Cosmic coincidences: Dark matter, mankind and anthropic cosmology - Softcover

John Gribbin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 055299443X ISBN 13: 9780552994439

Publisher: Black Swan, 1991

Synopsis

What happened "in the beginning", 15 billion years ago? Is the universe only one of its kind or are there others? Is it just a coincidence that life evolved on Earth? This book explores the chain of cosmic events that led to intelligent life on Earth. Scientists cannot explain the distribution of galaxies, and the voids between them, without concluding that at least 90% of the universe consists of so-called "dark matter". The authors here aim to provide a readable account of the leading theories and latest advances in understanding the nature of dark matter, the controlling force in the dynamics structure and the eventual fate of the universe. John Gribbin's previous books include "The Hole in the Sky" and "Hothouse Earth".

About this title

About the Author

Dr. John Gribbin, science writer and cosmologist, is the author of many nonfiction books, including In Search of the Big Bang, In Search of the Double Helix, the best-selling In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, and The Omega Point, which was nominated for Britain's top science book award in 1988. His first solo science fiction novel, Father to the Man, has recently been published in the U.S. A frequent guest on science programs on BBC Radio, Gribbin holds a doctorate in astrophysics from Cambridge University and lives in East Sussex, England. While still a graduate student, Dr. Martin Rees predicted that structures inside quasars (then newly discovered) would appear to move much faster than light. This was confirmed several years later, and he has continued to be on the forefront in the study of cosmology, galaxies, black holes, and space science. Elected Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge when he was only 30, Rees continues to be interested in the broader philosophical implications of his research and in conveying the fascination of the latest scientific ideas to a wide public. He has written numerous general articles, appeared frequently on radio and television, and given many public lectures, especially in the United States. Rees lives with his wife, a social anthropologist, in an old farmhouse near Cambridge. More books from John Gribbin are available at: http://ReAnimus.com/authors/johngribbin

From Publishers Weekly

As a followup to his other popular science books, including the bestselling In Search of Schrodinger's Cat , astrophysicist Gribbin now collaborates with astronomer Rees for a New Age look at science's recent discoveries about the universe. Aided by charts, diagrams and M. C. Escher graphics, the authors range from the subatomic activity of what they call the "particle zoo" to quasars, black holes and superstring theory. Their favorite topic, though, is the perplexing question of dark matter: the gravity needed to form galaxies and keep them in motion requires a mass 10 times greater than that which can be observed. Although most of the book is able, straightforward science writing, the mystery of the missing mass is a keystone leading to the proposition that our carbon-based life was not haphazardly arrived at, but the deliberate end of a universe "tailor made for man." Yet the writers' sense of perspective (admitting that this may be a "parochial" view of cosmic events) and clearly reasoned argument render their volume a knowledgeable introduction for believers and skeptics alike.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Swan
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 055299443X
• ISBN 13: 9780552994439
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320