Galileo and Shakespeare were born in the same year—1564. Shakespeare lived in a pivotal time in English history—a time when long-held beliefs were up for debate. It was also a time of competing ideas and clashing values; a time of doubt and confusion. Dan Falk and Chris Impey examine the playwright’s world, taking a close look at what Falk calls the prologue to modern science between 1560 and 1640. Moderated by David Sterling Brown.

Dan Falk has written for Smithsonian, New Scientist, Scientific American, Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, and many other publications, and is the author of three popular science books, "The Science of Shakespeare," In Search of Time" and "Universe on a T-Shirt." He’s been a regular contributor to Canadian public radio, and has won several international awards for his radio documentaries. He also hosts a podcast called BookLab, which reviews popular science books. He lives in Toronto.

Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has over 170 refereed publications on observational cosmology, galaxies, and quasars, and his research has been supported by $20 million in grants from NASA and the NSF. He has won eleven teaching awards, and he is currently teaching an online class with over 18,000 enrolled. He’s written over 40 popular articles on cosmology and astrobiology, two introductory textbooks, a novel called "Shadow World" (2013), and six popular science books. His latest book is "Beyond" (2015), on the future of space travel.