Human Universe PDF
Preview Human Universe
Copyright William Collins An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF WilliamCollinsBooks.com This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2015 Text © Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen 2014 Photographs © individual copyright holders Diagrams © HarperCollinsPublishers Cover photographs © Shutterstock (ape); © NASA (arm) By arrangement with the BBC. The BBC logo is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 2014 The authors assert their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non- exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-Book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780008125080 eBook Edition © May 2015 ISBN: 9780008129798 Version: 2015-04-21 Praise for Professor Brian Cox: ‘Engaging, ambitious and creative.’ Guardian ‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things.’ Independent ‘If you didn’t utter a wow watching the TV, you will while reading the book.’ The Times ‘In this book of the acclaimed BBC2 TV series, Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena.’ Sunday Express ‘Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too.’ Guardian ‘Will entertain and delight … what a priceless gift that would be.’ Independent on Sunday Dedication From Brian To George Albert Eagle: It’s your future, little boy. From Andrew To my soulmate Anna, my beautiful children Benjamin, Martha and Theo, my wonderful mum Barbara, my brothers Paul and Howard and all of the ‘small creatures’ whom I am lucky enough to have with me in the vastness. Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Praise for Professor Brian Cox Dedication Where are We? Oakbank Avenue, Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom, Europe, Earth, Milky Way, Observable Universe …? Off Centre Changing Perspective Outwards to the Milky Way Searching for Patterns in Starlight Beyond the Milky Way The Great Debate The Political Ramifications of Reality, or ‘How to Avoid Getting Locked Up’ The Happiest Thought of My Life A Day Without Yesterday Are We Alone? Science Fact or Fiction? The First Aliens Listen Very Carefully The Golden Voyage Alien Worlds The Recipe for Life Origins A Brief History of Life on Earth A Briefest Moment in Time So, are We Alone? Who are We? Spaceman Apeman Lucy in the Sky From the North Star to the Stars Climate Change in the Rift Valley and Human Evolution ‘An Unprecedented Duel with Nature’ Farming: The Bedrock of Civilisation The Kazak Adventure: Part 1 Intermission: Beyond Memory The Kazak Adventure: Part 2 Why are We Here? A Neat Piece of Logic New Dawn Fades The Rules of the Game Nature’s Fingerprint A Brief History of the Snowflake How the Leopard Got Its Spots A Universe Made for Us? A Day Without Yesterday? What is Our Future? Making the Darkness Visible Sudden Impact Seeing the Future Science Vs. Magic The Wonder of It All Dreamers: Part 1 Dreamers: Part 2 The End Plate Section Credits Picture Section Footnotes Index Acknowledgements About the Authors About the Publisher WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS A MAN, HOW NOBLE IN REASON, HOW INFINITE IN FACULTIES, IN FORM AND MOVING HOW EXPRESS AND ADMIRABLE, IN ACTION HOW LIKE AN ANGEL, IN APPREHENSION HOW LIKE A GOD! THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD, THE PARAGON OF ANIMALS – AND YET, TO ME, WHAT IS THIS QUINTESSENCE OF DUST? MAN DELIGHTS NOT ME – NOR WOMAN NEITHER, THOUGH BY YOUR SMILING YOU SEEM TO SAY SO. HAMLET
Description:The list of books you might like
