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In the first part of this talk I will focus on the question of whether we are alone in the Universe. Planets, some similar to the Earth, have now been discovered beyond the Solar system but uncertain factors prevent a robust estimate of the probability that intelligent life has evolved outside our planet. In any case, if it persists, the human species (or its descendants) will have to find a new home in about a billion years from now when life (as we know it) will become impossible on Earth.In the second part I will discuss the evolution of our entire universe, from a fraction of a second after the Big Bang to the present, reviewing the known processes that have given rise to the galaxies and stars around which life might exist. I will then discuss the long-term future of our Universe, be that infinite expansion, a “big crunch” or a “big rip”. I will end with a brief discussion of the possibility that there might other universes besides our own.
Professor Carlos S. Frenk is a cosmologist and the Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics at Durham University. His main interests lie in the fields of cosmology, galaxy formation and computer simulations of cosmic structure formation.
The entrance to the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry can be found at the side of the Scott Polar Research Institute, opposite the boat. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre is located directly in the entrance as you enter the building.
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