Hawking's secret: The first book in a planned trilogy, the novel explains the workings of the Solar System, asteroids and black holes with the help of a set of young heroes.
Credit: Random House
CAMBRIDGE: Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking revealed his desire on Monday to make "real science as exciting as science fiction" as he launched a new children's book about the cosmos.
"It is easier to explain things to children because they have open minds and are eager to learn," he told reporters at the University of Cambridge, in England, where he is a professor.
Planned trilogy
George's Secret Key to the Universe, the first book in a planned trilogy, explains the workings of the Solar System, asteroids, black holes – one of Hawking's favourite topics – and other celestial bodies with the help of a set of young heroes.
It will be released in French on Thursday, and in English a week later, and is set to be sold in 29 countries. The second book in the trilogy will be published next year. The book was written with his daughter Lucy, who came up with the idea, and Christophe Galfard, the first Frenchman to write a doctorate thesis on Hawking's observations.
"Our aim is to make real science as exciting as science fiction," Hawking said.
Lucy Hawking, a journalist and writer, told the press conference that one of her father's common refrains was, "That's too much science fiction, we do science fact."
Science fact
The trio wanted to "provide a modern vision of cosmology from the Big Bang to the present day," without presenting it as magic, Galfard said. "All of what we see (in the universe) corresponds exactly to what has happened already," he added.
The sole element of fiction in the book involves supercomputer that opens a door allowing George and his friends to travel into space aboard an asteroid.
"I don't know of any other book quite like George's Secret Key to the Universe," Hawking, 65, said.
"I think we may be unique."
Hawking, who is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge – a post once held by Sir Isaac Newton – suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was diagnosed with the muscle-wasting motor neuron illness at the age of 22. He is in a wheelchair and speaks with the aid of a computer and voice synthesizer.
His work has centered on theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, looking at the nature of such subjects as space-time, the Big Bang theory and black holes.
Saving the planet
In April, he experienced weightlessness for the first time, with a zero gravity flight, on a modified jet. The so-called 'vomit comet' flies a roller coaster trajectory to create the impression of microgravity.
Asked about the choice facing the heroes in his book – saving the world from global warming or finding another planet that is habitable for humans – he said that, like George, he would opt to focus on both.
"I'm very worried that global warming might become self-sustaining and the temperature might continue to rise even if we cut (carbon) emissions. I hope we have not reached that point yet but it is urgent," he said.
"I think the human race doesn't have a future if we don't go into space. We need to expand our horizons beyond planet Earth ... Sooner or later, disaster such as an asteroid collision or nuclear war, could wipe us all out."
Lucy Hawking talk at the Powerhouse Museum
Lucy will talk about working with her father on the book as well as providing an informative and entertaining look at what is - and isn't - out there!
Date: Sunday 14th October 2007
Time: 2pm - 3pm
Where: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo, NSW
Cost: Free with Museum entry (no need to book)
A must read for kids.
great story, my kids (boy 9 and girl 7) love it. WE are all waiting for the second book.
"I think the human race doesn't have a future..."
As far as the biosphere is concerned, our only existential justification is that we can look out for life in general on the planet, i.e. make sure it flourishes despite our heavy footprint. If we can't or won't do that, we probably should get off the stage and let some other species take our place as steward, sometime in the distant future.
The Big Bang
Is it necessary that we teach our children a theory like the Big Bang as fact? It has being found to have many problems and is increasingly being rejected by scientists working in the area. We should teach it as a hypothesis (along with its difficulties) that is subject to change. Children need a strong basis for truth and if they grow up to find that the Big Bang Theory, which they had been taught as a fact, had been replaced by something else (and this happens often in science), how will they re-train their thinking to adjust to this new story for our origins? This is a hard thing to do. Also, I believe that children should be taught the difference between experimental science (facts that we can test) and historical science (a story based on the experimental science, our worldview and accepted scientific assumptions). This would clear a heap of things up for our children and prepare them for proper scientific reasoning in the future.
Why teach any science?
Alot of science we learn at school is either simplified or old theories, but a school teacher can't be expected to read up on scientific journals every month and constantly adjust the curriculum, and alot of real science is too complicated to easily explain- that's why electrons are dots that orbit the nucleus, instead of probability fields. Kids already get a surprise when they leave school to find most of what they learned is now wrong. So they already have to 're-train their thinking', but you are right about the importance of teaching how scientific theories come and go with new evidence.
I agree but...
I agree but, as it says in the above comment 'The Big Bang', it is important to distinguish between experimental science and historical science. Experimental science (observable facts) will never go out of date, only the interpretations of it will. Historical science (in which the big bang theory is a part of) can and will go out of date at some point because it is all inferences about the past based on interpretations of facts and a heap of educated assumptions. When new facts are found the interpretations of the other facts can change, this alters theories. Also, teachers have no reason to teach false science. Textbooks and science curriculum should be changed at least yearly to try to avoid lies being told in the classroom.