Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/02/2005
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Title: Life, the Universe, and Nothing: The Future of Life in an Ever-Expanding Universe.

Speaker: Dr. Lawrence Krauss

Institute: Case Western Reserve University

Location: ABB 102

Description:

In this talk, I will ruminate on the future of the Universe itself, and also on the future of life within it, using as my starting point recent observations in cosmology. I will first discuss why the Universe we appear to inhabit is the worst of all possible universes, as far as considerations of the quality and quantity of life is concerned. Then, I will describe how fundamental aspects of the way in which we teach cosmology, in particular the relation between geometry and destiny, has been forever altered by recent discoveries.

Finally, I will address the fascinating question of whether life might be eternal in an eternally expanding universe. The answer to this question appears to hinge on issues of basic physics, in particular on issues of quantum mechanics and computation, which may determine whether life is ultimately analogue or digital.