The Edge of Physics

A Journey to Earth's Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

By: Anil Ananthaswamy

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

In this deeply original book, science writer Anil Ananthaswamy sets out in search of the telescopes and detectors that promise to answer the biggest questions in modern cosmology. Why is the universe expanding at an ever faster rate? What is the nature of the "dark matter" that makes up almost a quarter of the universe? Why does the universe appear fine-tuned for life? Are there others besides our own?

Ananthaswamy soon finds himself at the ends of the earth in remote and sometimes dangerous places. Take the Atacama Desert in the Chilean Andes, one of the coldest, driest places on the planet, where not even a blade of grass can survive. Its spectacularly clear skies and dry atmosphere allow astronomers to gather brilliant images of galaxies billions of light-years away. Ananthaswamy takes us inside the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope on Mount Paranal, where four massive domes open to the sky each night "like dragons waking up." He also takes us deep inside an abandoned iron mine in Minnesota, where half-mile-thick rock shields physicists as they hunt for elusive dark matter particles. And to the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, where engineers are drilling 1.5 miles into the clearest ice on the planet. They're building the world's largest neutrino detector, which could finally help reconcile quantum physics with Einstein's theory of general relativity.The stories of the people who work at these and other dramatic research sites, from Lake Baikal in Siberia to the Indian Astronomical Observatory in the Himalayas to the subterranean lair of the Large Hadron Collider make for a compelling new portrait of the universe and our quest to understand it.

An atmospheric, engaging, and illuminating read, The Edge of Physics depicts science as a human process, bringing cosmology back down to earth in the most vivid terms.

©2010 Anil Ananthaswamy (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A meticulous, accessible update of the latest ideas and instruments that contribute to the clarification of an increasingly puzzling universe." (Kirkus Reviews)

Less Physics & More Travel Literature & History

I enjoyed this book. I bought it for a road trip with my partner, he is an engineer and I am an Arts student and this appealed to us both. Although the title is the edge of physics it is less about the physics itself and much more travel writing in the pursuit of how present theories are being tested. I enjoyed the history behind the theories well as the travel, and my partner enjoyed the aspects where the author described how they are attempting to prove various theories like string theory and multiple universes.

A History of Modern Astronomy

This was interesting and I continued reading it even though I realized after a while that this was more of a lesson in history and geography then anything on the 'edge of physics'. I'll read the description a little more closely next time. For what it is, this is a good book. The narrator does a great job and it was an enjoyable book. I wouldn't recommend it though unless you get really jazzed by the history of science.

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Any additional comments?

An interesting look at the complex machines these physicist brainiacs build to observe and measure these crazy waves and particles. The author discusses the machines but also discusses the astronomy, the quantum stuff, and the overall theories on unification. I made progress in my slow investigation of this kind of material. It helped me to really begin to understand large energy machines and the dance between particles and wave and energy stuff. It amazed me when he was talking how these people are trying to catch tiny particles and using bended light to see around galaxies - it makes me realize people are way smart - there's no other animal that even begins to understand this stuff, yet humans have created machiens that measure and detect particles, waves, and phenomenon from billions of light years away and that reach beyond the sub-atomic scale - its amazing!

Excellent book

This book gives us an excellent insight to the origin and evolution of the universe, particularly how scientists achieve this using the advanced instuments. I was really excited to hear, how the author explains many advanced concepts in physics in a simple understandable manner. I will buy more books from this author irrespective of the subject. Excellent work.

Space - a Mystery

I enjoyed listening to this book although it was beyond my understanding much of the time. The reader was superb and captivating even in the dense scientific passages. If one is curious about space, astronomy and astrophysics, this book is for you,