Where it all began: The Big Bang

Internationally renowned cosmologist Professor Carlos Frenk will open this year's York Festival of Ideas with a talk on the biggest metamorphosis of all - that of the universe as a whole, from the simplicity of the Big Bang to the complexity of the universe of galaxies, stars, and the planet on which we live.

Professor Frenk is world-renowned as the scientific leader of the team who simulated the Big Bang. In this launch event, he will deliver a public lecture on how cosmology confronts some of the most fundamental questions in the world of science.

Professor Frenk is the Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University; he builds model universes in state-of-the-art supercomputers to try to understand how our Universe evolved from simple beginnings to the complex structures composed of stars and galaxies that we see today.

His talk will be accompanied by an installation especially designed for the University’s 3Sixty immersive technology demonstration space which will do no less than recreate the beginnings of the Universe.

As part of the launch event, there will also be an opportunity to explore the Department of Physics' Cosmodome and other exhibition material.

Admission: by free ticket only, available from yorkfestivalofideas.com/tickets