David Lindberg, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, and Steve Croft, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley2009 marks the double whammy for science historians and lovers: The celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo first pointing the new invention of the telescope at the sky and the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species.
How do you connect seemingly separate historical events? Team an astrophysicist and an evolutionary biologist of course. David Lindberg, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, and Steve Croft, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley will tie these great anniversaries in a unique lecture this weekend.
Starting 14 billion years ago with the Big Bang, Steve will trace the evolution of the universe, from scorching hot gas forming galaxies to the continued birth and death of new stars. David will step in and discuss how the history of our special little planet is inexorably tied to material raining down from space. The water in our oceans, the formation of some organic molecules, and even mass extinctions on this planet have largely been determined by extraterrestrial events. And let's not forget Area 51 (that's a joke!).
Astronomy and Evolution: From the Death of the Dinosaurs to the Stardust in your Bones
When: Saturday, August 15th 11AM - 12 PM