biology

Lewis Dartnell

Lewis Dartnell is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lewis Dartnell rather than just read about it. In short: Lewis Ryan Dartnell (born 21 November 1974) is a British astrobiologist, presenter, and professor of science communication at the University of Westminster. His works of popular science include The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch and Origins, which looks at how geology has impacted human history.

Key takeaways

Lewis Dartnell belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lewis Dartnell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lewis Dartnell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lewis Ryan Dartnell (born 21 November 1974) is a British astrobiologist, presenter, and professor of science communication at the University of Westminster. His works of popular science include The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch and Origins, which looks at how geology has impacted human history.

Early life and education Dartnell was born in the UK, but spent much of his childhood years abroad, as his father was posted overseas while working as an engineer for British Airways. He was educated at Charterhouse, in Surrey, and obtained a degree in biology from the University of Oxford. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Astrobiology at University College London. His thesis, Computer modeling and experimental work on the astrobiological implications of the Martian subsurface ionising radiation environment, was subsequently reprinted under the title of Martian Death Rays.

Career

Research Dartnell was a UK Space Agency research fellow at the University of Leicester, where his research focused on the study of extremophile microbes and their signs of past or present life, including the use of Raman spectroscopy to detect micro-organisms even after they have been damaged by exposure to very high levels of radiation. As of 2017, he is a Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster.

Writing Dartnell has written science articles for popular magazines including New Scientist, and was runner up for The Daily Telegraph Science Writer's Award in 2004. He has written several books, including Life in the Universe, an introductory book to the field of astrobiology, and The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch. 2019 saw the publication of Origins, which is an account of how the Earth has affected human evolution and civilizations. Dartnell also contributed an essay on extraterrestrial life edited by Jim Al-Khalili.

Broadcasting Dartnell has appeared in several science programmes for BBC radio and television, including guest appearances on The Sky at Night and StarGazing Live. He also presented at TED in March 2015 during Session 10: Building from Scratch.

Personal life Dartnell lives in the Stoke Newington area of London.

Influence Riichiro Inagaki, Tokyo-based author of the manga series Dr. Stone, references a Japanese translation of Dartnell's book The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilisation in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm as a consulted work.

References

External links

Personal website The Knowledge (book) Research Council UK Profile University of Leicester profile University of Westminster profile

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lewis Dartnell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lewis Dartnell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lewis Dartnell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lewis Dartnell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lewis Dartnell

In research: Lewis Dartnell appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lewis Dartnell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lewis Dartnell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980 births, Academics of the University of Leicester, Alumni of the University of Oxford, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lewis Dartnell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lewis Dartnell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lewis Dartnell means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lewis Dartnell out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lewis Dartnell in simple terms?

Why does Lewis Dartnell matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lewis Dartnell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lewis Dartnell.