Cold war-era Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 to return after 53 years in orbit
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A Cold War-era Soviet spacecraft is expected to make an uncontrolled reentry into Earth's atmosphere around May 10, marking the dramatic end of a failed mission launched more than five decades ago.
Kosmos 482, a 500-kilogram Venus lander launched by the USSR on March 31, 1972, was designed to reach the surface of Venus but never made it past Earth's orbit due to a rocket malfunction shortly after liftoff.
Originally part of the Venera program, it remained stranded in a highly elliptical orbit for 53 years.
According to Dutch satellite tracker Marco Langbroek, the capsule is now predicted to plunge through the atmosphere at roughly 242 km/h (150 mph).
The precise time and location remain uncertain, but the reentry zone spans between 52° north and 52° south latitude—covering regions from London to Cape Horn.
Built to endure the harsh conditions of Venus' dense, hot atmosphere, Kosmos 482's spherical descent capsule could survive reentry through Earth's atmosphere, experts say.
However, both Langbroek and Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell note that the risk to life is extremely low, likening it to the odds of being struck by lightning.
The capsule's heat shield could fail due to decades of exposure in orbit, causing it to burn up.
But if it remains intact, a half-ton metal object may descend at high speed. While much of the world lies in the potential reentry path, the odds favor an ocean splashdown.
Kosmos 482's return highlights growing concerns about aging space debris.
Though smaller than China's uncontrolled Long March 5B booster reentries, the event is a rare reminder of Cold War-era space missions still lingering in Earth's orbit.
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Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
From hospital wards to AI hubs
It's a flaw that has quietly cost lives: pulse oximeters, the fingertip devices used to measure oxygen levels, often give falsely reassuring readings in patients with darker skin. In hospitals around the world, including Pakistan, this subtle error means critical cases get missed, interventions come late, and outcomes worsen. The machine doesn't discriminate, but the data does. Not many noticed. Fewer still tried to fix it. At the Annual MIT Policy Hackathon, a young public health student from Pakistan stood up and proposed a solution. Later, at Harvard, he went on to build an AI model that eliminated the racial bias in pulse oximetry readings altogether. 'That moment reminded me,' says Dr. Muhammad Jawad Noon, 'I'm here to build systems that see and serve everyone.' A medical doctor by training, and now a data scientist and AI researcher by practice, Dr. Noon works at the intersection of medicine, technology, and public health policy. His work doesn't sit in one lab or clinic, it moves between hospitals and hackathons, between academic journals and national strategy rooms. From building tools that fix racial bias in devices to creating policy frameworks that guide how countries adopt AI in healthcare, Dr. Noon is part of a new generation trying to redesign the system from the inside out. Dr. Noon didn't arrive at that point through a clean epiphany or some cinematic turning point. 'There wasn't a single lightning strike. It was slow fire,' he says. His shift from clinical medicine to systems thinking began years earlier, in the wards of teaching hospitals where patients would quietly walk away from care they couldn't afford, or stay behind, only to be told no treatment existed at all. 'That helplessness stayed with me,' he says. 'That's when I stopped asking what I could do as a doctor, and started asking what I could change as a human being.' For him, the connection between medicine and technology was never abstract. It was right there in front of him, in X-rays, in ventilators, in every life saved or lost depending on a machine. 'Modern medicine depends on technology,' he says. 'I saw how machines helped detect what the human eye could miss, how they guided decisions when seconds mattered. They became essential partners in delivering safer, timely care.' But technology, like medicine, is only as equitable as the systems behind it. And that's where his work begins. Early roots and turning points Before Dr. Noon began shaping systems, he had to move through a few of his own. 'Each city gave me something essential,' he says, thinking back on the arc that took him from Bahawalpur to Lahore and eventually Islamabad. 'Bahawalpur gave me discipline and a strong educational foundation. Lahore expanded my ambition and taught me to dream big. Islamabad connected me to the resources and networks that made execution possible.' But long before strategy and systems came into view, it was illness that shaped his earliest sense of purpose, the kind he witnessed up close, again and again. People in pain. Families waiting on answers that didn't come. 'I saw the human cost of broken systems,' he says. 'I didn't want to be a spectator to suffering. I wanted to fight it.' That clarity only sharpened in medical school, though not in a single flash. It happened gradually, as mentors chipped away at what he thought was possible. 'Each of them cracked a wall open in my mind, until I saw the world not as it is, but as it could be,' he says. He names them without hesitation, Dr. Sajida Naseem, Dr. Aisha Mohyuddin, Dr. Saeed Akhtar, Maj Gen (R) Dr. Muhammad Aslam, Dr. Ali Yawar Alam, Dr. Waqas Ahmed, each of them a nudge forward. And then came the pivot point. Clinical rotations at Johns Hopkins in the United States. 'It wasn't just about clinical excellence,' says Dr. Noon. 'It was about unlocking potential.' What surprised him wasn't the brilliance of the people around him, he expected that, but how those same people made space for him. 'They believed in me not just as a student, but as someone who could lead. That belief stayed with me.' He still carries the advice of two mentors from that time. From Dr. William B. Greenough III, who said, 'Be meticulously curious. Pursue answers with precision. Never settle for less than excellence.' And from Dr. Thomas E. Finucane, who said, 'Don't idolize individuals. Find the best qualities in everyone you meet and integrate those into your own character.' That mindset, he says, changed everything. 'No matter how small I seemed in the world's hierarchy, my potential was limitless. And with that, came responsibility.' Interdisciplinary shift: Oxford, Harvard, and AI Dr. Noon didn't arrive at Oxford chasing prestige. He arrived with questions. 'I went to Oxford to understand why good evidence so often fails to drive good policy,' he says. 'I wanted to study rigorous research methods and learn how policy is made, how decisions are shaped, why the gap between research and implementation exists, and how we can improve the policymaking process to be more responsive, inclusive, and effective. At the core of it, I believed, and still believe, that well-designed policy has the power to drive lasting, positive change in the world.' What he discovered wasn't just technical know-how, but a reckoning with the complexity beneath seemingly clear decisions. 'Beneath every guideline are hard choices, trade-offs, and human stories,' he says. 'The deeper you go, the more complex it becomes. But it's in that complexity that real change lives. Policy is where idealism meets reality. It's messy. Political. But it's also the place where change becomes real. I learned that systems are like living organisms. And they need care, too.' That shift, from treating patients to shaping systems, deepened further at Harvard, where Dr. Noon's curiosity met a different kind of frontier – artificial intelligence. 'AI, when done right, has the potential to transform lives on a global scale. But very few truly understand it end-to-end. I wanted to be one of them. I didn't want to be the doctor who barely understood the algorithm or the engineer who didn't understand the human context. I came to Harvard to help shape the field, not just follow it, ' shared Dr. Noon. As he immersed himself in AI's possibilities and blind spots, he began to notice a recurring gap. 'Most technologists may not experience the gravity of holding a life in their hands, the emotional weight of every clinical decision,' he says. 'And most doctors aren't trained to grasp the algorithms and mathematics behind AI, the risks, the potential, or how to use it responsibly. We need both the heart of medicine and the precision of technology at the same table. That disconnect can be dangerous. Bridging it is essential.' It was this convergence of insight and urgency that led him to build the AI Policy Benchmarking Tool, one of his most significant contributions so far. 'The tool began with a sense of urgency,' he says. 'Too many countries lacked clear, accountable AI strategies, and that absence isn't just a policy gap; it's a risk to people's rights and safety. I built this tool to help address that challenge. It draws from a wide range of global frameworks, policy documents, and expert recommendations, offering a structured, evidence-based guide for governments and institutions.' He's quick to clarify that it's not a legal framework or prescriptive checklist. 'It's a foundation. A starting point. In an AI landscape evolving this rapidly, we need tools that help policy keep pace, responsibly, transparently, and with people at the center. It's adaptable to local realities, but grounded in global best practices.' And like much of his work, it's rooted in one core principle: policy, when designed well, isn't just paperwork, it's protection. Speaking with purpose Dr. Noon doesn't believe that science speaks for itself. 'People need to understand the truth behind research and policy decisions that shape their lives,' he says. 'I've seen how even well-intentioned experts can misinterpret evidence, especially as medicine and science have become deeply interdisciplinary. Our education systems haven't fully kept pace with that shift, and the consequences can be serious, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.' His choice to write publicly, in journals like Nature, The Lancet, and media platforms such as Fortune and CNN, isn't about professional visibility. It's about bridging a communication gap that can have real-life consequences. 'Having an interdisciplinary background puts me in a position to bridge that gap,' he says. 'I share my work publicly not for visibility, but to help ensure that accurate, actionable knowledge reaches those who need it most.' That sense of responsibility only deepens when the conversation turns to recognition. Over the years, Dr. Noon has been named among the 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalysts, received the German Medical Award, and earned the European Award in Medicine. But none of these sit on a pedestal. 'Leadership at a young age is a responsibility I carry with deep humility and a strong sense of accountability,' he says. 'Every recognition is not a celebration of what I've done, but a call to do more, to be mindful in my words, intentional in my actions, and rooted in service to others. These honors aren't about visibility or titles; they're about what I'm being entrusted to build. I strive each day to be worthy of that trust, to open doors, shift mindsets, and show every person watching that they, too, belong in the rooms where change begins. That's the responsibility I wake up with every day.' He reserves his strongest words for the generation coming up behind him, one he considers not just future leaders, but present ones. 'Young people are not just the future of global health, they are its present,' he says. 'They are not waiting to lead someday; they are needed now.' He went on saying that in every corner of the world, even the smallest act, a clinic started, a voice raised, a truth spoken, can create ripples that save lives. 'They must write their own story, not wait for someone else to script it. You don't need permission to begin. You don't need a title to lead. What you need is conviction, courage, and the belief that your background is not a barrier, it's your power,' he said added that global health is not someone else's job, it belongs to all of us. And the youth must rise, not just as participants, but as architects of a healthier, more just world. When asked if the weight of expectation ever feels like a burden, he doesn't flinch. 'I don't feel pressure,' he says. 'I feel purpose. Expectations don't weigh me down; they remind me that people believe in something good in me, and that's a gift I hold with gratitude. I know I'm not perfect and I won't always get it right, no one does.' 'But I pray that I remain a source of khayr and that I never lose the tawakkul that keeps me anchored. It's not about living up to titles. It's about showing up with sincerity, serving with integrity, and becoming a vessel for something greater than myself.' Beyond the horizon Dr. Noon doesn't talk about the future in vague terms. He talks about windows, narrow, fleeting, and full of possibility. 'I'm certain AI will transform healthcare across the world, and Pakistan is no exception,' he says. 'In fact, Pakistan has a small but critical window to act swiftly and seize this moment to become a leader in the field.' With a healthcare system already stretched thin, not enough hospitals, not enough doctors, he sees AI as more than a technical fix. It's a way to extend care where it doesn't reach, to automate what shouldn't require human hands, to lower costs without lowering quality. But he's not naïve to the risks. 'Without a strong national strategy and responsible regulation, we risk deploying biased algorithms, mishandling sensitive data, deepening existing disparities and compromising patient safety,' he says. 'AI, if led with integrity, vision and care, can become the backbone of a healthier, more resilient Pakistan.' For Dr. Noon, the opportunity goes beyond medicine. 'AI is not just a tool for healthcare. It's a lever for economic transformation,' he says. 'With focused investment and policy, Pakistan could become a hub for ethical, homegrown AI innovation and an exporter of AI systems, services, and solutions. I believe we can lead the region in ethical, people-centered innovation, and I would be honored to contribute wherever my expertise can be of service.' His advice to his younger self, the boy walking the grounds of Sadiq Public School in Bahawalpur, is less about steps and more about spirit. He reaches for Iqbal: 'Uqaabi rooh jab bedar hoti hai jawanon mein, nazar aati hai unko apni manzil aasmanon mein.' 'There's a universe within you,' he says. 'Vast, untamed, waiting to be awakened. Don't underestimate your capacity to grow, to rise, to transform. Explore the edges of your potential. The sky is not your limit, it's where your journey begins.' When asked about legacy, he doesn't hesitate. 'I'm not hoping to build a legacy. I'm not hungry for recognition. I don't want my name carved in marble. I want it whispered in prayers,' he says. What he wants instead is quiet and simple. For him what matters is knowing he did everything in his power to make this world more just, more kind, and more humane. 'I don't seek to be celebrated. I seek to be useful and compassionate, in line with the values of my faith.'
Express Tribune
19-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Healing Hagia Sophia
For nearly 1,500 years, the Hagia Sophia has stood tall over Istanbul, weathering empires, earthquakes and time itself. But as the threat of another major quake looms, vulnerabilities in its aging structure have surfaced, and efforts are afoot to protect the iconic landmark. "Hagia Sophia can be seen like a patient, with more health problems appearing as time goes on," architect Hasan Firat Diker told Anadolu. Now, working with the diligence of a doctor, Diker is part of the Hagia Sophia Scientific Committee, a team undertaking the building's most extensive rehabilitation in a century. The Hagia Sophia was built in the sixth century, and its dome – among the first built on pendentives – collapsed in 558, and partially again in 989 and 1346. Since then, the structure and dome have held firm, even as other buildings around it fell in the quakes of 1509, 1526, 1766 and 1894. "Hagia Sophia is the heart of Istanbul," said Diker, a professor of architecture at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University in the Turkish megacity. "Its continued preservation can be attributed to the efforts of every ruling power – from the Byzantines to the Ottomans and into the Turkish Republic era – each doing their best within their economic means to protect it." 'Protect it, not alienate it' The Hagia Sophia, a cathedral, museum and mosque at different points in time, is now undergoing its most extensive restoration since the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Initial work focused on surrounding Ottoman-era structures, but attention has now turned to the main building. "We know its most vulnerable points. Our reinforcement efforts will proceed accordingly," said Diker. One of the biggest issues lies in the four asymmetrical arches supporting the main dome – a result of earlier repairs and historic damage. "Especially after the last two major collapses during the Byzantine era, the dome and arches had to be rebuilt. But they were made thinner than they should have been, which made the structure more fragile and in constant need of protection," he explained. One major threat during earthquakes is hammering – a phenomenon where two adjacent buildings or structural components collide with each other due to insufficient separation between them. "During an earthquake, the two semi-domes, which were built to support the main dome, can start to sway. This movement may create hammering, which risks damaging the main dome instead of protecting it," he said. Engineers are now reinforcing connection points between the main dome and semi-domes to reduce this danger. "Even though Hagia Sophia has structural weaknesses, we're not in a position to rebuild it from scratch. Instead, our goal is to intervene using the most appropriate methods for its current state and extend its lifespan," he added. The restoration includes cleaning the underground sections, restoring the dome and minarets and addressing long-standing structural vulnerabilities. "In previous restorations, especially when Hagia Sophia was a museum, scaffolding around the whole building was often avoided to preserve the visitor experience," he said. "Now, we're taking a more holistic approach." Every phase of the project is being shaped by disaster scenarios, including a high-magnitude earthquake, he said. "These earthquake simulations aren't new – engineers have been studying this since the 1999 earthquake," he said, adding that today, with advanced technology and data from major global quakes, they are able to model much more realistic interventions. He emphasised that the project avoids unnecessary intervention that might compromise the building's character. "We want to protect it, but we don't want to alienate it," he said. Quake resilience review Ilknur Turkoglu, a cultural heritage expert, said Istanbul's seismic risk is well established. "Though Istanbul does not sit directly on a major fault line, its surrounding region is highly active, causing significant earthquakes that have historically caused damage to the city, like the 1999 Golcuk and Duzce earthquakes," Turkoglu said. "With such a large and dense population, the damage and casualties from a similar earthquake today would be far greater," she warned. Istanbul's cultural wealth – as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires – adds another layer of risk. Many structures are centuries old and vulnerable. "Knowing exactly what we have is the first step," said Turkoglu, an assistant professor at the Istanbul Gelisim University's Department of Architecture. "Unfortunately, Istanbul still lacks a comprehensive inventory of its cultural assets, both above and below ground." She called for a systematic review of the earthquake resilience of such sites, and for immediate reinforcement where risks are identified. Museums housed in historic structures also need urgent planning. "We need to conduct earthquake drills, ensure artifacts and display cases are secure, and check that emergency systems like automatic shutoffs for electricity, gas and water are in place," she said. Even if walls remain standing, she added, unsecured objects inside can still injure or kill. The situation following the 1999 and February 2023 earthquakes offered a preview, she said, of what could happen without better preparedness, including plans to protect or relocate valuable artefacts.
Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Express Tribune
China sends moon dust 'rarer than gold' to UK
Listen to article The UK has received its first sample of Moon rock in nearly 50 years, after China loaned a vial of lunar dust to Professor Mahesh Anand's lab in Milton Keynes. The 60mg sample, locked inside a safe in a high-security facility, was collected by China's Chang'e 5 mission in 2020. It is the first lunar material to reach Earth since the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976. 'This is more precious than gold dust,' said Prof Anand, who is the only UK scientist granted access to the material. The grains will be analysed using lasers and high-heat techniques to probe how the Moon formed and to unlock secrets of the early Earth. 'This is a great honour and a huge privilege,' said Prof Anand. 'Nobody in the world had access to China's samples.' The UK joins a select group of seven international researchers chosen to study the rare material, in a move signalling growing scientific collaboration. The Chinese mission drilled 2kg of lunar soil from Mons Rümker, a volcanic plateau, returning it in a capsule that landed in Inner Mongolia. At the Open University's facility, extreme precautions are being taken to avoid contamination. Technicians wear gowns, gloves and hoods; sticky mats clean their shoes. Earthly particles could destroy the integrity of the results. 'This is high stakes,' said lab technician Kay Knight, who will be the first to work directly on the grains. The analysis process involves vaporising the dust at 1,400°C and scanning it for carbon, nitrogen and noble gases. Other tests will determine its oxygen content using lasers. The team has one year to complete the research, which may destroy the tiny sample in the process. But Prof Anand hopes this is just the beginning. 'I hope that this is the start of long-term collaboration between China and international scientists,' he said. In 2024, China's Chang'e 6 mission brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon, an area of growing interest for future research.
