2004 - 2005 Series
The Physicist as Novelist
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Alan Lightman is a novelist and physicist who
teaches in the writing program at MIT. Lightman has written four
novels, including Einstein's Dreams and The
Diagnosis, as well as essays and books on physics and its
history.
Genes, Genomes and Disease
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Chris Ponting is Professor of Bioinformatics at
the University of Oxford and programme leader in the MRC Functional
Genetics Unit. In 2000-01 Ponting was part of the Human Genome
Project Consortium. He has used computers to study the DNA of mice,
rats, chimps and chickens.
Chance, Risk, Probability and Gambling
Thursday, February 3, 2005
Simon Singh is an author and journalist
specializing in mathematics and physics. Singh, who holds a Ph.D.
in particle physics, is the author of Fermat's Enigma and
The Code Book.
The Science of Magic and the Magic of Science
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Bob Friedhoffer is a professional magician and
science educator who has lectured and performed at schools and
colleges across the country. Friedhoffer is the author of books on
physics and magic as well as science books for children.
The Science of Good and Evil
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Michael Shermer is a historian of science and
director of the Skeptics Society. A leading authority on the
relationship between science, pseudo-science and superstition, his
books include Why People Believe Wierd Things and How
We Believe: Science, Skepticism and the Search for God.