Rannikot: The mountains, the desert and the wall

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

Out amongst the Kirthar Mountains, in the eastern side of Kirthar National Park, in the middle of nowhere, lies Rannikot. Also known as the Great Wall of Sindh and the largest fort in the world, Rannikot is actually a 35km (some estimate 45km) wall encircling the Kirthar Mountains and occupying an area of 65 sq.km. Within the outer walls are other forts: Miri Kot and Sher Garh; Shahper Gate and Mohan Gate. Beyond Mohan Gate can be seen an arid valley and the signs of an ancient road, part of the Barbicon Arachosia, which connected Bhambore to Kandahar; a road used by many a conqueror and traveler of yore.

A Walk on Kot Diji Fort

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

One can only wish that these sites would be excavated and researched further, so that we can also know more about our past and contribute to world history, like the other great ancient civilizations.

Mohen Jo Daro – Story of a city

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

The young woman looked out of the narrow slit in wall that served as a window in her house. She saw the sun rising over the brick city and the far off fields of wheat and barley, signaling to her to start her day. She stepped out of her brick house and used her favourite earthenware jar to get some water out of the well. The jar had been made by her sister, who had painted pictures of animals and geometrical designs on it. She washed her face and hands, not paying attention to the dirty water flowing into the drain outside the living area. Later, she will go down to the Great Bath before heading towards the temple for the evening prayers.

This week in science: Philae was found and OSIRIS-REx is travelling to Bennu!

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

The landing of the orbiter and the search for it also gave scientists plenty of lessons for future missions. Now, on September 30, Rosetta will come very close to the comet, make some critical observations and then will descend on to the surface.

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Update on Climate Change: It’s already happening!

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

In Pakistan, we have already observed the effects of rising temperatures in 2015, when a drastic heat wave resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people. Droughts and forest fires are also being observed at an increasing rate in many parts of the world, putting the lives and livelihoods of communities at severe risk. For an agricultural economy like Pakistan, this poses severe threats to the economy and human lives.

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The Wanderer has a new friend: Juno visits Jupiter

Humans now have spacecraft orbiting Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter and Saturn.

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Discovery of the century: There is a disturbance in the force

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

Matter tells space how to curve, space tells matter how to move, said John Archibald Wheeler describing Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity which he

Zika virus: Despite being low risk, Pakistan cannot afford to be complacent

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

Asian countries such as Pakistan, while low risk for now, cannot afford to be complacent. More efforts need to be made to control this mosquito in order to curtail the spread of both Dengue and Zika. And more information needs to be provided to people as to how to protect themselves from mosquito bites, as well as other means of transmission, especially when traveling.

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In search of Einstein’s gravitational waves

(Published in The Nation Pakistan)

It has been a hundred years since Einstein proposed GR, stating that spacetime was curved due to the presence of massive bodies, which change this curvature as they move. This successfully explained and predicted additional physical phenomena, which would be later confirmed through experimentation. For a century this theory has passed every test.

One prediction of GR has been elusive however. That is, the direct proof for gravitational waves – ripples or fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime – caused by accelerating masses – which transport energy as gravitational radiation.

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What will Pakistan bring to COP21?

(Published in The Nation)

The country is likely to face extremely high financial, social and environmental costs in terms of water shortages, food insecurity and energy deficits, which will substantially limit its ability for future sustainable development. All of these issues are due to the combined effects of a lack of governance – which leads to mismanaged development and unpreparedness for disasters – and climate change. And the recurrance of climate induced disasters negatively impact efforts towards poverty reduction, enhancing food security, improving access to energy and achievement of other development goals.

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