The origins of time and the age of the universe will be discussed by award-winning author and scientist Dr John Gribbin, who will deliver the spring Irish Times/RDS Science Today lecture in Dublin.
Dr Gribbin's talk on Wednesday, March 10th, will focus on his new book, The Birth of Time, which describes how one of the great scientific puzzles of our time - the age of the universe - was finally solved. He provides a unique vantage point for this scientific adventure given his involvement at the University of Sussex, where he was part of the team that measured the age of the universe.
A graduate in astrophysics from the University of Cambridge, Dr Gribbin has written a succession of best-selling books including In Search of Schrodinger's Cat, In Search of the Big Bang, In the Be- ginning, Schrodinger's Kittens and Almost Everyone's Guide to Science. His works won awards in Britain. He also writes science fiction.
His latest book details the intriguing tale of false leads and blind alleys before the final breakthrough. The discovery involved building on early work which described an expanding universe and culminated in the use of data from the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.
The biannual Irish Times/RDS Science Today lectures represent a commitment by both companies towards achieving a better public understanding and awareness of science. Each spring the lectures bring a noted international speaker who discusses in non-technical language new issues in science. The autumn lecture is a demonstration lecture geared towards secondary school students, delivering real science but in an engaging and entertaining form.
Admission for next month's lecture is free, but those wishing to attend must organise tickets by contacting The Irish Times by phone at (01) 679 2022, extension 676 or 689.
The lecture takes place at the RDS Concert Hall at 7 p.m.