A World Without Stars: How the Night Sky Made Us Who We Are
Imagine Earth wholly shrouded in thick, perennial clouds, and our ancestors looking up at night to see… nothing. How radically altered would have been the story of our species on such a planet!
Not only did the study of the motion of the heavenly bodies usher in the Scientific Revolution in the late 17th century, and with it all the advanced technology our lives depend on today; a clear view of the heavens has been crucial for all aspects of civilization. From the moment Homo Sapiens walked out of the plains of Africa, the stars subtly and silently guided humankind’s steps: they influenced religion and spirituality, inspired great works of art, enabled navigation in the open seas, ushered in sociology and experimental psychology (as well as eugenics), guided Charles Darwin’s early thinking about evolution and even paved the way to artificial intelligence – not to mention the names and order of the days of the week, the rating system we use everywhere online, and the Hollywood walk of fame.
Join former St Anne’s tutor, Cosmologist Roberto Trotta at the launch event of his new book, STARBORN: how the stars made us who we are (and who we would be without them), in conversation with astronomer Roger Davies, to explore the untold story of how the sight of the stars changed the history of the world.