How the stars made us - with Roberto Trotta

Find out why the stars underlie everything we are and do, from the genes in our bodies to measuring time.

This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 31 March 2025, and came out first as an ad-free preview for our Science Supporters. Join now to get more previews, and support our charitable work:    / @theroyalinstitution  
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We are made of stardust. The atoms in our bodies were produced by stellar explosions that occurred billions of years ago. But the stars haven't just given us life; observing the sky has guided Homo Sapiens since prehistoric times. Who would we be had our ancestors been fated to live on a planet without stars? Without their guidance, human society would have been unrecognisable. Astronomy was the midwife of all the sciences, precursor to the technology that today shapes every aspect of our lives.

Join theoretical physicist Roberto Trotta as he uncovers the unexpected connections between the sight of the heavens and human history. From the role of stars in establishing our supremacy over the Neanderthals to navigation. From measuring time to the achievements of the Scientific Revolution. From astrology to artificial intelligence, to discover that stars made us who we are in more ways than we ever suspected..

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Roberto Trotta is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the International School for Advanced Study in Trieste, Italy, and a visiting professor of astrostatistics at Imperial College London. The award-winning author of The Edge of the Sky, he lives under dark skies near Trieste.
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