Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang (From Sun Dials to Quantum Clocks)

The Big Bang is all but dead, and we do not yet know what will replace it. Our universe's "beginning" is at an end. What does this have to do with us here on Earth? Our lives are about to be dramatically shaken again—as altered as they were with the invention of the clock, the steam engine, the railroad, the radio and the Internet. In The End of the Beginning , Adam Frank explains how the texture of our lives changes along with our understanding of the universe's origin. Since we awoke to self-consciousness fifty thousand years ago, our lived experience of time—from hunting and gathering to the development of agriculture to the industrial revolution to the invention of Outlook calendars—has been transformed and rebuilt many times. But the latest theories in cosmology— time with no beginning, parallel universes, eternal inflation—are about to send us in a new direction. Time is both our grandest and most intimate conception of the universe. Many books tell the story, recounting the progress of scientific cosmology. Frank tells the story of humanity's deepest question— when and how did everything begin?—alongside the story of how human beings have experienced time. He looks at the way our engagement with the world— our inventions, our habits and more—has allowed us to discover the nature of the universe and how those discoveries, in turn, inform our daily experience. This astounding book will change the way we think about time and how it affects our lives. The Big Bang Is Dead And Astrophysicist Adam Frank Explains How Our Experience Of Time Will Change As A Result-- Talking Sky, Working Stone And Living Field : From Prehistory To The Agricultural Revolution -- The City, The Cycle And The Epicycle : From The Urban Revolution To A Rational Universe -- The Clock, The Bell Tower And The Spheres Of God : From The Medieval Monastery To The Renaissance Cosmos -- Cosmic Machines, Illuminated Night And The Factory Clock : From Newton's Universe To Thermodynamics And The Industrial Revolution -- The Telegraph, The Electric Clock And The Block Universe : The Imperatives Of Simultaneity From Time Zones To Einstein's Cosmos -- The Expanding Universe, Radio Hours And Washing Machine Time : Speed, Cosmology And Culture Between The World Wars --the Big Bang, Telstar, And A New Armageddon : The Nuclear Big Bang's Triumph In A Televised Space Age -- Inflation, Cell Phones And The Outlook Universe : Information Revolutions And The Big Bang Gets In Trouble -- Wheels Within Wheels : Cyclic Universes And The Challenge Of Quantum Gravity : Eternal Time Through Repeating Time -- Ever-changing Eternities : The Promise And Perils Of A Multiverse : Eternal Inflation, Arrows Of Time And The Anthropic Principle -- Giving Up The Ghost : The End Of Beginnings And The End Of Time : Cosmology's Radical Alternatives In Three Acts -- In The Fields Of Leaning Grass : Ending The Beginning In Human And Cosmic Time. Adam Frank. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

Our universe’s “beginning” is at an end. What does this have to do with us, here on Earth? Everything. Our lives are about to be dramatically shaken—as altered as they were by the invention of the clock, the steam engine, the railroad, the radio and the Internet.

In About Time, astrophysicist Adam Frank allows us a peek into the cutting edge of cosmology, explaining how the texture of our lives changes along with our understanding of the universe’s origin. Since we awoke to self-consciousness fifty thousand years ago, our lived experience of time, from hunting and gathering to the invention of cell phones and electronic calendars, has been transformed and rebuilt many times. But the latest theories in cosmology—time with no beginning, parallel universes, eternal inflation—are about to send us in a new direction.

Time is both our grandest and most intimate conception of the universe. Frank tells the story of humanity’s deepest question—when and how did everything begin?—alongside the story of how human beings have experienced time, looking at the way our engagement with the world has allowed us to discover the nature of the universe and how those discoveries inform our daily experience. This astounding book will change the way we think about time and how it affects our lives.

Ideal for researchers and natural-resource managers, this book explores new research and novel perspectives on 'sources and sinks' - a powerful framework for conceptualizing the population dynamics of animals, plants and microorganisms. It presents the latest advances in source-sink theory, methods and applications for sustaining natural resources and biodiversity. "The Big Bang is dead and astrophysicist Adam Frank explains how our experience of time will change as a result"-- "The Big Bang is dead! It is no longer the beginning of time. Allowing us a peek into the cutting edge of cosmology, astrophysicist Adam Frank explains how this change in our origins will affect every aspect of our lives"-- "The Big Bang is dead! It is no longer the beginning of time. Allowing us a peek into the cutting edge of cosmology, astrophysicist Adam Frank explains how this change in our origins will affect every aspect of our lives"-- Provided by publisher