The 4-Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality

The 4-Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality

by RichardPanek (Author)

Synopsis

Only 4% of the universe consists of the matter that makes up you, me, this form, and every star and planet. Over the last few decades scientists have been battling to understand the rest: the strange dark matterA" and even stranger dark energyA". In exhilarating and behind-the-scenes detail, Panek takes us on a tour of the bitter rivalries and fruitful collaborations, the eureka moments and blind alleys, that have fuelled the search, redefined science, and reinvented the universe.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Published: 01 Feb 2011

ISBN 10: 1851688218
ISBN 13: 9781851688210
Book Overview: Meet the players in the most fundamental scientific revolution since Copernicus The Facts of Matter

Media Reviews
A superior account of how astronomers discovered that they knew almost nothing about 96 percent of the universe.... Panek delivers vivid sketches of scientists, lucid explanations of their work and revealing descriptions of the often stormy rivalry that led to this scientific revolution. Starred review. * Kirkus Reviews *
[A] fascinating tale of cosmology's known unknowns. * BBC Focus *
Impeccably researched and highly readable. * New Scientist *
Panek provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of science in the raw as alliances are forged and friendships strained. There is a new universe to explore... * The Times *
The 4% Universe is a compelling narrative of science at its best... An illuminating guide to the dark mysteries lying at the heart of the intersection of astronomy and fundamental physics. * The Wall Street Journal *
Fascinating... Panek's passion for the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy wins the day. * Washington Post *
Richard Panek delights us with [a] mesmerizing tale.... This book has it all; the excitement of great fiction - only it's true. * Philadelphia Enquirer *
A compelling narrative of a quest full of technological challenges, unexpected turns and expected human rivalries over high stakes. * Dallas Morning News *
Lively... [Panek] Is a wondrously clear explicator. * Salon *
A rich portrait of modern scientific life. * The Guardian *
Easily digestible, fast-paced... To the connoisseur of popular science, indeed, the way author Richard Panek tells the tale is as interesting as the events: half drama, half detective story. * Physics World *
Reads... like an adventure novel.... Panek has craftily combined his lucid and accessible descriptions of science with thepersonal, often intimate story of those unlocking the finer details of the Universe. * BBC Sky at Night *
Richard Panek's new book shows that the story of how discoveries are made is just as exciting as the discoveries themselves.... [The 4% Universe] inspires and awes in equal measure. * Astronomy Now *
Author Bio
RICHARD PANEK is author of The Invisible Century and Seeing and Believing and has frequently written for the New York Times, as well as Discover, Smithsonian, Esquire, and Outside, among others. Richard Panek is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and the author of The Invisible Century and Seeing and Believing. He has frequently written for the New York Times, Discover, and Esquire, among many other publications. He and his wife, the novelist Meg Wolitzer, live in New York.