Public lecture by Prof. Rajaram Nityananda

The basic laws governing the very small – atoms – and the very large – the observable universe – have been in place for a hundred years. What has changed dramatically over the last fifty years is the range of applications and the depth of understanding of these laws. Equally, this quest has exposed the limitations of just the laws in understanding our everyday world, which lies between these two extremes. New concepts like entanglement, emergence, information, now dominate the theoretical side of the discussion.

On the experimental side, the richness of materials and biological systems has dramatically changed both science and technology. On the observational side, the discovery of planets like our own around stars like our own raises questions about our own sense of uniqueness. Evolution, both on earth and in the universe, is a major subject of investigation. This overview of how the study of nature is playing out today should raise many matters for contemplation and for discussion among us as humans.