A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

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This was such an interesting book to read and I walked away learning so much. This is the sort of book that requires two or three times reading through it to fully understand and digest everything. I can barely comprehend how much time and effort went into research. Truly a masterpiece. This book really does cover nearly everything. From the Big Bang to current life on earth, Bill Bryson does wonderful job of breaking down complex theories and concepts to their essential message: In the article concerning global warming, Bryson paints a picture that we really don't know if the Earth is warming up and if so, what is causing it. The fact that Mother Nature sends out hundred's of billions of tons of carbon dioxide via volcanoes and dead and decaying flora and fauna was an interesting fact I had neither heard nor considered before now. The net effect including humanities' contribution however is tipping the balance in favor of the global warming argument. Good for science, but very BAD for us.

Secondly, the fact that life is so tenuous makes one a little more philosophical. Since I've finished the chapter about Yellowstone and similar catastrophic threats, I find myself asking "what if today is the day?" It can be rough when you get on the bus at the end of a particularly annoying workday, when the disagreements were petty and you didn't get much done, and think "is that what I did on the last day of my life?" In the 20th century we entered a “century of science where many people wouldn’t understand anything and no one understand everything.” A lad named Albert Einstein gets much of this credit. But while he worked on the BIG picture, it is the small stuff that really makes me, and should make us wonder. Bryson, Bill (November 2005). A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-2322-7.An illustrated edition of the book was released in November 2005. [3] A few editions in audiobook form are also available, including an abridged version read by the author, and at least three unabridged versions. The author answers the questions, how and with whom, we arrived at the scientific knowledge we know today, and what those results are. The book very briefly discusses the evolution of the cosmos and our planetary system and in more details the evolution of planet Earth and its living organisms. We also see that the field of science, like in any other field of profession, is full of greed, deceit, and bitterness. Nonetheless, we ALL greatly enjoyed this book and truly hate to see it come to an end. Mr. Bryson, could you please write another book just like this one? Pretty please?! Gratzer, Walter (August 2003). "A stranger in a strange land". Nature. 424 (6950): 725. Bibcode: 2003Natur.424..725G. doi: 10.1038/424725a. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4418326.

Como dice el título, el libro te hace un repaso de casi todo, centrado en la evolución de la ciencia: cosmología, física, química, geología, paleontología, biología, genética, etc y etc... I had always been jealous of the "true" zoologists, such as Audubon and Darwin, who were around when the world was as yet unexplored, and discovering a species was as simple as being the first to walk into a patch of forest. I left science because the idea of being tied to a sterile lab held no interest for me. However, after reading Bryson's vignettes of early scientific/zoological exploration (much of which was both comic and tragic), I realize that those days weren't quite as idyllic as I had imagined. As far as the title and content of the book is concerned, I have my remarks. The book is called A Short History of Nearly Everything and it only covers science and scientists. Not what I expected. In Part 1, “Lost in the Cosmos,” Bryson explains how a universe like ours is formed: all of the matter in existence is compressed into a tiny, dimensionless area and then undergoes a rapid expansion (or “Big Bang”), creating all the space that exists as it spreads out. The Big Bang theory, along with “inflation theory” (the notion that the universe is expanding), were formulated in the 20th century. Bryson emphasizes how the conditions that formed our universe were extraordinary: if one small factor had been different, life as we know it would never have come about. This is a great big-picture book. For a fun microhistory, I'd recommend At Home: A Short History of Private Life also by Bill Bryson.

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Curiously, this little wonder does leave you feeling that one person truly can make a difference -- whether for good or evil. I find the title -- "A Really Short History of Nearly Everything" a bit "sneaky" and particularly instructive in that when you look at the fact that humans have been on this planet for 0.01% of the entire time it has been in existence, the actions we do or do not undertake will pretty much slam the book shut on "nearly everything"; thus, "a really short history" of it. I won't bother you with all the scientific stuff I learned. Instead, I compiled a top 5 list of the frightful fates of some scientists. Bryson looks at chemistry next. He praises Mendeleyev’s elegant design for the periodic table (and Mendeleyev’s mother for hitchhiking 4,000 miles across Russia to make sure her son got an education). He also emphasizes Marie Curie’s singular achievement as the only person in history to win Nobel Prizes in Physics (for her work on radioactivity) and Chemistry (for her discovery of new elements including polonium). It turns out, a lot of the ground that Bryson covers here wasn't completely new to me. Some of it was, of course, and even if some things were vaguely familiar, I've never fully understood them, so it was good to have a simple, concise introduction to them. Meanwhile, scientists discover that subatomic particles operate under completely different scientific laws than everything else in the universe. Bryson is perplexed by the highly speculative and counterintuitive theories that scientists formulate in attempts to make sense of the subatomic world. “Superstring theory,” for example, suggests that tiny particles called “quarks” oscillate in 11 dimensions (seven of which are inaccessible to humans). Bryson then shifts his focus to “continental drift” theorists who correctly claim that Earth’s land masses are in motion, that collisions between them create mountains, and that Earth is molten below its crust.

Bill Bryson wrote this book because he was dissatisfied with his scientific knowledge—that was, not much at all. He writes that science was a distant, unexplained subject at school. Textbooks and teachers alike did not ignite the passion for knowledge in him, mainly because they never delved into the whys, hows, and whens. A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again' Daily Express Bryson does a "good" job of scaring the hell out of you by showing just how precarious our daily existence really is. I probably shouldn't say this, but it puts such problems as global climate change into context when you read how an eruption of the supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park would wipe out most of the life on earth in a painfully slow manner; especially when Bryson describes how this eruption is overdue by 30, 000 years by historical average. So far, this book shows its 2003 date by providing currently inaccurate data; I also did not realize the author would assume zero scientific knowledge on the part of the reader... this could be interesting. The list of sciences included is exhaustive, I spotted whole bunch but I’m also convinced I missed a few. My list comprises:Ayers, Kate (January 23, 2011). "Review – A Short History of Nearly Everything". Bookreporter.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017 . Retrieved June 30, 2018. We are each so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that some of our atoms probably belonged to Shakespeare, Genghis Khan or any other historical figure. But no, you are NOT Elvis or Marilyn Monroe; it takes quite a while for their atoms to get recycled. Now, the book was released in 2008, so you might think that some things have changed. You would be right, but what is 15 years when measured against, millenniums, or, actually, even millions of years. Some things change, but so much remains, more or less, the same. Few books have been as influential on my life as Bill Bryson’s A Very Brief History of Nearly Everything. When I first read it at the age of 8, my love for science was ignited in a way that set my life on a fantastic course. I remember devouring it and becoming fascinated by all the wonders of life that have been discovered through the years.

The indigestible parts of a giant squid, in particular their beaks, accumulate in sperm whales’ stomachs into ambergris, which is used as a fixative in perfumes. The next time you spray on Chanel No. 5, you’re dowsing yourself in the distillate of unseen sea monsters. * Note to self: must throw away sea monster perfume collection* If you are an average-sized adult, you contain within you enough potential energy to explode with the force of THIRTY very large hydrogen bombs. Assuming, that is, that you KNOW how to actually do this and REALLY want to make a point. Talk about a monstrous temper tantrum. When you sit in a chair, you are not actually sitting there, but levitating above it at the height of a hundredth millions of a centimeter. Throw away those yoga mats, your ARE already levitating without knowing it. Regis, Ed (2003-05-18). "Atoms the Size of Peas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-24. It’s fascinating stuff – staggering, in fact. I’d heard of the Big Bang theory, of course, but I’d never delved into the detail of it. The explanation here is clear and concise - it’s still mind bending, but I was able to follow most of the explanation. There were some sections where the detail did become a little heavy – the account of plant life being categorised lumbered on interminably – but on the whole the pacing felt spot on. It’s also very well structured, with relevant topics being grouped together. It flowed well and told a compelling story.

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In my opinion this book is a great read for all ages. You are never too young or too old to learn something new! It shows many great pictures, drawings, and diagrams which can help you understand better. Bill Bryson makes science exciting, interesting and understandable. It contains a mountainous number of facts.