The Universe - Leading Scientists Explore the Origin, Mysteries, and Future of the Cosmos

John Brockman brings together the world's best-known physicists and science writers—including Brian Greene, Walter Isaacson, Nobel Prize-winner Frank Wilczek, Benoit Mandelbrot, and Martin Rees—to explain the universe in all wondrous splendor.

In The Universe, today's most influential science writers explain the science behind our evolving understanding of the universe and everything in it, including the cutting edge research and discoveries that are shaping our knowledge.

Lee Smolin reveals how math and cosmology are helping us create a theory of the whole universe. Benoit Mandelbrot looks back on a career devoted to fractal geometry. Neil Turok analyzes the fundamental laws of nature, what came before the big bang, and the possibility of a unified theory.

Seth Lloyd investigates the impact of computational revolutions and the informational revolution. Lawrence Krauss provides fresh insight into gravity, dark matter, and the energy of empty space. Brian Greene and Walter Isaacson illuminate the genius who revolutionized modern science: Albert Einstein. And much more.

Explore the universe with some of today's greatest minds: what it is, how it came into being, and what may happen next.

This essential guide to the cosmos brings today’s fiercest scientific debates into sharp focus:

Inflation vs. Cyclic Universe: Go head-to-head with pioneers Alan Guth and Paul Steinhardt as they present competing theories for the origin of the cosmos. The String Theory Landscape: Join Leonard Susskind and Lee Smolin as they clash over the controversial **anthropic principle** and the mind-bending concept of the **multiverse**. Mysteries of Spacetime: Investigate the nature of black holes, the properties of extra dimensions, and the search for a theory of **quantum gravity** with experts like Lisa Randall and Martin Rees. Einstein’s Legacy: See how Albert Einstein’s genius continues to shape modern science through the eyes of Brian Greene and biographer Walter Isaacson.