Taking a look at the Universe around us and our place in it.

1. Debjyoti Bardhan
Research Scholar
Theoretical Physics
TIFR
INSEF SCIENCE FAIR
28th September, 201

2. City Lights in Quebec
Courtesy: http://wallpaperhd.net
Starry Nights
By: Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

7.  The Universe came from a space-time singularity
 The fiery birth happened 13.7 billion years ago!
 The Universe has been expanding since
 Expansion causes cooling – the Universe has since cooled
And the Universe is still expanding – and accelera

10. We can
Hear
The Universe
softly speaking to us
Literally!
Penzias and Wilson with their horn antenna
The Cosmic Microwave
Background

11.  We are listening in with bigger instruments – in space!
Cosmic Microwave Background Explorer - CoBEWilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe - WMAP
 We are listening in with bigger and bigger instruments – in space!
PLANCK

12. Fritz Zwicky

14. Every galaxy is moving away from
each other
The Universe is EXPANDING
Edwin Hubble

15.  Recent observations show that the Universe is expanding
at a faster and faster rate
 Some mysterious force is pushing all galaxies away from
each other
 Scientists call it DARK ENERGY
 We have NO CLUE as to what it is!
 The largest constituent of the Universe!

16. Data
From
PLANCK
Most of the Universe
is a complete
MYSTERY

18. Heat up Cool Down
Cools Down

19. Gravitation
Radiation
Pressure
What happens when the nuclear fuel runs out?

20. She said "Look at how pretty the stars s
He said, "Yes, and right now I am the on
in the world who knows why they shine.
She merely laughed at him. She was no
impressed with being out with the only m
who, at that moment, knew why stars sh
Eddington was out with his girlfriend o
moonless night and held hands under t
open sky
Eddington remained a lifelong bac

21.  The Universe must provide all the elements needed for life
 Stars are the kitchens for these elements!
 All elements starting from Helium to Uranium are produced
in stars
 Nuclear fusion produces heavier and heavier elements

22. • Take a proton and make the next element - Helium
Actually, Not So Slow!!

23.  Much stronger than the
Electromagnetic Force
 Acts on extremely small
length scales

24.  Heavier stars make more elements
 Heavier elements need more temperature and pressure
 The Sun will make till only Carbon/Oxygen
 Only the heaviest stars make elements like Iron
 No element heavier than Iron can be made in stars!

26.  In another 5 bn years,
the Sun will become a
Red Giant
 It will barely make
Carbon & Oxygen

28.  Supernovae release these elements into space!
 Every atom in your body came from The Cores of Stars

29. Stars died so that you could live
-Lawrence Krauss, physi
The Cosmos is also within us.
We are all made of Starstuff
-Carl Sagan, astronomer

30.  Life somehow arose on Earth – we do not know how!
 Self-replicating machines arose
 Information containing replicating structures – RNA & DNA
 RNA or DNA are stored inside genes within cells
 Evolution is all about the survival/extinction of genes

31. An organism is a gene-carrying machine
The survival and reproduction of the individual means
that a set of genes are replicated and passed on
Survival is all that a gene cares about!
The genes which populate the gene pool the most are
the ones most likely to survive the longest
 SURVIVAL of the FITTEST

32. Genes are like hard spherical balls of a particular colour
They are copied from one generation to another almost
exactly
A gene pool is a pool of all
such genes!
During sexual reproduction, half of the set comes from
the mother and the other half from the father
A mutation, while rare,
is INTERESTING

33. Mutations can affect the reproductive capability of the
organism
If the mutations help the individual, they are selected!
When Nature selects, it is Natural Selection
Two Steps to Speciation
1. Random Mutation 2. Natural Selection
Needed: A Huge Amount of Time

34. Every species is connected to one another
Phylogenetic Tree

36.  Certain body parts change, according to the
actions they perform
 The basic structure remains the same

37. Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve
~15 feet detour!

38. Seeing this gradation and diversity of structure in one small, intimately related group of birds,
one might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago, one species had
been taken and modified for different ends. In a like manner it might be fancied that a bird
originally a buzzard, had been induced here to undertake the office of the carrion-
feeding Polybori of the American continent.
-- Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Bea

39. One observation to prove evolution wrong?
“Rabbit Fossils in the Precambrian” – J.B.S. Haldane

40. One anachronistic fossil would
‘completely blow evolution out of the water’
Today the theory of evolution is about as much
open to doubt as the theory that the Earth goes
round the Sun
Richard Dawkins
There is grandeur in this view of life,
with its several powers, having been
originally breathed into a few forms or
into one; and that, whilst this planet
has gone cycling on according to the
fixed law of gravity, from so simple a
beginning endless forms most
beautiful and most wonderful haveCharles Darwin

42. Your inspiration and imagination are
soaring today. You may want to try
an artistic project of some kind. You
could be pleasantly surprised at the
results. Your intuition is also high,
and your understanding of those
around you is greatly increased.
Don't be afraid to act from instinct.
This is one of those days when it
should win out over rationality and
logic!Some misunderstandings could
cause confusion in the home. Your
intuition and insight should defuse
the situation, especially since you're
more diplomatic than usual. You
could also have an artistic
inspiration, perhaps a new project
that could be very important to you.
It could be important to your career
or it could open up new
Emotions could run high among
those close to you. It might seem
like everyone is in a bad mood! In
your own relations with them, your
friendly nature and social skills will
calm them down and keep them on
an even keel, at least when you're
around! Social events may keep
you busy. You could make some
valuable contacts.
A welcome letter, phone call, or
perhaps visit could come from a
lover or close friend bringing
interesting news. Your creative
energies are bubbling over so you
might want to try writing, music,
drawing, or painting. You might
send some letters, place a lot of
phone calls, or make a lot of short
trips in your neighborhood, maybe

43. We aim to seek patterns where there are None!

44. The human mind can find patterns, just as an evolutionary baggage
It is an attempt to explain things we do not understand!
Often it is difficult to differentiate
science and pseudo-science
Question everything.
Be a SCEPTIC!

45. Always ask the following questions
How reliable is the source of the claim?
Does this fit with the way the world works?
Is the claimant playing by the rules of
science?
Does the new theory account for as many phenomena
as the old theory?
Are personal beliefs driving the claim?

46. Reliability of sources:
Fitness with world:
Rules of Science:
Accounting for old phenomenon:
Personal beliefs:
No scientist supports it!
Assumes the Earth to be at the center
Explains nothing
Makes assertions
No Research goes on
No verifiable evidence
Not falsifiable
Depends strongly on beliefs
VERDICT: Astrology is Rubbish

49. Look again at that dot. That's here. That's
home. That's us. On it everyone you love,
everyone you know, everyone you ever
heard of, every human being who ever
was, lived out their lives. The aggregate
of our joy and suffering, thousands of
confident religions, ideologies, and
economic doctrines, every hunter and
forager, every hero and coward, every
creator and destroyer of civilization, every
king and peasant, every young couple in
love, every mother and father, hopeful
child, inventor and explorer, every
teacher of morals, every corrupt
politician, every "superstar," every
"supreme leader," every saint and sinner
in the history of our species lived there-
on a mote of dust suspended in a
sunbeam.
Carl Sagan
The Voyager Image

50. Solar Eclipse from Saturn
Cassini

51. Thank You