Paradise Planet Earth: A Cosmic Miracle (but for how long?)

 before following the current scientific view of the nature and development of the Universe and of humankind within it.

We admire the amazing achievements of scientific exploration and discovery, but on the other hand, we face the tragic consequences of our modern technological 'civilisation', that driven by powerful economic and political interests, overexploits and destroys this fragile environment, probably unique in our galaxy.

Finally, an open discussion about valuing what is being lost and the imperative need for a radical change in our ways of life, perhaps invoking ancestral wisdom to guide our use of technology and hopefully reconnect with our lost humanity.

Bio: 

Dr Francisco Diego is Senior Teaching Fellow at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCL, vice president of the UK Association for Astronomy Education and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is a keen populariser of natural sciences and has extensive experience as a planetarium producer/presenter, lecturer, author and broadcaster. 

Francisco has appeared on many TV series including 'Stephen Hawking’s Universe' and 'The Seven Ages of Starlight' and he is a regular contributor to BBC , Sky and Aljazeera News channels. He is veteran of 20 solar eclipse expeditions and founder and director of Your Universe, the UCL Festival of Astronomy. He produces and delivers 'The Mind of the Universe', a collection of public and school lectures and teacher workshops on astrophysics, cosmology and life in the Universe. His most recent educational project is called 'Think Universe!', a novel and ambitious idea to bring fundamental science to the primary and secondary classroom with initial support from the Royal Society and the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Francisco was also the first-ever Flamsteed speaker and is effectively a founder-member of the Society.