Invited Talk: “Common Misconceptions about Science in our Culture” by Mr. Qadeer Qureshi (October 10, 2024)
Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences (PIEAS) organized a popular talk on “Common Misconceptions about Science in our Culture” by Mr. Qadeer Qureshi, an Electrical Engineer, holding a Master’s Degree from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. The event was held in the Auditorium of the Academy on October 10, 2024, in Islamabad. Prof. Dr. Aslam Baig (HI, SI, TI), Secretary General PAS welcomed the honorable speaker and the participants. Fellows and Members of PAS as well as over 100 participants from the National Center for Physics (NCP), COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), and Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad attended the event physically and or virtually. Prof. Dr. Aslam Baig (HI, SI, TI), Secretary General PAS; and Prof. Dr. Shahid Qamar, from PIEAS, were the focal persons of the event.
The talk aimed to provide crucial insights into the understanding of some of the misconceptions about scientific phenomena that are common in our culture and the correct way to describe such phenomena. Some of the misconceptions discussed during the talk were: Scientific theories, if proven, become laws; Scientific theories are not reliable because they change every few years; If a body travels at the speed of light, it is converted into energy; Quantum entanglement allows faster than light communications; Earth’s gravity is due to its spin; Eclipses can cause deformation in fetuses; Moon landing was a hoax; We use only ten percent of our brains; and Scientists have rejected the theory of evolution.
The event concluded with a brainstorming Q/A session among the participated scientists and research students from various institutions about some common misconceptions of scientific phenomena to understand the correct way to describe those phenomena and how they evolved in our culture. Prof. Dr. M. Aslam Baig, Secretary General, PAS, presented the Academy Shield to the honorable invited speaker.
