What’s Eating the Universe?: and Other Cosmic Questions

Lessons in cosmology and astrophysics abound in this enthusiastic primer from physicist Davies (The Demon in the Machine). In answering 30 questions, Davies aims to show how “beautiful and awe-inspiring” the world is. Some of his topics are familiar: “Why Is It Dark at Night?” covers the brightness of stars, “Is Time Travel Possible?” explains relativity (and offers “maybe” as an answer), and “Is ET in Our Backyard?” suggests humans are more likely to discover “robotic surrogates than biological organisms” as forms of extraterrestrial intelligence. About half of the questions are related to the Big Bang, and Davies describes antimatter, warped time, and black holes in a conversational tone. Other questions concern the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, and the possible “fate of our universe”: “Although the idea is currently out of fashion, it remains possible that the universe will eventually collapse to a big crunch.” With each chapter running a few pages long, readers can dip in and out for a quick moment of enlightenment. Accessible writing and a breezy appreciation for discovery make this a great introduction for readers new to physics. (Aug.)