In this book based on his recent TV series
Professor Brian Cox (aided by the programme producer) sets out to answer some
simple questions about our everyday experiences – the shape of a snowflake, the
motion of the earth, the origin of life, and the colours of the rainbow.
Inevitably the answers are not so simple,
involving atomic and molecular structure, relativity and space-time, the
biochemistry of LUCA (our last universal common ancestor) and the nature of
light and the electromagnetic spectrum. But in Cox’s capable hands the explanations
are revealed to rest on simple foundations – universal laws of physics and
chemistry.
I did not see the TV series and only acquired
the book (a Christmas present) having browsed it in a shop and been pleasantly
surprised at the apparent depth of science in the text. First impressions were
confirmed by the reading; there is nothing dumbed down here, there are
equations aplenty and all the concepts are painstakingly but elegantly
explained. I almost, briefly, understood general relativity – but that point
(event) in space time has now disappeared into my personal past.
The large format hardback edition is
lavishly illustrated with colour stills from the programme, and only some
feature Dr Cox looking butch and moody in scuba suit, pilot fatigues or
mountaineering gear. Most of the others are stunning nature shots although not
all seem relevant to the text. Similarly some of the diagrams and figures,
despite looking nice, lack proper explanation.
But these are niggles, forgivable product
design features, that do not detract from the quality of the writing that
manages to be rigorous, informative and entertaining. The four sections –
symmetry, motion, elements, and colour – hang together remarkably well with a
tangible progression that leaves the careful reader feeling better informed and
in awe at how scientists have decoded nature without detracting from its
wonder.
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