How Old? The Quest to Find the True Age of the Universe

13.8: The Quest to Find the True Age of the Universe and the Theory of Everything

The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things.

In this landmark book, John Gribbin, one of the best known science writers of the past thirty years, presents the history of the search for a unified “Theory of Everything”.  The quest to find the Holy Grail of physics, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything has been going on for years.

With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows how, despite skepticism among many physicists, these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years.

John Gribbin has been explaining complicated science to general audiences in his books for decades (Fire on Earth: Doomsday, Dinosaurs, and Humankind was one of my favorites), and is one of the most readable authors around.