distance from the right type of star, we may discover environments that are capable of supporting water in one of its three forms. Planets that can support liquid water have the potential to also support life.
Bill Irons: Find anything?
Mariam Fara: It is a relatively new science. A few decades ago we thought Earth was the only planet capable of supporting life in our galaxy. To find other Earth-like planets we measure the brightness of stars across a long period of time. We are trying to detect minute changes in that brightness which could indicate the transit of a planet across the face of the star. This technique is not fool proof as we may be looking at the wrong plane of space so a planet never traverses into our field of view or a planetary orbit is so long we donât watch for long enough to see the planet move across its star. Nevertheless, using this method we have found thousands of Earth-like worlds in only a miniscule section of space. The exciting thing is that if we extrapolate the data we have so far, I believe there are at least twenty billion planets capable of supporting life in the Milky Way galaxy alone. Look at our own solar system. Venus and Mars show signs that liquid water may once have flowed and some moons of Saturn and Jupiter may contain water beneath the surface.
Bill Irons: So life on other worlds?
Mariam Fara: I think if you have the right conditions for life to occur, planets the right size, the right distance from the right star, given enough time the occurrence of life is simply inevitable. It is basic chemistry. The big question is what prompts this simple life to morph into a complex one. Complex enough to be able to support civilisations like ours. These I think are incredibly rare, so rare perhaps they could be called creation events.
Bill Irons: How long have you lived in Jerusalem?
Mariam Fara: I canât say I live in Jerusalem; I work there some of the time, but I travel regularly to telescopes all over the world.
Bill Irons: Did you and Samuel come from the same village?
Mariam Fara: Yes; Haran, a small village between Jerusalem and Jericho.
Bill Irons: How long have you known Samuel?
Mariam Fara: For as long as I can remember. We grew up together.
Bill Irons: Was there anything special about him then?
Mariam Fara: No. He was always a geeky book-worm.
Bill Irons: So he has changed?
Mariam Fara: Only in what he is able to do, his new abilities. Otherwise, he is still the same deeply caring man I have known all my life.
Bill Irons: So how does he achieve this incredible healing?
Mariam Fara: I donât know.
Bill Irons: If Iâm correct it started the night of the airstrike. You were there. What happened?
Mariam Fara: Samuel and I were in the farmhouse. He was asleep and I was working on a research paper. We heard the rocket launch. We both knew that a counter strike would be forthcoming so he sent me back to my motherâs house in the village. He wanted to stay and try to save the familyâs livestock, drive them into the fields. The farm was all they had. I was at my motherâs when the bombs fell and then saw the lightning coming from the farm. It shot into the sky. I feared for Samuel, I prayed he would be safe. After the lightning finished I took my motherâs car and drove back. I found him amongst the debris. Unconscious but unharmed. I dragged him into the car and took him to hospital.
Bill Irons: You didnât see the source of the lightning?
Mariam Fara: No. I only saw it from a distance, coming from somewhere on the farm. It had stopped by the time I came back to find Samuel.
Bill Irons: What do you think about the theory that Samuel has some sort of genetic mutation, accelerated by the airstrike?
Mariam Fara: Are you seriously expecting an answer to that question Bill? Random mutations in our DNA take generations to evolve into a differentiating attribute. It doesnât happen overnight. This is real life, not some comic
Bill Irons: Find anything?
Mariam Fara: It is a relatively new science. A few decades ago we thought Earth was the only planet capable of supporting life in our galaxy. To find other Earth-like planets we measure the brightness of stars across a long period of time. We are trying to detect minute changes in that brightness which could indicate the transit of a planet across the face of the star. This technique is not fool proof as we may be looking at the wrong plane of space so a planet never traverses into our field of view or a planetary orbit is so long we donât watch for long enough to see the planet move across its star. Nevertheless, using this method we have found thousands of Earth-like worlds in only a miniscule section of space. The exciting thing is that if we extrapolate the data we have so far, I believe there are at least twenty billion planets capable of supporting life in the Milky Way galaxy alone. Look at our own solar system. Venus and Mars show signs that liquid water may once have flowed and some moons of Saturn and Jupiter may contain water beneath the surface.
Bill Irons: So life on other worlds?
Mariam Fara: I think if you have the right conditions for life to occur, planets the right size, the right distance from the right star, given enough time the occurrence of life is simply inevitable. It is basic chemistry. The big question is what prompts this simple life to morph into a complex one. Complex enough to be able to support civilisations like ours. These I think are incredibly rare, so rare perhaps they could be called creation events.
Bill Irons: How long have you lived in Jerusalem?
Mariam Fara: I canât say I live in Jerusalem; I work there some of the time, but I travel regularly to telescopes all over the world.
Bill Irons: Did you and Samuel come from the same village?
Mariam Fara: Yes; Haran, a small village between Jerusalem and Jericho.
Bill Irons: How long have you known Samuel?
Mariam Fara: For as long as I can remember. We grew up together.
Bill Irons: Was there anything special about him then?
Mariam Fara: No. He was always a geeky book-worm.
Bill Irons: So he has changed?
Mariam Fara: Only in what he is able to do, his new abilities. Otherwise, he is still the same deeply caring man I have known all my life.
Bill Irons: So how does he achieve this incredible healing?
Mariam Fara: I donât know.
Bill Irons: If Iâm correct it started the night of the airstrike. You were there. What happened?
Mariam Fara: Samuel and I were in the farmhouse. He was asleep and I was working on a research paper. We heard the rocket launch. We both knew that a counter strike would be forthcoming so he sent me back to my motherâs house in the village. He wanted to stay and try to save the familyâs livestock, drive them into the fields. The farm was all they had. I was at my motherâs when the bombs fell and then saw the lightning coming from the farm. It shot into the sky. I feared for Samuel, I prayed he would be safe. After the lightning finished I took my motherâs car and drove back. I found him amongst the debris. Unconscious but unharmed. I dragged him into the car and took him to hospital.
Bill Irons: You didnât see the source of the lightning?
Mariam Fara: No. I only saw it from a distance, coming from somewhere on the farm. It had stopped by the time I came back to find Samuel.
Bill Irons: What do you think about the theory that Samuel has some sort of genetic mutation, accelerated by the airstrike?
Mariam Fara: Are you seriously expecting an answer to that question Bill? Random mutations in our DNA take generations to evolve into a differentiating attribute. It doesnât happen overnight. This is real life, not some comic
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