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SUMMARY:Was there Anything Before the Big Bang? Possibly! - Sir Roger Penr
 ose OM FRS
DTSTART:20081118T200000Z
DTEND:20081118T210000Z
UID:TALK14997@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:9337
DESCRIPTION:Use the opportunity to hear famous physicist Sir Roger Penrose
  speak at the Cambridge University Scientific Society. Admittance will be 
 free!\n\n*Abstract:*\nThere is now a plethora of evidence confirming the e
 xistence of an enormously hot and dense early stage of the universe. Much 
 of this evidence comes from a detailed analysis of the cosmic microwave ba
 ckground (CMB)\, such as is provided by the vast detail of information in 
 the observations of the WMAP satellite. \n\nBut this very detail presents 
 new puzzles of various kinds\, one of the most blatant being an apparent p
 aradox in relation to the second law of thermodynamics. The hypothesis of 
 inflationary cosmology has been long argued to explain away some of these 
 puzzles\, but profound issues remain. \n\nIn this talk\, Professor Penrose
  will describe a quite different proposal\, which posits a succession of u
 niverse aeons prior to our own. Some very recent analysis of the CMB data 
 will be described\, this having a profound bearing on these issues.
LOCATION:Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre\, Department of Chemistry\, 
 Lensfield Road
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