DOCSLIB.ORG

Front Matter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Front Matter Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information T ·H ·E L·I ·V ·I ·N ·G COSMOS Chris Impey is University Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona and deputy head of one of the largest astronomy departments in the country. Balancing a love of teaching with his work on quasars and distant galaxies, he has written more than 160 research papers and has had two dozen projects approved with the Hubble Space Telescope. Impey has won ten University of Arizona teaching awards and was selected as Arizona’s Profes- sor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation. He has been vice president of the American Astronomical Society, and in 2002 he was chosen as National Sci- ence Foundation Distinguished Teaching Scholar. In 2007 he was a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. The Living Cosmos was Chris Impey’s first book of pop- ular science. He has also written a popular book called How It Ends and edited a book of astrobiology interviews called Talking About Life, published by Cam- bridge University Press. He lives in Tucson, Arizona. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information The Living Cosmos by Chris Impey “Lively, clear and up-to-date overview of astronomy, cosmology, biology and evolution, specifically as related to the search for extraterrestrial life . [Impey] does an impressive job explaining an av- alanche of information, including such recent major discoveries as the first planets found orbiting distant stars. A skillful account of the universe, the nature of life and where in the universe life might occur.” Kirkus Reviews “There has been a recent flood of books about astrobiology – the study of life in the universe – but this latest effort by astronomer Chris Impey is one of the best. It provides a solid overview of the di- verse research involved . beautifully written.” New Scientist “Impey has written a wonderfully readable book about the chances of life existing elsewhere in the universe . But The Living Cosmos is not about just that. It is an overview of everything you need to know about the fundamentals, including how we got here and where we’re probably going. More important, the science – a word that often causes eyes to glaze over – is laid out with uncom- mon clarity and panache.” Sara Lippincott, Los Angeles Times “Chris Impey, one of the world’s most distinguished astronomers, takes an exhaustive and illumi- nating look at astrobiology . Consistently engrossing and provocative, and frequently absolutely mind-blowing in its implications, The Living Cosmos is filled with scientific details but it remains ac- cessible to readers without a background in astronomy and science. This book is most highly rec- ommended . .” Book Loons Reviews “Impey has clearly done his research thoroughly, and interviewed a great number of the key scien- tists whilst writing the book . The Living Cosmos is not only comprehensive in its treatment of the great breadth of astrobiology research, but is also beautifully written. Each chapter opens with an engaging account, full of imagery, of the up-coming topic. On the whole, this is a sterling attempt at making astrobiology accessible to a general audience and I enjoyed reading it immensely.” Dr Lewis Dartnell, UCL, The Astrobiology Society of Great Britain “Chris Impey provides a broad, accessible context for his thoughtful, engaging and up-to-date take on the quest for extra terrestrial life . .” Professor Bruce Jakosky, University of Colorado, Nature “Chris Impey surveys the state of the art in this exciting multidisciplinary field. Impey frames his book around three questions: How many habitable worlds are there? Is biology unique to the Earth? And are there other intelligent civilizations? Complete with a companion website featuring podcasts, video clips, interviews, news stories and original artwork, The Living Cosmos provides an eloquent summary of humankind’s quest for life elsewhere.” Scientific American Book Club “This is a book about a science that is changing our view of the universe and about what life really means and where it might exist. Impey provides us with a road map to the future of astrobiology, a map that is meant to lead us into a deeper understanding of life and man’s station in the universe.” National Space Society © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information T·H·E L·I·V·I·N·G COSMOS Our Search for Life in the Universe CHRIS IMPEY © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521173841 © C. Impey 2007, 2011 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. Hardback edition published by Random House 2007 Updated paperback edition published by Cambridge University Press 2011 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library Book design by Simon M. Sullivan ISBN 978-0-521-17384-1 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet web sites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information To my muses, on Earth and elsewhere © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION xiii PREFACE xv 1. THE UNFINISHED REVOLUTION 3 THE AUDACITY OF THE GREEKS 4 Thinking Deeply about Nature—From Atoms to Worlds—The Man Who Displaced the Earth—Witnessing the Birth of Science HOW WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW 9 We Are All Scientists—From Patterns to Understanding—The Toolkit of Science— Better Living Through Logic—Does Science Have Limits? THE COPERNICAN REVOLUTION 15 The Reluctant Revolutionary—The Mystic of Many Worlds—Cementing the Heliocentric Model—Worlds in Collision—Master of the Universe MODERN COSMOLOGY 24 Herschel Scans the Skies—Better Telescopes, Better Technology—Hubble and the Nature of the Nebulae—Welcome to the Expanding Universe—Einstein Gives Shape to Gravity— Big Bang—Enigmas of the Universe ENHANCING OUR SENSES 35 Extending the Reach of the Eye—Detecting Invisible Waves—Exotic Messengers OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE 41 Space: A Toy Model—Time: A Toy Model THE EMERGENCE OF ASTROBIOLOGY 44 Chemistry Is Cosmic—The Nature and Evolution of Life—Astronomy and the Vastness of Space—Astrobiology Grows Up © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information viii contents 2. LIFE’S ORIGINS 51 COSMIC CHEMISTRY 53 Helium and the Big Bang—The Stuff of the Universe—Cauldron of the Elements— Cycles of Life and Death DEEP TIME 58 Everyday Time—Time Using Gravity—Atoms and Time—The Clocks in the Rocks FIRST TRACES OF LIFE 65 The Art of Reading Rocks—Finding the Oldest Rocks—A Time Capsule of Life—Body Fossils—Trace Fossils—Molecular Fossils—Life’s Early Frontier LIFE IN A BOTTLE 73 The Miller- Urey Experiment—Ingredients from Space THE NATURE OF LIFE 75 Life Uses Energy—Life Battles Disorder—Life Stores Information—The Mechanism of Evolution HOW DID LIFE START? 81 An Intelligent Designer?—From Atoms to Molecules—RNA Is Special—The First Replicator—The First Cell—The Birth of Evolution ONE EARTH 90 Gaia—An Intricate Dance 3. EXTREME LIFE 93 THE TREE OF LIFE 95 Appearances Can Be Deceiving—Phylogenetic Trees—Intimate Strangers—The Unity of Life—A Genetic Bazaar OUR DISTANT ANCESTORS 104 Protists Are Neat—The Father of Extreme Life CHAMPION EXTREMOPHILES 106 Almost Invulnerable—Cute but Tough—Redefining Normal—Some Like It Hot—Living at the Edge—Lost Worlds—Meet the Titans of Toxicity—Strategies for Survival © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-17384-1 - The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe Chris Impey Frontmatter More information contents ix EXTREME INDUSTRIES 116 Miniature Industrialists—The Midas Touch—Photocopying DNA—Tiny Superheroes to the Rescue—A Conspiracy of Germs COSMIC HITCHHIKERS 121 Riding the Interplanetary Shuttle—A Thimbleful of Stardust—Living Among the Stars HOW STRANGE CAN
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Table of Contents
    AAS Newsletter November/December 2012, Issue 167 - Published for the Members of the American Astronomical Society Table of Contents 2 President’s Column 23 Committee on Employment 3 From the Executive Office 24 Committee on the Status of Women in 4 On the Waterfront: AAS Returns to Long Astronomy Beach 25 Bringing Sustainability into Your Institution 5 2012 Kavli Lecturers 27 Calendar of Events 7 HAD News 28 Announcements 8 JWST Update 29 United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative 12 Candidate Statements (UNBSSI) 1991-2012 21 News from NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) Back page Washington News 22 News from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) A A S American Astronomical Society President's Column AAS Officers David J. Helfand, President David J. Helfand, [email protected] Debra M. Elmegreen, Past President Nicholas B. Suntzeff, Vice-President Edward B. Churchwell, Vice-President Paula Szkody, Vice-President From close-up pictures of water-sculpted pebbles on Hervey (Peter) Stockman, Treasurer G. Fritz Benedict, Secretary Mars, to the detection of galaxies at the boundary of Anne P. Cowley, Publications Board Chair the Dark Ages, discoveries in our field continue to Edward E. Prather, Education Officer advance our understanding of the Universe and to Councilors fascinate legions of the public who support our inquiry. Bruce Balick Nancy S. Brickhouse Unfortunately, we do not see similar progress in the Eileen D. Friel political sphere, even now that the consequences have Edward F. Guinan been spelled out of allowing budget sequestration to hit Todd J. Henry Steven D. Kawaler every government agency in January.
    [Show full text]
  • How Life Could Thrive on Hostile Worlds (PDF)
    Astrobiology Extreme organisms on Earth show us just how weird life elsewhere could be. by Chris Impey How life could thrive on Humans have left their mark all over Earth. We’re proud of our role as nature’s generalists — perhaps not as swift as the gazelle or as strong as the gorilla, but still pretty good at most things. Alone among all species, technology has given us dominion over the planet. Humans are endlessly plucky and adaptable; it seems we can do anything. Yet in truth, we’re frail. From the safety of our living rooms, we may admire the people who conquer Everest or cross deserts. But without technology, we couldn’t live beyond Earth’s temperate zones. We cannot survive outside for long below freezing or above 104° Fahrenheit (40° Celsius). We can stay under water only as long as we can hold our breath. Without water to drink we’d die in 3 days. Microbes, on the other hand, are hardy. And within the microbial world lies a band of extremists, organisms that thrive in conditions that would cook, crush, smother, and dissolve most other forms of life. Collectively, they are known as extremophiles, which means, literally, “lovers of extremes.” Extremophiles are found at temperatures above the boiling point and below the freezing point of water, in high salinity, and in strongly acidic conditions. Some can live deep inside rock, and others can go into a freeze-dried “wait state” for tens of thousands of years. Some of these microbes harvest energy from meth- ane, sulfur, and even iron.
    [Show full text]
  • January 2004 Issue of the OSS Voyages Newsletter
    COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF MINORITIES IN ASTRONOMY J ANUARY 2004 SPECTRUM A report on underrepresented minorities in astronomy INSIDE THIS ISSUE: So… What About 1 So… What About Diversity? Diversity? by Marcel Agueros Professional Organi- 1 zations of Minorities Led by a team of graduate students, the University of in Physical Sciences Washington Astronomy Department has developed a The Accountability 4 departmental plan for more effectively engaging diver- Side of Diversity sity issues through enhanced coordination of effort and improved leveraging of available resources. What’s in a Name? 6 Marcel Agueros describes how they went about it and Astronomy Faculty 9 what they learned along the way. Diversity Survey: Preliminary Results A Small First Step 10 he meeting was over. For nearly an hour the graduate students and the graduate program ad- Ph.D. Productivity of 12 visor had intensively discussed a number of Historically Black T Colleges pressing departmental issues. We were wrapping up Marcel Agueros is a when a question was casually dropped on the table: 4th-year astronomy SASS: Cultivating the 14 “What about diversity?” graduate student at the Next Generation of University of Washing- Astronomers What seemed like a simple enough question to ask ton. His dissertation NASA Space Science 16 turned out to be a very difficult question to answer. That research is on X-ray Diversity Initiatives meeting took place about a year ago, and we are still selected stars from the working our way to a good answer. However, with the RASS and SDSS Sur- Meet Dara Norman at 17 help of some friends—the Graduate Opportunities and veys under the direc- CTIO Minority Achievement Program and ADVANCE here at tion of Scott Anderson.
    [Show full text]
  • Making a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) About Astrobiology: Why? for Whom? How?
    EPJ Web of Conferences 200, 01019 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201920001019 ISE2A 2017 Making a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) about Astrobiology: Why? For Whom? How? Charles H. Lineweaver1,* 1Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia Abstract. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are becoming the textbooks of the 21st century. I describe what a MOOC is, and try to answer the questions: Why make a MOOC? Who are MOOCs for? and How to make a MOOC? Anxiety about MOOCs replacing teachers is largely misplaced. I describe my on-going experience of putting together an astrobiology MOOC for the Australian National University. 1 What is a MOOC? 1.1 History: from tutoring, to lecturing, to MOOCing Socrates, Plato and Aristotle participated in private tutoring and small group discussions (Fig. 1). They did not give lectures to hundreds of students. Lectures seem to have been invented by the first European universities in the 13th or 14th centuries (Fig. 2). N.B. this was before the 1440 invention of the printing press by Gutenberg. At our meeting, the International Symposium on Education in Astronomy and Astrobiology, Karen Meech recounted some of her experiences organizing workshops, schools and fieldtrips. The most rewarding permanent learning and bonding was done with “long small meaningful discussions” in the context of a community of learners in some kind of isolation from the world. She seemed agnostic about the type of isolation: Hawaiian military barracks, island monasteries, ivory towers, Walden ponds, even deserts would do.
    [Show full text]
  • 2024 Solar Eclipse: Totality Over Texas
    2024 Solar Eclipse: Totality Over Texas April 6-9, 2024 $2,295 PER PERSON, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY, $3,895, SINGLE OCCUPANCY, PLUS AIRFARE Join MSU Professor and astronomer *Dr. Megan Donahue and experience an incredible natural phenomenon of a total eclipse. On April 8, 2024, the moon will pass between the earth and the sun and be replaced by pink flames and silver streamers that stretch across the sky. Come see the eclipse from the beautiful Lake District north of Austin, Texas. Along with Dr. Donahue, enjoy outstanding expert speakers including Dr. Doug Duncan, Dr. Steve Hawley, Chris Impey, Erica Ellingson, Nick Schneider and Dr. Emily Levesque. Accommodations are at the Hyatt Regency Austin, close to downtown Austin and where guest lectures will occur or the Horseshoe Bay Resort, in the countryside Lake District, near the centerline of where the eclipse will be viewed. A total eclipse is like Tour Inclusions: no other and one of the best viewing spots for the • 3 night’s accommodations at either the Hyatt eclipse will be on this trip. Don’t miss this chance of a Regency Austin or *Horseshoe Bay Resort. lifetime, the next total eclipse visible in the U.S. will not • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily occur until 2045. • Internationally know guest speakers • Eclipse viewing Star Party • Night viewing with telescopes from Horseshoe Bay MSU Faculty Host which is a Dark Sky Reserve Dr. Megan Donahue is a University Distinguished Professor of • Transportation to and from the Austin International Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University. She was Airport, as well as to and from all scheduled eclipse the President of the American sessions at the Horseshoe Bay Resort and Hyatt Astronomical Society from 2018-2020, and has been very ac- Regency Austin tive in national and international • Pair of special glasses to view the eclipse scientific advisory groups for the last 30 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Frontiers of Astrobiology Edited by Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine and José Funes Frontmatter More Information
    Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00641-6 - Frontiers of Astrobiology Edited by Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine and José Funes Frontmatter More information Frontiers of Astrobiology Astrobiology is an exciting interdisciplinary field that seeks to answer one of the most important and profound questions: Are we alone? In this volume, leading international experts explore the frontiers of astrobiology, investigating the latest research questions that will fascinate a wide interdisciplinary audience at all levels. What is the earliest evidence for life on Earth? Where are the most likely sites for life in the Solar System? Could life have evolved elsewhere in the Galaxy? What are the best strategies for detecting intelligent extraterrestrial life? How many habitable or Earth-like exoplanets are there? Progress in astrobiology over the past decade has been rapid and, with evidence accumulating that Mars once hosted standing bodies of liquid water, the discovery of over 700 exoplanets, and new insights into how life began on Earth, the scientific search for our origins and place in the cosmos continues. The book is based on a meeting at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which gathered leading researchers to present state-of-the-art reviews on their research and address topics at the forefront of astrobiology. CHRIS IMPEY is a University Distinguished Professor and Deputy Head of the Depart- ment of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson. His research interests are observational cosmology, gravitational lensing, and the evolution and structure of galaxies. He is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, and the Carnegie Council on Teaching’s Arizona Professor of the Year.
    [Show full text]
  • Unique Education & Workforce Development for NASA Engineers
    Unique Education & Workforce Development for NASA Engineers Roger C. Forsgren, Lauren L. Miller NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) NASA Headquarters Office of the Chief Engineer, Washington, D.C. [email protected], [email protected] Abstract NASA engineers are some of the world’s best-educated graduates, responsible for technically complex, highly significant scientific programs. Even though these professionals are highly proficient in traditional analytical competencies, there is a unique opportunity to offer continuing education that further enhances their overall scientific minds. With a goal of maintaining the Agency’s passionate, “best in class” engineering workforce, the NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) provides educational resources encouraging foundational learning, professional development, and knowledge sharing. NASA APPEL is currently partnering with the scientific community’s most respected subject matter experts to expand its engineering curriculum beyond the analytics and specialized subsystems in the areas of: understanding NASA’s overall vision and its fundamental basis, and the Agency initiatives supporting them; sharing NASA’s vast reservoir of engineering experience, wisdom, and lessons learned; and innovatively designing hardware for manufacturability, assembly, and servicing. It takes collaboration and innovation to educate an organization that possesses such a rich and important history—and a future that is of great global interest. NASA APPEL strives to intellectually nurture the Agency’s technical professionals, build its capacity for future performance, and exemplify its core values—all to better enable NASA to meet its strategic vision—and beyond. NASA Engineering Education Responsible for technically complex, highly significant scientific programs, it is only fitting that NASA employs some of the best and brightest engineers in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae Jonathan R. Trump
    Curriculum Vitae Jonathan R. Trump Dept of Physics (860) 486-6310 (office) University of Connecticut (520) 260-4633 (cell) 2152 Hillside Rd, U-3046 (860) 486-3346 (FAX) Storrs, CT 06269 [email protected] http://phys.uconn.edu/∼jtrump/ Professional Appointments 8/2016-current Assistant Professor, Dept of Physics, University of Connecticut 9/2013-8/2016 Hubble Fellow, Penn State University 9/2010-8/2013 DEEP Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Santa Cruz 7/2004-8/2010 Graduate Researcher, University of Arizona 6/2008-8/2008 NSF/JSPS Summer Research Fellow, Ehime University 1/2002-6/2004 Undergraduate Researcher, Penn State University Education 2010 Ph.D University of Arizona, Astronomy, Thesis: Supermassive Black Hole Ac- tivity in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (advisor: Chris Impey) 2004 B.S. Penn State University, Astronomy, summa cum laude, Honors Thesis: Broad Absorption Line Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey 2004 B.S. Penn State University, Physics, summa cum laude Successful Grants and Proposals (selected) 2017 PI, HST proposal: Ultraviolet Echoes of Quasar Accretion Disks, 32 orbits, $160k 2015 co-PI, NSF AAG: The First Multi-Object Reverberation Mapping Survey: Trans- forming Our Knowledge of Distant Black Hole Demographics, $340k 2015 co-I, HST proposal: The CANDELS Lyman-alpha Emission At Reionization (CLEAR) Experiment, 130 orbits, $12k (as co-I) 2012 PI, HST archive proposal: Do Typical Galaxies in Adolescence Already Host Growing Black Holes?, $91k 2009 PI, NSF Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Grant, $35k 2008 PI, NSF/JSPS East
    [Show full text]
  • Enigmas of the Universe Syllabus.Pdf
    Enigmas of the Universe Chris Impey, Associate Dean and University Distinguished Professor Overview: Astronomy has seen tremendous progress in the past century. Large telescopes on the ground and in space now give us views of the universe across the electromagnetic spectrum. Powerful computers can handle exponentially increasing volumes of data and they allow simulations of remote objects and extreme astrophysics. We know how stars work, how many galaxies there are, and how to find exoplanets. Yet there is much we don’t know, and areas where our physical understanding is weak. This course is a report from the frontiers of astronomy and physics research on five aspects of the universe where profound questions remain unanswered. Meetings: Typical structure is a 50 minute lecture, then a 10 minute break, a 40 minute lecture, then 20 minutes for questions and discussion. Short descriptions of the five topics follow. The Big Bang. How did the universe begin? There’s ample observational support for the idea that the universe expanded from a hot, dense state billions of years ago. But the nature of dark matter and dark energy are unknown and the situation just after the big bang is shrouded in mystery. Black Holes. What happens in extreme regions of space-time? Nature can make black holes ranging from ten to ten billion times the Sun’s mass and the recent detection of gravitational waves confirms that black holes exist. However, gravity theory is challenged in trying to explain black holes. The God Particle. Where does mass come from? The detection of the Higgs particle filled in the missing piece of the Standard Model of particle physics.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cosmic End: from the Earth to the Universe
    06_FUNES_PP_121-129.QXD_Layout 1 15/12/15 10:24 Pagina 121 Complexity and Analogy in Science Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Acta 22, Vatican City 2014 www.pas.va/content/dam/accademia/pdf/acta22/acta22-funes.pdf A Cosmic End: From the Earth to the Universe JOSÉ G. FUNES, S.J. “Human curiosity is the driving force for scientific development, in which belief systems and philosophy still have their valid place”.1 “To the scientist, and especially to the Christian scientist, corresponds the at- titude to examine the future of humanity and the Earth”.2 Attracted by curiosity about the end of the universe, and encouraged by the words of Pope Francis about the the importance of examing the future, I have tried to consider the cosmic end at different scales. There is a painting by Paul Gauguin with the title: Where are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going?3 These are the big questions which cut across human culture. The question of the end of the universe is one of those big questions. To address these questions the scientific method is not the only approach but certainly an important one. Scientific knowledge seeks the explanation of the observed phenomena based on natural causes. It should be able to explain the observed data postulating a new model to predict results that 1 Preface of the booklet the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Evolving Concepts of Nature, 24-28 October 2014. 2 Address of Pope Francis to the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Sci- ences on the occasion of the inauguration of the bust in honor of Pope Benedict XVI, 27 October 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy in the United States: Workforce Development and Public Engagement
    Organizations, People and Strategies in Astronomy I (OPSA I), 77-91 Ed. A. Heck, © 2012 Venngeist. ASTRONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT CHRIS IMPEY University of Arizona Steward Observatory 933 N. Cherry Avenue Tucson AZ 85721, U.S.A. [email protected] Abstract. Astronomy workforce development and public engagement in the United States are described. The number of professional astronomers has grown by about a third in the past 25 years, to about 4000. Only one in four are faculty in an academic setting; the rest work in a wide range of public and private research institutes. PhD production has remained steady at about 200 per year. Women account for roughly half of BSc degrees and a third of PhD degrees, but their participation declines to about 10% at the level of full professor. Minorities are underrepresented by a substantial fac- tor at all levels of the profession. In terms of public engagement, astronomy has unique advantages associated with its visual appeal and the large and active amateur astronomy community. The are 1400 public planetaria in the U.S., with another 110 in schools and universities. Astronomers have made good use of new media such as blogs and podcasts and social networks, but the biggest impact has been in the area of citizen science, where people with no technical background contribute directly to a research project by, for example, classifying galaxies. The International Year of Astronomy and the remarkable success of the Galileoscope have inspired large numbers of people to appreciate astronomy, contributing indirectly to the professional vitality of the field.
    [Show full text]
  • The Living Cosmos: a Fabric That Binds Art and Science
    a rt i s T s ’ a rt i c l e The Living Cosmos: A Fabric That Binds Art and Science Chris Impey a b s tr a c T and Heather Green The authors, an astronomer and an artist, have collaborated on a series of seven mixed- media constructions and prose pieces that follow the flow and themes of Impey’s book on astrobiology, The Living The ProjecT In the first art piece, from the Cosmos. The book summarizes viewer’s vantage point on a shore, recent research on astrobiology, After authors Chris Impey and Heather Green worked to- from the origin of life on Earth gether on a series of posters in which artist Green layered Ernst night sky shades imperceptibly into and its environmental range on Haeckel’s illustrations of diatoms with imagery of computer noctilucent sea (Fig. 1). Familiar this planet to the search for life circuitry and dark matter, Chris Impey approached Green with surfaces—a glassy sea, the hemi- in the solar system and beyond. spheric vault of the sky—seem The artist’s work encapsulates the idea of creating seven pieces that would capture the es- these ideas with its use of mate- sence of each of the chapters in his popular book on astrobiol- proximate but each contains vast rial objects, textures, images ogy, The Living Cosmos [1]. depths and each might host un- and metaphors that mirror Over several meetings in Green’s studio, the two discussed known and unseen creatures. The the elements of the scientific approach to astrobiology.
    [Show full text]