3 August 2019 | New Scientist | 15Commentary Thirty Meter TelescopeFOR over two weeks, kia‘i mauna
(Hawaiians and their allies) have
been protesting on the access
road to the proposed site of the
Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)
on Mauna Kea, a sacred peak
on Hawaii Island. If built,
the telescope could help us
understand the formation of
planets and galaxies. But the
history of telescopes on Mauna
Kea is deeply upsetting.
Mauna Kea is the tallest
mountain in the world from its
undersea base and an excellent
place to make astronomical
observations. It is already
home to 13 telescopes, however
the scientific advances these
have achieved have been
clouded by neglect of the
site’s culture and history.
In Hawaiian tradition, Hawaii
Island is the eldest child of sky
father Wākea and earth mother
Papahānaumoku. Mauna Kea is
the umbilical cord that
connects Hawaii to the heavens,
and connects humans to land.
But despite previous public
protests, the Supreme Court
of Hawaii ruled in 2018 that
construction of the TMTcould continue on Mauna Kea.
Part of the reasoning behind
the ruling was that adding
another telescope to the site
wouldn’t have much further
impact upon the mountain’s
natural and cultural resources,
due to the degradation already
caused by constructing the
existing telescopes.Kia‘i mauna disagree: we see
a fourteenth telescope on the
site as a further desecration
of our land and culture.
This culture isn’t a relic,
it is alive today. I am the science
director for the Polynesian
Voyaging Society, and I have
been trained in the ways of my
ancestors to use the heavens,
oceans and mountains to
navigate across the ocean by
canoe. Technology can fail at
sea, and using our minds and
the ancestral teachings to seek
an island’s mountain peaks is
a better guide than any GPS.This training has played an
important part in the education
of Hawaiian scientists like me.
Throughout my research into
the impacts of sea level rises
on Pacific islands, I have
needed to collaborate with
others and consider multiple
perspectives to find my way –
just as I have when voyaging
by canoe. Surviving at sea
requires resilience and
compromise, two essential
traits in scientific research.
But while I and many
scientists of my generation
feel our culture informs our
research, astronomy on Mauna
Kea stands apart as something
divorced from the ethos of
Hawaii. The best way forward
would be to acknowledge there
is an important place for
culture in the pursuit of
knowledge. Scientific efforts
must incorporate aloha ‘aina,
our love of the land, into their
construction projects.
All that is needed is for those
in charge of the observatories
to value our heritage as much
as they do the celestial objects
they observe with their
telescopes.
Some astronomers have
spoken out in support of the
kia‘i mauna. But if universities,
the state of Hawaii and the
kia‘i mauna can’t find a way
forward, those behind the TMT
should ensure they don’t go on
to repeat the mistakes made in
Hawaii elsewhere. ❚WESTEND61/GETTYThirteen telescopes
have already been
built on Mauna Kea“ The best way forward is
to acknowledge there is
a place for culture in the
pursuit of knowledge”Hawaii telescope row
It’s time to stop ignoring local protests
on Mauna Kea, says Haunani KaneMedical technology
Donna Lu
FIVE people who are legally classed
as blind are testing a bionic eye.
During a trial of the device, most of
the participants were able to read
individual letters. Although this is
far from restoring perfect vision,
it is a big improvement.
The bionic eye consists of glasses
with an embedded camera and a
microchip implanted behind the
retina. Images beamed from the
camera through the pupil are
converted by the chip into electrical
signals that are sent to the brain.
Participants in the trial have
macular degeneration, which
affects the macula, the central
5 millimetres of the retina that is
responsible for the middle part of
vision. In severe cases, this part of
the vision is blurred or completely
dark, making it impossible to read
or recognise faces. The bionic eye,
created by France-based firm
Pixium Vision, effectively replaces
this missing portion, although not
in high definition.
The retina has millions of
photoreceptors, each like a pixel
in our field of vision. Trying to
replicate them electronically
is a challenge, but implants are
improving, says Rachael Pearson
at University College London, who
wasn’t involved in the research.
The image created by the implant
is only 378 pixels in total.
Individuals with eye conditions
can lose a huge number of
photoreceptors before they notice
symptoms. “Being able to replace
and do the job of a relatively small
number may still give useful vision
back,” says Pearson.
All the trial participants have
dry macular degeneration, a form
of the condition that accounts for
90 per cent of all cases. It cannot
currently be treated or reversed.
Two clinical trials of the implant
are under way in Pittsburgh and
Miami in the US, and a larger study
in Europe is planned for next year. ❚
Bionic eye helps
people who are blind
read letters again
Haunani Kane
is an instructor of
oceanography at the
University of Hawaii