Dear Readers, Did you recognize the three people on the front cover? They are Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and John Conway. In this issue, you will learn not only about their scientific discoveries, but their personal stories. After all, we are all humans: Professional achievements can be linked to personalities, and all aspects of life. Along this line, you will find the first of a new series of articles when we discover personal and professional choices of HKUST students and graduates. First, we will hear from three generations of mathematicians, on their lives before, during and after studying at the HKUST. Last but not least, you will learn about how music and mathematics intertwine and the unexpected colors of animal blood. At the start of a new academic year, let me wish you all the best inside and outside the classroom! Yours faithfully, Prof. Ho Yi Mak Editor-in-Chief 親愛的讀者： 你認得出封面的三位人物嗎？他們是Thomas Edison、Nikola Tesla和John Conway。今期我們不僅會探討他們對科學的貢獻，還 會了解他們背後的故事。最終我們也是人：事業上的成就與個人性格， 還有生命中的種種都息息相關。沿著這道脈絡，我們會向大家呈獻與 科大學生和校友對談的首部曲，了解他們在個人和事業上的選擇。這 次我們會先訪問「三代」讀數學的人，聽聽他們入讀科大前、中、後的 心路歷程。最後，我們會探討音樂與數學密不可分的關係，以及出乎意 料的血液顏色。 新學年伊始，在此祝各位校園內外的生活愉快！ 主編 麥晧怡教授 敬上 Message from the Editor-in-Chief 主編的話 Copyright © 2024 HKUST E-mail: sciencefocus@ust.hk Homepage: https://sciencefocus.hkust.edu.hk Scientific Advisors 科學顧問 Prof. Ivan Ip 葉智皓教授 Prof. Pak Wo Leung 梁伯和教授 Prof. Kenward Vong 黃敬皓教授 Editor-in-Chief 主編輯 Prof. Ho Yi Mak麥晧怡教授 Managing Editor 總編輯 Daniel Lau 劉劭行 Student Editorial Board學生編委 Editors 編輯 Roshni Printer Aastha Shreeharsh Helen Wong 王思齊 Jane Yang 楊靜悠 Social Media Editors 社交媒體編輯 Zoey Tsang 曾鈺榆 Navis Wong 黃諾軒 Graphic Designers 設計師 Coby Ngai 魏敏儀 Winkie Wong 王穎琪 Constance Zhang 張粲璨 Contents Science Focus Issue 028, 2024 What’s Happening in Hong Kong? 香港科技活動 Extinction · Resilience 1 滅絕・新生 China's Lunar and Mars Exploration 中國登月探火 Science in History 昔日科學 Not-So-Epic Battles of History: 2 Nikola Tesla vs. Thomas Edison 不存在的宿敵對決：特斯拉大戰愛迪生 Amusing World of Science 趣味科學 Nature’s Palette: The Astonishing Spectrum of Animal 6 Blood Colors 大自然的調色盤：絢爛多彩的動物血液 How Did Music Theorists Decide the Pitch of 10 Each Note? 樂理家如何決定每個音符的音高？ John Horton Conway: The Mathematician Who 15 Made Math Fun John Horton Conway：讓數學變得有趣的數學家 Who’s Who 科言人語 Q&A with Three Generations of HKUST Math Majors 20 讀數學系的人：與三代科大學子對談
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