Genesis

Starred review from January 25, 2021
“Where does all this come from?” asks particle physicist Tonelli in his elegant, accessible English-language debut. The author guides readers through a metaphorical seven days of genesis, a “collective adventure” of scientific exploration stretching from before the Big Bang to the rise of humans on Earth. Tonelli begins with the mystery of time before the Big Bang, making parallels to Greek myth in Hesiod’s Theogony, where “Chaos was first of all.” The author describes astronomer and priest Georges Lemaître’s work on forming the Big Bang theory in 1927, when the idea of an expanding universe disturbed scientists who envisioned one that was a static and unchanging, as put forth by Aristotle. Tonelli covers the formation of atoms, the onset of light, and the distribution of stars in the Milky Way. He also describes how particle accelerators and “super-telescopes” reveal the physics behind elementary particles, stars, and black holes. Tonelli’s storytelling successfully weaves curiosity, Greek mythology, and scientific discovery: “From quantum foam something even more astounding than the goddess of love and beauty will be born: an entire universe.” Already a bestseller in Italy, Tonelli’s lyrical story of creation is sure to ignite the imaginations of American readers.

February 1, 2021
Einstein meets Ovid in Tonelli's compelling account of how the universe was born and how it has since evolved. Grounded in theoretical science but sustained by artistic fervor, this account not only illuminates the precepts of modern cosmology for nonspecialists, but also endows those precepts with rare imaginative power. Though Tonelli incorporates technical terms (leptons, neutrinos, muons) in his narrative, interested nonspecialists will understand--even delight in--a story that begins in the mysterious triggering of the big bang and culminates in the emergence of a universe filled with galaxies where stellar fire warms planets (like ours) capable of sustaining intelligent life. Readers will thrill at the opportunity to accompany a world-class physicist to the frontiers of cosmological science, there to contemplate the unfolding of the universe and to gauge the dazzling new technologies enabling scientists to scrutinize that unfolding. Others have told this story, of course, but no one has so enriched the science of this cosmic drama with such meaningful forays into mythology, scripture, music, and history. Thus, while teaching readers about the scientific discoveries of modern cosmology, Tonelli also compellingly explores the primal, prescientific human emotions--wonder, anxiety, hope--that have animated the researchers who have made those discoveries. A science book that will matter deeply to nonscientists.

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Starred review from February 1, 2021
An award-winning particle physicist delivers an appealing explanation of the origins and evolution of the universe. It's a mystery that has plagued great thinkers for centuries: How did the universe come to be? Many theories, scientific and otherwise, have been put forth, but the true story of the universe's first moments is still emerging. Tonelli, who played a role in the discovery of the Higgs boson, argues that new discoveries in physics are able to provide the clearest picture yet of how the universe emerged and where it's going. From his descriptions of the Big Bang to human creativity and storytelling, the author's writing is lush and inviting, offering countless points of entry even for those readers unfamiliar with fundamental concepts of physics. "Our lives," writes Tonelli, "are conditioned by the story of the origins of the universe told by science: it profoundly shifts the foundations on which we will build new social arrangements, opening up vistas full of opportunities and risks, and shaping the future for coming generations." In a concise yet action-packed narrative, the author organizes his survey of the cosmic beginnings into seven days, mimicking the biblical timeline of creation--from "Day One: An Irresistible Breath Produces the First Wonder" to "Day Seven: A Swarming of Complex Forms." With clarity and just the right amount of technical language, Tonelli tackles complex subjects such as supersymmetry, dark matter, and the births of stars and planets. He also masterfully conveys the scientific and epistemic profundity of "how we look at the world, and therefore our place within it." Entangled within his pursuit of scientific truth, the author's overarching outlook is one of awe. The magnificent ideas he presents allow us "to understand our deepest roots, and to find ideas with which to face the future." The book was a bestseller in Italy in 2019. An exhilarating exploration of the cosmos that is both poetic and cutting-edge.

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March 12, 2021

Throughout the centuries, humans have pondered the mysteries of the cosmos and its origin. Tonelli (physics, Univ. of Pisa) narrates the story of the universe's creation through the progression of science. He discusses the evolving scientific theories and discoveries that have shaped this narrative. From theories of the big bang and inflation, to exoplanets and black holes, to the Higgs boson particle (which Tonelli played a role in discovering), cosmology and particle physics have been fundamental to understanding how the universe was formed. These theories have also changed how humans view the world. Evoking the seven days of the Earth's genesis that are described in the Bible, Tonelli titles his chapters "Day One" through "Day Seven"; with this allusion, he suggests that origin myths, like the biblical creation story, have helped some cultures to impose order on the world through "symbolic universes." At the end of the book, Tonelli includes a thought-provoking chapter on why the anthropological and philosophical insights gleaned from these creation stories are important to understanding the way science has yielded explanations for how believers come to imagine the world. VERDICT For those interested in a different approach to understanding the universe's beginnings.--Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

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