Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted

Time. Gravity. Night. So much of what surrounds us feels familiar and mundane. But each is a wonder that reveals profound insights into the world around us.

C. Renée James's whimsical tour of seven everyday experiences—night, light, stuff, gravity, time, home, and wonder—opens the Universe to fantastical contemplation. Light? Although we need it to see, there's much more to it than meets the eye. Stuff? When it comes down to it, things are almost entirely empty space—99.9% nothing—especially when you get to the atomic level. Home? James's contemplation of our place in the Universe shows that it's not just a place to hang your hat—and that there’s really nothing else like it.

James introduces each of these seven wonders with a simple question that appears to be easily answered. The questions are deceptive, though—as is James's casual, light-hearted style. Underneath lie such concepts as relativity, matter and antimatter, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Her accessible discussion uses common analogies and entertaining illustrations to provide a bundle of detail on historical discoveries and to provoke serious pondering.

Fun and edifying, Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted is an inviting introduction to secret knowledge of our everyday world. This book may be 99.9% nothing, but the thoughts it will inspire are massive.

C. Renee James (SPRING, TX) is a professor of physics and astronomy at Sam Houston State University. She is the author of Science Unshackled: How Obscure, Abstract, Seemingly Useless Scientific Research Turned Out to Be the Basis for Modern Life and Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted.