Scientists Meet a Philosopher: Kavli IPMU-ELSI Joint Public Lecture "Question of Origins"

Date of activity: January 10, 2016

Experts in theoretical physics, earth and planetary science, and philosophy shared the stage to discuss the question about the origins of everything in front of a capacity crowd in a public lecture held at the Miraikan on January 10, 2016.

Jointly hosted by the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) and Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), the event “Question of Origins” was centered on a common theme shared between the two. Together, they are the only institutes that focus on origins in the World Premier International Research Center Initiative, which is a program hosted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Kavli IPMU investigates the origin of the Universe, and ELSI researches the origin of the Earth and life.

January’s event introduced the latest scientific advancements in both areas, including a talk by Kavli IPMU Director Hitoshi Murayama about the origin of the Universe and the birth of stars; and another talk by ELSI Director Kei Hirose about the origin of Earth and the birth of life. To bring in a different perspective, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy Director Shinji Kajitani was also invited to give his opinion as a philosopher. Finally, the three speakers shared the stage to discuss the idea of how to explore origins.

Director Murayama opened his talk by making the point that while the Big Bang created hydrogen and helium, the elements humans are made up of were created inside stars, and dark matter was essential in creating stars.  He referred to neutrino experiments that made these points clear.

He continued by explaining how scientists are studying dark matter today, from trying to create the dark matter particles in particle accelerators, to attempting to catch dark matter using underground equipment. He also introduced his team’s new theory about a possible strong interaction in dark matter particles. Murayama explained how these studies have led scientists to question why there is only matter left in the Universe, or how “inflation” created the macroscopic Universe, and mentioned that researchers at the Kavli IPMU are leading the LiteBIRD project that will look for experimental evidence for the inflation theory. To finish off, the particle physicist talked about how scientists are trying to find out if superstring theory and 9 dimensional space would be able to explain why our Universe is so perfectly shaped, emphasizing how much mystery is left to be solved in our Universe.

In the next talk, Director Hirose started by illustrating the pivotal role geological records of the Earth and Moon, and various theoretical models, have played in helping scientists determine when our world began, and how all planets fit under a common planet formation model. On top of this, he explained how Earth is not covered in as much water as most people think. In fact, it is because of this lack of water that life on Earth has evolved to survive in both environments, leading to the large diversity of species we see today.

However, Hirose said finding how life began is not an easy accomplishment. While on Earth most living organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor, scientists have yet to discover a planet other than Earth where life exists and with which they can make a comparison. Because of this, scientists have yet to create an accurate life formation model.

Research into the origin of life follows the evolution of life through gene decoding, and the creation of the three major factors of life -- cell membranes, DNA/RNA, and proteins – from inorganic materials. In particular, the second part of the previous sentence is most interesting. If we assume that the essence of life does not cease, scientists would need to find a way to continuously supply primary molecules. If scientists could reproduce metabolic reactions with minerals acting as catalysts, it would make it possible to study the origin of life inside a laboratory.

In the last talk, Center Director Kajitani pointed out that science (heliocentric theory and evolutionary theory) is supported by a perception that values order. He referred to Pythagoras and Johannes Kepler as great minds that had a specific intention to quantify things in order to bring harmony to mathematics. Or, in pursuit of a universal theory, scientists like Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein valued things such as completeness and conservation.

Kajitani continued to talk about what science values, referring to before and after its establishment. While humans were thought to be going corrupt, the introduction of modern science has shaped humans so that they were able to continue evolving. In contrast to times prior to scientific development in which people could hope for salvation from their god, now we are in an age in which the dignity of human beings is no longer guaranteed. Kajitani thus expressed uncertainty about our future with scientific and technological developments and the evolution of the Universe.

In the round table that followed, Murayama and Hirose answered questions posed by Kajitani, during which they discussed topics including the inability to clarify the unique characteristics of life on Earth, and the mystery of mathematics. Scientists believe that mathematics is implicitly universal, but at the same time they know that they should say it is too good to be true. Wonderment about how science has never stopped developing until now was also expressed.

To finish the day, the audience was invited to chat with the speakers in a lounge area overlooking the sights of Odaiba. Speakers found themselves surrounded by people eager to discuss and ask questions until it was time to draw the event to a close.

A range of participant comments indicated the audience enjoyed their time: “It’s my first time and it’s fantastic to see scientists and a philosopher talk about this theme.”  “I went home with more questions and more enthusiasm for the topic.”
“It was great to see experts ask each other questions about certain issues during the talk session.”
 

• http://www.ipmu.jp/2016origin