Cafe Scientifique – Recycling The Sun

This month’s speaker is Dr Marie Van de Sande,  a research fellow at the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Leeds.

The saying that we are all made of stardust is largely true: except for hydrogen, all the atoms in our bodies were forged in the cores of stars that died millions of years ago. For example, most of the carbon was made inside stars similar to our Sun.

As these stars died, they expelled the material they had created into space by means of a gentle stellar outflow of dust, which became the building blocks for a new generation of stars and planets. By following these dust particles in their journey from a dead star into a new planet and studying their chemistry along the way, we can find out about the origins of life on Earth.

Cafe Sci Leeds was set up to encourage understanding and debate about topical scientific research and issues in an informal setting. Speakers are invited to present a short talk on an area of science in which they have been involved which is then followed by questions and comments. Leeds Cafe Scientifique provides an opportunity for the public to engage with scientists and discuss the benefits, issues and ethics of their research.

https://mailchi.mp/169c4a6b6377/leedscafescisignup

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