The Universal History of Us
Tim Coulson
Michael Joseph £30 HB
Our very existence seems improbable. In fact, so fine-tuned are the factors that allow for the existence of humans and all life on Earth, that the Universe seems contrived. While some turn to intelligent (or divine) design, science concludes that life, and humans, are simply an inevitable outcome of the laws of physics. The Universal History of Us tackles these very issues. How is it that, after 13.8 billion years of evolution, the Universe has produced human beings, assemblages of molecules capable of pondering their own consciousness?
The journey of discovery we face is long and complicated. At the microscopic level, we learn how the forces of nature produce atomic structures conducive to both the nuclear furnaces of stars and the chemistry of biology. At the macroscopic level, we study the development of the cosmos, galaxies and how stars can harbour precious life. Then we delve into the unbelievably complex mechanics of the biochemical: folding, manipulating and replicating molecules. We trace our ancestry until the emergence of modern humans and digress into more subjective areas of science, such as the nature of consciousness and the societal factors in human development.
This book covers a lot of ground, encompassing almost all of science – cosmology, astronomy, quantum physics, geology, biochemistry, palaeontology, sociology, neurology; the themes are endless. Despite that, the text is unencumbered by scientific jargon, while more arcane subjects are described with skill and patience. Anyone interested in our place in the Universe, and how the Universe has allowed, even demanded, our existence, will find this book fascinating and rewarding. ★★★★★