Professor Martin Rees: Life in the Cosmos: from Big Bang to Biosphere
Professor Martin Rees - Life in the Cosmos: from Big Bang to Biosphere
Professor Martin Rees
Life in the Cosmos: from Big Bang to Biosphere
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Newton building, NTU City site
Lecture abstract:
Astronomers have made astonishing progress in probing our cosmic environment, thanks to advanced technology. We can trace cosmic history from some mysterious beginning nearly 14 billion years ago, and understand in outline the emergence of atoms, galaxies, stars and planets - and how, on at least one planet, life emerged and developed a complex biosphere of which we are part.
But these advances pose new questions: What does the long-range future hold? How widespread is life in our cosmos? Is physical reality even more extensive than the domain that our telescopes can probe?
Speaker biography:
Martin Rees has been Master of Trinity College, Cambridge since 2004. He holds the honorary title of Astronomer Royal.
After studying at Cambridge, he held post-doctoral positions in the UK and the USA, before becoming a professor at Sussex University, and subsequently Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge, where he also served for ten years as director of the Institute of Astronomy.
Professor Rees has lectured widely, been on many advisory groups, and received numerous international awards. In addition to research papers, he is the author of eight books.
Martin Rees served during 2005-2010 as President of the Royal Society and in 2005 he was appointed to the House of Lords.
