We’re exploring the space where science and culture intersect, and we’re doing it over drinks.

Grab a brew (or root-brew!) and meet us online OR on-site at the Milwaukee Public Museum. This Carpenter lecture series features some of the best minds in science. From the sensation of being hugged by an octopus to quantum mechanics, Science on Tap looks to answer questions you never knew you had!

Melinda Soares-Furtado, NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow, UW-Madison & Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will present Devoured Worlds – Investigating Planetary Ingestion Events.

Stars play a critical role in the formation and evolution of their planetary companions. Less often discussed is the fact that stars sometimes cannibalize the worlds orbiting them. This can occur due to dynamical effects and/or as a result of the host star’s evolution. In several billion years, our own inner rocky bodies will be consumed as our Sun grows nearly 100x in diameter. In this talk, Soares-Furtado will discuss the observational effects of planetary ingestion, describing current investigations to search for cannibal stars in the Milky Way.