A Brief History of the Universe (and Our Place in It)

Particle physicist Malik debuts with a broad overview of humanity’s quest to understand the cosmos. Beginning in ancient times, she explains how the Babylonians recorded celestial events, believing the sky contained messages from the gods, and moves through the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, when astronomers like Copernicus and Galileo advocated for a heliocentric view of the universe. Turning to the 20th century, she chronicles Edwin Hubble’s discovery of the existence of other galaxies and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, which revolutionized scientists’ understanding of space and time. Her reach extends from the quantum level, exploring the numerous particles comprising atoms, to the edge of the cosmos, speculating on the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Elsewhere, she describes the creation of life on Earth, including the theory that all known life forms descended from a universal ancestor, and the universe’s ultimate death 100 trillion years from now when it “will ultimately wind down to a point where nothing at all happens.” Malik succeeds in demonstrating that “the ‘truths’ we hold to be indisputable are liable to be swept away in the next scientific revolution,” but in tackling such an immense expanse of history, she eschews depth in favor of breadth. This is best suited for those looking for an abbreviated summary of physics and astronomy. (May)