Several years ago, I attended a Buddhist retreat in which I was introduced to the idea of the "retinue," a constellation of influential and supportive people whom one imagines in an enveloping cloud as one meditates. I took the concept one step further and decided to create an actual photo montage that I could hang on the wall above my desk: my childhood piano teacher, my high school English teacher, my rabbi, mentors in science, writers who encouraged me--in all, 20 people who had profoundly influenced me. Some members of my retinue were still living, some not. In some cases I could find the photographs myself. In others, I had to contact the mentors. When I finally tracked down William Gerace, who introduced me to physics nearly 50 years ago, he was puzzled as to why I should desire such a montage. We had not spoken for decades. Reluctantly, he sent me an old, out-of-focus photo of himself, dating back to the days when I knew him. Now, Gerace is a professor of science education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, after a 30-year career as a professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, during which time he made the transition from theoretical nuclear physicist to leader in science education and co-founder of the Scientific Reasoning Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. When I knew him, in the late 1960s, he was a lowly instructor in physics at Princeton, where he had recently received his Ph.D. I was an undergraduate. The photo shows a man in his late 20s, about 5 feet 6, slight in build, dark hair beginning to thin, dressed in a button-down shirt and blue sweater, and a Mona Lisa smile. Each new mathematical technique Bill taught us was offered with the enthusiasm of a 12-year-old boy showing his friend a strange new butterfly. I first met Bill Gerace during a physics lab my sophomore year.

'We are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity': Stephen Hawking warns we are at risk of destroying Earth We are living through the most dangerous time in the history of the human race, according to Professor Stephen Hawking. The Cambridge University physics professor named overpopulation, climate change and diseases as just some of the threats facing our planet. He said we have developed technology that could destroy Earth, and we must'retrain' for a new world where robots have replaced many everyday jobs. We are living through the most dangerous time in the history of the human race, according to Professor Stephen Hawking. Writing in a comment article in The Guardian, Professor Hawking explained what worries him about the future of our planet.

Meet'Baby Boom': The supersonic passenger airliner that can fly Sydney to Los Angeles in just SIX HOURS Subscale XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator prototype was created by aerospace firm Boom New jet would cut the long haul journey from Sydney to Los Angeles to just six hours in total Jet is nicknamed'Baby Boom' and will be scaled up as a passenger plane for 45 passengers It will reach speeds of up to 2,335 km/h and travel from New York to London in 3.5 hours Jet is nicknamed'Baby Boom' and will be scaled up as a passenger plane for 45 passengers It will reach speeds of up to 2,335 km/h and travel from New York to London in 3.5 hours A sub-scale prototype of a futuristic supersonic passenger airliner could make travel even easier, making flights from Sydney to Los Angeles just six hours in the future. Claimed to be the'world's fastest civil aircraft ever made', the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator is due to take off on its first test flight in late 2017 and journey from Sydney to Los Angeles to just six hours in total Millions of devastated Tinder users are forced to spend a... Is Spotify damaging your hard drive? A bug that could harm... Google's self-driving cars can now perform tricky... The smartwatch that NEVER needs charging: Timepiece draws... Millions of devastated Tinder users are forced to spend a... Is Spotify damaging your hard drive? A bug that could harm... Google's self-driving cars can now perform tricky...

Did YOU buy a faulty iMac? Some said the display hinge'cracked' and was continually tilting forward The repairs are thought to have cost some users up to $100 (£79) The fault is thought to affect a limited number of 27-inch iMacs shipped between December 2012 and July 2014 Some said the display hinge'cracked' and was continually tilting forward Apple is now offering refunds for people affected by an apparent design fault on its iMac computers, according to reports. Is Apple's Watch set for a circular overhaul? Patent reveals... How fusion reactors could change the world: Experts explain... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... Hackers could someday wirelessly take over your BRAIN:... Is Apple's Watch set for a circular overhaul? Patent reveals... How fusion reactors could change the world: Experts explain... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... Hackers could someday wirelessly take over your BRAIN:... Some reported hearing a cracking or popping sound before the display's hinge stopped working properly Panic as phone is submerged in WATER during condom challenge Mob storm police station and lynch suspected paedophile Woman in high spirits'entertains' Southern Rail train passengers Moment judge gets slapped in the face at 2016 IFBB Diamond Cup Woman who ranted in store also yelled at staff in Coffee shop Reckless 20-year-old streams doomed joy-ride on Facebook Live Hilarious footage shows schoolgirl shouting words to hymn at nativity Angry Trump supporter goes on wild'racist' rant inside store 100 special police agents protect suspected paedophile from mob Watch the deadly battle between a squirrel and snake Water jets up 100 FEET in the air as main is broken by workmen Lucky buffalo escapes as lions fight each other after try to kill it Angry Trump supporter goes on wild'racist' rant inside store Get ready for the big freeze!

Is Apple's Watch set for a circular overhaul? Patent is titled'Electronic device having display with curved edges' It reveals a smartwatch with a circular display - instead of the square face It shows adding an array pixel rows and columns underneath the display This method would make the entire face of the watch an active area Patent is titled'Electronic device having display with curved edges' A new patent from the Cupertino company illustrates the wearable with a traditional circular display. Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... A glimpse inside North Korea from the International Space... Meet'Baby Boom': the supersonic passenger airliner that can... Private rovers to visit Apollo 17's abandoned moon buggy... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... A glimpse inside North Korea from the International Space... Meet'Baby Boom': the supersonic passenger airliner that can... Private rovers to visit Apollo 17's abandoned moon buggy...

The footage reveals a glimpse of North Korea's capital city, Pyongyang in May 2016 Numerous landmarks can be seen, including the Kim Il-Sung Stadium and Kumsusan Palace of the Sun Groups of people walking around the city, and cars driving on the streets can be seen in the footage The footage reveals a glimpse of North Korea's capital city, Pyongyang in May 2016 The video, taken by the Iris camera on May 30, provides a distant look at life behind the city walls, with sparse traffic and even pedestrians visible in the clips. How fusion reactors could change the world: Experts explain... Global warming scarred the surface of Mars: Deep canyons and... Why atheists appear so angry: Study finds their... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... How fusion reactors could change the world: Experts explain... Global warming scarred the surface of Mars: Deep canyons and... Why atheists appear so angry: Study finds their... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun can be seen in the footage as well. 'The world doesn't get many peeks behind North Korea's walls, nor at its capital city, Pyongyang,' Theras A. Gordon Wood wrote in a UrtheCast blog post. Footage captured from the International Space Station has revealed a rare glimpse at North Korea's capital city, Pyongyang.

Gale Crater on surface of Mars was once filled with liquid water for 10,000 to 10 million years, researchers say. A build-up of greenhouse gases in the planet's atmosphere may have spurred dramatic climate cycles, allowing for liquid water to emerge and later refreeze Why atheists appear so angry: Study finds their... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... Mystery as researchers find extreme tornado outbreaks are... A new way to retrieve'lost' memories: Scientists use... Why atheists appear so angry: Study finds their... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... Mystery as researchers find extreme tornado outbreaks are... A new way to retrieve'lost' memories: Scientists use... Diagonal striping on this map of a portion of Mars' Utopia Planitia region indicates the area where a large subsurface deposit rich in water ice was assessed using the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Moment judge gets slapped in the face at 2016 IFBB Diamond Cup Mob storm police station and lynch suspected paedophile Motorcyclist gets revenge when handing back driver's dropped wallet Watch the deadly battle between a squirrel and snake Panic as phone is submerged in WATER during condom challenge Woman who ranted in store also yelled at staff in Coffee shop Woman in high spirits'entertains' Southern Rail train passengers Police: Thief stole $1.6m in GOLD FLAKES from New York City truck Traveller carrying wooden bat in tense stand-off with bailiffs Angry Trump supporter goes on wild'racist' rant inside store 100 special police agents protect suspected paedophile from mob Tom Ford tells'The View' why he won't dress Melania Trump Motorcyclist gets revenge when handing back driver's dropped wallet Police: Thief stole $1.6m in GOLD FLAKES from New York City truck Angry Trump supporter goes on wild'racist' rant inside store Tom Ford tells'The View' why he won't dress Melania Trump Tom Ford refused to dress Melania Trump when asked in the... Woman who launched a'racist tirade' against two black... Detective claims California supermom may have been abducted... Doomed Colombia crash plane had been flying for 20 minutes... EXCLUSIVE: He's baaack!

Experts say we must maintain reactions for over a long period of time Also, devise a material structure to harness the fusion power for electricity We also need to research the tokamak and make fusion more attractive Once these issues are solved we'll have an unlimited source of energy Once these issues are solved we'll have an unlimited source of energy If we're able to solve an extremely complex set of scientific and engineering problems, fusion energy promises a green, safe, unlimited source of energy. Pictured is the plasma inside a fusion reactor. Mystery as researchers find extreme tornado outbreaks are... Is BRAIN HACKING the future of war? Experts predict drone... Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time,... The'time bomb' under our feet: Researchers warn global... Mystery as researchers find extreme tornado outbreaks are... Is BRAIN HACKING the future of war?

Haven't I read this before? Academics have used artificial intelligence program to map books content Researchers found each fell into six plot types based on the protagonist'Oedipus', 'Man in a Hole' and'Cinderella' were more popular with readers'Oedipus', 'Man in a Hole' and'Cinderella' were more popular with readers Revealed: Florence Henderson's own family was a far cry from... Simply magic! Harry Potter superfan, 29, spends eight hours... Revealed: Florence Henderson's own family was a far cry from... Simply magic! Harry Potter superfan, 29, spends eight hours... Rags to Riches: Pride and Prejudice; Great Expectations; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Riches to Rags: King Lear; The Mayor of Casterbridge; Gone With the Wind; The Picture of Dorian Gray Man in a Hole (fall then rise): Robinson Crusoe; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; The Ugly Duckling Rise Then Fall: Icarus; The Man Who Would be King; Wuthering Heights Cinderella (rise, fall then rise): Oliver Twist; King Solomon's Mines; Ben Hur; A Christmas Carol Oedipus (fall then rise then fall): The Tale of Robin Hood; Bridget Jones's Diary Moment judge gets slapped in the face at 2016 IFBB Diamond Cup Motorcyclist gets revenge when handing back driver's dropped wallet Mob storm police station and lynch suspected paedophile Watch the deadly battle between a squirrel and snake Panic as phone is submerged in WATER during condom challenge Woman who ranted in store also yelled at staff in Coffee shop Woman in high spirits'entertains' Southern Rail train passengers Police: Thief stole $1.6m in GOLD FLAKES from New York City truck Traveller carrying wooden bat in tense stand-off with bailiffs Angry Trump supporter goes on wild'racist' rant inside store 100 special police agents protect suspected paedophile from mob Tom Ford tells'The View' why he won't dress Melania Trump Motorcyclist gets revenge when handing back driver's dropped wallet Police: Thief stole $1.6m in GOLD FLAKES from New York City truck Angry Trump supporter goes on wild'racist' rant inside store Tom Ford tells'The View' why he won't dress Melania Trump Tom Ford refused to dress Melania Trump when asked in the... Doomed Colombia crash plane had been flying for 20 minutes... Woman who launched a'racist tirade' against two black... Detective claims California supermom may have been abducted... EXCLUSIVE: He's baaack! Serial sexter Anthony Weiner is... Get ready for the big freeze!

Google's humanoid robot goes off road (and this time, doesn't fall over): Watch Boston Dynamic's Atlas learn to trot across the trickiest of terrain Google's Boston Dynamics Atlas has been upgraded with an algorithm that makes the humanoid better balance itself while traversing small stepping stones and rocks. A new way to retrieve'lost' memories: Scientists use... A new way to retrieve'lost' memories: Scientists use... The short clip shows the humanoid standing on a stack of cinder blocks that are placed near a pit filled with rocks and other blocks. The team also explains that the incorporation of angular momentum, as Atlas heaves up its torso when moving its leg at an angle, allows the robot to exhibit'human like balancing motions' In 2015, Atlas competed in what is called the'Robot-Olympics', where the world's most advanced robots compete in a series of challenging events.