Lewis Ryan Dartnell (born 21 November 1980)
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.
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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,
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was subsequently reprinted under the title of
Martian Death Rays.
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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.
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He is currently a Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster.
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Writing
Dartnell has written science articles for popular magazines including
New Scientist,
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and was runner up for The Daily Telegraph Science Writer's Award in 2004.
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He has written several books, including
Life in the Universe,
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an introductory book to the field of
astrobiology, and
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2019 saw the publication of
Origins,
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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.[
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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.
[Inagaki, Riichiro (2017) Dr Stone, VIZ Media]
External links
