Caleb Scharf

Columbia University, Research Staff

Protons to Planets to Penguins: The Quest for our Biochemical Origins in the Cosmos

Life on Earth sits atop a remarkable network of structures and chemistry that begins with hydrogen atoms in the early universe and encompasses the formation of stars and planets and billions of years of galactic chemical evolution. I will give a tour of some of these phenomena and present the case for why our biochemical origins may in fact be much more ancient than our homeworld. No penguins will be harmed during the course of this lecture.