When did time begin to flow? What caused human life to appear on Earth? And life in general? Is it true that we are made of "stardust"? Does all of this have an end?
Brief History of the World sets out to answer all these questions, exploring historical change across the cosmos, from the Big Bang, through the evolution of life and the key events in human history, to the present moment and beyond. In just a few pages, David Baker presents a sweeping overview of 13.8 billion years. Under his guidance, readers will discover how merely hydrogen atoms eventually gave rise to complex human societies. This compelling and insightful narrative combines knowledge from chemistry, biology, and physics with the humanities and social sciences. It's a "big History" approach that helps us see beyond the confusion of human affairs and, by adopting a planetary perspective, also gives us a glimpse o what the future might hold.