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A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves - Paperback | Diverse Reads

A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves

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"A thrilling synthesis from a brilliant scientist who discovered one of the most important chapters in our history." —Sean B. Carroll

Big History, the field that integrates traditional historical scholarship with scientific insights to study the full sweep of our universe, has so far been the domain of historians. Famed geologist Walter Alvarez—best known for the “Impact Theory” explaining dinosaur extinction—has instead championed a science-first approach to Big History. Here he wields his unique expertise to give us a new appreciation for the incredible occurrences—from the Big Bang to the formation of supercontinents, the dawn of the Bronze Age, and beyond—that have led to our improbable place in the universe.

ISBN-13: 9780393355192

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Norton - W. W. & Company - Inc.

Publication Date: 12-05-2017

Pages: 256

Product Dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

Walter Alvarez, professor of geology at the University of California, Berkeley, received the Penrose Medal, the top honor in geology, and is the best-selling author of T. Rex and the Crater of Doom. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Introduction 3

1 Big History, the Earth, and the Human Situation 5

Cosmos

2 From the Big Bang to Planet Earth 21

Earth

3 Gifts from the Earth 43

4 A Planet with Continents and Oceans 60

5 A Tale of Two Mountain Ranges 79

6 Remembering Ancient Rivers 96

Life

7 Your Personal Record of Life History 117

Humanity

8 The Great Journey 137

9 Being Human 157

Epilogue

10 What Was the Chance of All This Happening? 179

Appendix 1 Further Resources 199

Appendix 2 Figure Sources 210

Acknowledgments 215

Notes 217

Index 237