A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Short History of Nearly Everything (ISBN 0767908171) is a general science book by Bill Bryson, which explains some areas of science in ordinary language.

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A Short History deviates from Bryson's popular travel book genre, instead describing general sciences such chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics. In it, he explores time from the Big Bang to the discovery of quantum mechanics, via evolution and geology.

Related Topics:
Chemistry - Paleontology - Astronomy - Particle physics - Big Bang - Quantum mechanics - Evolution - Geology

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Bryson tells the story of science through the stories of the people who made the discoveries, such as Edwin Hubble and Albert Einstein.

Related Topics:
Edwin Hubble - Albert Einstein

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He came to write this book because he was presented in school with facts, but no one explained how people came to know the things he learned. So he tried to find out how people knew what the interior of the earth looks like. During this research he found out strange facts about scientists and their research; Thus, instead of just giving the reader facts and figures, Bryson discusses topics from a unique angle unseen in most science books.

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Bryson describes very graphically how big the universe is, and how small atoms and subatomic particles are. Furthermore, he reports on the likeliness of the earth being struck by a meteor, how unlikely it is that humans will spot a meteor before it impacts the Earth, and the extensive damage that such an event would cause. He also exlores the history of biology, botany, and zoology, and traces life from its first appearance all the way to today's modern humans, placing much emphasis on the development of the modern homo sapiens. Throughout the book, there are many reports on the way humans destroy the earth (both its climate and its species) as well as as how the earth is a very destructive planet itself (ed. please explain, confusing), and by that is able to sustain itself. Bryson ends the book by noting how many extinctions humans are responsible for, and how lucky man-kind is to be living on planet Earth today.

Related Topics:
Meteor - Biology - Botany - Zoology - Homo sapiens

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In 2004, this book won Bryson the prestigious Aventis Prize for best general science book.

Related Topics:
2004 - Aventis Prize

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