0:00:01.163,0:00:03.429
Once there was a star.

0:00:04.082,0:00:06.804
Like everything else, she was born;

0:00:06.828,0:00:10.609
grew to be around 30 times[br]the mass of our sun

0:00:10.633,0:00:12.926
and lived for a very long time.

0:00:13.475,0:00:14.843
Exactly how long,

0:00:14.867,0:00:16.606
people cannot really tell.

0:00:17.162,0:00:18.941
Just like everything in life,

0:00:18.965,0:00:22.414
she reached the end[br]of her regular star days

0:00:22.438,0:00:25.015
when her heart, the core of her life,

0:00:25.039,0:00:26.505
exhausted its fuel.

0:00:26.905,0:00:28.212
But that was no end.

0:00:28.236,0:00:31.762
She transformed into a supernova,[br]and in the process

0:00:31.786,0:00:34.440
releasing a tremendous amount of energy,

0:00:34.464,0:00:37.172
outshining the rest of the galaxy

0:00:37.196,0:00:39.530
and emitting, in one second,

0:00:39.554,0:00:43.627
the same amount of energy[br]our sun will release in 10 days.

0:00:43.651,0:00:46.922
And she evolved[br]into another role in our galaxy.

0:00:47.783,0:00:50.257
Supernova explosions are very extreme.

0:00:50.638,0:00:54.858
But the ones that emit gamma rays[br]are even more extreme.

0:00:55.417,0:00:57.706
In the process of becoming a supernova,

0:00:57.730,0:01:01.153
the interior of the star collapses[br]under its own weight

0:01:01.177,0:01:04.065
and it starts rotating ever faster,

0:01:04.089,0:01:07.954
like an ice skater when pulling[br]their arms in close to their body.

0:01:08.592,0:01:13.050
In that way, it starts rotating very fast[br]and it increases, powerfully,

0:01:13.074,0:01:14.634
its magnetic field.

0:01:15.011,0:01:18.100
The matter around the star[br]is dragged around,

0:01:18.124,0:01:21.442
and some energy from that rotation[br]is transferred to that matter

0:01:21.466,0:01:24.874
and the magnetic field[br]is increased even further.

0:01:25.477,0:01:31.239
In that way, our star had extra energy[br]to outshine the rest of the galaxy

0:01:31.263,0:01:33.566
in brightness and gamma ray emission.

0:01:34.119,0:01:36.608
My star, the one in my story,

0:01:36.632,0:01:39.280
became what is known as a magnetar.

0:01:39.304,0:01:40.985
And just for your information,

0:01:41.009,0:01:44.890
the magnetic field of a magnetar[br]is 1,000 trillion times

0:01:44.914,0:01:46.683
the magnetic field of Earth.

0:01:47.953,0:01:50.609
The most energetic events[br]ever measured by astronomers

0:01:50.633,0:01:52.888
carry the name gamma-ray bursts

0:01:52.912,0:01:56.519
because we observe them[br]as bursts most or explosions,

0:01:56.543,0:01:59.076
most strongly measured as gamma-ray light.

0:01:59.886,0:02:04.091
Our star, like the one in our story[br]that became a magnetar,

0:02:04.115,0:02:06.186
is detected as a gamma-ray burst

0:02:06.210,0:02:08.770
during the most energetic[br]portion of the explosion.

0:02:10.167,0:02:15.468
Yet, even though gamma-ray bursts[br]are the strongest events

0:02:15.492,0:02:17.581
ever measured by astronomers,

0:02:17.605,0:02:20.242
we cannot see them with our naked eye.

0:02:20.266,0:02:22.594
We depend, we rely on other methods

0:02:22.618,0:02:25.407
in order to study this gamma-ray light.

0:02:25.431,0:02:27.278
We cannot see them with our naked eye.

0:02:27.302,0:02:30.372
We can only see[br]an itty bitty, tiny portion

0:02:30.396,0:02:34.122
of the electromagnetic spectrum[br]that we call visible light.

0:02:34.146,0:02:36.418
And beyond that, we rely on other methods.

0:02:36.442,0:02:41.702
Yet as astronomers,[br]we study a wider range of light

0:02:41.726,0:02:44.490
and we depend on other methods to do that.

0:02:44.514,0:02:47.090
On the screen, it may look like this.

0:02:47.812,0:02:49.544
You're seeing a plot.

0:02:49.568,0:02:51.493
That is a light curve.

0:02:51.517,0:02:55.066
It's a plot of intensity[br]of light over time.

0:02:55.090,0:02:57.554
It is a gamma-ray light curve.

0:02:58.013,0:03:01.705
Sighted astronomers[br]depend on this kind of plot

0:03:01.729,0:03:06.401
in order to interpret how[br]this light intensity changes over time.

0:03:06.933,0:03:12.449
On the left, you will be seeing[br]the light intensity without a burst,

0:03:12.473,0:03:16.628
and on the right, you will be seeing[br]the light intensity with the burst.

0:03:18.381,0:03:22.082
Early during my career,[br]I could also see this kind of plot.

0:03:22.562,0:03:25.290
But then, I lost my sight.

0:03:25.314,0:03:28.466
I completely lost my sight[br]because of extended illness,

0:03:28.490,0:03:32.175
and with it, I lost[br]the opportunity to see this plot

0:03:33.208,0:03:35.965
and the opportunity to do my physics.

0:03:37.672,0:03:40.127
It was a very strong transition[br]for me in many ways.

0:03:41.295,0:03:45.540
And professionally, it left me[br]without a way to do my science.

0:03:45.564,0:03:50.179
I longed to access and scrutinize[br]this energetic light

0:03:50.203,0:03:52.889
and figure out the astrophysical cause.

0:03:52.913,0:03:56.375
I wanted to experience[br]the spacious wonder, the excitement,

0:03:56.399,0:04:00.848
the joy produced by the detection[br]of such a titanic celestial event.

0:04:01.352,0:04:04.652
I thought long and hard about it,

0:04:04.676,0:04:08.361
when I suddenly realized[br]that all a light curve is,

0:04:08.385,0:04:12.226
is a table of numbers[br]converted into a visual plot.

0:04:12.861,0:04:14.762
So along with my collaborators,

0:04:14.786,0:04:18.994
we worked really hard and we translated[br]the numbers into sound.

0:04:19.765,0:04:21.769
I achieved access to the data,

0:04:21.793,0:04:26.806
and today I'm able to do physics[br]at the level of the best astronomer,

0:04:26.830,0:04:27.981
using sound.

0:04:28.005,0:04:30.633
And what people have been able to do,

0:04:30.657,0:04:31.810
mainly visually,

0:04:31.834,0:04:33.178
for hundreds of years,

0:04:33.202,0:04:35.544
now I do it using sound.

0:04:35.892,0:04:36.929
(Applause)

0:04:36.953,0:04:38.655
Listening to this gamma-ray burst

0:04:38.679,0:04:40.999
that you're seeing on the --[br](Applause continues)

0:04:41.023,0:04:42.174
Thank you.

0:04:42.198,0:04:44.906
Listening to this burst[br]that you're seeing on the screen

0:04:44.930,0:04:47.525
brought something to the ear[br]beyond the obvious burst.

0:04:47.973,0:04:49.908
Now I'm going to play the burst for you.

0:04:49.932,0:04:51.986
It's not music, it's sound.

0:04:53.264,0:04:56.515
(Digital beeping sounds)

0:04:56.539,0:04:59.830
This is scientific data[br]converted into sound,

0:04:59.854,0:05:01.088
and it's mapped in pitch.

0:05:01.112,0:05:03.531
The process is called sonification.

0:05:06.958,0:05:09.268
So listening to this[br]brought something to the ear

0:05:09.292,0:05:10.641
besides the obvious burst.

0:05:10.665,0:05:15.186
When I examine the very strong[br]low-frequency regions,

0:05:15.210,0:05:20.082
or bass line -- I'm zooming[br]into the bass line now.

0:05:21.500,0:05:27.019
We noted resonances characteristic[br]of electrically charged gasses

0:05:27.043,0:05:28.645
like the solar wind.

0:05:28.669,0:05:31.172
And I want you to hear what I heard.

0:05:31.196,0:05:34.977
You will hear it as a very fast[br]decrease in volume.

0:05:35.001,0:05:37.764
And because you're sighted,[br]I'm giving you a red line

0:05:37.788,0:05:41.727
indicating what intensity of light[br]is being converted into sound.

0:05:43.672,0:05:46.086
(Digital hum and whistling sound)

0:05:46.110,0:05:49.404
The (Whistles) is frogs at home,[br]don't pay attention to that.

0:05:49.428,0:05:51.274
(Laughter)

0:05:51.298,0:05:56.525
(Digital hum and whistling sound)

0:05:56.549,0:05:58.421
I think you heard it, right?

0:05:59.503,0:06:00.780
So what we found

0:06:00.804,0:06:05.718
is that the bursts last long enough[br]in order to support wave resonances,

0:06:05.742,0:06:09.959
which are things caused by exchanges[br]of energy between particles

0:06:09.983,0:06:11.301
that may have been excited,

0:06:11.325,0:06:12.706
that depend on the volume.

0:06:13.151,0:06:16.241
You may remember that I said[br]that the matter around the star

0:06:16.265,0:06:17.921
is dragged around?

0:06:17.945,0:06:21.759
It transmits power with frequency[br]and field distribution

0:06:21.783,0:06:23.505
determined by the dimensions.

0:06:24.434,0:06:28.384
You may remember that we were talking[br]about a super-massive star

0:06:28.408,0:06:31.576
that became a very strong[br]magnetic field magnetar.

0:06:32.264,0:06:36.637
If this is the case, then outflows[br]from the exploding star

0:06:36.661,0:06:39.144
may be associated[br]with this gamma-ray burst.

0:06:39.168,0:06:40.736
What does that mean?

0:06:40.760,0:06:43.727
That star formation[br]may be a very important part

0:06:43.751,0:06:45.265
of these supernova explosions.

0:06:46.047,0:06:50.434
Listening to this very gamma-ray burst[br]brought us to the notion

0:06:50.458,0:06:53.257
that the use of sound[br]as an adjunctive visual display

0:06:53.281,0:06:55.506
may also support sighted astronomers

0:06:55.530,0:06:57.980
in the search for more[br]information in the data.

0:06:58.562,0:07:03.880
Simultaneously, I worked on analyzing[br]measurements from other telescopes,

0:07:03.904,0:07:06.107
and my experiments demonstrated

0:07:06.131,0:07:10.345
that when you use sound[br]as an adjunctive visual display,

0:07:10.369,0:07:13.285
astronomers can find more information

0:07:13.309,0:07:16.176
in this now more accessible data set.

0:07:17.086,0:07:20.830
This ability to transform data into sound

0:07:20.854,0:07:23.931
gives astronomy a tremendous[br]power of transformation.

0:07:24.381,0:07:28.322
And the fact that a field[br]that is so visual may be improved

0:07:28.346,0:07:33.019
in order to include anyone with interest[br]in understanding what lies in the heavens

0:07:33.043,0:07:34.552
is a spirit-lifter.

0:07:35.390,0:07:37.279
When I lost my sight,

0:07:37.303,0:07:39.379
I noticed that I didn't have access

0:07:39.403,0:07:42.029
to the same amount[br]and quality of information

0:07:42.053,0:07:43.449
a sighted astronomer had.

0:07:44.220,0:07:47.700
It was not until we innovated[br]with the sonification process

0:07:47.724,0:07:51.676
that I regained the hope[br]to be a productive member of the field

0:07:51.700,0:07:54.310
that I had worked so hard to be part of.

0:07:55.429,0:07:59.880
Yet, information access[br]is not the only area in astronomy

0:07:59.904,0:08:02.088
where this is important.

0:08:02.602,0:08:05.126
The situation is systemic

0:08:05.150,0:08:08.119
and scientific fields are not keeping up.

0:08:08.825,0:08:11.477
The body is something changeable --

0:08:11.501,0:08:14.866
anyone may develop[br]a disability at any point.

0:08:14.890,0:08:17.128
Let's think about, for example,

0:08:17.152,0:08:19.939
scientists that are already[br]at the top of their careers.

0:08:19.963,0:08:22.803
What happens to them[br]if they develop a disability?

0:08:22.827,0:08:25.244
Will they feel excommunicated as I did?

0:08:25.839,0:08:29.029
Information access[br]empowers us to flourish.

0:08:29.499,0:08:33.099
It gives us equal opportunities[br]to display our talents

0:08:33.123,0:08:35.986
and choose what we want[br]to do with our lives,

0:08:36.010,0:08:39.318
based on interest and not based[br]on potential barriers.

0:08:40.294,0:08:44.661
When we give people the opportunity[br]to succeed without limits,

0:08:44.685,0:08:49.243
that will lead to personal fulfillment[br]and prospering life.

0:08:49.267,0:08:51.700
And I think that the use[br]of sound in astronomy

0:08:51.724,0:08:55.201
is helping us to achieve that[br]and to contribute to science.

0:08:56.119,0:09:00.651
While other countries told me[br]that the study of perception techniques

0:09:00.675,0:09:04.252
in order to study astronomy data[br]is not relevant to astronomy

0:09:04.276,0:09:07.476
because there are no blind[br]astronomers in the field,

0:09:07.500,0:09:10.904
South Africa said, "We want[br]people with disabilities

0:09:10.928,0:09:12.904
to contribute to the field."

0:09:12.928,0:09:14.254
Right now, I'm working

0:09:14.278,0:09:17.010
at the South African[br]Astronomical Observatory,

0:09:17.034,0:09:20.119
at the Office of Astronomy[br]for Development.

0:09:20.436,0:09:25.177
There, we are working on sonification[br]techniques and analysis methods

0:09:25.201,0:09:28.647
to impact the students[br]of the Athlone School for the Blind.

0:09:29.603,0:09:32.089
These students will be learning[br]radio astronomy,

0:09:32.113,0:09:35.351
and they will be learning[br]the sonification methods

0:09:35.375,0:09:39.846
in order to study astronomical events[br]like huge ejections of energy

0:09:39.870,0:09:42.306
from the sun, known as[br]coronal mass ejections.

0:09:43.194,0:09:44.953
What we learn with these students --

0:09:44.977,0:09:48.774
these students have multiple disabilities[br]and coping strategies

0:09:48.798,0:09:50.674
that will be accommodated --

0:09:50.698,0:09:53.537
what we learn with these students[br]will directly impact

0:09:53.561,0:09:56.718
the way things are being done[br]at the professional level.

0:09:56.742,0:09:58.801
I humbly call this development.

0:09:58.825,0:10:01.081
And this is happening right now.

0:10:02.350,0:10:05.728
I think that science is for everyone.

0:10:06.275,0:10:07.723
It belongs to the people,

0:10:07.747,0:10:09.998
and it has to be available to everyone,

0:10:10.022,0:10:12.235
because we are all natural explorers.

0:10:12.956,0:10:18.136
I think that if we limit people[br]with disabilities

0:10:18.171,0:10:20.000
from participating in science,

0:10:20.024,0:10:23.672
we'll sever our links with history[br]and with society.

0:10:23.696,0:10:27.142
I dream of a level[br]scientific playing field,

0:10:27.166,0:10:32.154
where people encourage respect[br]and respect each other,

0:10:32.178,0:10:35.266
where people exchange strategies[br]and discover together.

0:10:35.810,0:10:40.107
If people with disabilities[br]are allowed into the scientific field,

0:10:40.131,0:10:44.840
an explosion, a huge titanic burst[br]of knowledge will take place,

0:10:44.864,0:10:46.341
I am sure.

0:10:49.251,0:10:51.100
(Digital beeping sounds)

0:10:51.124,0:10:52.988
That is the titanic burst.

0:10:54.420,0:10:55.571
Thank you.

0:10:55.595,0:10:56.746
Thank you.

0:10:56.770,0:11:02.442
(Applause)