The Modern Origins Story: From the Big Bang to Habitable Planets

The scientific understanding of our origins began in earnest with Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, and others, and has since evolved into a rich, detailed, and well-tested model.   In addition to their intrinsic scientific importance, these ideas also have far reaching implications for other aspects of people's lives (e.g., philosophical, religious, and political).  In this talk Quataert will provide an overview of the modern understanding of origins in astrophysics, from the big bang to the discovery of planets around other stars.     The story begins in the infant universe, which we now know was remarkably smooth compared to what we see around us today, with only tiny differences in its properties from one part to another.  By contrast, in the present universe there are enormous differences in the properties of matter from one part to another:   some regions host planets, stars, and galaxies (and even humans!) while others do not.    Quataert will describe how the universe evolved from its smooth beginnings to its current state, emphasizing how gravity reigns supreme and builds up the planets, stars, and galaxies required for biological evolution to proceed.

Speaker: Eliot Quataert, UC Berkeley