How did the universe begin? Where do galaxies come from? Where do the material particles we are made of come from? Today we have only provisional answers to such questions, but this will improve dramatically over the next ten years, predicts astronomer Gribbin. He focuses on what we think we know about ten issues and explains how cutting-edge research may yield solutions in the very near future. He explores ideas concerning the creation of the universe, the possibility of other forms of life, and the fate of the expanding cosmos. He examines "theories of everything," including grand unified theories and string theory, and he discusses the Big Bang theory, the origin of structure and patterns of matter in the galaxies, dark mass and dark energy, the future of Earth and the Sun, and the possibility that the universe might expand forever.--From publisher description.

Lorado Taft and several artist friends from Chicago joined together to form an art association at Oregon, Illinois in 1898. They called it Eagle's Nest. They referred to it as camp, for in the early years camping was their principle lifestyle. This "camp: lasted for forty-four years, providing enrichment for the artists and for the residents of little Oregon who always enjoyed having the artists come to town. The artists worked and relaxed at camp. They also reached out to small towns to teach folks about art appreciation. Midwestern residents were hardy country folk who didn't pay much attention to details of beauty. There were no parks, no public monuments, and often people did not even notice a beautiful sunset. The artists at Eagle's Nest Camp spread the message of beauty in each hometown, school, Women's club, art group or community function they attended. Simply put, they were art missionaries. By teaching appreciation of beauty, they started a trend in community betterment and beautification that caught the imagination of the people, the patrons of art, and the Governor of Illinois, Frank O. Lowden, a resident at Oregon. Within these pages are the letters of Dwight Perkins to his wife about life at camp, the stories of Hamlin Garland's romance with Zulime Taft; the mischievous antics of little Charlie Browne, the joys and sorrows of Lorado Taft as he promoted art in Chicago and elsewhere, the building of the monolithic statue, "Black Hawk" on the banks of the Rock River, a review of the Black Hawk War, and the story of Margaret Fuller who so greatly influenced the artists. And more, much more.

Advances made by physicists in understanding matter, space, and time and by astronomers in understanding the universe as a whole have closely intertwined the question being asked about the universe at its two extremesâ€"the very large and the very small. This report identifies 11 key questions that have a good chance to be answered in the next decade. It urges that a new research strategy be created that brings to bear the techniques of both astronomy and sub-atomic physics in a cross-disciplinary way to address these questions. The report presents seven recommendations to facilitate the necessary research and development coordination. These recommendations identify key priorities for future scientific projects critical for realizing these scientific opportunities.

Delineating the huge strides taken in cosmology in the past ten years, this much-anticipated second edition of Malcolm Longair's highly appreciated textbook has been extensively and thoroughly updated. It tells the story of modern astrophysical cosmology from the perspective of one of its most important and fundamental problems – how did the galaxies come about? Longair uses this approach to introduce the whole of what may be called "classical cosmology". What’s more, he describes how the study of the origin of galaxies and larger-scale structures in the Universe has provided us with direct information about the physics of the very early Universe.

Supernovae, hypernovae and gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic explosions in the universe. The light from these outbursts is, for a brief time, comparable to billions of stars and can outshine the host galaxy within which the explosions reside. Most of the heavy elements in the universe are formed within these energetic explosions. Surprisingly enough, the collapse of massive stars is the primary source of not just one, but all three of these explosions. As all of these explosions arise from stellar collapse, to understand one requires an understanding of the others. Stellar Collapse marks the first book to combine discussions of all three phenomena, focusing on the similarities and differences between them. Designed for graduate students and scientists newly entering this field, this book provides a review not only of these explosions, but the detailed physical models used to explain them from the numerical techniques used to model neutrino transport and gamma-ray transport to the detailed nuclear physics behind the evolution of the collapse to the observations that have led to these three classes of explosions.

"When the right answers are found, they will be simple and beautiful." — Einstein. Paraphrasing Thomas Kuhn in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions, there can be no change in direction of scientific thought unless there is a viable alternative. Now after 35 years of persistent research, the author's plethora of substantiated evidence offers science a valid alternative to the Big Bang: the LB-FLINE-BEC model of universal origins, one that fulfills Einstein's prediction, and meets Kuhn's criteria. In fulfilling both predictions, the new model reveals a plethora of impossibilities comprising the Big Bang myth, while forming powerful arguments for relegating the Big Bang to the ashes of history. The revolutionary model, a macroscopic theory of everything, is ideal for a microscopic Theory of Everything. Thomas Huxley stated it best: "The microcosm repeats the macrocosm," a connection placing science in a favorable position for attaining the long-sought Theory of Everything. As long as the Big Bang/Accretion hypotheses remain in vogue, comprehending universal origins and functions will remain impossible. In sharp contrast, the new model alternative opens floodgates to definitive evidence of universal origins and functions. Why, in the Big Bang perspective, substantiated solutions to universal anomalies will always remain unattainable, while in the LB-FLINE-BEC perspective, substantiated solutions to universal anomalies are readily attainable? Three simple and beautiful examples (out of many): The dynamic fiery, geometrical spacing of planets in elliptical orbits. Why Pluto was originally the tenth planet in our Solar System, and now is the ninth planet. Why extra-solar systems are weirdly different from our geometrically-spaced Solar System.