One could learn a lot by reading this book; of this I do not dispute. There are better cosmological & astronomy books out there, but this one is quite good. What I have a problem with is Gribbin's metaphysical reaches that he utilizes to "solve" the Anthropic principle. Gribbin wants us to believe the Gaia principle, which claims that the universe is a living organism. Not only that, but it reproduces via black holes. According to Gribbin it just SO HAPPENS that the AP coincides with the suitable conditions that are conducive to supporting life (as we know it). The REAL "purpose" of the laws of physics being "just so" is that they are appropriate to the formations of big, beautiful, bouncing baby black holes (which form the impetus of new universes). According to Gribbin, there is a vast number of universes (perhaps an infinite number) beyond ours'. Now, I have no problem w/conjecture such as this, even though Gribbin is asserting a bad hypothesis (i.e.: one that cannot be proven or disproven). What I take issue with is that he wants us to believe that his theory is a logical inevitablility. He uses phrases such as "our universe must be seen this way." That word must is a strong term for a theory that does not have SO MUCH AS ONE SHRED of proof. Gribbin also speculates that this universe may well have been "created" by a bunch of alien engineers in some other universe. This is a rather curious statement to come from a devout atheist - to concede that the universe shows signs of design, only the designer was little green men instead of God. Moreover, who is "pushing the question back" now? Gribbin hopes to validate his theory of multiple universes by dressing it in scientific jargon, but in the end it is nothing more than atheistic gerrymandering. Gribbin would have us to believe that there are an infinite number of universes in order to justify the laws of this one being "just so perfect" to support life. An interesting thought, but a thought that is bereft of evidence.

This book is a conjecture about 'births' and 'histories' of living universes and about what we could call 'Darwinian cosmology'.
Gribbin speculates that the collapse of a black hole can lead to a bounce which creates a new universe and every time a universe is created the laws of physics that it is born with are slightly different from those of its parent universe: universes mutate! Our universe is just one among a multitude of universes, and in some sense the many universes are competing with one another for the right to exist.
The birth of a universe might simply be a fluctuation of the vacuum, a creation out of nothing, for if we consider that the gravitational enegy is negative, the energy required to make a universe is zero.
For Gribbin, we are living in a black hole (a closed universe). He sides with S.J. Gould that the universe is not set up to create organic life-forms - we are only a side-effect; but he believes that carbon-based complex forms are a common feature in the Universe. He favours also the 'Big Crunch' scenario.
He is most severe with mankind regarding ecology. I quote : 'Gaia will look after herself. And the best way for her to do that might well be to get rid of us.'
Although this book is a complete conjecture, it should be read by everyone interested in cosmology. It is easily understandable even for a layman. I agree that some points are very questionable, like the Big Crunch scenario or his theory about the missing dark matter. But it is as passionate as a thriller.

In addition to providing an excellent review of modern cosmological thinking, including interpretation of the COBE satellite data, this book also explores in detail the development of life on the Earth.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Especially the end where it discusses planets, space, and how everything came together. It's amazing how much we puny humans can figure out about a star half way across the galaxy.

The one thing that held this book back from getting a perfect 5/5, is the fact that it had _no_ pictures to help explain the concepts. This was very annoying, but it does force the reader to visualize concepts in his/her head.

Over all, I would recommend this book to "Almost Everyone" interested in science.

This is a best-seller by an eminent scientist who doesn't believe the world is goverened by magic or the supernatural.He presents scientific evidence that everything is coherent and fits together. Gribbin starts with the smallest particle and goes to the birth of the universe including the origin of our species. This is an ambitious, never-tried-before book. It is breathtaking in scope.Don't bother to read it if you don't have a healthy curiosity or the patience to put up with complicated scientific concepts. And don't worry about not understanding all of it; what you do understand will stagger you.

Interesting ideas: People are the most complex systems in the known universe. No two are exactly alike. Studies confirm tha tNinety-eight per cent of the DNA in human beings, gorillas and chimpanzees is the same...the differences tha tmake us uniquely human amount to a little over one per cent. We are one per cent human and roughly 99 per cent ape.

If our planet were the size of a basketball, the thickness of the breathable atmosphere would be no more than one quarter of a millimeter, a barely noticeable 6-mile-high smear over the surface of the ball. The Earth is a ball of rock covered by a thin smear of atmosphere and ocean.

In about ten billion years the Sun will cool into a solid lump. About 440 billion years ago there was a massive extinction of life on earth. Stray pieces of cosmic debris still collide with planets and one impact contributed to the death of dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.

Fine-particle scientists predict the existence of different kinds of particles from anything we have seen yet. They have not been detected, but have been given names such as photonios. This class of objects is referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles or WIMPs because they have mass, but don't interact very strongly with everyday matter.Astronometers and Particle Scientists would like to detect these mysterious particles directly and this may happen within the next few years. Models suggest we are swimming in a sea of WIMPs, possibly a plausible explanation of the so-called spirit world.

This work is a monumental job of setting down that which, in scientific circles, is called the "Theory of Everything" (TOE) for all to understand. Gribbin has summed up the last 400 years of scientific thinking on where we came from, and where we are going, if that is of interest to you.

Jim Grubb grubb@uswest.net

I haven't read this book yet but if it is as good as all the other books of his I've read, I'll definately enjoy it. John is on my list of must buy authors.

With the title containing Hubble and Origins, I was hoping for lots of new information about what the latest data from Hubble ST would reveal about our origins. Instead the book is a compendium of very nice large format color photos of galaxies stars and the planets in our Solar system, accompanied by one paragraph captions - and a lot of white space where more information and analysis of "origins" could have been. I recommend this book for coffee table perusal, not for the serious reader of cosmology. Sidney Sheres

The first thing to note about this book is that it is not about the Hubble Space Telescope, but about our universe. It's subtitled "Hubble's Universe", because Edwin Hubble was the first astronomer to show that universe was composed of many galaxies and not just the Milky Way. In other words, he might be considered the founder of modern cosmology.

In this book, the authors present many of the classic photographs of the universe, the Milky Way and the solar system plus many new pictures as well. Accompanying each photograph is a detailed description of what was discovered and why is important. While some of the these photographs are over twenty-five old, they have been digitally enhanced, but still show the graininess associated with the early planetary space probes. In addition, there is a nice introductory section, which describes many of the discoveries from the past hundred years.

In general, I found most of the photographs contained in the book to be a good representation of the objects found in our universe. The photographs cover the extreme, from very distant galaxies to the Earth and the Moon.

If you are looking for a good book that summarizes the universe, Milky Way and the solar system in pictures, this book would good addition to your collection. If you are looking for new photographs or new information you will not find much in this book.

While the book is not heavy on text, its descriptions about the formation of stars, nebulae, galaxies and the universe in general are easy to read and understand. The supporting full page pictures at right are also well described. It is an excellent laymans guide to explaining how our world and the material that makes us who we are, came from the stars.

Sometimes the cartoons get in the way of the subject. There were some pages I had to read several times to figure out where the thread of the text was. Once you follow it, however, the book does cover many of the basics in an entertaining way. And it is shorter than the Hawking work.

This is perhaps my favorite book I've read it around 20 times (the start more than the end) and I don't understand it but its been fun every time and every time I get a bit more, I'm only 17 and don't know half of the stuff you need to know to understand it properly but this is a VERY good read. UP THE CHICKEN!

I had always wanted to know more about Gregor Mendel since studying science in Mendel Hall during my high school days at Augustinian Academy. This book gave me that opportunity.

Mendel was an interesting character. Known mostly for his work in the field of genetics, Mendel was not a one dimensional character. Born in Moravia of peasant (an honorable estate in the time and place) in 1822, the priesthood provided Mendel with his only chance to obtain an education.

His entrance into the Augustinian Monastery at Brunn provided Mendel with an opportunity to purse his scientific studies without the distraction of worrying about earning a living. After ordination, Mendel taught at the equivalent of a high school.

It was Mendel's work in genetics that made him a subject worthy of a biography. His work involved studies on the transmission of characteristics over generations of peas. Mendel's conclusions were in accord with some the theories of Charles Darwin, a fact which limited the promotion of his findings among his peers. His work did earn him the title of "Father of Genetics".

Mendel's scientific work slowed with his election as Abbot in 1868. Mendel had desired the post because it enable him to financially help his family. I do not understand how this is consistent with his vow of poverty. As Abbot, Mendel dealt with issues of taxation, management of the monastic estates and offices in various scientific societies. Mendel died in 1884.

I enjoyed learning more about Gregor Mendel than I had known before. I was disappointed in learning so little about his contributions to the religious life of his community. Overall this book is s worthwhile introduction to an interesting life which left me looking for more.

I can't remember ever reading a biography quite as enjoyable. The authors are to be congratulated for their perfect blend of scientific and personal anecdotes. You won't find any of Feynman's lectures here, but you will come to understand why Feynman is so revered. The author's write, "Does the world really need another book about Richard Feynman? We think so, or we wouldn't have written it." I agree with them, and I'm sure you will too. A wonderful book.

ÒRichard Feynman--A Life in ScienceÓ is a welcome addition, another view from yet another aspect. Other biographers have stressed different sides of Richard Feynman--magician, joker, non-conforming oddball, but this one is true to its subtitle, focusing on Feynman the scientist. For that was what Feynman was, first and foremost--incredibly inventive, irreverent and unconventional, yes, but underlying it all, an inquiring mind, a physicist of the very best. If you have more than a nodding acquaintance with science, and want to know what made such an extraordinary person tick (not that weÕll ever know it all), this is the one to read.

Richard Feynman was clearly a giant among giants. He was also the most human of beings. Quantum electrodynamics and related topics can be among the most esoteric of any. Writing a book that adequately portrays such a variety of topics can be a forbidding task. This book meets the challenge admirably. While much if not most of the material can be found elsewhere, the clarity of the descriptions and explanations of the technical topics is excellent. Well worth reading.

Stephen Hawking's life and his research in cosmology are fascinating and based on that alone I enjoyed this book. However, the book is poorly written and lacks depth. It lacks any detailed description of Stephen Hawking's work and doesn't provide any true insight into his life or character. For example, the authors repeatedly inform us of what an overpowering presence Stephen Hawking has but they never provide any evidence of this. Good writers show you what they mean - they don't just repeatedly tell you.

This book seems to based on no actual contact with Stephen or Jane Hawking or any of his colleagues. It seems that the authors read "A Brief History of Time," read a couple of articles, and then decided to write a biography. It definitely comes up short.

I am an enormous fan of Stephen Hawking, his achievements in physics are incredible and his ability to overcome his illness demonstrates how sturdy the human mind can be. He is touted in the book as the greatest mind since Einstein, which is a claim I also recently read concerning Richard Feynman. I have no opinion on this, as I hold them both in very high regard. To me such debates are silly, as ranking such people is so subjective that it is meaningless and wasteful.
That aside, I generally enjoyed the book, finding the explanations of the physics a little too simplistic for my tastes, but certainly within the realm of the general reader. My only real criticism is that there was too much ink spent on some of the minutiae of his life. Even Hawking probably objects to some of the details about his life that appear. However, I was pleased to read that he can be temperamental and shows his anger by running over a person's foot with his wheelchair. It just makes him sound that much more human.
This is a good biography of a great man, who lets nothing get in his way. An inspiration who probably does not want the role in any capacity other than as a physicist, he has revolutionized cosmology and it will be a minimum of decades before all the consequences of his work will be known.

Well, this book is about the biography of one of the genius of our time. But unfortunately, is not the biography that one waited. It was possibly written with the purpose of making money: because I think that what is written on Stephen, is sold at once. The book dedicates a chapter to explain the scientific developments, and the following one dedicates it to speak of Stephen, and so forth until the end. Finished the book, one doesn't know if it was bought a divulgation book or a biography. As divulgation book it is too limited, and how biography, it leaves to a side the spiritual content of a man born for the science. In total, an incomplete book. If you feel passion for the science, as me, you won't like this book.

But not everything is bad. If you are not informed of anything of the development of the science of this century, at least until some years ago, this is a good book for you, because on it you will find a small biography of one of the biggest scientific personalities in the XX century, and at the same time you will be able to find out topics so dark as those of the general relativity, singularities, black holes and something of quantum mechanics, in a simple, and easy language. You are the only one that, in definitive, knows as being located in front of the book.

This is a well written book, but it is somehow disappointing. For the begginers in the study of Darwin, if you don't care about the constant repetitions in this book.

I bought this book at Bethany Beach, Delaware for a summer read-- and enjoyed it as a biography first-- with historical perspectives of the science. I will leave it around for my daughter as she enters high school-- a perfect introduction to Darwin and the scientific method of observation.

I bought a copy of this book at the Natural History Museum in London last week, and did indeed read it on the plane back to Seattle. While I did notice some discussions repeated in more than one chapter, I actually found these brief repetitions helpful, as they saved me from leafing back to review material that hadn't sunk in the first time.

I had been looking for a light, quick introduction to Darwin's obstacle-laden pursuit of verifiable truth to give my son as he tackles "On the Origin of Species" in college this year, and I found it in this book. It's not a substitute for reading Darwin's own best works (which are the 1845 edition of "The Voyage of the Beagle" and the first edition [1859] of "Origin"), of course, but that's okay, because that's not its purpose.

A previous reader comments about missing slashes in formulas and excessive or lesser number of zeros in quantitative estimations of for example the Tunguska impactor on this book and it is true that this type of mistakes are common in the text but I found more serious errors in the following pages(these refer to the hardcover edition of the book): a)On page 32: "standard dating techniques involving measurements of radiactive argon in the rocks showed that the (Manson)crater had formed exactly 65 Myr ago". False. We know since 1993 that a careful application of this same technique to this crater reveal "exactly" 73.8 Myr for this formation. b)On the same page:"...geologists have also found another crater (Popigai)65 Myr old". Not true. Geologically Popigai is around 35 Myr old. c)Errors (a) and (b) conduce to the statement on page 33: "...three pieces of interplanetary debris...strike simultaneosly in Yucatan, Iowa and northern Siberia". Similar mistakes to (a) and (b) are repeated on page 133. d)On page 57:"...it was certainly(the explosive power of the Sikhote-Alin impact) at least 100,000 Kilotonnes". False. A minimun of at least 100 kilotonnes is enough for explain the characteristics observed of this impact. e)On the same page:"...in April 1972, came a genuine close encounter(the Montana fireball).False.The genuine Montana fireball close encounter came on August 10, 1972. f)On page 69:"Venus,..spins.. with each day lasting a year".Not true.Venus spins with each day lasting 243.01 Earth's days and each venusian year lasting 224.701 Earth's days. These are mistakes that I am aware of and do not diminish any other virtues that readers may find in the book.

Meteoritics and impact phenomena are a fascination of mine and, with some anticipation, I purchased this book. I was disappointed. The treatment of impacts and their consequences was cursory for the most part and frequently conclusionary rather then illuminating. While the book contained a few facts not found in other, similar volumes, I felt book was written from hunger rather than love, if you will. The science and logic were frequently off the mark, in my view. Not the sort of book one would read for an in depth understanding of the topic.

Perhaps you have heard that a meteor strike may have killed the dinosaurs. Or, perhaps you have heard that a meteor struck the Earth in Siberia in 1908. But, did you know that another one struck Siberia in 1948, causing a cold war scramble on both sides of the globe? Or, that Colorado had a near miss just a few years ago? You would if you had read FIRE ON EARTH.

I discovered the Gribbins' book at the public library, but soon realized I would need my own copy (Thanks, Amazon!). It was perfect for me. I am writing a novel that is set a couple of decades after an asteroid strike. I needed a resource that would give me the the science of, and knowledge of, asteroid strikes on Earth. Yet, it had to be understandable by a non-scientist.

Here is a book that tells of the MANY impacts on the Earth over the past several million years, some even in our own lifetimes! These accounts are both fascinating and mysterious. And, as hard as it may be to imagine, they have found a way to inject humor into the telling.

The authors have the knack of presenting very complex scientific information and concepts in a way that almost anyone can understand. Not only that; they make it a fun read, too!