Legendary astrophysicist NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON is the host of the popular podcast StarTalk Radio and Emmy award-winning National Geographic Channel shows StarTalk and Cosmos. He earned his BA in physics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Columbia. The author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Tyson is the first Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children. Facebook: Neil deGrasse Tyson. Instagram: @neildegrassetyson. Twitter: @neiltyson. JAMES TREFIL, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University, is internationally recognized not only as a distinguished scientist but also as an expert in making complex scientific ideas understandable. He is the author of numerous magazine articles and books on science for the general public, including both editions of National Geographic's highly successful Space Atlas. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife.
?In the gulf between the depths of human curiosity and the limits of human ignorance? is a space to ask questions, write astrophysicist Tyson (StarTalk) and physicist Trefil (Imagined Life) in this breezy survey of physics's curiosities. . . . Lay readers curious about the mysteries of the universe will want to take a look. In the gulf between the depths of human curiosity and the limits of human ignorance is a space to ask questions, write astrophysicist Tyson (StarTalk) and physicist Trefil (Imagined Life) in this breezy survey of physics's curiosities. . . . Lay readers curious about the mysteries of the universe will want to take a look. Based on the popular talk show and podcast StarTalk, this collection of essays explores many of the universe's most intriguing mysteries. From dark matter, the Big Bang, and other space oddities to quarks, multiverses, and other quantum curiosities, Hayden Planetarium director Tyson (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry) and Trefil (physics, George Mason Univ.; The Story of Innovation) tackle a variety of topics [and] break down these subjects into interesting stories and fun facts, making them readily accessible to a general audience with little or no familiarity with astrophysics and quantum mechanics. Asking how old the universe is, or what the building blocks of life are, among other queries, the authors invite readers to contemplate these fascinating questions which scientists have pondered for centuries. As expected from National Geographic publications, the book is beautifully illustrated. Its stunning color photographs enhance the enjoyment of this cosmic reading journey.