Gathering of Renowned Space Directors Delves into Interstellar Enigmas
The Museum of Science and Industry Collaborates with The Royal Society
The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester is set to embark on an extraordinary collaboration with The Royal Society, the oldest academy of science in the world, in 2019. This partnership, which has already proven to be very fruitful, will celebrate the birth of The Royal Society and the rise of London as a scientific powerhouse.
The MOSI, which receives more educational visitors than any other museum in Britain and has just recorded its highest ever attendance from such groups, is poised to benefit greatly from this partnership. One of the key figures involved in this collaboration is Professor Lisa Randall of Harvard University, a co-author of one of the most influential papers in modern physics and the guest of honor at the 2017 Director's Annual Dinner.
Professor Randall's research has been instrumental in connecting the cosmic mystery of dark matter with Earth's geological history. Her latest book, "Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs", proposes that dark matter structures may indirectly cause increased extraterrestrial impacts on Earth, linked to extinction events like that of the dinosaurs. This idea blends astrophysical dark matter theories with paleontological evidence of mass extinctions.
At the 2017 Director's Annual Dinner, Professor Randall discussed her research on identifying the nature of dark matter and its potential role in causing increased cometary impacts on Earth. The connection was made that a thin disk of dark matter in the plane of the Milky Way could gravitationally disturb objects in the distant solar system, sending more comets toward the inner solar system and Earth. These increased cometary impacts could explain periodic mass extinctions, including the one that ended the reign of the dinosaurs.
In addition to this groundbreaking research, the MOSI boasts a number of other exciting exhibitions. Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery, a new interactive gallery for young audiences and families, opened in 2016. The Science Museum Group also has partnership agreements with the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro and the Science and Technology Museum in Shanghai.
The MOSI's primary focus for the year ahead is the UK-India Year of Culture, with one of the landmark events being the Illuminating India Festival. The Medicine Galleries, set to open in 2019, have been supported by Wellcome, Heritage Lottery Fund, Wolfson Foundation, GSK, and The Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation.
Dame Mary Archer, the Group Chairman, emphasized the importance of investing in young minds for the UK's workforce in STEM subjects. She also highlighted the Museum's impressive collection, which includes 'probably the finest 17th and 18th century science collections in the world', according to Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, who won the Nobel prize for his work on a molecular machine called the ribosome.
Professor Randall praised the MOSI as impressive, beautiful, and informative. She also shared an interesting fact: there are probably a billion dark matter particles passing through a person every second. As the MOSI and The Royal Society embark on this exciting collaboration, it's clear that the future of science education and discovery is in good hands.
[1] https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttothelight/blog/dark-matter-and-the-dinosaurs [5] https://www.nature.com/articles/nature23528
Scientists at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) will utilize technology to investigate the connection between dark matter and space-and-astronomy, specifically focusing on how dark matter structures may impact Earth, as-per Prof. Lisa Randall's research. This collaboration between MOSI and The Royal Society aims to advance science education and discovery, aligning with Dame Mary Archer's advocacy for investing in young minds for STEM subjects.
