Title: The Universe in Us
Speaker: Dr. Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Abstract:
Where did the building blocks of planets—and of life itself—come from? The answer lies in the hearts of stars and in some of the universe’s most powerful explosions and collisions, which forge and scatter the elements that eventually become new stars, planets, and living worlds. In this lecture, we will follow the cosmic journey of matter—from the interiors of massive stars and the collisions of stellar remnants to the formation of our Solar System and Earth. From the oxygen we breathe and the iron in our blood to the silicon beneath our feet and the radioactive elements that help keep our planet geologically alive, the story of the universe is also the story of us.
