Help, I’m in a quandary. This Thursday, two equally compelling free talks are on at the same time and I can’t decide which I’d rather see.

Over at Gresham College, Professor of Astronomy Ian Morison will describe the search for other solar systems. What are the current and future techniques for spotting extrasolar planets? What have we uncovered so far? Could we soon detect the traces of life on these planets?

At exactly the same time, Patricia Rothman will give a talk at UCL on a chap called William Jones. Jones was an Eighteenth Century hub of communication, bringing together a community of mathematicians, natural philosophers and astronomers. He also introduced the Greek symbol for pi into common notation.

Hmm, astrophysics or the history of science. Which do I pick? You can collapse the wavefunction for me by influencing my decision in the comments. Two alternative futures lay before me, and you can decide which path I take. It’s a bit like a scientific version of the movie Sliding Doors. Sadly, I doubt Gwyneth Paltrow will be in either audience.