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Jan 14 - Lawrence Krauss - A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing

Saturday, January 14, 2012, 1:30pm
National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA [map]

Where did the universe come from? What was there before it? What will the future bring? And why is there something rather than nothing?

Lawrence Krauss’s provocative answers to these and other timeless questions in a wildly popular lecture now on YouTube have attracted almost a million viewers. The last of these questions in particular has been at the center of religious and philosophical debates about the existence of God, and it’s the supposed counterargument to anyone who questions the need for God. As Krauss argues, scientists have, however, historically focused on other, more pressing issues—such as figuring out how the universe actually functions, which can ultimately help us to improve the quality of our lives. In his new book, a cosmological story that rivets as it enlightens, pioneering theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss explains the groundbreaking new scientific advances that turn the most basic philosophical questions on their heads.

Lawrence M. Krauss, a renowned cosmologist and popularizer of modern science, is director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University.  Hailed by Scientific American as a rare public intellectual, he is the author of more than three hundred scientific publications and 8 books, including the bestselling The Physics of Star Trek, and the recipient of numerous international awards for his research and writing.  He is an internationally known theoretical physicist with wide research interests, including the interface between elementary particle physics and cosmology, where his studies include the early universe, the nature of dark matter, general relativity and neutrino astrophysics. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT in 1982 and then joined the Harvard Society of Fellows. In 1985 he joined the faculty of Physics at Yale University, departing in 1993 to become Chairman of the Physics Department at Case Western Reserve University until 2005.  In 2008, he joined the faculty at Arizona State University. Krauss is also one of the few prominent scientists today to have actively crossed the chasm between science and popular culture, for example, performing solo with the Cleveland Orchestra, narrating Gustav Holst’s The Planets at the Blossom Music Center in the most highly attended concert at that venue, and receiving a Grammy nomination for his liner notes for a Telarc CD of music from Star Trek.


FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members.
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.



Shadow of a Doubt - January 2012

The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics
  • January 14 - Lawrence Krauss: A Universe from Nothing
  • February Lecture:  Measuring Mythology: Startling Concepts in NCCAM Grants
  • Prez Sez
  • Torn From Today's Headlines: Nowhere to Hide: Looking for an Apollo Moon Landings Hoax–from Inside NASA (Part 2)
  • From Readers
  • Shadow Light
  • Drinking Skeptically

Wed Dec 14th, 7 pm Drinking Skeptically with NCAS in MD & VA


Drinking Skeptically in MD & Now also No. VA !
2d Wednesday Each Month - 7:00 p.m

Jackie’s Restaurant (map)
Join us in the Sidebar
8081 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

Chevy's Fresh Mex
4238 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA (Ballston Common Mall)
Just two blocks from the Ballston Metro station.

Visit and Join the NCAS MeetUp.com

Dec 10 - The Brain on Trial: How Neuroscience Challenges the Law as We Know It

Saturday, December 10, 2011, 1:30pm
National Science Foundation
Room 110
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA [map]

Mark Frankel, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Neuroscience has a lot to offer the law.  These include, for example, use for determining whether a person is competent to stand trial or sign a contract, whether brain dysfunction is a mitigating factor in applying capital punishment, whether future dangerousness is predictable, and whether an adolescent brain is mature enough to merit certain types of punishment. It also holds out the promise that it may help distinguish false memories from true memories, enhance memory, ascertain truth, detect deception, and reveal lies. So one might reasonably ask, is the law ready for neuroscience? To some extent, that question can be asked of any new research finding in science or technological development. But so much that neuroscience relates to—memory, truth telling, impulse control, empathy, reasoning, consciousness, and behavior—are core concepts that underlie enduring legal principles and play important roles in the administration of justice.  This presentation will describe a range of uses, realized and potential, for neuroscience in the law, and assess the challenges such uses pose for the law.

As Director of the Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Frankel has supervised the production of such resources as, Neuroscience and the Law: Brain, Mind, and the Scales of Justice (2004); Human Inheritable Genetic Modifications: Assessing Scientific, Ethical, Religious, and Policy Issues (2000); Stem Cell Research Applications: Monitoring the Frontiers of Biomedical Research (1999). Frankel’s research includes studying the impact of information technology on human subjects; developing a research agenda for the US voting system; efforts to promote research integrity; and the legal implications of advances in genetics and neuroscience. Frankel earned his B.A. in political science from Emory University, and his Ph.D. in political science (concentration in science policy) from George Washington University.

FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members.
Refreshments and socializing after the talk.

Meetup event notice
Facebook event notice

Shadow of a Doubt - December 2011

The Monthly Calendar of the National Capital Area Skeptics
  • The Brain on Trial: How Neuroscience Challenges the Law as We Know It
  • January NCAS Lecture: Lawrence Krauss
  • Torn From Today's Headlines by Scott Snell - Nowhere to Hide: Looking for an Apollo Moon Landings Hoax-from Inside NASA
  • From Readers
  • Shadow Light
  • Drinking Skeptically