Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Read and listen as much as you want
  • Over 950 000 titles
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Try now
image.devices-Singapore 2x
Cover for Most Improbable Journey, A - A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves

Most Improbable Journey, A - A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves

8 Ratings

4.4

Duration
6H 5min
Language
English
Format
Category

Non-Fiction

Big History, the field that studies the entire known past of our universe to give context to human existence, has so far been the domain of historians. Geologist Walter Alvarez-best known for his Impact Theory explaining dinosaur extinction-makes a compelling case for a new, science-first approach to Big History. He brings a scientist's view to the human story, from the creation of our universe and our planet, the rise of life, the movement of our continents and its effect on human migration, to humanity's ascendance due to our mastery of Earth's natural resources. Alvarez's illuminating observations will give readers a new appreciation of the events, from the Big Bang to the Bronze Age and beyond, that have led to the human situation.

© 2016 Dreamscape Media (Audiobook): 9781520046426

Release date

Audiobook: 29 November 2016

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. The Day We Found the Universe
    The Day We Found the Universe Marcia Bartusiak
  2. The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution: How the Convergence of Biology and Engineering Will Build the Next Technology Revolution
    The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution: How the Convergence of Biology and Engineering Will Build the Next Technology Revolution Susan Hockfield
  3. Assembling Life: How Can Life Begin on Earth and Other Habitable Planets?
    Assembling Life: How Can Life Begin on Earth and Other Habitable Planets? David Deamer
  4. All These Worlds Are Yours: The Scientific Search for Alien Life
    All These Worlds Are Yours: The Scientific Search for Alien Life Jon Willis
  5. The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast
    The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast Andrew Blum
  6. Evolutionary Biology, Part 1: The Darwinian Revolutions: Modern Synthesis
    Evolutionary Biology, Part 1: The Darwinian Revolutions: Modern Synthesis Allen MacNeill
  7. The Silurian Period: The History of the Prehistoric Era When Life Formed on Land
    The Silurian Period: The History of the Prehistoric Era When Life Formed on Land Charles River Editors
  8. Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse
    Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse David W. Orr
  9. The Climate Change Debate
    The Climate Change Debate the Speech Resource Company
  10. The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism
    The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism Bruce Katz
  11. Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World
    Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World Marcia Bjornerud
  12. The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine
    The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine Francis S. Collins
  13. 50 Great Myths Human Evolution: Understanding Misconceptions about Our Origins
    50 Great Myths Human Evolution: Understanding Misconceptions about Our Origins John H. Relethford
  14. Artificial Intelligence: From Medieval Robots to Neural Networks
    Artificial Intelligence: From Medieval Robots to Neural Networks Clifford A. Pickover
  15. Paleontology: A Brief History of Life
    Paleontology: A Brief History of Life Ian Tattersall
  16. The Wood Age: How one material shaped the whole of human history
    The Wood Age: How one material shaped the whole of human history Roland Ennos
  17. The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World
    The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World William D. Nordhaus
  18. The Geopolitics Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope are Reshaping the World
    The Geopolitics Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope are Reshaping the World Dominique Moisi
  19. A People’s History of Computing in the United States
    A People’s History of Computing in the United States Joy Lisi Rankin
  20. The City: A Global History
    The City: A Global History Joel Kotkin
  21. When Did Jesus Become God?: A Christological Debate
    When Did Jesus Become God?: A Christological Debate Bart D. Ehrman
  22. Origin of Life: What Everyone Needs to Know
    Origin of Life: What Everyone Needs to Know David W. Deamer
  23. Plagues upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History
    Plagues upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History Kyle Harper
  24. Brazil: The Troubled Rise of a Global Power
    Brazil: The Troubled Rise of a Global Power Michael Reid
  25. What's Wrong with China
    What's Wrong with China Paul Midler
  26. The Science Delusion: Asking the Big Questions in a Culture of Easy Answers
    The Science Delusion: Asking the Big Questions in a Culture of Easy Answers Curtis White
  27. The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician’s Search for the Universe’s Hidden Geometry
    The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician’s Search for the Universe’s Hidden Geometry Shing-Tung Yau
  28. Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament
    Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament Bart D. Ehrman
  29. The Cretaceous Period: The History and Legacy of the Geologic Era that Ended with the Extinction of Dinosaurs
    The Cretaceous Period: The History and Legacy of the Geologic Era that Ended with the Extinction of Dinosaurs Charles River Editors
  30. How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist
    How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist Charles H. Townes
  31. Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology
    Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology Lizzie O'Shea
  32. Forged: Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are
    Forged: Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are Bart D. Ehrman
  33. Space 2069: After Apollo: Back to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond
    Space 2069: After Apollo: Back to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond David Whitehouse
  34. Physics for Poets
    Physics for Poets Richard T. Kouzes
  35. How Not to Network a Nation: The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet (Information Policy)
    How Not to Network a Nation: The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet (Information Policy) Benjamin Peters
  36. Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us
    Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us Heino Falcke
  37. People of the World: Cultures and Traditions, Ancestry and Identity
    People of the World: Cultures and Traditions, Ancestry and Identity Catherine Herbert Howell
  38. Wind: How the Flow of Air Has Shaped Life, Myth, and the Land
    Wind: How the Flow of Air Has Shaped Life, Myth, and the Land Jan DeBlieu
  39. A Taste for the Beautiful: The Evolution of Attraction
    A Taste for the Beautiful: The Evolution of Attraction Michael J. Ryan
  40. On the Origin of Evolution: Tracing ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ from Aristotle to DNA
    On the Origin of Evolution: Tracing ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ from Aristotle to DNA John Gribbin
  41. Free Will Explained: How Science and Philosophy Converge to Create a Beautiful Illusion
    Free Will Explained: How Science and Philosophy Converge to Create a Beautiful Illusion Dan Barker
  42. The Stone Age: The History and Legacy of the Prehistoric Period When Humans Started Using Stone Tools
    The Stone Age: The History and Legacy of the Prehistoric Period When Humans Started Using Stone Tools Charles River Editors
  43. GPS
    GPS Paul E. Ceruzzi
  44. Delayed Response: The Art of Waiting from the Ancient to the Instant World
    Delayed Response: The Art of Waiting from the Ancient to the Instant World Jason Farman
  45. They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy
    They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy Lawrence Lessig
  46. The Supremes' Greatest Hits, 2nd Revised & Updated Edition: The 44 Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life
    The Supremes' Greatest Hits, 2nd Revised & Updated Edition: The 44 Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life Michael G. Trachtman
  47. Earth: Over 4 Billion Years in the Making
    Earth: Over 4 Billion Years in the Making Chris Packham
  48. The Mind-Body Problem
    The Mind-Body Problem Jonathan Westphal
  49. Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity
    Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity Lilliana Mason
  50. DNA USA
    DNA USA Bryan Sykes
  51. Appearance in Reality
    Appearance in Reality John Heil
  52. The Triassic Period: The History and Legacy of the Geologic Era that Witnessed the Rise of Dinosaurs
    The Triassic Period: The History and Legacy of the Geologic Era that Witnessed the Rise of Dinosaurs Charles River Editors
  53. The Rise of Humans: Great Scientific Debates
    The Rise of Humans: Great Scientific Debates John Hawks
  54. When Humans Nearly Vanished: The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano
    When Humans Nearly Vanished: The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano Donald R. Prothero
  55. History of Quantum Physics
    History of Quantum Physics Introbooks Team
  56. The Book of Wonders: How Euclid’s Elements Built the World
    The Book of Wonders: How Euclid’s Elements Built the World Benjamin Wardhaugh
  57. River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life
    River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life Richard Dawkins
  58. Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons
    Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons Kris Newby
  59. The Doomsday Calculation: How an Equation that Predicts the Future Is Transforming Everything We Know About Life and the Universe
    The Doomsday Calculation: How an Equation that Predicts the Future Is Transforming Everything We Know About Life and the Universe William Poundstone
  60. Spatial Computing
    Spatial Computing Pamela Vold
  61. The Secret Life of Science: How It Really Works and Why It Matters
    The Secret Life of Science: How It Really Works and Why It Matters Jeremy J. Baumberg
  62. Energy: A Human History
    Energy: A Human History Richard Rhodes
  63. The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce
    The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce Deirdre N. McCloskey
  64. Information and Society
    Information and Society Michael Buckland
  65. Can Biotechnology Abolish Suffering?
    Can Biotechnology Abolish Suffering? Magnus Vinding
  66. Understanding the Misconceptions of Science
    Understanding the Misconceptions of Science Don Lincoln
  67. Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations
    Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations Brian M. Fagan
  68. Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color
    Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color Kai Kupferschmidt
  69. Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design
    Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design Stephen C. Meyer
  70. The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination
    The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination Philip Ball
  71. Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us
    Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us The Great Courses
  72. Rational Fog: Science and Technology in Modern War
    Rational Fog: Science and Technology in Modern War M. Susan Lindee
  73. Counting: Humans, History and the Infinite Lives of Numbers
    Counting: Humans, History and the Infinite Lives of Numbers Benjamin Wardhaugh
  74. T. Rex and the Crater of Doom
    T. Rex and the Crater of Doom Walter Alvarez
  75. The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread
    The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread Cailin O’Connor
  76. The James Webb Space Telescope: The History of the Most Powerful Telescope in Space
    The James Webb Space Telescope: The History of the Most Powerful Telescope in Space Charles River Editors
  77. Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World
    Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World Deirdre N. McCloskey
  78. Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor
    Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor Brian Keating
  79. Radicals
    Radicals Jamie Bartlett
  80. The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills
    The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills David Stuckler
  81. Paul: The Pagans' Apostle
    Paul: The Pagans' Apostle Paula Fredriksen
  82. Great Scientific Ideas That Changed the World
    Great Scientific Ideas That Changed the World The Great Courses
  83. Earth in Upheaval
    Earth in Upheaval Immanuel Velikovsky
  84. History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration
    History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration The Great Courses
  85. Imitation Democracy: The Development of Russia's Post-Soviet Political System
    Imitation Democracy: The Development of Russia's Post-Soviet Political System Dmitrii Furman
  86. Waves
    Waves Fredric Raichlen
  87. The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially Aware Algorithm Design
    The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially Aware Algorithm Design Michael Kearns
  88. Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow
    Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow Andrew Maynard
  89. Jet Stream: A Journey Through our Changing Climate
    Jet Stream: A Journey Through our Changing Climate Tim Woollings
  90. The Permian Period: The History and Legacy of the Era with the Largest Mass Extinction Event
    The Permian Period: The History and Legacy of the Era with the Largest Mass Extinction Event Charles River Editors
  91. Darwin’s House of Cards: A Journalist’s Odyssey Through the Darwin Debates
    Darwin’s House of Cards: A Journalist’s Odyssey Through the Darwin Debates Tom Bethell
  92. Particle Physics for Non-Physicists: A Tour of the Microcosmos
    Particle Physics for Non-Physicists: A Tour of the Microcosmos The Great Courses

Features:

  • Over 950 000 titles

  • Kids Mode (child safe environment)

  • Download books for offline access

  • Cancel anytime

Most popular

Unlimited

For those who want to listen and read without limits.

S$12.98 /month
3 days for free
  • 1 account

  • Unlimited Access

  • Unlimited listening

  • Cancel anytime

Try now

Unlimited Bi-yearly

For those who want to listen and read without limits.

S$69 /6 months
14 days for free
Save 11%
  • 1 account

  • Unlimited Access

  • Unlimited listening

  • Cancel anytime

Try now

Unlimited Yearly

For those who want to listen and read without limits.

S$119 /year
14 days for free
Save 24%
  • 1 account

  • Unlimited Access

  • Unlimited listening

  • Cancel anytime

Try now

Family

For those who want to share stories with family and friends.

From S$14.90/month
  • 2-3 accounts

  • Unlimited Access

  • Unlimited listening

  • Cancel anytime

2 accounts

S$14.90 /month
Try now