Atom : a single oxygen atom's odyssey from the big bang to life on earth-- and beyond

Every atom in our bodies was once inside the fiery core of a star that exploded billions of years before our solar system was formed. Like the original Homeric epic, the atom at the center of this book makes its way across a truly cosmic stage. Exploding supernovas, solar winds, collapsing stars preceded the rise of life on earth and one day may foretell its end. Yet the story that Krauss tells is inextricably our story. Throughout this astonishing and monumental work, he manages to stoke our wonder at the powers and unlikely events that conspired to create our solar system, our eco-system and us. Atom Succeeds In Taking Us On A Vast And Tumultuous Ride Through Time And Space, With Contemporary Science As Our Often-demanding Guide. Yet The Effort Is Amply Rewarded, For The Story Sparks Our Sense Of Wonderment At The Universe. Divine Wind -- The Universe In An Atom -- The Right Stuff -- Time's Arrow -- Nature Of Nurture? -- Ten Minutes To Die -- One Hundred Million Years Of Solitude -- Things That Went Bump In The Night -- Voyage -- First Light -- A Pretty Big Bang -- The Galaxy Strikes Back -- Fire And Ice -- Cooking With Gas -- The Dangerous Energy Game -- The Wonder Years -- Return -- A Snowball In Hell, Humans, And Other Catastrophes -- The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times -- Through A Glass Darkly -- Ashes To Ashes -- Dust To Dust. By Lawrence M. Krauss. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 290-292) And Index. "Through the arc of a single oxygen atom's voyage through eternity, the story of life and the universe is told by Lawrence Krauss.". "Hailed by many as the heir to Carl Sagan, the author of the runaway bestseller The Physics of Star Trek tackles here his most ambitious challenge to date. From the earliest moments of the Big Bang to the emergence of life on Earth, from a riveting description of the atom's beginnings inside an exploding star to a thought-provoking discussion of the possible end of life in the universe, Krauss infuses this cosmic tale with humor, insight, and accessibility. Beginning his story below the Earth's crust, deep in an underground water chamber, Krauss moves back in time before the water existed and ends long after the planet on which the water is found is no more."--BOOK JACKET. As you wander past the Hotel de Matignon, the official residence of the French prime minister, past the art and antiques shops that crowd together amid the bustle and color of the 7th arrondissemont in Paris, you arrive at the courtyard of a grand eighteenth-century estate, whose walls protect a garden enclave from the traffic, noise, and concerns of the outside world. The story of matter and the history of the cosmos from the perspective of a single oxygen atom, told with the insight and wit of one of the most dynamic physicists and writers working today. Through this astonishing work, he manages to stoke wonder at the powers and unlikely events that conspired to create our solar system, our ecosystem, and us. SCI015000 Traces the history of the atom from the Earth's beginnings to the present, describing how it has formed every aspect of life on Earth