Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory
Columbia University in the City of New York
Host: John Hunt
Title: On the Beauty and Impact of Astrophysics: from Gravitational waves to Biology
Abstract: The discovery of gravitational waves and their multi-messenger fingerprint has opened tremendous opportunities for astrophysics. Extraordinary instrumental breakthroughs enabled the creation of gravitational-wave detectors on Earth and in Space, rapidly expanding humanity’s cosmic, scientific, and technological horizon. Multisensory observations of gravitational-wave sources promises opportunities that are complementary to insights gained through traditional means. Interestingly, this amassed experience and creative thinking also enabled innovative collaborative solutions to global health and other biological challenges, since we strongly believe that beyond seeking fundamental discoveries, scientists should also invest in bettering human life here on Earth through utilizing their experience and creativity. The talk will highlight many interesting results in biology published in the last decade.