By Juulke Castelijn I wasn’t expecting to be persuaded of the existence of life beyond the confines of Earth. Ethics in Science The Ethics of Space Travel By Monica Blasioli Being the beginning of research into the impacts of space travel, can turning space travel into monopoly truly be justified? Wonders of the Landscape Space exploration in Antartica By Ashleigh Hallinan What makes Antarctica special when it comes to meteorite discovery? Science in the Age of Politics Hope, Humanity and the Starry Night Sky By Andrew Lim This second feature in the ‘Science in the Age of Politics’ series considers the importance of the stars, and scientific diplomacy, amidst rising global tensions. features Death of the Scientific Hero By Clarisse Sawyer How do we teach scientific history without promoting historical bigots? Mighty Microscopic Warriors! By Gaurika Loomba Equipped with a plethora of signalling chemicals and cells with different features, our heroic immune system fights wars daily without us realising it. Love and Aliens By Gavin Choong The First Nations’ perspectives are profound, and must be recognised by the Australian legal system. Existing in an Alien World: Navigating Neurodiversity in a System Built for Someone Else By Hazel Theophania Autism isn’t some inscrutable mystery - we’re people, and learning how we operate will help dismantle the barriers built up around us. AI and a notion of 'artificial humanity' By Mia Horsfall We still consider AI as other (or 'alien') to us, but ideal utility would be gained from toeing the precarious line between humanity and machine.

Issue 6: Elemental 28 May 2024 This issue explores the building blocks that comprise the world we live in. Our talented writers braved the elements - have a read below! Editorial by Ingrid Sefton & Rachel Ko A word from our Editors-in-Chief. Fire and Brimstone by Jesse Allen The world has long been subject to the fury of fire and volcanic eruptions. Technology to predict seismic activity may allow us to tame this elemental force. Hidden in Plain Sight: The dangerous chemicals in our everyday products by Kara Miwa-Dale Drink bottles, tinned food, receipts: a recipe for disaster? Interviewing A/Prof Mark Green, Kara exposes the hidden dangers of endocrine disrupting chemicals. A Frozen Odyssey: Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition by Ethan Bisogni A pursuit of knowledge and a testament to survival, Ethan navigates the enthralling legacy of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: The Art of Decomposition by Arwen Nguyen-Ngo Arwen breaks down the intricacies of decomposition, leading us to consider the fundamental power not only in creation, but destruction. Out of our element by Serenie Tsai Following the industrial revolution, humankind has exploited and degraded the Earth's natural resources. Serenie shows how nature resists, maintaining the capacity to restore what humans have destroyed. Cosmic Carbon Vs Artificial Intelligence by Gaurika Loomba Carbon constitutes life and death, shaping conscious human existence. What threat could AI hold to the power of this element? Proprioception: Our Invisible Sixth Sense by Ingrid Sefton Our mysterious, yet omnipresent sixth sense - proprioception is the reason we know where our body and limbs are, even in the dark. A Brief History of the Elements: Finding a Seat at the Periodic Table by Xenophon Papas There's hydrogen and helium, then lithium, beryllium - or is there? The periodic table we know today was not always so, as Xen recounts.

Issue 5: Wicked 24 October 2023 This issue spotlights the mischievous, malevolent and morally dubious. Dive into a fascinating selection of articles by our talented writers below! A Message from the Editors in Chief Rachel Ko & Ingrid Sefton A word from our Editors-in-Chief. Black Holes: Defying Reality and Challenging Perception Mahsa Nabizada Black holes: portals into the unknown? Mahsa guides us through the mind warping and perception defying nuances of black holes. Griefbots: A New Way to Grieve (or Not) Akanksha Agarwal Akanksha considers the efficacy and ethics of AI Griefbots, exploring the implications for grieving, and the boundaries between life, death and human connection. On the Folklore of Fossils Ethan Bisogni Ethan traverses the interface of palaeontology and mythology, considering the insights fossils provide into both natural phenomena and human nature. Serial Killers Selin Duran Ever find yourself falling down the rabbit hole of gory true crime stories? Selin explores why our society is so infatuated with the lives of cold-blooded killers. Three-Parent Babies? The Future of Mitochondrial Donation in Australia Kara Miwa-Dale Cutting edge IVF technology is challenging our perceptions of what it means to be a parent. Kara deconstructs the social issues and ethics of mitochondrial donation. When Dark Matters Ingrid Sefton Dark matter: it has a name, yet no identity. Ingrid untangles the enigmatic nature of dark matter, probing into just what we do and don’t know about this cosmological puzzle. Why Do We Gossip? Lily McCann Rumours, reputation and reciprocity: Lily debates the connotations we make with gossip and whether our assumptions of its malicious nature are justified. Wicked Invaders of the Wild Serenie Tsai In this article, Serenie examines the detrimental and dastardly effects of invasive species and their future implications.