Our Cosmic Origins: From the Big Bang to the Emergence of Life and Intelligence

by Armand H. Delsemme, Christian de Duve (Foreword)

Our Cosmic Origins tells the story of our remarkable adventure on this planet, beginning with a single event in the depths of space. It traces the rich and wonderful history of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the creation of atoms and molecules, from the formation of stars and planets to the emergence of life on Earth. Delsemme brings together cosmology, astronomy, geology, biochemistry, and biology to create a unique look at the complex story of the Universe. He chronicles how the first light atoms were made and formed stars and how heavier atoms were cooked in stars and scattered in space, creating dust mrains and organic molecules. He examines the growing eomplexity of plant and animal life, including the emergence and extinction of dinosaurs. Our Cosmic Origins shows how the coupling of eye and brain led to self-awareness and intelligence. It explores the cosmic coincidences that might explain our existence and concludes with the tantalizing suggestion that intelligent alien life is likely. This provocative book will appeal to anyone who has ever looked at the sky and wondered how we got here. Originally published in French, this edition has been revised to include the most recent research in astronomy and cosmology. Armand Delsemme has published four books and over 230 scientific papers. He received a Sigma Xi award for outstanding research and has had, by order of the International Astronomical Union, an asteroid named after him.

Genres: Science, Physics

344 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1998

Reviews

[Sage · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing is horrific -- misspellings, poor punctuation, extremely wordy, change of tenses within the same sentences, repetitive, over use of parentheses, contradictions, and redundancies. It was the most difficult work I have EVER read, so much of it I just couldn't get the meaning of what he was trying to say. It is obvious that no one edited this work, including the author.

Starting from chapter 18 it finally become interesting. It's about the latter days and what New Earth will look like.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read chapters 1-5, which were the chapters recommended by the Teaching Company's Big History course. (Chapter 5 begins the discussion of the emergence of life.) It's an interesting book that isn't exactly too technical, but perhaps too filled with jargon for easy reading. If your last physics, chemistry and biology classes were many years ago, you might find your eyes glazing over at times.

[Sheri Fresonke Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Armand H. Delsemme does a very clear description of the solar system creation starting from the big bang and provides comprehensive explanations about stars. He varies his book by providing background on early chemistry that could relation to the evolutionary origins of life on earth, plus information about earth's fossil and glacial history. Makes fascinating reading.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive yet succinct. Covered enormous swathes of time but didn't appear to miss any significant points in our current understanding of cosmology. Great book.