NEXT TALK: Next talk 31st of October, 7pm - Sesonal mood disorders
Cittie Of Yorke, 22 High Holborn, WC1V 6BN
Chemical Cosmos - we are all chemicals... but how do we get chemistry?
2012/10/30
If you have ever wondered how we get from the awesome impersonality of the Big Bang universe to the point where living creatures can start to form and evolve into beings like you, your friends and your family, wonder no more. Steve Miller will provide you with a quick tour through the chemical evolution of the universe, from the formation of the first molecules all the way to the chemicals required for life to evolve. Using a simple Hydrogen molecule – known as H-three-plus (H3+) - as a guide, we will go on a journey that starts with the birth of the first stars, and how, in dying, they pour their hearts out into enriching the universe in which we live.
Steve Miller is Professor of Science Communication and Planetary Science at University College London. He advises the UK and European Space Agencies on their science and exploration programmes. Steve’s research interests include exploring the way in which astronomy is communicated in culturally diverse communities, such as the island of Hawai’i, and understanding the atmospheres of giant planets like our own Jupiter and Saturn, and some of the extrasolar planets that have been found orbiting stars “close” to our Sun. At UCL and in the wider European community Steve teaches scientists young and old how to engage and communicate with their fellow citizens. He is the author of The Chemical Cosmos: a guided tour, published by Springer.
