241st SSCF Wraps Up: Unraveling Black Hole Mysteries with a Top Theoretical Physicist

The 241^st session of the Shanghai Science Communication Forum (SSCF) themed “Come with Me Inside a Black Hole” took place at the Lecture Hall of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (SSTM) on the afternoon of June 7. The forum specially invited Professor Carlo Rovelli—an Italian theoretical physicist, founding pioneer of loop quantum gravity theory, and celebrated science popularization author—to deliver a special science talk. Before the lecture kicked off, Ni Minjing, Director of SSTM, awarded Professor Rovelli the SSCF Honorary Trophy.

Professor Rovelli’s science popularization classic Seven Brief Lessons on Physics has exceeded one million copies in global circulation, with translations available in more than 40 languages and a massive loyal readership across the world. Gifted with accessible and lyrical writing, he communicates major physical theories and latest scientific frontiers to general audiences vividly.

He shared with attendees that black holes exist everywhere across the universe in immense numbers—one of the most breathtaking revelations yielded by modern science. In plain yet poetic terms, he elaborated on the bizarre and spectacular traits of such celestial bodies, unveiled the wondrous physical activities taking place inside them and their surrounding space, and walked the audience through core unresolved puzzles about black holes as well as the analytical approaches scientists employ to tackle these mysteries. Through black holes, Professor Rovelli took the audience on a journey through the most mesmerizing branches of modern physics, including general relativity and quantum mechanics, helping everyone gain a more profound perception of the cosmos. The forum drew more than 240 attendees. The audience asked questions with great enthusiasm, held in-depth face-to-face exchanges with the professor, and got a rare close-up taste of the charisma of this distinguished scientist.

A highly influential public science communication platform across China, the SSCF has staged a total of 295 events to date. It has welcomed 489 distinguished scientists from China and overseas to give public lectures. Cumulative online and offline participation has exceeded 39.2 million, bringing far-reaching influence to the whole of society.