Nature vs Nurture in Granada

And we're not talking about humans. We're talking galaxies here! And we've got around 100 experts from all over the world meeting in Granada to discuss the issue of nature vs nurture as it relates to... yes, galaxies. It appears that galaxies behave and evolve differently depending on whether they are alone or close to each other - basically in groups. Thus we have the title of this scientific congress: "Isolated Galaxies: Nature vs Nurture". According to Andalucian press, this is the first congress of its kind in the world - yes, the whole, entire world (and possibly even our galaxy) if you can believe that. And its venue is Granada, of all places. But then, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that the first such astrophysical event in our (possibly even) our entire universe takes place in this emblematic city, once so important in the Moorish empire that dominated Spain for 700 years. Given the importance of such sciences as astronomy during those times, perhaps Granada is finally returning to its roots. In any case, this will give expert star gazers from around the world a chance to contemplate the heavens from the same vantage point as their predecessors in the field centuries ago. The event is sponsored by Andalucia's Astrophysics Institute.
Blog published on 12 May 2009