The Reason Why: The Miracle of Life on Earth

The Reason Why is a groundbreaking and provocative new book that explains the importance of planet Earth and its place in our Cosmos. Does one planet really matter among the immensity of the Cosmos? John Gribbin is here to persuade us that it does. He argues that we owe our existence to the impact of a supercomet with Venus 600 million years ago. But this is only part of the story, just one of the astronomical and geophysical reasons why the Earth is special. For the first time, Gribbin makes the link between the whole series of cosmic events that have affected the Earth and given rise to our intelligent civilization - a civilization, Gribbin argues, that is unique within our Milky Way Galaxy. Even if other Earths are common, and life itself may be common, the kind of intelligent, technological civilization that has emerged on Earth occurs only here. If humankind can survive the present environmental crises, the whole of the galaxy may become our home. And if not, our demise may be an event of literally universal significance. John Gribbin is our best, most accessible guide to the big questions of science. In this book, he explores the biggest, most exciting, and most troubling, questions of all: why are we here, what is our place in the universe - and do we have a future?