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Download 2020 Edition Fostering Scientific Thinkers and Writers Copyright © A*STAR and Science Centre 2020 Published by A*STAR Science Centre Singapore 20 Biopolis Way 15 Science Centre Road #07-01 Centros Singapore 609081 Singapore 138668 Website: www.science.edu.sg Website: www.a-star.edu.sg Designed and Produced by Armour Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Printed in Singapore ISBN 978-981-48-6361-2 ABOUT A*STAR The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore’s leading public sector agency that spearheads economic- oriented research to advance scientific discovery and develop innovative technology. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the society. As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by contributing to societal benefits such as improving outcomes in healthcare, urban living and sustainability. We play a key role in nurturing and developing a diversity of talent and leaders in our Agency and Research Institutes, the wider research community and industry. A*STAR’s R&D activities span across biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering, with Research Institutes primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis. For more information, visit www.a-star.edu.sg. ABOUT SCIENCE CENTRE SINGAPORE Science Centre Singapore, a non-formal educational institution and leading regional Science Centre, along with its group of attractions, brings out the wonders of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through its unique blend of exhibitions, educational programmes and events. A custodian of creativity and innovation, Science Centre Singapore has captured the evolution of scientific developments for nearly four decades. The Centre and its partners have played a pivotal role in transforming the way students and the public interact with and learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Since 1997, the Centre has welcomed over 30 million visitors and inspired them with more than 1,000 exhibits spread across 14 exhibition galleries and outdoor exhibition spaces. The Centre’s group of attractions include Omni-Theatre, Snow City and KidsSTOP™. The Omni-Theatre is an immersive dual-technology edutainment destination fitted with Southeast Asia’s largest seamless dome screen and featuring the latest and brightest 8k digital fulldome system in the world. Snow City is Singapore’s only permanent indoor snow centre offering an Arctic inspired experience at Singapore’s first ice gallery and snow chamber. KidsSTOP™ — where every child gets to Imagine, Experience, Discover and Dream — is Singapore’s first children’s science centre offering an enriching experience through purposeful play for children aged 18 months to eight years old. For more information, please visit www.science.edu.sg. DISCLAIMER Science Chronicles is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, incidents and religious references are either the products of the authors’ imagination or used in a fictitious manner. The stories might contain scenes of violence or materials that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. Acknowledgements xiii CATEGORY A 15–16 YEARS OLD — 1ST PRIZE — Three Thousand Years: From 2525 to 2525 by Lin Jing Yang 1 — 2ND PRIZE — The Human Starfish by Shermaine Lim Sher Min 25 — 3RD PRIZE — Choosing Sam by Alexandra Loh 33 — MERIT AWARDS — The Secret to Life by Tang Jing Ying 46 Of Stories and Sanctuary by Ariel Mary Puhaindran 58 Freedom Fighter by Sun Xiaonan & Angella Santosh 69 Unparalleled by Huang Shi Rui & Wee Zhuo Lin 81 The Price of a Life by Lim Ying Zi 92 Anthropos-logia — A Report, 2525 by Huang Xinrui 102 My Other Self by J Tanisha 117 CATEGORY B 17–18 YEARS OLD — 1ST PRIZE — Full Moon by Beatrice Teh 131 — 2ND PRIZE — Buying Time by Huang Xinli 141 — 3RD PRIZE — SKIN by Yu Jialu 152 — MERIT AWARDS — The Future We Were Promised by Ng Jun Heng Rayson 161 Let There Be Light by Zhang Kailun 173 Renegade 2525: Freedom to Live by Chloe Loh 185 Up in the Clouds by Sonya Wong Hui Ling 197 Man’s Biggest Enemy by Manushri Divakaran 208 An Impressive Catch by Koh Jing Ting 220 For the Happiness of All Mankind by Aditya Jayaraj, Cedric Phang Chun Zhong & Shao Yingzhan 233 The organisers would like to thank the judging panel of the 2020 Science Chronicles competition for their gracious help: Dr Ilya Farber Senior Scientist II, Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR Daniel Tan Senior Director Exhibitions, Science Centre Singapore Dr Wan Yue Group Leader, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, A*STAR GIS Dr Graham Wright Chief Technology Officer, Research Support Centre, A*STAR A/Prof Lim Tit Meng Chief Executive Science Centre Singapore Finally, we would like to thank all the participants for your strong support, and for all the fans who enjoy reading the Science Chronicles. xiii 15–16 YEARS OLD SCIENCE CHRONICLES xvi 1ST PRIZE Three Thousand Years: From 2525 to 2525 by Lin Jing Yang Victoria School Prologue The BLACKBOX They watched in fear and trepidation as the giant red dot on the hologram approached with menace. Two green crosses bravely confronted the raging intruder. The pair of counter-missiles were fired to intercept the diving asteroid that had just entered the atmosphere. The control facility was filled with silence. Static filtered through the speakers. “T-minus two minutes.” 1 SCIENCE CHRONICLES … “T-minus ninety seconds.” It felt like an hour. “Thirty seconds to impact.” The wait was agonising. “T-minus ten seconds.” “Nine.” “Eight.” … The crosses flickered and disappeared. “Missiles B4 and 5 missed and self-detonated. They were unexpectedly off-mark.” “Fire B6 NOW!” A lone green cross appeared on the hologram. “Sir, this asteroid is peculiar. Adjacent satellites show it is of an odd pointed shape and emits light from multiple wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.” “T-minus twenty seconds for B6’s intercept.” “T-minus ten seconds.” The red marker disappeared from the hologram. A confused voice come over the radio. “The target just… erm… hopped off the radar—” Just then, the last green cross vanished as well. “B6 self-detonated.” The commander frowned. “Does the observatory have a clear visual?” “Only remnants from B6, sir.” 2 THREE THOUSAND YEARS: FROM 2525 TO 2525 “Last altitude of target?” “Ten thousand metres, sir.” “It may have burned up—” A beep trumpeted through the radio. “Target approaching! Clear the—” The voice stopped abruptly. The red dot re-appeared for a split second, before all the systems went blank. Only the fluorescent floor lights remained lit. “Sir! Huge showers of charged particles detected, causing SEUs1 in our digital systems!” The commander frowned harder. “Is there any way to circum—” His voice trailed off. Outside the windows, a luminescent raging ball of pure energy was descending, illuminating the night sky. It seemed to have a semi-presence2; visible, yet transparent. A sudden explosion disintegrated it. Thousands of dispersed bright fragments raced towards them menacingly. The commander turned from his seat by the window and clasped his hands together in prayer. A brilliant blue light engulfed everything. END OF AUDIOVISUAL RECORD 1 See footnote 1 in Appendix. 2 See footnote 2 in Appendix. 3 SCIENCE CHRONICLES Moscow, Earth, E.Y.3 4025, 7 August It was all over the news. The headlines: “Breaking news: Projectile4 destroys entire Martian city”. “Many people are criticising the International Space Security Agency (ISSA) for unleashing the vicious attack—” Grovsky pressed the button on his glasses. They flickered and switched off as he removed them. He shook his head and thought, What’s happening? War with the Martians? Their weaponry is no match for ours. We could crush them easily… Mars, M.Y. 1025 A press release on the destruction of Olympose, a city on Olympus Mons5 “Olympose lays in devastation caused by the impact from the catastrophically huge asteroid. Faraway cities reported that the asteroid apparently out-manoeuvred our most advanced counter-missile systems, which had saved the city from previous asteroids. Conservatives speculate that it is from our brother planet Earth, as its rumoured inhabitants seek to counter the Elites’ intensifying colonisation missions on Earth. This is even when our droids on Earth report of no presence of intelligent life whatsoever.” 3 E.Y. and M.Y. will be used to denote “Earth year” and “Mars year”, to differentiate the different calendars. 4 See footnote 3 in Appendix. 5 See footnote 4 in Appendix. 4 THREE THOUSAND YEARS: FROM 2525 TO 2525 Earthlings and Martians By 2055 on Earth, global warming had rendered many parts of the planet uninhabitable. A scientist, Professor Gareth X, managed to develop a way to terraform Mars that could be completed not in millennia but centuries, making Mars a possible future home. He proposed using fusion energy to melt the ice caps on Mars to release the trapped water and the carbon dioxide. This would be coupled with a huge electromagnet in Martian orbit, serving as Mars’ magnetic field, to repel solar wind. Gradually, the Martian atmosphere would be pressurised, which would allow it to trap enough solar radiation to heat up and sustain life on Mars. The Martian base on the south pole was already operational by 2055. Scientists led by Gareth decided the present was the best time to start terraforming. The mission was dubbed Mission Gaia and was set for completion by 2450. In 2056, ten 100-megaton nuclear fusion bombs were assembled on the moon base6 and launched towards the Martian north pole, with an estimated travel time of three months.
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