Overview

From the Big Bang and the evolution of the genetic code to the birth of consciousness, this is the extraordinary story of the chain of events that led to human life on earth. Have you ever wondered why you exist? What had to happen for you to be alive and conscious? Scientists have come a long way in answering this question, and this book describes what they have found out. It also examines whether our existence was inevitable at the universe's birth 13.77 billion years ago--or whether we are just incredibly lucky. The book is aimed at readers who are interested in science but are not experts. Written in an entertaining and accessible style, the narrative begins by describing how scientists discover facts before taking the reader on a journey from the Big Bang to the creation of the human genome. Covering physics, astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, the emergence of life, evolution, consciousness, the rise of humanity, and how our personalities are moulded by genes, chance, and the environment, the journey explains how the universe started as point of intense energy that over time, in our corner of the universe, resulted in our wonderful planet--and in you.

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9781639366521

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Reviews

"""An extremely enjoyable read, written in a very engaging way, and sprinkled with often very funny anecdotes. Will appeal to a broad variety of readers and inspire new generations of scientists for years to come.""--Quentin Paynter ""What have we learned about the past 13.8 billion years that resulted in you looking at this book? Tim Coulson, a fun scientist who has no limits to his brain's boundaries takes us on a free spirited intellectual romp through every aspect of what we know about our universe. A highly readable and super enjoyable book.""--Peter Hudson, FRS Willaman Professor of Biology at Penn State ""A charming, engaging and erudite account by a distinguished biologist of all the things that had to happen for you and me to exist and be as we are.""--David Christian, author of the New York Times bestselling Origin Story"

Author Information

Tim Coulson is a professor of zoology at the University of Oxford. He has worked as an academic teaching biology for three decades and has published over two hundred peer-reviewed articles. Tim chose to study biology because he was drawn to its inherent complexity, as his desire was to become a specialist in complex systems. His teaching and research has been rewarded with international awards from the Royal Society, the British Ecological Society, the Swedish Oikos society, the Zoological Society of London, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford. Tim regularly gives interviews on the BBC, Sky, and Channel 4 as a talking head. Tim lives in Oxford, England.

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