C. Rene James

A fascinating look at the scientific mysteries behind our everyday world—from night, light and gravity to our cosmic home and wonder itself.

So much of what surrounds us feels familiar and mundane—until we look closer. C. Renée James opens the Universe to fantastical contemplation in this whimsical tour of seven everyday experiences: night, light, stuff, gravity, time, home, and wonder. 

James introduces each of these seven wonders with a simple question that appears to be easily answered. The questions are deceptive, though. Although we need light to see, there’s much more to it than meets the eye. When you get down to the atomic level, physical things are made of almost entirely empty space—99.9% nothing. And James’s contemplation of our place in the Universe shows that it’s not just a place to hang your hat—and that there’s really nothing else like it.

James’s accessible discussion uses common analogies and entertaining illustrations to explain historical discoveries and concepts such as relativity, antimatter, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Fun and edifying, Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted is an inviting introduction to secret knowledge of our everyday world.

Johns Hopkins University Press

Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted

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