Cosmic knowledge and the long-term strategy of the human race
Modern astronomy has succeeded remarkably well in explaining the cosmic origins of the human race – how the Galaxy was assembled, how the Sun and Earth were formed, and where the precious chemical elements that comprise our planet came from. For the first time in history, the human race is poised to use that knowledge of the cosmic past to predict Earth's cosmic future, and it looks extraordinarily bright ahead. Evidently, we human beings have been given the most precious gift of all, cosmic time – roughly a billion years of it. The challenge is now clear: how will we humans use this extraordinary opportunity? Sandy Faber will argue in this lecture that the profound insights from cosmology will be central to answering this question.
Sandra Faber helped to discover dark matter in the Universe, and co-invented the standard paradigm for galaxy formation based on it. She received the National Medal of Science in February 2013 from President Obama and the Gruber Prize in Cosmology in October 2017.
The Hintze lectures highlight contemporary developments in astrophysics and cosmology and are generously funded by the Hintze Family Charitable Foundation.
Registration is required for this event.