A Most Improbable Journey A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves [Hardcover]

Big History, the field that integrates traditional historical scholarship with scientific insights to study the full sweep of our universe, has so far been the domain of historians. Famed geologist Walter Alvarezbest known for the Impact Theory explaining dinosaur extinctionhas instead championed a science-first approach to Big History. Here he wields his unique expertise to give us a new appreciation for the incredible occurrencesfrom the Big Bang to the formation of supercontinents, the dawn of the Bronze Age, and beyondthat have led to our improbable place in the universe.[Alvarez] revels in the unlikely reality of life on Earth . . . enabling readers to experience the power of Big History.Fans of Bill BrysonsImagine a campfire chat with your favorite teacher sharing the biggest story you ever heard.For the past three decades, Walter Alvarez has been at the center of a revolution in how scientists think about the history of life and the Earth. InA wonderful account of Big History by a geologist. And not just any geologist, but the geologist who showed that the dinosaurs were done in by an unlucky asteroid strike! Alvarez writes with precision and great charm. And he reminds us how absurdly improbable is the role we play in this colossal story, and how many things had to go right for you and me to exist.Engaging.A thrilling synthesis from a brilliant scientist who discovered one of the most important chapters in our history. Sean B. Carroll