Atom : An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth...and Beyond

Atom : An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth...and Beyond

Recounts the story of matter and the history of the cosmos, for general readers. Beginning below the Earth's crust in an underground water chamber, the author moves back in time to the atom's beginnings inside an exploding star, to the Big Bang and the emergence of life on Earth. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Starting with one atom of oxygen that arises as an effect of the big bang, Krauss, chairman of physics at Case Western Reserve University, weaves a tale that reads as compellingly as a good novel. He traces the atom's travels from the early moments of the universe to its participation in life on Earth and then considers what might become of it after life on Earth ends. The result is nothing less than a history of the cosmos. EDITORS OF SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Surpassing even Blake's vision of the world in a grain of sand, Krauss offers readers the entire cosmos in a mere atom. The natural history of a single oxygen atom takes us from the birth of its subatomic constituents in X-particle decays 12 billion years ago to its death in proton disintegration billions of years in the future. The episodes of its long life take this tiny protagonist into an astonishing variety of settings--from the fiery heart of a star, into the icy nucleus of a comet, into the life-sustaining oceans of Earth, and finally into the vastness of empty space. Along the way, this tiny bit of inanimate matter proves surprisingly informative as to the nature of life, the meaning of human consciousness, and the final destiny of the universe. While sparing the nonspecialist the rigors of mathematical physics, Krauss does invite his readers to test themselves against more technical sources, a dozen of which he recommends for further study. The intellectual excitement of this book will doubtless propel many of its readers deep into more rigorous literature. Bryce Christensen Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Lawrence M. Krauss is the best selling author of The Physics of Star Trek. He received his Ph.D. in physics from MIT and now chairs the Department of Physics at Case Western Reserve University.