The Shortest History of Our Universe: The Unlikely Journey from the Big Bang to Us

A complete history of the universe, spanning 13.8 billion years in an ultra-accessible, uncommonly illuminating, exhilarating chronicle of key events

"Baker introduces us not only to the history of our species and our planet, but the history of our vast universe."--from the foreword by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars

In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest-possible time span--from the Big Bang to the present day--in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the "rise of complexity" in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; the origin of all galaxies, stars, and our solar system; and the evolution of life on Earth, from tiny single-celled organisms to human beings.

Weaving together insights across the sciences--including chemistry, physics, biology, archaeology, and anthropology--Baker answers the fundamental questions: How did time begin? Why does matter exist? What made life on Earth the way it is? He also argues that never before has life on Earth been forced to adjust to a changing climate so rapidly, nor has one species ever been responsible for such sudden change. Baker's grand view offers the clearest picture of what may come next--and the role we can still play in our planet's fate.

Author: David Baker
Publisher: Experiment
Published: 05/02/2023
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.52lbs
Size: 7.79h x 5.25w x 0.69d
ISBN13: 9781615199730
ISBN10: 161519973X
BISAC Categories:
- Science | Natural History
- Science | Space Science | Cosmology
- History | World | General

About the Author
Adam Rutherford is a science writer and broadcaster. He studied genetics at University College London, and during his PhD on the developing eye, he was part of a team that identified the first genetic cause of a form of childhood blindness. He has written and presented many award-winning series and programs for the BBC, including the flagship weekly Radio 4 program Inside Science, The Cell for BBC Four, and Playing God (on the rise of synthetic biology) for the leading science series Horizon, as well as writing for the science pages of the Guardian. His first book, Creation, on the origin of life and synthetic biology, was published in 2013 to outstanding reviews and was short-listed for the Wellcome Trust Prize.

Siddhartha Mukherjee is the author of The Gene and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Emperor of All Maladies. He is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and a cancer physician and researcher.