On February 28 (Sun), 2021, the 6th Joint Public Lecture "A Question of Origins" will be held online hosted by ELSI in collaboration with the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) and the International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN) of the University of Tokyo.
The event is crated around big questions in science; what and how was the origins of the universe, the Earth, life and intelligence came to be? The three invited experts will discuss these topics, while a political science expert will moderate the three scientists' discussion about the fundamental question: why origins?
Join the event online for free!
Date and Time: February 28, 2021 (Sun), 13:00-15:00 (online event)
Target: Senior High School Students and the general public (recommended)
Participation fee: Free
No limit of the number of registration (in principle)
Registration in advance is mandatory.
Registration: from mid-January to February 28 (Sun), 12:00
https://form.qooker.jp/Q/auto/ja/jpl2021/origin2021/
Contact: TEL: 03-5734-3164 (weekday only) /emai: pr*[at]elsi.jp (Please change pr* to @.)
Please refer to the poster (PDF 1.3MB) for the details.
Program
13:10-13:30
Lecture 1: What is life and where does it come from?
Speaker: Kosuke FUJISHIMA (Associate Professor, ELSI, Tokyo Tech)
The question on origins of life: “Where do we come from?” has been asked in mythology, philosophy and arts from the ancient times, and now we are trying to answer it in the context of science. Although we cannot directly recreate the history of the birth and the evolution of life on Earth, which must have occurred more than 4 billion years ago, it is becoming possible to approach the aspect of the origin of life from the universality that can be seen in life today. While considering the nature of life, I would like to discuss with you how it occurred on this planet.
13:35-13:55
Lecture 2: Sleep as an origin of intelligence
Speaker: Hiroyuki MIYAMOTO (Project Associate Professor, IRCN, UTokyo)
We live our lives with sleep. In the past, sleep was regarded as a mere state of inactivity and was often sacrificed, but it is now considered essential for life, health, and brain function. In this talk, I will introduce the findings that memory and cognitive activities, which are the bases of human intelligence, are maintained and enhanced by sleep. It is widely accepted that sleep also promotes brain development, but the evidence for this is not always clear. This presentation will be based on our experimental studies in mice.
14:00-14:20
Lecture 3: Origin and diversity of elementary particle dynamics
Speaker: Taizan WATARI (Associate Professor, Kavli IPMU, UTokyo)
How do elementary particles such as electrons and quarks exert forces on each other? Through the analogy between macromolecules and geometric objects, I will show that it is possible to question the “origin” of their dynamics. Beyond this understanding, we can see that there may be diversity in the dynamics of elementary particles.
14:25-15:10
Panel discussion: What does it mean “to ask about Origins”?
Moderator: Takeshi NAKAJIMA (Professor, Institute for Liberal Arts, Tokyo Tech)
What does it mean “to ask about Origins”? A political scientist moderates a talk of three scientists approaching the origins in different fields.