I said we will find evidence of alien life by the end of 2024. But I said that when I was on Jools Holland’s Hootenannyand my thinking was that if I said something strange they would invite me back – if only to humiliate me. I’m sure alien life exists. It’s just a numbers game. But we probably won’t get confirmation of that in the next three months.
Science start like magic. I’m fascinated by things that seem intangible at the moment, and I like to think of magic as a science that we don’t yet understand. Sometimes beliefs just don’t stand up to the rigorous scrutiny necessary for something to be science, but I think the wonder inherent in magic is necessary to get there in the first place. That’s why so much of science fiction becomes science fact – why the telecommunications devices of Star Trek became today’s cell phones. It is important for scientists to think further
The universe don’t scare me Words do. I’m dyslexic and it takes me ages to start writing books and meet deadlines because I’m so afraid I’ll get things wrong. I know many people who are terrified of time and space – it makes them feel small and insignificant. And I will admit that it can be challenging stuff. I much prefer to see at all the wonder in being a part of it. But the terror I feel teetering on the edge of the black hole, trying to start writing? It keeps me up at night.
Scientists need humility. We must be able to accept that we are wrong. If scientists cannot accept that possibility, then the scientific method does not work. Sometimes science that turns out to be wrong was right based on the evidence of the time. Astronomy is a good example.
The ancients thought the earth was the center of everything. They had proof of that. You could see the sun rise. You could see it set. It all suggested that the Earth was the center of everything. Then we learned about wandering stars and had to rethink it. Scientists don’t have to be faithful to our ideas, which can be a very human failing.
Science needs diversity. It’s not about quotas, it’s really required by the discipline. You need different ideas coming from different cultures, different ways of looking at things, different skills working together. Otherwise, everyone explores the same areas, sees things the same way, and it’s hard to have progress and innovation.
It’s important to me to work in the promotion of diversity, because I know how it feels, to be underestimated, to be told that people like me have no place in the field. I don’t want talented young people to feel that way anymore.
I can’t believe they made a barbie out of me. I told Mattel that when I was a kid, I took apart Barbies and tried to make one that looked like me. Now kids like me can grow up and do things differently than what was once expected. I often use the doll as a vehicle when I go to talk to children in schools. It bridges the gap. It is a magical thing, but a powerful thing too.
We need to recover people’s faith in science. There are many reasons why people doubted, but understanding the consequences is more important than understanding the reasons. We went through an evolution. In the past, scientists were the experts, we considered everyone there to impart our wisdom. This is not a good way to communicate and learning should be more of a conversation, as in the case of astronomy. Yes, the big telescopes are where most of the breakthroughs come from – but we wouldn’t know where to point them if we didn’t have the involvement of amateurs.
Webb’s Universe, by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, is published by Michael O’Mara Books in October, priced at £25. Buy a copy for £22.50 guardianbookshop.com
