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The Universe in a Box by Andrew Pontzen
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The Universe in a Box

A New Cosmic History
by Andrew Pontzen
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Narrator Andrew Pontzen

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Length 8 hours 23 minutes
Language English
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Brought to you by Penguin

Will we ever truly understand our cosmic home? This is the story of the technologies that allow us to look up, to learn and to discover our place in the cosmos.

We are part of an incredible chain of events stretching 13.8 billion years into the past and even further into the future. But what does that future hold? And how do scientists study the entire universe?

The Universe in a Box is Andrew Pontzen's tribute to simulations - the remarkable computer codes that, over the last century, have allowed us to understand the distant past and far future of the universe. It reframes what we think we know about galaxies, black holes and matter itself. And it reveals the stories of the pioneering scientists who unlocked the mysteries of space, from redshift to improbable dark materials that pass, ghostlike, through solid rock.

Illuminating, provocative and bold, this is the story of our home, the cosmos, through simulations: mini-universes inside computers.

'I was enlightened, amazed, and profoundly impressed' Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials

'An electrifying new history of the universe' Hannah Fry, author of Rutherford and Fry's Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything

©2023 Andrew Pontzen (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Science & TechnologyNonfiction

Andrew Pontzen is a professor of cosmology at University College London. He has written for the New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night and BBC Science Focus; lectured at the Royal Institution; appeared on BBC, Amazon Prime and Discovery Channel documentaries; and contributed to BBC Radio 4 programmes including Inside Science and The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry. The Universe in a Box is his first book.

Andrew Pontzen is a professor of cosmology at University College London. He has written for the New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night and BBC Science Focus; lectured at the Royal Institution; appeared on BBC, Amazon Prime and Discovery Channel documentaries; and contributed to BBC Radio 4 programmes including Inside Science and The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry. The Universe in a Box is his first book.

Audiobook details

Author:

Narrator:
Andrew Pontzen

ISBN:
9781529901115

Length:
8 hours 23 minutes

Language:
English

Publisher:
Random House

Publication date:

Edition:
Unabridged

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Reviews

A truly excellent exposition of a fascinating, little-understood, and very important scientific activity. I was enlightened, amazed, and profoundly impressed. I've seldom seen a book (and this is an age of really good writing about science for the general public) so clear, so vivid An electrifying new history of the universe and how it all fits together, and of the human effort to unlock its mysteries Forget telescopes and microscopes, Pontzen's laboratory sits inside his computer and it is quickly becoming the most important tool in science I'm stunned at how easily comprehensible Pontzen makes mind-bendingly difficult ideas. Concepts which rest on mathematics that I couldn't grasp with years of study become poetic in his hands Our understanding of 'cosmic origins' - the emergence of stars, galaxies and our entire expanding universe - has burgeoned thanks to more powerful telescopes and computers. Andrew Pontzen gives a vivid perspective on what it's like to be a scientist trying to 'model' the universe. This fascinating book, written with clarity and zest, deserves wide readership A joyride through the history of cosmic simulations, taking in weather forecasting and climate models, the mysteries of dark matter, dark energy and black holes, quantum mechanics, multiverses and artificial intelligence - all between the covers of a single book! Pontzen has the ability to weave hard science and dense theory into a gripping narrative... makes the complicated comprehensible Elegantly written... Exhilarating, candid reports from cosmology's front lines A good writer - given the complexity of the subject, the book bounces along with an admirably light touch One thing this book does brilliantly, is keeping complex topics grounded Expand reviews
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