Paul J. Steinhardt Libri

Two world-renowned scientists present an audacious new vision of the cosmos that challenges the Big Bang theory. This widely accepted explanation for the universe's origin suggests that space and time began about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball. Over the past three decades, the theory has undergone numerous revisions to address questions regarding the formation of galaxies and stars, as well as the accelerating expansion of the universe. However, the cause of the Big Bang remains unexplained. In their groundbreaking work, Paul J. Steinhardt and Neil Turok introduce a bold cosmology that posits the moment of creation as part of an infinite cycle of colossal collisions between our universe and a parallel world. They explore significant advancements in astronomy, particle physics, and superstring theory that underpin their “Cyclic Universe” theory. This perspective suggests that the Big Bang was not the beginning of time but a transition to a past characterized by endlessly repeating cycles of evolution, each generating new matter and forming new galaxies, stars, and planets. Their work addresses longstanding issues with the Big Bang model and offers a provocative new understanding of the cosmos's past and future, presenting a theory that could potentially solve cosmic mysteries.

In This Explains Everything, John Brockman, founder and publisher of Edge.org, asked experts in numerous fields and disciplines to come up with their favorite explanations for everyday occurrences. Why do we recognize patterns? Is there such a thing as positive stress? Are we genetically programmed to be in conflict with each other? Those are just some of the 150 questions that the world's best scientific minds answer with elegant simplicity. With contributions from Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, Nassim Taleb, Brian Eno, Steven Pinker, and more, everything is explained in fun, uncomplicated terms that make the most complex concepts easy to comprehend.