Clues to the Cosmos

Book excerpt: Amazing Stories behind the Greatest Discoveries in Physics Set out on the ultimate detective story—the story of how we unravelled the great mysteries of nature through science. From the microscopic world of an electron to the very limits of the universe, scientists have collected the clues left all around us in nature, and constructed a story that best fits all of the evidence. And what a story it is! A tale of explosive beginnings in the big bang, the strange warping of space and time, black holes, quantum uncertainties and elusive particles. How did we come to understand this grand story? This book explains the science and the scientific process that led to the biggest discoveries in physics. Like all great detective stories, it involves careful investigation, surprising discoveries, interesting characters, twists and turns, leaps of imagination and rewarding outcomes. SHOHINI GHOSE is an award-winning theoretical physicist, and a Professor of physics and computer science at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada. She and her colleagues were the first to experimentally find a connection between chaos theory and quantum entanglement. Dr. Ghose is an expert in quantum physics and serves as Co-Editor of Canadian Journal of Physics. She is a TED Senior Fellow and TED speaker, featured on TED Talks India. “This award-winning quantum physicist uses the power of storytelling to make complex topics exciting and accessible to all.” DONNA STRICKLAND, Physicist and Nobel Laureate