A Short History of Nearly Everything

Recommended by a guest on Barry Ritholtz’s podcast, note that it has 600 pages, so take it at an easy pace. A wonderful read, each chapter covers a pillar of biology, physics, astronomy, chemistry, and science explaining why we are here, from the Big Bang to Homo erectus fossils.

I would gladly reread it in the future. Here is what I am taking away

• Being here is a miracle. Between meteorites that missed us, eruptions that did not happen, ice ages, climate, gravity, evolution, and mass extinctions, the fact that we are alive is simply hard to fathom. If there is one thing the book says to remember, it is that our world is fragile and that we have only one chance to make it
• We are almost nothing in time compared to everything that happened in the billions of years before

I also learned many anecdotes. It was a fascinating read and I did not feel the weight of all those pages. I feel a bit more knowledgeable in many areas of science, especially biology, evolution, and physics. It explained quantum theory perfectly!