The Copernicus Complex: Are We Special in the Cosmos?

Is humanity on Earth special or unexceptional? For the first time in human history, we stand poised to answer this question from a scientific perspective. Extraordinary discoveries in astronomy and biology have revealed a universe filled with endlessly diverse planetary systems, and a picture of life as a phenomenon intimately linked with the most fundamental aspects of physics. But just where these discoveries will lead us is not yet clear. We may need to find a way to see past the mediocre status that Copernicus assigned to us 500 years ago. To do that we need to come to grips with some of the latest scientific research, from the microscopic to the cosmic, which Dr. Scharf will set out in this talk.

Speaker: Dr. Caleb Scharf, Columbia University