At a recent workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to discuss health risks associated with a potential manned mission to Mars, it became clear just how vitally we humans depend on our Earth鈥檚 environment.
鈥淭hose discussions forced us to think about how our physiology depends on the attributes of our home planet. The question about what to include in the Mars transport vehicle is a wake-up call for those insensitive to the elimination of biodiversity and poorly conceived urbanization globally,鈥 said Ted Smith, PhD, deputy director of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville. Smith also is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for NASA鈥檚 Translation Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) and organized the workshop.
At the next Beer with a Scientist, Smith will discuss what planning for long-range space travel reveals about the need to preserve our home planet鈥檚 health for our own survival.
Smith鈥檚 talk will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, at , 8023 Catherine Lane. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.
Admission is free. Purchase of beer or other items is not required but is encouraged.
Upcoming Beer with a Scientist events:
- July 17: 聽Jason Chesney, MD, PhD, will discuss recent advances in using our own immune cells to cure cancer.
