LONDON/BRATISLAVA — Starmus, the global festival of science communication — the brainchild of astrophysicist Garik Israelian, PhD and Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, who also has a PhD in astrophysics — has announced it will turn its gaze from the stars to the future of planet Earth taking its seventh edition to Bratislava in 2024.
On May 11, May and Israelian announced the festival’s theme, “Starmus Earth: The Future of Our Home Planet,” at a panel event at London’s Royal Society. They were joined by world-renowned ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, (who now joins the Starmus Advisory Board), cosmologist Sir Martin Rees and Global Governance Professor Mary Kaldor, who led a unique discussion, moderated by Dr. Israelian, on how to solve some of our planet’s most pressing challenges.
Microbiologist and Nobel Laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier joined the panel remotely from a parallel launch event on the river Danube in Bratislava, alongside iPod inventor Tony Fadell and Richard Marko, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of ESET, the festival’s lead partner.
“Starmus has traditionally focused on interrogating the mysteries of the universe, looking upwards to inspire and educate the next generation of explorers and regenerate the spirit of discovery, bringing art, music, and the world’s greatest scientific and artistic minds together to enhance science communication,” said Starmus co-founder Israelian. “As the old saying goes, ‘Earth is a planet too!’ We are a privileged part of the cosmos, and as living beings we are made of star stuff. The very atoms in our bodies were forged in the earliest days of the universe or in the deaths of low-mass and high-mass stars. Earth is in the universe, and just as much a part of it as the stars”.
“Climate change could eventually make life on Earth untenable, and we are seeing signs of that rapid evolution now. We must take steps to take care of our world, and Starmus offers an important voice that draws attention to the urgency” said Dr. Jane Goodall.
