Synopses & Reviews
The name of Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle, is forever linked with that of his most famous passenger, Charles Darwin. This exceptionally interesting biography brings FitzRoy out of Darwinand#8217;s shadow for the first time, revealing a man who experienced high adventure, suffered tragic disappointments, andand#151;as the inventor of weather forecastingand#151;saved the lives of countless fellow mariners.
John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin draw a detailed portrait of FitzRoy, recounting the wide range of his accomplishments and exploring the motivations that drove him. As a very young and successful commander in the British navy, FitzRoyand#8217;s life was in the mold of a Patrick Oand#8217;Brian novel. Later disappointments, including an unpopular tenure as governor of New Zealand and a sense of dismay over his own contributions to Darwinand#8217;s ideas of evolution, troubled FitzRoy. Even his groundbreaking accomplishments in meteorological science failed to satisfy his high personal expectations, and in 1865 FitzRoy committed suicide at the age of sixty. This biography focuses well-deserved attention on FitzRoyand#8217;s status as a scientist and seaman, affirming that his was a life which, despite its sorrowful end, encompassed many more successes than failures.
Review
"This is the ultimate book on ultimate origins from strings, to quarks, to present day particles, galaxies, WIMPS, the solar system, life and the ultimate death, written by the premiere science expositor in John Gribbin."and#8212;Allan Sandage, author of The Mount Wilson Observatory: Breaking the Code of Cosmic Evolutionandnbsp;
Review
"[A] superb and moving biography."and#8212;Toby Green,
IndependentReview
"[The] finely drawn portrait that emerges from FitzRoy is of a very British hero in the mould of Nelson, who sacrificed his health and personal fortune in the service of his country."and#8212;Gavin Bell,
Daily TelegraphSynopsis
A celebrated astronomer makes a powerful case for the harmony between two of physics' most important and seemingly contradictory theories
The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things. In this landmark book, John Gribbin--one of the best-known science writers of the past thirty years--presents his own version of the Holy Grail of physics, the search that has been going on for decades to find a unified "Theory of Everything" that combines these ideas into one mathematical package, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows how--despite skepticism among many physicists--these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years.
Synopsis
How did the universe begin? Where do galaxies come from? How do stars and planets form? Where do the material particles we are made of come from? How did life begin? Today we have only provisional answers to such questions. But scientific progress will improve these answers dramatically over the next ten years, predicts John Gribbin in this riveting book. He focuses on what we knowand#151;or think we knowand#151;about ten controversial, unanswered issues in the physical sciences and explains how current cutting-edge research may yield solutions in the very near future.
With his trademark facility for engaging readers with or without a scientific background, the author explores ideas concerning the creation of the universe, the possibility of other forms of life, and the fate of the expanding cosmos. He examines and#147;theories of everything,and#8221; including grand unified theories and string theory, and he discusses the Big Bang theory, the origin of structure and patterns of matter in the galaxies, and dark mass and dark energy. In the final chapter of the book, Gribbin ponders the future of Earth and the Sun and the possibility that the universe might expand forever.
Synopsis
A celebrated astronomer makes a powerful case for the harmony between two of physicsandrsquo; most important and seemingly contradictory theories
Synopsis
The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things. In this landmark book, John Gribbinandmdash;one of the best-known science writers of the past thirty yearsandmdash;presents his own version of the Holy Grail of physics, the search that has been going on for decades to find a unified andldquo;Theory of Everythingandrdquo; that combines these ideas into one mathematical package, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows howandmdash;despite skepticism among many physicistsandmdash;these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years.
About the Author
John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin are visiting fellows at the University of Sussex. John Gribbin has long been interested in the weather and is a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. Mary Gribbin has a special interest in exploration and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Together they have written many books on science topics.