Origins of Existence

In Origins of Existence astrophysicist Fred Adams takes a radically different approach from the long tradition of biologists and spiritual leaders who have tried to explain how the universe supports the development of life. He argues that life followed naturally from the laws of physics -- which were established as the universe burst into existence at the big bang. Those elegant laws drove the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets -- including some like our Earth. That chain of creation produced all the tiny chemical structures and vast celestial landscapes required for life. Ultimately, physical laws and the complexity they generate define the kind of biospheres that are possible -- from an Amazon rain forest to a frigid ocean beneath an ice sheet on a Jovian moon.

Adams suggests that life was not merely some lucky break, but rather a natural outcome of the ascending ladder of complexity supported by our universe. Since our galaxy seems to harbor millions of planets with the same basic elements of habitability as Earth, the emergence of life is probably not a rare event. If life emerges deep inside planets and moons, as new research suggests happened on our planet, the number of viable habitats is truly enormous. Seven chronological chapters take the reader from the laws of physics and birth of the universe to the origins of life on Earth -- showing how energy flowed, exploded, and was repeatedly harnessed in replicating structures and organisms.

In his groundbreaking first book, Fred Adams established the five eras of the universe with a focus on its long-term future. It is perhaps not surprising that he now turns his attention to the mystery of our astronomical origins. Here is a stunning new perspective, a book of genesis for our time, revealing how the laws of physics created galaxies, stars, planets, and even life in the universe.

Density of information compares to heavy core of a massive star. Text is packed with knowledge and requires reader to concentrate on every sentence.
Repetitions are present, but I found them helpful in memorizing what I have digested.

I appreciated a very innovative logarithmic energy scale developed to compare terrestrial events and used throughout the whole book, as well as other numerical comparisons and tables.
Generally author avoids mathematical equations. Exception can be found on page 194 (bottom) but formula is not explained.
I would consider this expression as Friedmann's Equation for Universe evolution.
Illustrations could be less artistic and more "scientific", but this is subject of individual taste.
"Origins of Existence" are in full agreement with currently published WMAP satellite findings (confirmations); therefore it is a valuable position for every cosmology enthusiast.

Indeed, Origins of Existence is a book of astounding scope. It
seeks (and succeeds) to explain on every level how things came
to be, tracing the arc of development from quantum fluctuations
in the Big Bang through the emergence of life and intelligence.
Adams proceeds with accuracy, clarity, and occasional dry humor.
Unlike many popular science books written by Big Picture
Theorists, this text is correct down to the carefully researched
detail. Adams is never out of his depth, and is equally at home
with String Theory or Evolutionary Biology. I have not seen
this scope of subject mastery in any other comparable book.

Origins of Existence is accessible to anyone with interest, but
Adams' respect for the subject matter steers him from easily
digestible generalizations, necessarily keeping the book from
being an `easy' read. Having finished it, however, I found that
the reward of a deeper grasp of this material is absolutely worth
the effort. Five stars without hesitation!

This discusses cosmology, but with a view continually to the questions related to why we are here. I think it is wonderful.
This is the first new pop cosmology book I will have been willing
to recommend in more than five years.