Hashem Al-Ghaili

Hashem Al-Ghaili
Born (1990-08-11) August 11, 1990 (age 34)
NationalityYemeni
Alma materJacobs University Bremen, Germany, University of Peshawar, Pakistan
Occupations
  • Science communicator
  • Director
  • Producer
Websitehttps://hashem-alghaili.com/

Hashem Al-Ghaili (born August 11, 1990) is a Yemeni molecular biologist, science communicator, and director. He is best known for his eponymous Facebook page, which he created in 2008. There, he publishes infographics and short-form videos about scientific news and research.[1] As of October 2022, the page had secured more than 32 million followers.[2]

This sizable following has attracted interest from sociologists, which ultimately led to Al-Ghaili's page being included in a 2018 Pew Research Center investigation into the impact of science content on social media.[3]

Al-Ghaili made his directorial debut in 2019 with the award-winning short Simulation, which received recognition at several awards ceremonies and international film festivals.[4][5] He self-published his first book, Simulation: The Great Escape, in 2023.[6]

Life and career

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Al-Ghaili was born in Yemen in 1990. He was raised with 11 siblings in the northern part of the country, where his family owned a qat farm. After graduating from high school at 16, Al-Ghaili's father wanted him to work on the family farm. However, Al-Ghaili secretly applied for a government scholarship to study abroad.[1][7] He earned his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan in 2008 and received his Master's Degree in Molecular Biology from Constructor University (formerly Jacobs University) in Germany in 2015.[8]

In 2009, Al-Ghaili created his eponymous Facebook page and started posting images and videos about scientific news and research. In November of 2018, he had more than 16 million followers.[1] By 2022, his following had increased to more than 32 million.[2]

Al-Ghaili's work in science communication has gained the attention of science news sources, academics, and political commentators.[9][10][11] His page was a part of a 2018 investigation into the impact of science content on social media by the Pew Research Center. The investigation found that, across all pages analyzed, the highest amount of engagement was consistently seen on visual posts that had little additional information.[3]

Al-Ghaili's concept designs have likewise gained the attention of news outlets and internet personalities.[12][13][14] On several occasions, these hyper-realistic digital renderings were taken out of context by online users, who mistakenly believed that they were real.[15] For example, in 2022, there was an outcry after Al-Ghaili posted a concept video for an artificial womb facility. Candace Owens, a conservative political commentator and television presenter, responded to the video, saying "A German scientist has unveiled an artificial birthing pod that could replace a mother's womb. It always starts with a good sell, but the slippery slope will end up with the government dictating who can and can't have children. The 'dystopian future' we often talk about could actually be a lot closer than we think."[16]

In response to the outcry, a number of media publications enlisted fact-checkers to investigate the claims made by Owens and others. Al-Ghaili also responded in multiple interviews; "I understand that the video was taken out of context and some people shared it online as if it were real.The main goal of creating the video was to ignite the discussion about an emerging technology and to highlight scientific progress in the field of ectogenesis," he said.[17][18]

In 2019, Al-Ghaili pivoted to more serious film work, writing, producing, and directing his first short film, Simulation. The film has a run time of 23 minutes and received awards and nominations from the Latitude Film Awards, Independent Shorts Awards, and the London Independent Film Awards among others.[19][20][4] In 2022, he started work on his first full-length feature film, Orbital.[2] He self-published his first book, Simulation: The Great Escape, in 2023.[6]

Awards

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Al-Ghaili has received a grant[21] and multiple awards for his dedication to research and his deep understanding of science communication.

Filmography

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Al-Ghaili has directed, produced, and written two science-fiction films. His short film Simulation (2019) has won the Award of Excellence[26] and Best Visual Effects[27] from Los Angeles-based international awards competition Global Shorts.

  • Simulation (2019, short film)
  • Orbital (upcoming)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Shehab, Ibrahim (2018-02-21). "The man with 16 million fans". BBC. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  2. ^ a b c Ratner, Paul (2022-10-08). "'Let's build the ring': How a 360-degree image posted on Facebook inspired an ambitious sci-fi film". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  3. ^ a b Olmstead, Kenneth; Hitlin, Paul (2018-03-21). "The Science People See on Social Media". Pew Research Center Science & Society. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  4. ^ a b Simulation (Short 2019) - Awards - IMDb, retrieved 2024-03-11
  5. ^ "An interview with Hashem Al-Ghaili". Vegas Movie Awards. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  6. ^ a b Al-Ghaili, Hashem (2023-08-16). Simulation: The Great Escape. Self-published. ISBN 979-8-9887403-0-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ Pukas, Anna (2018-07-09). "From a farm in northern Yemen to Internet science sensation — the journey of Hashem Al-Ghaili". Arab News. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  8. ^ Logemann, Kristina (2016-12-14). "I like it! The unusual career of Hashem Al-Ghaili". Constructor University - Inspiration is a Place. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  9. ^ Hamida. "Hashem Al-ghaili : Facebook Success Story". Al-Rasub. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  10. ^ Khulbe, Yashita; Gupta, Shiva; Javed, Binish; Neyazi, Ahmad; Padhi, Bijaya K. (2023-03-24). "Artificial womb: opportunities and challenges for public health". International Journal of Surgery (London, England). 109 (3): 618–619. doi:10.1097/JS9.0000000000000208. ISSN 1743-9191. PMC 10389474. PMID 36912561.
  11. ^ Ronson, Jacqueline (January 31, 2017). "21 World-Renowned Scientists Facing the American Travel Ban". Inverse. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  12. ^ Madden, Duncan. "Would You Take A Sky Cruise In A Nuclear Powered Flying Hotel?". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  13. ^ Awaja, Yasmeen E. (2022-08-02). "Nuclear sky hotel not impossible, video creator says". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  14. ^ Thackray, Lucy (2022-06-28). "Inside the nuclear-powered 'flying hotel' that can stay airborne for months". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  15. ^ Evon, Dan (2022-07-15). "Is This 'Sky Hotel' Real?". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  16. ^ "Insanely Creepy Video Describes Invention of Artificial Womb - YouTube". Candance Owens Podcast. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2024-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ Petersen, Kate S. "Fact check: Artificial womb facility animation is a 'concept,' technology doesn't yet exist". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  18. ^ Tulp, Sophia (2022-12-23). "Video of 'artificial womb' concept doesn't show real facility". AP News. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  19. ^ "2019 Award Winners". Latitude Film Awards. All rights reserved. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  20. ^ "Award Winners: September 2019". Independent Shorts Awards. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  21. ^ "Futurism.co 2.0". Knight Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Awards". Futurism. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  23. ^ "Upesh Appoints Hashim Abul rahman as its Ambassador to Yemen | FG Study". Archived from the original on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  24. ^ Bureau Report (11 September 2012). "UoP sets up desk for foreign students". dawn.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  25. ^ Moxet Khan. "UoP to increase enrollment of foreign students: VC Qibla". Pukhtoogle. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  26. ^ "Award of Excellence – "Simulation" (Germany) – Global-Shorts.net". 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  27. ^ "Best Visual Effects – Moviebrats Studios – "Simulation" (Germany) – Global-Shorts.net". 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
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