SCIENCE AT THE SHINE DOME canberra 6 - 8 may 2009
Symposium: Evolution of the universe, the planets, life and thought
Life, the Universe and everything! This year the Australian Academy of Science's annual Science at the Shine Dome symposium is dedicated to evolution – of the Universe as a whole, planets as homes for life, life itself, and thought.
The symposium is a tribute to the inspiration provided by the work of two giants of science, Galileo and Darwin. This year is the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth; the 150th anniversary of the publication his landmark book, The origin of species; 400 years since Galileo founded modern astronomy by turning a telescope to the sky; and the International Year of Astronomy.
| Friday 8 May 2009 Symposium |
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| 8.45am |  WelcomeProfessor Kurt Lambeck FAA President, Australian Academy of Science |
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| 8.50am | Introduction Convenor: Professor Rick Shine FAA School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney |
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| 9.00am | Session 1: Evolution of the universe Chair: Professor Brian Schmidt FAA Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University |
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| 9.05am | Keynote address Creation and evolution of the Universe: From before the big bang to the end of time Professor Mike Turner Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Physics, University of Chicago |
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| 9.50am | The evolution of physical law Dr Tamara Davis Department of Physics, University of Queensland |
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| 10.10am | Evolution of structure in the universe Professor Matthew Colless FAA Anglo' Australian Observatory |
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| Morning tea | ||||
| 11.00am | SESSION 2: Evolution of the planets Chair: Professor Malcolm McCulloch FAA Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University |
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| 11.05am | Understanding the planet census of the Universe Professor Chris Tinney Department of Astrophysics and Optics, University of New South Wales |
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| 11.25am | The early record of life on Earth guides the search for life on Mars Professor Malcolm Walter FAA Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales |
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| 11.45am | Darwin the geologist: His relevance to 21st century Earth science Professor Euan Nisbet University of London, UK |
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| 12.35pm | Lunch | |||
| 1.30pm | Session 3: Evolution of life Chair: Professor Ross Crozier FAA School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University |
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| 1.35pm | Glad to have evolved Dr Olivia Judson Imperial College, UK |
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| 2.20pm | Using DNA to uncover the evolution of life Professor Lindell Bromham Centre for Macroevolution and Macroecology, Australian National University |
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| 2.40pm | The evolution of behaviour: From neurones to societies Professor Steve Simpson FAA School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney |
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| 3.00pm–3.30pm | Afternoon tea | |||
| 3.30pm | Session 4: Evolution of thought Chair: Professor Jenny Graves FAA Comparative Genomics Research Group, Australian National University |
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| 3.35pm | When apes go weird, or why humans are so strange Professor Kim Sterelny School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand |
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| 4.20pm | Closing remarks | |||
| 4.30pm | Conference close | |||
| Social program | ||||
