Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution

I got it for my brother for Christmas. I asked him what he thought about it but he said a bunch of stuff I didn't quite understand but he was smiling while he talked about it so it was probably good stuff.

This book takes what our current understanding of physics is, breaks it down, and explains in simple terms to the layperson how the universe, galaxies, our solar system and more came into existence and where it all is headed into the distant future.

Absolutely enlightening and I loved every page!!

However, while I do love the cosmologist and physicist, this book was somewhat difficult to get through on account of its density and assumed negligible understanding of the universe. I read it in its entirety, and was honestly disappointed. Carl Sagan's Billions and Billions was much more poetic, and yet maintained a very scientific outlook. I don't hate the book, but I think that the author Neil collaborated with could have been much more eloquent without just getting into knitty gritty details. I know that Neil is far more passionate than what this book conveys.

This book was fantastic in terms of it's scope and presentation of astrophysics. It's easy to follow style and plain language make it a good read for even the most amateur science lover. Mr. Tyson does a great job of showing us how insignificant we really are in this galaxy (let alone the universe as a whole).

It was everything I hope for.....when I now look up into the night sky I experience a whole new perspective of our Universe and where we fit.....and whether your faith has led you to believe where we live on the third rock from our Star is the only place like it in this vast Universe, after reading Origins you might find your self asking how could that be possible with all the other millions of planets that orbit all the other millions of Stars that were in the Universe before our Star and the millions more that have been born since.....strongly recommended for those who want to dream bigger dreams when you look up into the night sky......

Neil speaks the truth of our Universe in a clear manner. He doesn't get bogged down with religious or traditional "you need to think this way." He takes the scientific facts to clearly present the reality of the Earth and Universe and how things formed. I felt like I was sitting next to him as the Universe developed. I love this book and rate it extremely high.

I've been reading this book a few pages a night since I purchased it and I find it utterly fascinating. I even take the time to research concepts and investigate current findings. I hope someday my daughter will read it.

Highly recommend. Prof. Tyson is good teacher, and despite his position and impressive curriculum vitae, personally responded to some questions that arose from reading the book. Inspirational topic and author.

Educational and entertaining read for a lay person with a strong interest in astrophysics. Some chapters seem to repeat about a common theme in the book that the U.S. is behind in the space race since the cold war ended.

Really enjoyed this book. These guys explain things in a way that was understandable and fun. I loved how the authors acknowledged the limits of current understanding and describe efforts to expand knowledge in these fascinating fields. Inspiring reading. I will be reading more science in this area as the book is a few years old; but in those few years so much more has been discovered. This book answered so many questions for me. More science please!

If you are looking for simple explanations as to the workings of our universe, this may not be a good read for you. Neil Degrassi Tyson is not about to dumb down any of these Concepts for us. Unless you are highly educated in quantum mechanics and astrophysics this book might as well be written in Greek. I'm sure it's a great read for our brilliant ph.ds of the world, but not so much for our average person just trying to find out about, and expand on their interests in the universe

Intrigued by Tyson's charisma and his way of familiarizing hard to understand topics, I bought this book to try and find out where we are, where we came from, and what will happen. I have received so many answers to some of my questions, but some still need to be answered.

I would recommend this book to any aspiring astronomer or physicist.

Origins is an enlightening and entertaining journey from the beginning of the biggest subject known to humankind down to the reasons why we're here to be amazed by it all. Mind bending science is delivered in plain language that makes the book a breeze to read.

I would like to say first and foremost I would highly recommend that you take a moment to read some of the other posted reviews before you make any decision for or against a purchase. This will not be a comprehensive review, but instead I have chosen to make you aware of some problems as far as this book is concerned, and as far as the kindle edition, and the added narration are concerned. If you are anything like me when it comes to the reviews. You read at least one good review, one mixed review, and one bad review. So this is the place where you come to find out what really is wrong with the book.

The first problem is that this book is fairly dated. In spite of the authors best attempts to future proof their narrative. While this book can be incredibly insightful. It is necessarily far from complete as some subjects that are touched upon have seen major advancements since this book has gone to print. Meaning you might end up drawing the wrong conclusions. In fact it is almost a certainty that you will. Often where the authors say maybe. In a few instances the answer has become absolutely.

The second problem is once again this book is dated. Many of the arguments presented are now old arguments. They may well have been inspired or original for the time of publication. Simply aren't any more as they have been used countless times since. Depending on how well versed you are with the subject. You might find yourself checking off mental boxes. As you know exactly where they are going long before they get there. Which is somewhat irksome to say the least. The thrill of discovery is lessened immensely. To the neophyte it may seem fresh, but to anyone seasoned. It is a bit more been there, and have heard that a hundred times before.

The third problem is less a problem then it is something that one needs to be aware of before purchasing professional narration. Which in this case is actually reasonably priced. I consider that a serious mark in the plus column as the feature is often overpriced. Often expecting the reader to pay as much as twice the price of the book itself. Five dollars in this instance is a really good value given the length of the book. Which is once again yet another mark in the plus column. With so many books in the genre being short, but terribly expensive. This book entirely warrants its asking price. That said the problem is less to do with the narrator then it is to do with the Kindle itself in conjunction with the narrator. At least as far as the smaller devices are concerned. His voice simply doesn't carry all that well.

Which obviously isn't a problem if you are using headphones, but as we all know that isn't always an option, and some of us like to have our kindles read to us as we drive, or we do chores, and in such an instance the professional narration fails. So if this is the potential use that you may want to put it to. You obviously may want to mull that choice over.

Overall you need to be comfortable with the book being somewhat dated and even tedious for the enthusiast, but it should an excellent read for anyone just dipping their toes into the subject matter. It is really rather accessible.

It's a haul to get through. It is not dumbed down or perhaps I am in my advanced age. It was very insightful and thought provoking. Heavy into the physics (thankfully no math to speak of). He has a wonderful wit that pops up in the oddest of places which makes the book more readable.

deGrasse Tyson is one of the greatest astornomy experts of all time. He can take incredibly complex information and break it down so anybody can understand the content. He has Cals Sagan's passion for teaching everyday people about the amazing wonders of the universe.

As usual, Dr. Tyson amazes, amuses, and informs in depth on subjects that would be difficult if not presented so well! All should read this book about things that are literally beyond our reach! Well done, good and faithful servant.

A lot of what I understand about cosmology I learned from Isaac Asimov. I wanted to read an updated summary of current thinking in cosmology and this book's first chapters seemed to fit the bill. It is not NDT's fault that the universe seems to be expanding forever, but it made me depressed and I stopped reading it. I was reading this while on vacation in Hawaii, so went I got through that last chapter on the expanding universe and dark matter and all that, I said to myself, "Screw this I am getting out there and going snorkeling!". Which I did. So my review is incomplete, I did not read the whole book. I may pick it back up and read the rest of the chapters on the origin of life, not sure I need to in order to understand that life is precious. It is readable, understandable, the equations are described, er, well enough. Not my favorite beach reader but content worth deeply contemplating.

Over the decades I’ve read volumes of different science books by various well-known authors. Up till this book I’ve never read anything by Neil deGrasse Tyson. My apologies, but this was just simply a horrible read. Some people do better in front of a camera than writing a book. I did want to read the whole thing, which I did, but it took a long time - eight months (reading other books in the meantime). I love science but this book just didn’t draw/hold my interest. Some one else’s review here mentioned that too, but with Tyson coming up on the furthering of the “Cosmos” series and most likely from that, a book, I thought I’d try something from him. Not everybody can be a Sagan, I guess, but this book is almost on the other end of the spectrum. The science is there, though by now, ten years later, outdated (Pluto has five moons not just one as written here, now there are thousands of exosolar planets, not just one hundred, etc...).

I wonder if he had an editor to review the many errors in the book (what are “Astrnophysicists?).” Likewise there are no footnotes or references at all to endorse or do further research on, it’s Tyson’s comments only. I don’t mind the religious barbs throughout the book, other than the hypocrisy. If you don’t want religion meddling with science, then science shouldn’t meddle with religion. Tyson’s lack of historical understanding with Giordano Bruno, for instance. He was not martyred for anything Copernican. It was his religious “blasphemy” for not believing the Catholic Trinity, Transubstantiation, and incarnation of Christ (as was the common horrendous practice of the inquisition). Copernicus’ writings weren’t even banned during Bruno’s lifetime. He had hundreds of students that many eventually grew up believing and even teaching Bruno’s teachings with no Catholic peril. (No I’m not a Catholic, or ever will be, to defend them.) But this is the kind of uninformed, wrong thinking that “justifies” creationists.

As for the better side of the book, it’s written primarily for the common audience, quite comparable to Tyson’s TV documentaries, so if you care to read it you would get out of it the same.... Recommendation; an excellent book along the same line (but much more “captivating” and informative) is Alex Filippenko’s “THE Cosmos” just released at the end of 2013... very up-to-date as well! Ranks right up there with Carl Sagan’s original “Cosmos.”

Origins is an engaging account of the history of the universe, and humankind's place within it, as of the state of science in 2004. While intended for a popular audience, scientists from disciplines other than astrophysics will still the find the work interesting. At least this scientist did.

Origins is still in print because of Dr. Tyson's redoing of Cosmos which appeared on Fox television several years ago. Obviously, Dr. Tyson is one of those rare scientists who can capture the wonder of non-scientists when describing their work. But, as a matter of personal opinion, I prefer Dr. Krauss's The Greatest Story Ever Told to this book. It has the advantage of being more up to date and it tells the story of the cosmos with less of an astrophysicist's interests and more by writing simply for a scientifically literate audience.

But this is largely a matter of taste. Both books contain largely the same material as astrophysics hasn't had any revolutionary findings in the past 13 years. If you are personally a fan of Dr. Tyson's style, or listen to his podcasts, you may enjoy this more than Dr. Krauss's recent book.

In either instance, you're in the hands of somebody who is not only a scientific expert but also a master storyteller. Several hours of pure intellectual pleasure awaits.

I just started this audio book after finishing The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss, and The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking. I am not even finished with the first disc yet and the writing is phenomenal. I often think I've heard all the concepts there are, and heard them over and over again, but each scientist can put their own spin on it, or divulge something new. In particular here, he mentions some concepts about Quarks I had never heard before, and it blew me away with the awe I strive to get from learning about quantum mechanics and cosmology.

Even though Tyson doesn't read his own work for the audio book, the reader is quite capable and embodies the same enthusiasm I believe Tyson would.

I have no doubt by the end, this will go down as one of my favorites books!

(One week later) Ok- so I finished it. Best science book I've ever read. One thing Tyson does that I found others don't, he explains how we know the things we know, and rather thoroughly. That is the stuff I love and long for when reading science, but is too often lacking from other books.

I will be listening to this audiobook again very soon.

I enjoy science and Dr. Tyson is fantastic at explaining difficult topics in an easy to understand way. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time and decided to get into some of his books. Origins did not disappoint! It was an interesting look at the origins of the universe, the planets, and life. It had all the goofy nerd humor that I’d expect from Dr. Tyson. There were still some topics that were a bit over my head, not being a physicist, but for me that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book. There were a few parts that were a bit repetitive from chapter to chapter as well. Overall, a very interesting read!

This is a review of the book, not the NOVA series or the DVD of that series. I have not seen the series, so I review the book on its own merits.

This book is for a general audience with almost no math. (The only equations are Einstein's relationship between energy and mass, and a simple equation of the form A+M=1.) The book is entertaining, with a breezy conversational style. It stresses how experimental techniques, such as measurements of the cosmic background radiation and the spectroscopy of starlight, tell us about the universe and provide the underpinning for the various models for the evolution of the universe. The most complex theories are outlined in a clear manner, for instance, the need for "dark energy/dark matter" to explain why the universe exists today. There is also a refreshing lack of certitude. We need dark energy/dark matter, but we do not know what it is and perhaps this implies that our current ideas are so wrong that we are not even asking the right questions.

The book goes from the birth and evolution of the universe to the question of why complex life exists and why it might or might not be common in the universe. There is a useful glossary of terms and an index. A list of selected reading is given but no specific notes. This book is not a picture book of star images, but there are two sections of plates showing beautiful images of star systems and of features of our planet. My only reservation is a lack of diagrams, which could have clarified some of the more complex portions of the book. This lack of diagrams caused me to reduce the rating to 4 stars, otherwise it would have been 5 stars.

This book took me on a wild journey through my very existence. Thought provoking ideas made we ask questions about the big question of my personal and mankind's place and purpose in the cosmos. I was left with a strange sense of peace finding questions that may not have answers and finding paths to journeys that may not have destinations.

Tyson and Goldsmith distill a complex subject of both immense philosophical and physical implications into 300 pages of readable text. The format is interesting, although it poses some material early on that is fairly daunting. The introduction to this subject I received by watching the 4-hour PBS production motivated me, however, to push through the tough stuff. As it turned out, the authors used the first chapter as an overview of everything, then used subsequent chapters to expand on individual concepts presented in the first chapter. I would have preferred the first chapter at the end, allowing the Preface to suffice as an introduction to the material. You may want to try reading the preface, then skipping ahead to the second chapter, saving the first chapter for last. This may keep you from tossing the book aside before giving it a fair chance. Just a thought. The title "Origins" threw me because I assumed it focused on Darwin's theory; however, this book is more than that, and combines elements of astrophysics, biology, and geology to describe how the universe was created, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. As Sagan would say, there appears to be billions and billions of opportunities for life in the universe.

For the serious scientist, I would further recommend: Steven Weinberg, author of several books on the subject, including: the "Quantam Theory of Fields" Volumes I and II, and "The First Three Minutes." Also, B. Reed's book "Quantam Mechanics: A 1st Course," and Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe," seem to be popular. These books give a more detailed, math-heavy version of Origins.

As an amateur scientist, rather weak in mathematics, I am happy with the depth of studying Origins, and enjoyed the color photos in this book. Carl Sagan's books "Cosmos" and "Billions and Billions" are good supplements to this book, written at a similar level, approachable by non-scientists.

Writing for or from a TV science documentary is a challenge. The prose must address a wide spectrum of viewers' knowledge levels. The authors must neither insult nor overwhelm the viewer/reader. Tyson and Goldsmith have achieved that fine balance with this book. It provides a wealth of information about the origins and progress of the universe since its inception at the Big Bang. Tackling an amazingly complex subject, the authors break it down into a well-organised set of topics. Each step takes the reader into a more specific area of interest starting with what can be inferred about the earliest moments of the universe to the formation of planets.

Cosmology, even written for television, is a massive subject to impart. The range of subjects runs from immense forces to the minuscule movements of subatomic particles. The authors start at the smallest, but most powerful point - the time at which the entire universe was the size of a pinhead. From that initial condition, where all space and time were combined in a furiously energetic pellet, the authors follow the universe as it expands and cools. Black holes form and disappear, smudges of material begin to coalesce and the universe begins to display some patterns. Galaxies give birth to stars and planets appear where possible.

In depicting the events and conditions of universe building, the authors provide defining, useful explanations of many phenomena. The issue of "multiple universes" has gained many adherents in theoretical physics and cosmology. Because their very nature precludes observing them, the ranks of critics of the concept are about as equally swollen. "Dark matter", that mysterious material that would explain why things aren't moving about in the manner originally formulated, is clarified [at last!] well. Keeping math at bay in this book, the authors instead explain the concepts of how dark matter's influence was recognised and what efforts have been attempted to detect it. It's interesting at this point to note a dark matter galaxy has been recently identified.

From a topic as seemingly esoteric as dark matter, the authors turn to the more familiar. Stellar and planetary formation result from the accretion of material. Learning that this material is "dust" may give a few pause. This isn't the stuff under the divan, but much finer, assembled from but a few elements in the form of complex molecules. Clouds of this minuscule material may form a disc, leading to the heavier bits selecting locations and sweeping up nearby material. In the densest centre, enough material may initiate stellar ignition. Further out, little lumps combine, build and form planets. If you ask astronomers the details of the process, say the authors, "they can only gesticulate" - a new expression replacing "shrug their shoulders".

Shrewd expressions such as this permeate this book, making it a lively read. Quarks endure "shotgun" marriages and gravity "wriggles loose" from Planck matter. To some this "dumbs down" the findings of years of studious effort. To the reader new to these ideas, it smoothes the path to understanding. If you are new to cosmology, the origin of our universe and what conditions allowed us to inhabit a piece of it and ask all these questions, this book is a treasure to read and keep. Many of these issues will continue to be examined in the coming years. With a bit of effort, you may become one of the names in a later edition. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Origins is a very good primer on cosmology and astronomy for the lay reader. One of its strong points is its sweeping scope, from the origins of the universe down to the origins of life on Earth and the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. The book has its drawbacks. Some of the early chapters can be difficult to grasp; perhaps the authors could have explained some concepts more clearly, although to be fair, some of the ideas of cosmology (e.g., dark energy, antimatter) are just plain difficult to wrap one’s head around. There are also some places where the text shifts focus between topics abruptly, making it more difficult for readers to follow. Nevertheless, Origins is a fascinating overview of the nature of the universe and our place in it, and it achieves what all good science books do: it makes the reader what to learn more.

A non-scientist, I've read several books trying to understand current theories as to how the universe began, developed, and how it will end some day. This book comes closer to making clear to me some very complex issues than any other I have found. The authors start with the small --quantum mechanics, the Big Bang, and the time the universe was the size of a pinhead -- and proceed on to examine the big issues.

The approach of the book is chronological, from 14 billion years ago up to the present. The first chapters deal with the creation of the universe. From there attention moves to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets and, finally, the authors take a long look at the prospects of finding life somewhere out there. Along the way, there is fascinating -- and occasionally humorous -- discussion on subjects such as whether the universe is finite or infinite, the techniques of finding unseen planets circling distant stars, and the conditions under which life might be created. Theories, speculation, and facts are introduced that date from as recently as 2002 so this book should be current and readable for a few more years.

The text is illustrated by a sizeable number of good-quality color photographs and an extensive glossary explains a lot of terms and theories mentioned in the text. All in all, a book characterized by a lucid, accurate, and comprehensible look at some awfully big subjects.

Smallchief

Imagine a time in the future when space travel is perfected: you can zip between the stars in a day, rather than the millennia it would currently take. You decide to go on a "road" trip and tour the Milky Way. Even with super fast travel, if you visited only one star per day, it would still take you millions of years to complete your tour. And that's just the Milky Way; if you wanted to see the whole universe, a trillion years wouldn't be enough. The universe is that big and has that much stuff in it; more stunning is that all the stars and planets take up only a very small fraction of the total space. The cosmos is an awesome place and Origins by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith discusses how it all began and what our place is in this vastness.

Logically enough, the book pretty much starts at the beginning, namely at the Big Bang. Actually, it starts slightly later, when the universe was 10 to the minus 43 seconds old; before that, things are shrouded in mystery. From there, we see how the universe evolved, from a haze of pure energy and subatomic particles to one where matter, well...mattered. We then read of the formation of galaxies, then of stars and planets, and finally of life itself.

Are all the answers known? No, of course not, but certain theories have been dismantled (such as the steady state theory of the origin of the universe), others are still sketchy (like how the Earth and other planets formed and a few are really speculative (like how much intelligent life there is beyond the Earth). Somehow, though, the fact that there are still mysteries out there is more pleasantly tantalizing than frustrating.

There can be alternate explanations involving supernatural entities which may provide simpler answers but are not really theories as they cannot pass scientific scrutiny. Tyson and Goldsmith touch on these alternatives, but mainly just on their inadequacy from a scientific standpoint. That is to say, if you believe in "creation science", this is probably not the book for you.

If you have read a lot about astronomy and cosmology already, such as Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe, then Origins will not offer much that you don't already know. This book is designed more for the layperson whose knowledge of these fields is more limited. On the other hand, the authors write with a lot of wit and clarity, so even if you know most of the information within, it is presented in a refreshing enough manner to still make it worth your while.

No one conveys the excitement and awe of our universe the way Dr. Tyson does. And no one I've read before has ever done a better job of explaining the complex science that governs the cosmos in a way that a layman such as myself can comprehend. And Dr. Tyson manages to keep his writing light and humorous all the while. Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution is a wonderful read.

There is no way we can think of for the elements that make up most of the world we know such as oxygen and carbon to exist except for them to have been 'cooked' in the center of stars. This is not exactly a simple concept, and the story of how we have learned this is remarkable in its own right.

In this companion to the PBS 'Nova' four hour special, the story of the origin of everything is explained by two excellent writers. Some years Carl Sagan did a similar book/show called 'Cosmos.' This new story is Cosmos brought up to date with the latest discoveries and theories, and done without so much of the 'Wow, how marvelous' that Sagan used.

Of particular interest to me was the discussion on the likelyhood of extra-terrestrial life in the Universe. Obviously no conclusion can be reached because we have not made contact with any other civilization, but on the other hand, it is impossible to prove a negative. The approach in this book is strictly scientific. Here is the Drake equasion, here is what the terms mean, we really have no idea of the answer.

I am a 'layperson' without extensive education in the fields ot cosmology and astrophysics so some of the more technical details were beyond me BUT the book was filled to bursting with the wonder of science and the splender of the universe and that I got loud and clear! It's a great book for 'ordinary people' although I'm sure a cosmologist would find it very simplistic which was just what I needed. Dr. Tyson reminds me of Carl Sagan in his ability to communicate complicated subjects. Very worthwhile read.

I purchased this book to have something to read on an airplane ride to Europe. I had already read and enjoyed Death By Black Hole so I figured I would give this a try.

I'm a physics grad student and have an interest in cosmology, but have only taken freshmen level Astronomy courses. That said, I found myself somewhat too informed beforehand to properly enjoy reading this book. It is clearly written to appeal more to a mass audience with little to no knowledge on the subject.

The writing style, as noted in many of the reviews, is fairly simple, at times bordering on silly with its painful attempts at "science humor". This made it somewhat difficult to enjoy the book, as I found that I already knew much of what Tyson was saying, if not more.

People looking for an introductory, easy to read survey on the subject of cosmology will like this book. Those of you with any knowledge on the subject, no matter how basic it might be, would probably be better off reading Death By Black Hole (that book being a compilation of Tyson's articles written for a slightly more scientific audience). Anyone looking for an even more substantial popular science book could try Elegant Universe by Greene, although I admit that book was too abstract for me at times.

With a recent viewing of Origins on Public Television, I decided to pick up the "companion volume" and see if it is as good as the Nova series. As good as the series was - and I think it was very good - the book is better. I was delighted.

Origins takes us from the beginning of space and time to the origins of life, all in a conversational manner, never glossing over the difficult bits or controversies, but explaining each in the light of science. The authors have done a wonderful job taking such a large subject - there's no escaping it, the universe, space, and time are large subjects - and condensing them without trivializing the complexity and wonder of the subject.

This book is for all lay cosmologists and I recommend it for high school general science courses too.

What I appreciate most about this book is that Tyson and Goldsmith don't just introduce us to what we know about the origins of the universe and everything in it, but they also explain how we know it.

This book is clearly meant to be used in conjunction with a television project (the highly respected Nova series), because it is presented in that fast-moving, soundbite-oriented style better suited for introductory television. The book is a perfectly acceptable summary of current knowledge in cosmology and astrophysics, and how they can relate to everyday human experience. However, the vast body of knowledge that we zoom through here should really be experienced in multiple books, because this one's presentation is rushed and lacking in the subtle details necessary for true comprehension. Tyson and Goldsmith's writing style tends to wrap discussions up too quickly, and to blitz through subjects arbitrarily and haphazardly. For just a couple of examples, see the descriptions of several of the most "interesting" elements in Chapter 10, or a sketchy tour of the solar system's moons in Chapter 12 that leaves you wanting more, but not really in a good way. Meanwhile, the color photo sections, featuring awesome but under-elaborated deep-space pictures, are clearly meant as eye candy only; and some of the photos are not even connected with the text, such as shots of the Horsehead Nebula or some recent sunspots – topics that are not mentioned in the text at all.

Meanwhile, this project is ostensibly built upon a philosophical exercise on how humans are intimately connected with the cosmos, as our very existence has only been made possible as the result of vast universal processes. But while Tyson and Goldsmith do a very good job of describing the true benefits of scientific reasoning in the face of religion or mysticism, most of this book's explorations of how humans can appreciate the cosmos, and feel a deep connection to it, are sub-Sagan at best, and even borrow directly from Carl Sagan himself with no acknowledgement. Obviously, that esteemed gentleman's works are more highly recommended for the philosophical exercises attempted here, while there are many other places to get more details on the cosmological and astrophysical concepts covered. That makes this "Origins" project a good summary or introduction to such topics, but not much more than that. [~doomsdayer520~]

Making my way through this like a fat kid loves cake! Some of it will make your brain hurt, and other parts will blow your mind away. My thirst for astrophysics remains unquenched, so onwards I go with more Neil deGrasse Tyson books!

You can't go wrong with any of Neil Degrasse Tyson's books. He is a wonderful teacher who makes astronomy come alive! No matter what your age he is spellbounding. I love his DVD with "The Teaching Company", too. he is as interesting to watch in person as he is an author. I hope he remains a director of the Haydn Planetarium forever!

I have come to appreciate Niel De Grasse Tyson's clear writing in Natural History magazine. And I also had enjoyed Donald Goldsmith's Runaway Universe. They did not disappoint me with Origins.

It is clearly written and provides a great summary of what we know about the Universe now. It also clarified for me a lot of topics which I had read about before but never really "got". An example is the curvature of space and how it relates to the expansion of the Universe.

An easy read but with enough substance to make it worthwhile.

This is an excellent book. I have an interest in the cosmos but lack the formal education in the subject. I found this book helped bring the subject to an understandable level. I can now put my head around what was more mystery than fact and theory based on the remarkable discoveries made in the last two decades.

I just finished this book for the third time and I figured I'd share my admiration for Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and what he was able to do in this book with the world. This is an easy read and easy to follow, it does not bog you down with terms and boring soliloquy in which you are just along for the ride.

If you are new to the field or an avid fan, this is a great and easy read if you are looking to get your feet wet without hemorrhaging your brain.

I found this book to be well thoughout on the subject of the big bang ,formation of galaxies, planets, and life before the huble and it's finding to be a very good read. I still enjoy books on this subject and with new tech coming our way we will see if these authors change thier view points or not like the string theory and such. Highly recommended.

This is an informative and appropriately entertaining examination of the cosmos only as it could be done by Mr. Tyson. While it may not be a deeply scientific read for those who are scientists or extremely well informed on scientific matters, I still found it worth the time because Mr. Tyson is a delightfully entertaining presenter and definitely increased my knowledge base.

I enjoyed this book, overall i think the book is more of a basic intro to cosmology and astrophysics as I am sort of familiar with the material presented, but i still learned and picked up alot of information in the book. I found the book pretty easy to read and was a pretty fast read.

I am a recently graduated high school student, going on to university in September. I am by no means a physicist or astronomer.

This book has done an incredible job of describing the known universe in the simplest way possible to me. It is full of information, lucidly written and definitely a starting point for anyone interested in the subject. Both quantum theory and physics of space are excellently dealt with in this book, and I strongly recommend it, for anyone mildly interested.

"Origins", Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith's new book, subtitled -the search for ourselves in the universe, has attempted much in tackling the real `biggest story ever told'. It is largely successful. It presents a general survey of cosmologic history from the `big bang' through the formation of galaxies, planets, and life with most of the emphasis on the earliest period. All of this is accomplished almost entirely without math, with some humor, and is a good starting point for the high school or college undergraduate student without a scientific background. It presents a more detailed scientific picture with less `wonder' than the late Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" but some readers may want more depth. For those I would recommend Steven Weinberg's "The First Three Minutes", or from the biologist's viewpoint, Morowitz's "The Emergence of Everything" which starts with the `big bang' and continues the story step-wise to explain complexity and emergence. For the general reader "Origins" presents an introduction to much mind-opening material including the mysterious `dark matter', isotropism, discussions about the curvature of space-time and the inflationary model of the universe that has the potential to stimulate further study or simply be enjoyed for itself.

Real mind-blowing stuff, made as digestible as is possible. If you have read other astrophysics books in the last few years there will be some redundancy, but that isn't the book's fault. Recommended.

I detect a shift in voice (or rather a shift in author) from one chapter to the next. One will be light and breezy, enjoyable and easy to read, and the next will be clunky, confusing, and borderline illiterate. I can't tell who's narrating: Goldsmith or deGrasse Tyson? Where was the editor???

God opened my eyes to read His Word before I ever got around to this one too. Based on the one book by Tyson I did read, (The Sky is not the Limit), probably as well written and probably geared toward the argument of Creationism vs. evolution. Because of this, it is sure to be missing a vital ingredient: God.

This general/survey book on cosmology is good, and because it is so new, we can say that it is better. But I am not sure it is the best.

My academic training is in history, with philosophy as a hobby, so I am quite unqualified to comment on the science. The book's advantage is that it is more recent, therefore up-to-date on ever-improving science. And being an interested layman, I have to defer to the more qualified people.

However, as a whole, the book falls a bit short of the mark. Sagan's "Cosmos," for example, does not just focus on astrophysics, but also astronomy, psychology, chemistry, and human history. Not only does it covey science, but Sagan conveys the wonder of science, so it is really a proselyte tract. And a successful one at that.

"Origins" misses all of this. It is quite narrowly focused on the theories, data and history, and only touches upon the human-spiritual element of science in the coda, "The search for ourselves in the cosmos." Admittedly, any potential purchaser of the book already has a sense of the importance and awe of science. But every page of "Cosmos" conveyed the wonder and excitement that Sagan had for the Enterprise. That is the book's main flaw.

Then there are the two intertwined problems. The first has to do with tone: the humor is forced. Cases in point, the "Yup" on page 60 and "Simply for the cosmic hell of it" on page 174. As I read, I felt like I was looking at a 46 year old woman who dresses like Britney Spears. The attempts at conversationalness occasionally became casualness. The asides were less of an enhancement, and more of a distraction. Remember Strunk and White rule 9, "Do not affect a breezy manner," page 73.

The second problem was the imprecise language. Specifically they misused words for comic effect:

* "This assumption of cosmic democracy underlies all of modern cosmology." (89). Democracy is a political system, not a metaphysical property; the correct word is uniformity.

* "The take-home lesson is that at some point you've got to stop fixating on what something looks like and start asking what it is." (113). Fixation is a strict psychological disorder, with a better phrasing being "stop looking and start thinking."

* "What happens within a cloud to turn its collapse into newborn stars? Astrophysicist can only gesticulate." (151) Gesticulation is hand-waving; they probably mean speculate.

* "Freeze-drying astronauts." (278). Freeze-drying is rapid dehydration, and would have killed the astronauts. "Planet of the Apes" is vague on the hibernation process, but in other Sci-Fi films such as "2001," "2010" and "The Empire Strikes Back," explain the process a little better.

The intent of this word-spinning is to enhance the presentation in the book, but it only serves to weaken the arguments. First because the errors are so distracting. Secondly, because imprecise word usage implies imprecision in other areas. C. S. Lewis commented on this phenomenon in his essay "The Death Of Words," found in "On Stories," p. 105ff.

Therefore, I would recommend this book as a second-tier product. I heartily recommend the Sagan's "Cosmos" be your first survey book. Then read this one for more up-to-date information.

I love a good cosmic documentary, but this is a little dry. Didn't really get anything out of it. I watched Hyperspace again just to see if I had remembered incorrectly, but alas, it's still the best. I really hope someone is showing that doc to our kids in schools somewhere.

The cornerstone of ORIGINS is the ingrained premise of contemporary cosmology that nonlife managed to generate the structures of the universe and life over billions of years. But if nonlife is the cause of structure formation in the universe, it ought to be demonstrated that at one time life did not exist, or that nonlife on its own - i.e. in the total absence of life - can generate life. The authors do not even attempt to make that point. So their unconditional bias in favor of nonlife's imagined self-organizing capabilities is most evident. They maintain this bias in face of the fact that in our experience structure formation is the basic quality of life and not that of nonlife. So instead of rehashing cosmology's divorced-from-reality mathematical models, on my part I would be delighted to see what makes them think that life did not play an intimate part in the creation of the universe. It is evident beyond any reasonable doubt that the cosmic system yields life, and it is equally evident that in our experience any natural system that yields life is itself the product of life. To illustrate my point with nature's model: over 97 percent of a giant Sequoia' mass is considered to be dead, yet it yields leaves, flowers, and millions of tiny winged seeds. We know it yields seeds as its output because a seed generated that tree structure for the purpose of self-reproduction. What makes the authors believe that the universe is the sole exception to this most basic principle of nature? Or did they manage to refute, without our knowledge, the principles of biogenesis and causality? (Namely that life comes only from life akin to itself and can never originate from nonlife, and that a cause cannot produce an effect superior to itself because the difference between the cause and the superior effect would have to come from nothing.) Only when they can refute these principles of nature should we join them in the celebration of nonlife's incredible creative potentials. In the meantime we should study nature's life-giving systems and based on those observations infer that the universe yields life because the cosmic system itself is the product of life. Since that initial seed or genotype of the phenotype universe is both the input and the output of the universe, the authors and the rest of the pro-nonlife cosmologists ignore its existence. After all the seed or final cause of the universe exists beyond the self-imposed limitations of science, and those who remain in that box will pretend it does not exist. Metaphorically speaking, it is like the seeds of a giant Sequoia pretending that the seed which created their tree for the purpose of self-reproduction does not exist. Instead of ending with the search for extraterrestrial life, the book should begin with the realization that life is immortal, which immortal life created the universe for the production of life in its own image. I recommend the book for those readers who want to embrace and to worship nonlife as the creator of the universe, and want to read more about the mushrooming crank theories that posit multiple hidden dimensions and universes. On the other hand this book is definitely not for "out of the box" thinkers, or for rational thinkers.

The material presented is substantial, but something as simple as the phrase "degrees Kelvin" (which any science person knows is wrong since there are no "degrees" Kelvin) makes me wonder whether or not there are other mistakes like this one that I didn't catch due to unfamiliarity.

Naturalistic Darwinian evolution cannot account for the laws of logic which is not natural therefore evolution is false! I am surprised how many people love Dawkins's fairytales and billions of years that gives us such an awe of `mother' nature. We can't help to have some deep religious awe of nature; we just want to bow down before nature and `science so called' to guide us into the unknown future. We want to cover our ignorance of the universe with deep religious faith that what we have in front of us is billions of years old. Now stop the bus for a moment and watch Age of the Earth by Kent Hovind and that lie suddenly explodes in ones face like a big bang. After reading John Hartnett's book, `Dismantling the big bang', one cannot but feel betrayed by Scientific America, National Geographic, Your Lecturer at university, etc for changing the age of the universe from 5 billion to 10 billion to 20 billion years to accommodate their false religion of evolution and their ever changing `scientific theorems'. And what does the average McDonalds eating, soap opera watching non thinking person do? He accepts it as `science' because after all, naturalistic `science' is the end all of all knowledge and modern science fits right in with the `God is dead movement'. One can see how this religion of evolution and its evil twin, atheism has managed to fly through under the radar of `science'. 99% of people hate the God of the bible and will believe any fairytale rather than God! The majority is always wrong! The universe is only 6000 years old according to God!

One wonders if "The Cosmos" gave him a feeling of grandeur. I am befuddled by his tweet:

"Some claim the USA is a Christian nation, compelling me to wonder which assault rifle Jesus would choose: the AR-15 or AK-47."

Why do so-called scientists continue to preach their unproven religion? They have a belief system (usually atheisim) and everything they present is colored by it. There is not and never has been any proof for creation (origin of life) that is nontheistic. The Bible's recording of the origin of life cannot be disproved, but atheistic "scientists" will always keep trying. Just let them prove their theories and they cannot. Why? Because origin of life is a faith issue whether one is a Christian or an atheist!