First published 1986
Two generations of physicists pursue the ultimate prize in science: a single theory that explains all matter and energy in the universe. From Einstein and Bohr's heated discussions in Copenhagen parks to the construction of massive particle accelerators stretching for miles, these researchers push against the boundaries of human knowledge. Max Planck, Erwin Schrodinger, Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, Sheldon Glashow, and Steven Weinberg each contribute pieces to an enormous puzzle that spans from the nuclear fires of distant stars to the smallest fragments inside atoms. The quest demands decades of work, with brilliant minds building on each other's discoveries and sometimes clashing over fundamental questions about reality itself. This scientific adventure reveals how the search for a "theory of everything" became the defining challenge of twentieth-century physics, transforming our understanding of the cosmos.
Genres: science, 20th-century, non-fiction, physics, 21st-century, academic, history-of-science
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, scientific-quest
Setting: Copenhagen
Period: 20th-century
480 pages · Hardcover · MacMillan