The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

Write for Us
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
Print Issues
Write for Us
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
Print Issues

In the beginning

By Robert Ireland

The last of a four-part Frontiers of Science lecture series tackling the origins of life, on our planet and the universe, will occur tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Biology Building.

The four separate lectures explore the theme of “what we know about the history of the universe and life?and how we know about it,” explained Frank Brown, dean of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences, while introducing the first lecture on Jan. 25.

Frontiers of Science, the U’s longest-running lecture series, is intended to “provide a freely available and entertaining forum for science,” said Jon Seger, professor of biology and series committee chairman.

This is the first time the series has been organized around a common theme.

Experts say that humans have pondered the concept of the beginning ever since they first stood on two feet with the awe of consciousness. The lectures continue that quest.

Partly as a result of the public controversy surrounding the teaching of Darwinian evolution, the series committee sensed a misconception in the public mind regarding how scientists infer events from the distant past, Seger explained.

To add to the debate, the colleges of Science and Mines and Earth Sciences have invited scholars specializing in beginnings this semester.

Tonight’s speakers are Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, authors of The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos.

“Most of us have grown up thinking that there is no basis for our feeling central or even important to the cosmos. But with the new evidence, it turns out this perspective is nothing but a prejudice,” Primack and Abrams write in the introduction to their book.

Primack is a professor of physics at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Abrams is a lawyer and writer.

The co-authors will present evidence emerging from a scientific revolution in cosmology. They argue that it provides the first theory describing the origin and nature of the universe and our central role in it. They also say the theory differs from previous ones in that it “may actually be true.” A book signing will be held after the lecture.

The first speaker in the series was Michael Whiting, associate professor of biology at Brigham Young University, who described the Tree of Life project aimed at depicting the phylogenetic relationship and common ancestry of all currently known living and extinct species on Earth.

Whiting explained how results from the project might be applied to everything from biodiversity conservation to virus identification and treatment.

In the series’ second lecture, Raymond Gesteland, professor of human genetics and vice president of research at the U, discussed discoveries in molecular biology that suggest the first life on Earth might have been RNA-based.

Providing an evolutionary bridge to more advanced DNA life forms, the theory potentially solves the paradox of the central dogma: the problem of what came first, DNA or proteins.

The series next turned to planetary science with John Valley, professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He presented isotopic evidence obtained from zircon crystals indicating the Earth might have cooled to a temperature capable of supporting the development of life 400 million years earlier than previously believed.

Erin Peterson, a senior in political science and public relations, attended one of the lectures.

“It was a great way for someone outside the sciences to learn about research,” she said. “We can become a better society with that knowledge.”

Established in 1967 by the physics department, since 2003 the series has been cosponsored by the College of Science and the College of Mines and Earth Sciences.

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

The Daily Utah Chronicle welcomes comments from our community. However, the Daily Utah Chronicle reserves the right to accept or deny user comments. A comment may be denied or removed if any of its content meets one or more of the following criteria: obscenity, profanity, racism, sexism, or hateful content; threats or encouragement of violent or illegal behavior; excessively long, off-topic or repetitive content; the use of threatening language or personal attacks against Chronicle members; posts violating copyright or trademark law; and advertisement or promotion of products, services, entities or individuals. Users who habitually post comments that must be removed may be blocked from commenting. In the case of duplicate or near-identical comments by the same user, only the first submission will be accepted. This includes comments posted across multiple articles. You can read more about our comment policy at https://dailyutahchronicle.com/comment-faqs/.
All The Daily Utah Chronicle Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *