Synopses & Reviews
A breakout bestseller in Italy, now available for American readers for the first time, Genesis: The Story of How Everything Began is a short, humanistic tour of the origins of the universe, earth, and life — drawing on the latest discoveries in physics to explain the seven most significant moments in the creation of the cosmos.
Curiosity and wonderment about the origins of the universe are at the heart of our experience of the world. From Hesiod's Chaos as found in his poem about the origins of the Greek gods, Theogony, to today's mind-bending theories of the multiverse, we have been consumed by the relentless pursuit of one awe-inspiring question: What exactly happened during those first moments?
Guido Tonelli, acclaimed, award-winning particle physicist and a central figure in the discovery of the Higgs boson (the "God particle"), reveals the extraordinary story of our genesis — from the origins of the universe to the emergence of life on earth, to the birth of human language and its power to describe the world. Evoking the seven days of Biblical creation, Tonelli take us on a brisk, lively tour of the evolution of our cosmos, and considers the incredible challenges scientists face in exploring its mysteries. Genesis both explains the fundamental physics of our universe and marvels at the profound wonder of our existence.
Review
"From his descriptions of the Big Bang to human creativity and storytelling, [Guido Tonelli's] writing is lush and inviting, offering countless points of entry... In a concise yet action-packed narrative, [he] organizes his survey of the cosmic beginnings into seven days, mimicking the biblical timeline of creation... With clarity and just the right amount of technical language, Tonelli tackles complex subjects such as supersymmetry, dark matter, and the births of stars and planets." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"Tonelli takes the reader on the most thrilling roller-coaster ride, starting with the void and ending 13.8 billion years later with the complex multiverse we currently inhabit. Neatly divided into seven chapters corresponding to different cosmological epochs, this is the modern-day Genesis narrative told by a master story teller." Marcus du Sautoy, author of The Music of the Primes
Review
"Mr. Tonelli's own take on the creation story, a scientific summary of 13.8 billion years of cosmic history — the author divides the seven "days" into very unequal time-steps, from the big bang to the appearance of planets able to support life." Andrew Crumey, The Wall Street Journal
Review
"Spellbinding... For Tonelli, everything in the evolution of the Universe, culture and the human condition follows from the need to understand our origins. Stories allow us to make sense of the void from which all things began. It is fitting that his own story is complex, mysterious and, at times, even messy — a bit like the Universe itself." Andrea Taroni, Nature
About the Author
Guido Tonelli is an Italian particle physicist who played a key role in the discovery of the Higgs boson, the so-called God particle, which earned François Englert and Peter Higgs the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics. For his contributions to the field, Tonelli was made a commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2012 and was awarded the Enrico Fermi Prize from the Italian Physical Society and the $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He is a professor of general physics at the University of Pisa and a visiting scientist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).