What's Eating the Universe?
And Other Cosmic Questions
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
'Brilliant. You won't find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together' Bill Bryson
Celebrated physicist and global bestselling author Paul Davies tells the story of the universe in thirty cosmological conundrums
In the constellation of Eridanus there lurks a cosmic mystery. It's as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe, leaving a super-void. What could be the culprit? A super massive black hole? Another, bigger universe? Or an expanding vacuum bubble, destined to envelop and annihilate everything in existence?
Scientists now understand the history of our universe better than the history of our own planet, but they continue to uncover startling new riddles-the hole in the universe being just one. In this electrifying book, award-winning physicist Paul Davies walks us through the puzzles and paradoxes that have preoccupied cosmologists from ancient Greece to the present day. Laying bare the audacious research that has led us to mind-bending solutions, Davies reveals how we might begin to approach the greatest outstanding enigmas of all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lessons in cosmology and astrophysics abound in this enthusiastic primer from physicist Davies (The Demon in the Machine). In answering 30 questions, Davies aims to show how "beautiful and awe-inspiring" the world is. Some of his topics are familiar: "Why Is It Dark at Night?" covers the brightness of stars, "Is Time Travel Possible?" explains relativity (and offers "maybe" as an answer), and "Is ET in Our Backyard?" suggests humans are more likely to discover "robotic surrogates than biological organisms" as forms of extraterrestrial intelligence. About half of the questions are related to the Big Bang, and Davies describes antimatter, warped time, and black holes in a conversational tone. Other questions concern the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, and the possible "fate of our universe": "Although the idea is currently out of fashion, it remains possible that the universe will eventually collapse to a big crunch." With each chapter running a few pages long, readers can dip in and out for a quick moment of enlightenment. Accessible writing and a breezy appreciation for discovery make this a great introduction for readers new to physics.
