Posts Tagged ‘William Phillips’

Science Fun Fact #4: Relax. There may be a parallel universe in which you caught that bus

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

Relax. There may be a parallel universe...

While parallel universes sound like science fiction, they are in fact a — speculative — part of physics, and that in more than one place: quantum mechanics, our current (and incredibly precise) description of atoms and elementary particles, gives tantalizing hints of an infinity of parallel worlds. And string theory, one of the candidate theories for a unified description of physics, suggests an other kind of “landscape” of parallel universes, some that are similar to (more…)

Science Fun Fact #3: You weigh slightly less with the moon directly overhead

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

You weigh slightly less...The reason there’s no moon diet is that the difference is very, very slight. Too small to measure, really, but readily found by a calculation using no more than high-school math. The inspiring point is that science allows hidden features and layers of reality to be revealed.

At the Festival, a number of programs will highlight breathtaking aspects of reality that science has brought to light, but which you’d never expect based on ordinary perception.

Echoes from the Beginning, featuring leading cosmologists Paul Steinhardt, Lyman Page, and Lawrence Krauss, and moderated by Ira Flatow, will show how, through mathematics and observation, science has peered back to a tiny fraction of a second after the beginning of cosmic history. In Invisible Reality, with Brian Greene, Alan Alda, and Nobel Laureate William Phillips, journey through the strange world of quantum theory. In Looking for the Laws of Life with synthetic biologist Steven Benner, and astrobiologists Paul Davies and Maggie Turnbull, consider the probability of life as we don’t know it. And in Illuminating Genius, join choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones, actor Michael York, artist Matthew Ritchie and inventor Saul Griffith as they explore the roots of creativity with neuroscientists V.S. Ramachandran, Nancy C. Andreasen, and David Eagleman.

Julia Sweeney, Nobel Laureate William Phillips, Dr. Tim Johnson, and others explore Faith & Science On May 31

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Julia SweeneyNews from the World Science Festival: Julia Sweeney (right), former SNL cast member and writer, will perform an extract from her critically acclaimed autobiographical work Letting Go of God, in the program Faith & Science, on Saturday May 31.

Grappling with the widely held view that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible, the event takes an intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs, and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality.

In addition to Sweeney, the line-up of fascinating and provocative speakers includes:

  • Dr. Tim Johnson, known to millions of viewers as ABC News’ chief medical correspondent, is a (more…)