This conference will examine the history of our physical origins, starting with the Big Bang and the creation of our Universe, followed by the formation of the earliest stars and galaxies. Next will come a consideration of how our Solar System evolved and then how Earth and the Moon were created. The conference will conclude by looking at how the continents and oceans on Earth were formed. A follow-on online lecture by Zoom a few days after the conference will look at the origin of life on Earth.
Registration to attend this conference is free but booking is required to attend the conference as below:
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE INCLUDING THE CONFERENCE DINNER
ONLINE LIVESTREAMING ON YOUTUBE
The programme for the day is below:
MORNING CHAIR:
10.30 am WELCOME
10.40 am Professor Erminia Calabrese (Cardiff University) - The Origins of Our Universe
11.30 am Professor Richard McMahon (University of Cambridge) - The Earliest Stars and Galaxies
12.20 pm Professor John Bridges (University of Leicester) - Formation of the Planets: What We Have Learnt from Sample Return Missions and Meteorites
1.15 pm LUNCH BREAK
AFTERNOON CHAIR:
2.15 pm Professor Sara Russell (Natural History Museum, London) - The Origin of Our Earth and the Moon
3.05 pm Professor Thomas Gernon (University of Southampton) - Origins of the Earth's Continents and Oceans
4 pm TEA/COFFEE BREAK
4.30 pm SUMMARY OF THE DAY'S PROCEEDINGS - Professor Chris Lintott (University of Oxford)
There will be a conference dinner at St Cross College in the evening following the end of the conference with an after-dinner talk by Pat Daly (Gemmological Association of Great Britain) on the history of platinum from its origin in stars to its discovery and uses on Earth. Booking to attend the conference dinner can be made here.
FOLLOW-ON HAPP LECTURE ONLINE BY ZOOM:
"Origin of Life on Earth" by Dr Mario Livio
5pm GMT on Friday 28th February 2025
The question “How did life on Earth begin?” is arguably one of the most intriguing questions in science. Whilst until fairly recently this question tended to be relegated to the 'too difficult' box, the attempts to answer it have now become extraordinarily vibrant and dynamic frontiers of science. Based on his recent book (co-authored with Nobel Laureate Professor Jack Szostak) “Is Earth Exceptional?”, astrophysicist Dr Mario Livio (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) will describe cutting-edge laboratory studies aimed at determining whether life can emerge from pure chemistry. In this lecture he will examine how using knowledge acquired through ingenious chemical experimentation, geological studies, advanced astronomical observations and imaginative theorising, researchers have managed to delineate a plausible pathway leading from the formation of the Earth to the appearance of the early biological cells.
Registration to attend this online lecture is free but booking is required to attend. Please book here.
