Expand your skills. Chat with the experts. Join our community of kindred spirits on this exotic journey.

Our Speakers on Bright Horizons 7 are:
Kathleen Howell, Ph.D., Paul Rozin, Ph.D.,
David Sadava, Ph.D., and Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

Program

A Brief History of Our Universe
Speaker: Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

With a cosmic flight simulator, we’ll take a scenic journey through space and time. After exploring our local Galactic neighborhood, we’ll travel back 13.7 billion years to explore the Big Bang itself and how state-of-the-art measurements are transforming our understanding of our cosmic origin and ultimate fate.

The Mysterious Dark Side of Cosmology: Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Speaker: Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

A recent avalanche of accurate measurements has revolutionized our understanding of cosmology, but also stumped us with new puzzles. What are the dark matter and dark energy that together make up 96% of the stuff in our universe? Learn about some of the most promising dark matter and dark energy candidates, and some of the experiments that may solve these mysteries in the next few years.

How Did It All Begin — Or Did It? How Will It All End?
Speaker: Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

Although we humans have undoubtedly asked these questions for as long as we’ve walked the Earth, we’ve made spectacular progress on them in recent years, forcing us to discard much of what cosmology textbooks told us up until quite recently. Get the latest on competing ideas, their implications and how they can be experimentally tested.

Questions, I’ve Got Questions: Black Holes Edition
Speaker: Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

Take a look at some of the most spectacular recent evidence that black holes really exist. Dr. Tegmark will cover what we know about them and what remains mysterious. Are black holes in fact crucial to enable galaxies to form? Can black holes form new universes in their interiors? Plus, using a fully general-relativistic flight simulator, you’ll take a scenic orbit of the monster black hole at the center of our Galaxy and discuss how one could actually make this dizzying journey with only modest energy expenditure.

Parallel Universes
Speaker: Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

Is physical reality larger than the part that we can observe? Dr. Tegmark argues that not only are parallel universes likely to exist, but that there may be as many as four different levels of them, related to infinite space, cosmological inflation, quantum mechanics, and mathematical structures.

Cosmology and the Meaning of Life
Speaker: Max Tegmark, Ph.D.

When gazing up on a clear night, it’s easy to feel small and insignificant. Join Dr. Tegmark for a a status report on the search for extrasolar planets and extraterrestrial life. Might cosmic life be much rarer than one might guess, making our planet the most significant place in our entire observable universe? We’ll discuss and speculate about possible long-term futures for life on earth and in the cosmos.

Astrodynamics: Natural Orbits from Epicycles to Chaos
Speaker: Kathleen Howell, Ph.D.

From the dawn of time, the paths of the planets, moons, and other natural bodies have fascinated humans. How did we come to understand their motion and celestial mechanics? From the epicycles of the Greeks in the Ptolemaic solar system, to Newtons law of gravity, to the launch of Sputnik, we have learned much about the natural orbits of the heavenly bodies. Now we use that knowledge of astrodynamics to send man-made vehicles to space. Join Dr. Howell and take a look at the key areas of orbital mechanics. You’ll have a sharper perspective on space exploration, and will be well equipped to follow important open questions in astrodynamics.

Mission Design: Exploring the Solar System
Speaker: Kathleen Howell, Ph.D.

Scientific mysteries and huge surprises await all of us space explorers, whether we’re viewing Earth from the perspective of space or seeking out our neighbors, that is, the planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets that populate the solar system. But how do we get there? How do we get a spacecraft where we want it to go? What about power? How do we address the demands of the space environment? Dr. Howell will lay out the principles and process of designing a space mission. Get the scoop on the successful engineering techniques and some of the challenges in getting humans and robots to space destinations.

Solar Sailing
Speaker: Kathleen Howell, Ph.D.

Nearly 400 years ago, Johannes Kepler observed that the tails of comets are sometimes blown about what he considered to be a solar “breeze.” Kepler suggested that perhaps ships could move through space using large sails to capture the breeze from the Sun. The concept of practical solar sailing was introduced in the 1920s and serious studies of the idea by engineers began in the 1950s. Solar sails are very thin sheets of reflective material that reflect sunlight — they transfer the momentum of light energy to their spacecraft. This sunlight pressure yields a force that pushes a spacecraft through space, without using any fuel. Solar sails are real! Test sails are being constructed; solar sail capabilities are being analyzed; solar sail mission have been planned. Learn the facts with Dr. Howell.
 
 

Program (continued)

What is the Interplanetary Superhighway?
Speaker: Kathleen Howell, Ph.D.

The gravity fields of the Sun, planets, and other bodies in the solar system, all interacting together, paint a more complex picture of the pathways through the solar system than previously envisioned. In fact, interplanetary superhighway is a vast network of “tubes” that indicate low-energy trajectories throughout the solar system. These pathways are located where gravity between bodies balances centrifugal force. If you’d like to swing on a star, planet, and/or other celestial body, tune in as Dr. Howell covers the practical applications of libration points, and the use of knowledge of the interplanetary superhighway in the two decades since it has been been available for use in spacecraft missions.

The Personal Genome: What is the human genome and what does it mean for human individuality?
Speaker: David Sadava, Ph.D.

If the 20th century was the “century of physics”, the 21st will be the “century of biology”, particularly genetics, the study of heredity. This century opened with the deciphering of the human genome. We can now describe how we are different from one another in more precise terms than ever. Join Dr. Sadava and you’ll learn what a genome is, why biologists decided to focus on human and other genomes they’ve studied, and what we know so far. Discover insights into where we may have come from, both as human groups and in relation to the other creatures with whom we share the Earth.

Genetic Medicine: Can knowledge of the genome transform medicine?
Speaker: David Sadava, Ph.D.

Your health is determined by both heredity and environment. Beginning in the 1800s, humankind has made great progress in modifying the environment to improve public health. This progress has led to the near-elimination of many infectious diseases in some parts of the world and treatments for other diseases. Dr. Sadava will show you that as we learn more about our heredity through studies of the genome, we can describe what goes wrong in the many diseases that have a genetic component, such as cancer and heart disease. Get a researcher’s input on how these descriptions may lead to cures and how information about an individual’s genome may lead to personalized treatments.
 

Cloning and Stem Cells: What are the potential uses of plant, animal and human cloning and what is the reality of stem cell uses?
Speaker: David Sadava, Ph.D.

The biology behind cloning has been known for over a century. The first plant was cloned in the mid-1950s and the first animal several decades later. In this lecture, you will learn how and why these feats were accomplished. Human cloning is now a possibility. The promise of using stem cells to treat diseases and even improve athletic performance in healthy people is a related topic. Delve into the realm of cloning and stem cells with Dr. Sadava. You’ll learn of the ethical issues surrounding the use of human embryos to get the cells used, and the ways biologists may circumvent these concerns.

Genetics and Food: Can knowledge of genomes transform agriculture?
Speaker: David Sadava, Ph.D.

In some ways, we are what we eat. Many people are concerned with what they eat (the scientific field of nutrition). Fewer people worry about the human food supply (the applied biology field of agriculture). Genetics and DNA have a lot to say about both of these topics. With Dr. Sadava as your guide, get the latest on the “green revolution” in crop production, the interaction of the human genome with foods, and the potential and risks of genetically altered crops.

Obesity and Unhealthy Food Choices in Cultural Perspective: The French-American Contrast
Speaker: Paul Rozin, Ph.D.

Americans worry so much about their weight and try to eat low fat food, and French eat a higher fat diet than Americans and worry less. Doesn’t that make you wonder why obesity is much lower in France than in the USA?

Settle into a sedentary session with Dr. Rozin, and assess the determinants of food choice and food intake. You’ll take a look at how the modern developed-world food environment is opposite to the environment to which we are adapted, and how this leads to obesity. We’ll compare the ways the French and Americans have adapted to the major changes in the food world, and get the scoop on how the French have managed to be less afflicted by obesity and more engaged in the enjoyment of eating.
 

The Emotion of Disgust: From Toilet to Terrorism
Speaker: Paul Rozin, Ph.D.

How did a basic food rejection mechanism designed to protect the body from toxins and disease evolve, in cultural history, to become a reaction to all sorts of offenses, including things like incest, murder, and cheating.

Get a clear look at the behind-the-scenes of disgust, and the factors such as the sympathetic magical laws of contagion and similarity that shape disgust. Join Dr. Rozin for an exploration of the meanings of disgust, and the sense in which disgust at eating worms may be the same fundamental process as our reaction to hearing about incest or even cheating on examinations.

Lay Thinking About Risks: Hunter-Gatherer Thinking in The 21st Century
Speaker: Paul Rozin, Ph.D.

Humankind’s adaptations to our ancestral environment have equipped us with a variety of feelings and mental shortcuts which often aid us in negotiating the modern world. However, they are sometimes maladaptive in the rapidly evolving world that we have created. Explore the methods humans use to determine what to eat and what to avoid, and how humans deal with the many potential risks (e.g. nuclear power, genetic engineering) that the modern world presents.

Psychological, Cultural, and Biological Perspectives on Some Foods: Water, Spices, Meat and Chocolate
Speaker: Paul Rozin, Ph.D.

Why do billions of people in the world add hot chili pepper, which irritates the inner surface of their mouth, on most of their savory foods? Would you drink pure water recycled directly from sewage water? How do you feel about T-bone steaks? Why is chocolate irresistible? Dr. Rozin will shed light on the answers to these questions. The biological and cultural history of these substances, and the reactions of contemporary people from Western-developed cultures to each of these foods are on the table in this session.