One of the most important space films in the history of cinema is undoubtedly Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odysses (2001: A Space Odyssey). Made in 1968, this masterpiece contains science, technology and design elements in abundance. The movie begins with the struggle for survival of ape-humans, considered to be the ancestors of humans, 4 million years ago. Ape-humans, incapable of protecting themselves and struggling to meet their water, shelter and nutritional needs, are revealed in a magnificent narrative.
A black monument believed to be sent by extraterrestrials falls on the spot where a small ape-human group is located, and the group’s fate changes in an instant when they touch this mysterious black stone, albeit timidly and fearfully. This group, which managed to use the bones of dead animals as a tool, suddenly succeeds in becoming the ruler of the region. It would be a small step for the ape-human group, but a big step for their development. Man, who can use what is around him and develop new tools, has become the master of the earth.
The next process of the movie includes scenes that will refer to the development of human beings. Mankind has entered a new era that can make space travels. In this process, a very important discovery takes place on the Moon. The black stone, which was sent to earth 4 million years ago, has also been found on the Moon. Researchers going to study the stone are exposed to a strong signal and realize that the same signal comes from Jupiter. These signals increase the sense of curiosity even more, and a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to answer the big question that mankind has been after for years.
Are we alone in this universe? Is there a life form other than us? Could a more advanced civilization have communicated with us?
These questions lie at the heart of human scientific developments. We made inventions and conducted experiments to explore our surroundings, to grasp the laws of nature, to try to understand where we came from and where we are going. We have taken steps to consolidate our dominance on earth, and have strived to reach beyond our borders by developing super-technological tools.
Curious Scientists Who Marked History
Throughout history, people who have left their mark in the field of science have been the greatest pioneers of this development. In this article, I will try to convey the stories of the scientists who left their mark in many fields from the discovery of the laws of physics to the buoyancy of water, from systems that provide wireless communication to quantum laws.
-Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)
Aristotle is one of the most important thinkers of history, who produced ideas and produced works in many fields such as physics, biology, astronomy, logic, philosophy, political science, and zoology. Aristotle, one of Plato’s most successful students, was interested in all the fields of science of his time, especially he tried to classify different fields of science and put them in a system.
In this process, he had disagreements with his teacher, Plato, and produced different studies, especially on political science. While Plato tried to develop a perfect and eternal theory of the state, Aristotle examined the existing forms of government and tried to find the best of the existing ones. Aristotle, who was the teacher of Alexander the Great, influenced many people during and after his time, encouraged people to think, to follow their sense of curiosity, and to do science studies.
-Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
Isaac Newton established the world of physics for 300 years by revealing the 3 laws of universal gravity and motion. Newton, who developed the first reflecting telescope, created a color theory by showing that the white light he held in the prism consisted of different colors. He laid the foundations of differential and integral calculation methods, which have a very important place in advanced mathematical calculations.
In 1999, he was selected as the second most important physicist in world history, after Albert Einstein, by the votes of 100 of the world’s leading physicists. He especially contributed a lot to the development of mathematical theories. On the basis of Newton’s development of new mathematical methods to understand the motions of objects, to deal with the wavelengths of light, and to establish connections between the earth and the planets; Curiosity lies in understanding life and its rules better.
-Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Galileo, who has a very important place in the birth of modern science, became a professor of mathematics due to his interest in philosophy and mathematics, despite his father’s insistent desire to study medicine. He started to observe and understand the sky better with the telescopes he developed. He published his studies on the sky in the book “Star Herald” in 1610, and revealed many important information about the spots on the sun, the moons of Jupiter, and the surface of the Moon.
Galileo’s statement, which claims that all objects will fall to the ground at the same time, especially in an airless environment, has been proven in the experiments carried out with vacuum in the following years. With a great sense of curiosity, his studies in astronomy continued despite the pressures of religious authorities and left a great legacy for humanity.
“Science is the most real guide for civilisation, for life, for success in the world. To search for a guide other than science is absurdity, ignorance and heresy.” – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
-Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
Considered one of the greatest artists and geniuses of the world, Leonardo Da Vinci has succeeded in bringing Renaissance art to its peak. He is one of the most important inventors in human history. His work in engineering and architecture is way ahead of its time.
Leonardo Da Vinci, who has a special interest in human anatomy, observed cadavers in order to understand the human structure and to comprehend the working principles. He made drawings of bones, muscles, human organs and compiled information on how they work. In addition to being very intelligent, his great interest in his environment and human anatomy was instrumental in making the most important works of his period.
–Archimedes (288 BC – 212 BC)
Archimedes, who laid the foundation of hydrostatics and mechanics, made a great contribution to science by finding the buoyancy of water. He gave great importance to theoretical mathematics and developed methods to find the areas of curved surfaces. He later laid a very important foundation for the discovery of differential equations and integral calculations.
-Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)
Charles Darwin, the most famous name in biological science, published his theories together with his proofs in the book “The Origin of Species” in 1859. He argued that there is natural selection in nature, and that all living species, including humans, evolved. In the light of the data he has collected, his travels have shown with evidence that the existence of species depends on environmental conditions.
With his studies in the field of biology, he put forward a concrete theory of how human beings came into existence. Darwin’s work, which presents a perspective on how human beings exist in the world, living things and the universe, is still being developed and is still being discussed a lot.
-Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
Feynman, one of the most important Nobel Prize-winning physicists of the 20th century, developed himself in a very short time with his high IQ and great curiosity and earned his doctorate at a young age. With the Manhattan project he participated in at a young age, he contributed to his country to develop an atomic bomb against the Nazis. Feynman, who was against the use of atomic bombs, did not participate in the work done for the state after the use of the bomb on the Japanese.
He made great contributions to physics with his studies on theoretical physics and subatomic particles. He developed the “Feynman Charts” to show the complex structure of subatomic particles in a simple way. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum electrodynamics. In addition to all these achievements, Feynman, who is a very good narrator, is a scientist who has always expressed his curiosity to understand his environment and nature.
-Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943)
Considered one of the greatest inventors of all time, Nikola Tesla; It laid the foundation of the GPRS system, all remote-controlled systems, space technologies and remote communication systems. Nikola Tesla established systems that provide wireless transmission of radio, sound and electromagnetic waves and illuminated the London fair wirelessly. Tesla, who built the first radio transmission tower, was the first to apply the remote control system to a vehicle.
-Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Marie Curie, who was the first person to win 2 Nobel prizes for the first time in history, made great contributions to science with her discoveries in physics and chemistry. With his work in the field of radioactivity, he succeeded in the discovery of polonium and radium.
Curie, who was exposed to radiation for a long time due to the radioactivity and working environment in the area he worked, died in 1934. He referred to thinking, generating ideas and being curious by saying, “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas”.
-Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
The greatest Physicist in the history of science. Einstein, one of the scientists who made the greatest contribution to humankind in the 20th century, radically changed everything we know about the universe with the theories he developed. By developing Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, he introduced time as a dimension and revealed the concept of space-time.
This perspective has shown that we have misunderstood the universe for centuries. He impressively explained how the planets attract each other and the relationship between space and time with the general theory of relativity. Einstein, who has led the way for many studies on time, light speed, black holes, and quantum physics, has often expressed how much curiosity and imagination affect him.
-James Clark Maxwell (1831-1979)
James Clerk Maxwell proved that the equations bearing his name and electricity and magnetism, which are known to be unrelated to each other, are actually the same thing. With these equations, classical equations and laws were combined; It has been used in the fields of electricity, magnetic and optics. Maxwell’s work in the electromagnetic field has been termed the “second great unification in physics” (the first by Isaac Newton).
The electromagnetism model, which combines the electric force and the magnetic force, which is accepted as one of the most important developments in physics, is a development that has contributed greatly to modern physics. Maxwell’s contributions to science are considered equivalent to those of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.
-Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Niels Bohr is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who contributed 50 years to the development of quantum physics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his theory describing the structure of subatomic particles named after him. He developed studies on what the relationship between classical physics and quantum physics might be. Bohr had intense arguments with Einstein, saying that particles can transfer information to other particles even over great distances in discussions about quantum physics, and his theses were later confirmed.
-Alan Turing (1912-1954)
Alan Turing is considered by some to be the founder of computer science. In particular, he developed the Turing Test, which will measure whether machines and computers have the ability to think. Turing, who undersigned the works that laid the foundation of modern computers, has been working on artificial intelligence and computer science for a long time.
Turing, who had a great place in the development of the machine that would break the codes of the Germans in World War II, worked passionately in this field with his interest in concepts such as machines, passwords and artificial intelligence and produced successful works.
-Stephen Hawking (1942-2018)
Stephen Hawking, who signed one of the greatest discoveries of the second half of the twentieth century, claimed that the known universe has an end and a limit. He showed that the beginning of Einstein’s famous General Theory of Relativity was the Big Bang, and the end was black holes.
Stephen Hawking believed that the Theory of Relativity should be combined with Quantum Mechanics. He believed that if this unification, which he called the Theory of Everything, took place, human beings would be able to unravel the secrets of the universe. Throughout his life, he worked to develop this theory. In his speeches before he died, he warned mankind against possible disasters and stated that human beings should colonize space as soon as possible.
One of the next biggest goals of mankind is to go to Mars and colonize there. Our curiosity drive is so strong that thanks to this emotion, we are able to turn our dreams into reality. We wonder, we research, we learn, we make connections and we develop new tools. We can cross our borders, we can set our eyes on new horizons.
The name of the robot we sent in 2011 to explore Mars, to gather information from there, and to understand its living conditions and nature, emphasizes how important this feeling is for us.
Robot name: CURIOSITY
