Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution |  | Authors: Neil Degrasse Tyson, Donald Goldsmith
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
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Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 87944
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0393327582
Dewey Decimal Number: 523.1
EAN: 9780393327588
ASIN: 0393327582
Publication Date: October 24, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
In this companion volume to the two-part NOVA television special by the same title, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and astronomy writer Donald Goldsmith attempt to cram 14 billion years of history into 300 pages. The result of this audacious exercise is a surprising and engrossing book, one that far surpasses the droning tone of so many astronomy texts. Starting (of course) with the Big Bang and ending with the search for extraterrestrial life, the authors synthesize the results of several scientific fields to present a sort of cosmological consilience. They also emphasize the scientific method and its inherent skepticism as the only way to understand such mysteries as dark matter, stellar formation, and the origin of life on Earth. Although several books are published each year that provide overviews of various branches of science, what's different about this one is the accessible tone of the writing. The authors use mild humor throughout to keep readers going in difficult sections; for instance, when assessing the question of why we live during the rare time when the amounts of dark and not-dark energy are roughly equal in the universe, they relate that cosmologist Michael Turner calls the situation the "'Nancy Kerrigan problem,' in honor of the Olympic figure skater, who asked... 'Why me? Why now?'" Combining 21st-century astronomy, astrobiology, astrochemistry, and other disciplines, Origins is a fine guidebook with which to journey "back to the beginning of everything." --Therese Littleton
Product Description
Drawing on the current cross-pollination of geology, biology, and astrophysics, Origins makes "the astonishing astronomical discoveries of recent years come alive (Michael D. Lemonick). Origin's explores cosmic science's stunning new insights into the formation and evolution of our universe— of the cosmos, of galaxies and galaxy clusters, of stars within galaxies, of orbiting planets, and of different forms of life. "Distill[s] complex science in clear and lively prose." —Scientific American Book Club..."The most informative, congenial and accessible general look at cosmology to come along since Carl Sagan's Cosmos 27 years ago," says Publishers Weekly. "The tone is informational, aimed at high clarity, and laced with giddy humor . . . general readers of every stripe will benefit from the authors' sophisticated, deeply knowledgeable presentation. If the casual book buyer purchases one science book this year, this should be the one." "Introduces the vibrant general-interest literature about individual post-Sagan advances in astronomy and cosmology."—Gilbert Taylor, Booklist 32 pages of color illustrations.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
 Outstanding Science November 23, 2004
Ron Atkins (California)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
Tyson and Goldsmith distill a complex subject of both immense philosophical and physical implications into 300 pages of readable text. The format is interesting, although it poses some material early on that is fairly daunting. The introduction to this subject I received by watching the 4-hour PBS production motivated me, however, to push through the tough stuff. As it turned out, the authors used the first chapter as an overview of everything, then used subsequent chapters to expand on individual concepts presented in the first chapter. I would have preferred the first chapter at the end, allowing the Preface to suffice as an introduction to the material. You may want to try reading the preface, then skipping ahead to the second chapter, saving the first chapter for last. This may keep you from tossing the book aside before giving it a fair chance. Just a thought. The title "Origins" threw me because I assumed it focused on Darwin's theory; however, this book is more than that, and combines elements of astrophysics, biology, and geology to describe how the universe was created, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. As Sagan would say, there appears to be billions and billions of opportunities for life in the universe.
For the serious scientist, I would further recommend: Steven Weinberg, author of several books on the subject, including: the "Quantam Theory of Fields" Volumes I and II, and "The First Three Minutes." Also, B. Reed's book "Quantam Mechanics: A 1st Course," and Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe," seem to be popular. These books give a more detailed, math-heavy version of Origins.
As an amateur scientist, rather weak in mathematics, I am happy with the depth of studying Origins, and enjoyed the color photos in this book. Carl Sagan's books "Cosmos" and "Billions and Billions" are good supplements to this book, written at a similar level, approachable by non-scientists.
A Delightful Challenge for Non-Scientists October 29, 2004
Diana K. Christopulos (Salem, VA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
If you saw the PBS special on "Origins," you know that Neil DeGrasse Tyson does a great job of translating astrophysics into normal human language. This book goes into much greater detail and merits a gradual reading by non-scientists like myself. The Preface is a clear introduction to the issues. The next section, Overture, is intentionally overwhelming with its "Greatest Story Ever Told." If you are not frustrated by this chapter, you know a lot more about physics than I do! Ah, but that is the point. Hang in there, because the rest of the book explains the Overture, one topic at a time. I am reading part of a chapter each day at lunch and find something amazing each day. This is a good book for people who want to challenge their assumptions about reality.
Reflects Current Thinking and expresses it Clearly September 30, 2004
John Matlock (Winnemucca, NV)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
There is no way we can think of for the elements that make up most of the world we know such as oxygen and carbon to exist except for them to have been 'cooked' in the center of stars. This is not exactly a simple concept, and the story of how we have learned this is remarkable in its own right.
In this companion to the PBS 'Nova' four hour special, the story of the origin of everything is explained by two excellent writers. Some years Carl Sagan did a similar book/show called 'Cosmos.' This new story is Cosmos brought up to date with the latest discoveries and theories, and done without so much of the 'Wow, how marvelous' that Sagan used.
Of particular interest to me was the discussion on the likelyhood of extra-terrestrial life in the Universe. Obviously no conclusion can be reached because we have not made contact with any other civilization, but on the other hand, it is impossible to prove a negative. The approach in this book is strictly scientific. Here is the Drake equasion, here is what the terms mean, we really have no idea of the answer.
Exceptional! November 21, 2004
J. B. Siders (Illinois, USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
This book was fantastic in terms of it's scope and presentation of astrophysics. It's easy to follow style and plain language make it a good read for even the most amateur science lover. Mr. Tyson does a great job of showing us how insignificant we really are in this galaxy (let alone the universe as a whole).
The Mysteries of Creation June 29, 2005
Smallchief
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
A non-scientist, I've read several books trying to understand current theories as to how the universe began, developed, and how it will end some day. This book comes closer to making clear to me some very complex issues than any other I have found. The authors start with the small --quantum mechanics, the Big Bang, and the time the universe was the size of a pinhead -- and proceed on to examine the big issues.
The approach of the book is chronological, from 14 billion years ago up to the present. The first chapters deal with the creation of the universe. From there attention moves to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets and, finally, the authors take a long look at the prospects of finding life somewhere out there. Along the way, there is fascinating -- and occasionally humorous -- discussion on subjects such as whether the universe is finite or infinite, the techniques of finding unseen planets circling distant stars, and the conditions under which life might be created. Theories, speculation, and facts are introduced that date from as recently as 2002 so this book should be current and readable for a few more years.
The text is illustrated by a sizeable number of good-quality color photographs and an extensive glossary explains a lot of terms and theories mentioned in the text. All in all, a book characterized by a lucid, accurate, and comprehensible look at some awfully big subjects.
Smallchief
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
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