A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2020
NAMED A BEST BOOK
OF THE YEAR BY * THE WASHINGTON POST * THE ECONOMIST * NEW SCIENTIST
* PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * THE GUARDIAN
From one of the
most dynamic rising stars in astrophysics, an "engrossing,
elegant" (The New York Times) look at five ways the universe
could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about
the most important concepts in cosmology.
We know the universe
had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it expanded from a state of
unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a
simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for
everything from black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near
the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life as we know
it. But what happens to the universe at the end of the story? And
what does it mean for us now?
Dr. Katie Mack has
been contemplating these questions since she was a young student,
when her astronomy professor informed her the universe could end at
any moment, in an instant. This revelation set her on the path toward
theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she takes
us on a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos's possible
finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the
one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us
through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics,
cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything
is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of
all that we know.