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Identical twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly on Wednesday — with Scott reporting in from the International Space Station — kicked off this year's science lecture series presented by the Natural History Museum of Utah. Their talk to a sold-out crowd at Kingsbury Hall on the U. of U. campus included their work with the NASA Twins Study. The study is "investigating the subtle effects and changes that may occur in spaceflight as compared to Earth by studying two individuals who have the same genetics, but are in different environments for one year," according to NASA.
"Unraveling the Unknown — 21st Century Explorers" is the theme for this year's annual scientific lecture series, which runs through March.
Coming up in the series:
Feb. 25 • University of Utah Biologist Phyllis Coley talks about her work and efforts to promote medicinal discoveries and conservation of rainforests; Salt Lake City Public Library.
March 7-8 • Toxinologist Zoltán Takács talks about life-saving medicines created from animal venoms that save the lives of millions of people; Viridian Event Center on March 7 and the Natural History Museum of Utah on March 8.
March 29 • World-renown oceanographer David Gallo will offer insight into new technologies and discoveries taking place underwater, plus efforts to help recover Air France flight 447; Natural History Museum of Utah.
The remaining lectures are free. Details and ticket information at https://nhmu.utah.edu/lectureseries .