The Greatest Story Ever Told...So Far

By Lawrence M. Krauss

'A great educator as well as a great physicist?' Richard Dawkins

In the beginning there was light
but more than this, there was gravity.
After that, all hell broke loose...

This is how the story of the greatest intellectual adventure in history should be introduced - how humanity reached its current understanding of the universe, one that is far removed from the realm of everyday experience. Krauss connects the world we know with the invisible world all around us, which is removed from intuition and direct sensation. He explains our current understanding of nature and the struggle to construct the greatest theoretical edifice ever assembled, the Standard Model of Particle Physics -- and then to understand its implications for our existence.
  Writing in the critically acclaimed style of A Universe from Nothing, Krauss celebrates the beauty and wonders of the natural world and details our place within it and how this shapes our understanding of it. Krauss makes this story accessible through profiles of the scientists responsible for these advances, and clear explanations of their discoveries. Krauss takes us on a tour of science and the brilliant personalities who shaped it, often against political and religious indoctrination, enduring persecution and ostracism. Krauss creates a captivating blend of research and narrative to invite us into the lives and minds of these figures,creating a landmark work of scientific history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Mar 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781471138560

Lawrence M. Krauss

Lawrence Krauss, a renowned theoretical physicist, is the president of The Origins Project Foundation and host of the Origins Podcast. He is the author of more than 300 scientific publications and nine books—including the bestselling The Physics of Star Trek—and the recipient of numerous international awards for his research and writing. Hailed by Scientific American as a “rare scientific public intellectual,” he is also a regular columnist for newspapers and magazines and appears frequently on radio and television.

Reviews for The Greatest Story Ever Told...So Far

[applemcg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Readable, but for the nuclear stew. Let that pass deeper understanding and focus on the history lesson. Krauss builds the intellectual pyramid from Newton’s base layering insights of Rutherford, Einstein, Dirac, Pauli, Feynman, the teams that built CERN, didn’t build the SSC, at last built the Large Hadron Collider. He puts discovery of the Higgs boson at the peak and offers problems with the view.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating and in the end overwhelming explanation of particle physics. That the properties of the universe aren't intuitive I readily accept. I wonder if contemporary physics isn't in need of a great understanding and simplification just as the Copernican understanding have is a simpler understanding of astronomy. Of course Einstein warned against oversimplifying. Thought provoking.

[pgiunta_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Following up on his previous book, A Universe from Nothing, Dr. Krauss walks us through why (meaning "how") we attained our current level of understanding of the natural world and the cosmos. Beginning with the properties and laws governing light and motion, Krauss then takes several chapters to delve into an overview of theoretical physics, covering electromagnetism, particle physics, quantum mechanics, and the purpose, development, and construction of such devices as the Large Hadron Collider and LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). Through it all, Krauss shows diligence in crediting many of his Nobel-prize winning predecessors and mentors who advanced our collective knowledge of the universe, sometimes offering entertaining anecdotes into their personalities and, in a few cases, his own personal encounters with them as a student or colleague. Despite the book's bold title, Krauss is not as openly scornful of theology this time around and in fact, opens each chapter with a quote from the Bible apropos of the topic.

[billiebook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After reading this book, I feel smarter but also still incredibly stupid. I am fascinated by the study of physics and by the amazing discoveries still being made in the field, but, no matter how much I read, I still feel like I just don't really understand physics. And that's okay. I'll just keep reading, as long as patient (and passionate) scientists like Krauss continue to write books that attempt to explain the field to laypersons like myself.