Nobel laureate in Physics Samuel Chao Chung Ting recalled his memorable meeting with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, praising the entrepreneur's carefulness and his spirit of exploration for science and technology.
Samuel Ting is a world-renowned Chinese-American physicist. He received the Nobel Prize in 1976 for his pioneering work in the discovery of a new particle.
Ting shared his story with Musk during a recent television interview in Beijing, and said that Musk has shown a keen interest in the use of atomic energy in space.
"He (Elon Musk) asked a few questions when he was there. The first one was, can nuclear power get us to Mars? I showed him my experimental work, which is being rolled out in space to understand the formation of the universe. I told him we have mounted a large module consisting of 650 microprocessors in space, he asked how we protect those microprocessors from radiation in space, if there is any. I explained to him how we detect [radiation] on the ground. He paid attention to every detail," said Ting.
Ting also shared an interesting interaction between him and Musk outside the realm of science.
"When seeing him off at my office, I said: 'After answering your questions the whole afternoon, I also have a question for you simply out of curiosity. He told me to go ahead, so I asked him when he got his first bucket of gold? He said at the age of 11. This is something amazing, I don't know what he has been through but he is exceptionally gifted. Curiosity is part of human nature that generates a motivative force pushing us forward. What can't be done today does not mean that it can't be achieved tomorrow," said the physicist.
Nobel Laureate shares story of discussing future of science with Tesla CEO Musk
Acute food insecurity is expected to worsen in 22 countries in the following six months due to multiple escalating factors, warned two United Nations (UN) agencies in a report released Thursday.
The report, titled "Hunger Hotspots - FAO/WFP Early Warnings on Acute Food Insecurity," assesses 16 hunger hotspots around the world, analyzing their outlook for the period from November 2024 to May 2025.
Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali are the countries considered to be "at the highest concern level" and in need of "the most urgent attention," the Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned in a joint statement.
Without immediate humanitarian action to address severe access constraints and resolve ongoing conflicts, the aforementioned countries face an even greater threat of famine.
Meanwhile, Chad, Lebanon, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Syria, and Yemen are considered countries of "very high concern", while the remaining 10 countries and territories on the list are seen as hunger hotspots, including Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, the Niger, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
The alarming outlook is driven by at least three factors: conflict, climate, and economic instability and disparities. Alone or combined, these factors are threatening "to deepen already life-threatening conditions."
"And in Sudan, for instance, famine has already been declared in Zamzam, a camp in northern Darfur. And we also see the risk of famine in Palestine, particularly the Gaza Strip. And the drivers are largely linked to the conflict as well as violence that has resulted in displacement of populations. And when we look at the impact of displacement, but also the impact on food systems, we see a situation where populations are no longer able to subsist from their regular livelihoods," said Maxwell Sibhensana, deputy director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience under the FAO.
In addition, the effects of the La Nina weather pattern, anticipated to impact global climates from November 2024 through March 2025, may also pose a threat to agricultural production in multiple hunger hotspots.
The report also warned that La Nina is likely to cause devastating floods in countries such as Nigeria and South Sudan, while potentially contributing to dry conditions in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
These extreme weather events threaten already fragile food systems, putting millions at risk of hunger, said the report.
UN warns of famine in 22 countries
