It's not quite asking for the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything, but next month's Origins Symposium is probably the closest we can realistically expect to take on that challenge.
The public event will convene some of the greatest minds in science, including six Nobel Laureates, to discuss the origins of everything, from the universe to humanity, on Monday, April 6, in ASU Gammage in Tempe.
The Origins Symposium will include discussions by some of the world’s most noted scientists, authors and public intellectuals, including Stephen Hawking [right], Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins, Donald Johanson, Brian Greene and Craig Venter.
Six Nobel Laureates – Baruch Blumberg, Walter Gilbert, Sheldon Glashow, David Gross, John Mather and Frank Wilczek – will be part of a Nobel panel discussion on the key mysteries in science and moderated by NPR’s Ira Flatow, producer and host of Science Friday.
There is a special evening event with Stephen Hawking, who will speak about black holes, extra dimensions and the origin of the universe.
The symposium is being championed by Lawrence Krauss, who has a joint appointment in the ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration.
Ticket prices for the general public range from $12.50 to $125. More information about the symposium is at: origins.asu.edu/symposium. For general public ticket information call Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787, or go to www.ticketmaster.com.
[parts of this post are taken from the ASU news release]