One of Many in the Universe refers to the planet Earth being one of many planets bearing intelligent life. This story begins with the first planet ever to have intelligent life, its inhabitants never suffering any aggression in any era of its evolution through armed conflict or crime. Their populace has been peaceful since the very beginning as a bipedal species, and they are the most powerful living things in the universe because of true civilization. They are not powered by magic or mutation, but by their very advanced technologies, creating extremely strong, durable, long-living bodies designed to contend with the harsh conditions of space travel. There are no last of their kind or secret select few with incredible powers; all the planet's people share these enhancements to their biology and are limited only by their interests and creativity. The problem that occurs is when one of the planet's citizens decides that despite all they have seen in the universe, their planet should develop weapons for defense against the potential unknowns. This proposal is met with staunch opposition, as it's believed that any space travelers that can approach from beyond what they've explored should have similar advances brought about by similar peace. The unlikelihood of a battle negates the need for weapons, something never necessary in this world. With a small contingent of like-minded developers who hear his idea and concur, the weapons are built, regardless of its unpopularity, on another planet in their solar system. His intuition is correct, as their world is approached by a hostile invading force. A war ensues, and the entire planet unifies in support of the defense efforts, the first battle of any kind this world will ever know. After a lopsided victory via superior technology, the world celebrates a new hero, but the battle changes his outlook on the entirety of the universe. He now knows there are multitudes of peaceful worlds that may face hostile invasion from the unknown depths of space. With global support, he embarks upon a mission to travel throughout the universe in search of hostile worlds that exhibit the potential to leave their atmosphere, accompanied by their savagery. His mission spreads carnage upon those planets he deems hostile, to prevent the potential attacks against peaceful worlds that are found and preserved. He comes in conflict with his daughter, who is born and raised during his travels, and later his son, born after his daughter's defiance, after they are exposed to and horrified by their father's mission to ensure peace in the universe.

A Leading Figure in the Development of the New Cosmology Explains What It All Means Among his peers, Alex Vilenkin is regarded as one of the most imaginative and creative cosmologists of our time. His contributions to our current understanding of the universe include a number of novel ideas, two of which—eternal cosmic inflation and the quantum creation of the universe from nothing—have provided a scientific foundation for the possible existence of multiple universes. With this book—his first for the general reader—Vilenkin joins another select group: the handful of first-rank scientists who are equally adept at explaining their work to nonspecialists. With engaging, well-paced storytelling, a droll sense of humor, and a generous sprinkling of helpful cartoons, he conjures up a bizarre and fascinating new worldview that—to paraphrase Niels Bohr—just might be crazy enough to be true.

This is a provocative account of the astounding new answers to the most basic philosophical question: Where did the universe come from and how will it end?

How did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble -- here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds -- into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe?This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "big bang," determine the essential features of our entire physical world. Moreover, cosmic evolution is astonishingly sensitive to the values of these numbers. If any one of them were "untuned," there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our universe, our place in it, and the nature of physical laws.

Combining the latest scientific advances with storytelling skills unmatched in the cosmos, an award-winning astrophysicist and popular writer leads us on a tour of some of the greatest mysteries of our universe. In the constellation of Eridanus, there lurks a cosmic mystery: It’s as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe. But what is the culprit? The hole in the universe is just one of many puzzles keeping cosmologists busy. Supermassive black holes, bubbles of nothingness gobbling up space, monster universes swallowing others—these and many other bizarre ideas are being pursued by scientists. Due to breathtaking progress in astronomy, the history of our universe is now better understood than the history of our own planet. But these advances have uncovered some startling riddles. In this electrifying new book, renowned cosmologist and author Paul Davies lucidly explains what we know about the cosmos and its enigmas, exploring the tantalizing—and sometimes terrifying—possibilities that lie before us. As Davies guides us through the audacious research offering mind-bending solutions to these and other mysteries, he leads us up to the greatest outstanding conundrum of all: Why does the universe even exist in the first place? And how did a system of mindless, purposeless particles manage to bring forth conscious, thinking beings? Filled with wit and wonder, What’s Eating the Universe? is a dazzling tour of cosmic questions, sure to entertain, enchant, and inspire us all.

Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist. Fascinating from first to last—this is a book that has already prompted the attention and admiration of some of the most prominent scientists and mathematicians.

What happened before the primordial fire of the Big Bang: a theory about the ultimate origin of the universe. In the beginning was the Big Bang: an unimaginably hot fire almost fourteen billion years ago in which the first elements were forged. The physical theory of the hot nascent universe—the Big Bang—was one of the most consequential developments in twentieth-century science. And yet it leaves many questions unanswered: Why is the universe so big? Why is it so old? What is the origin of structure in the cosmos? In An Infinity of Worlds, physicist Will Kinney explains a more recent theory that may hold the answers to these questions and even explain the ultimate origins of the universe: cosmic inflation, before the primordial fire of the Big Bang. Kinney argues that cosmic inflation is a transformational idea in cosmology, changing our picture of the basic structure of the cosmos and raising unavoidable questions about what we mean by a scientific theory. He explains that inflation is a remarkable unification of inner space and outer space, in which the physics of the very large (the cosmos) meets the physics of the very small (elementary particles and fields), closing in a full circle at the first moment of time. With quantum uncertainty its fundamental feature, this new picture of cosmic origins introduces the possibility that the origin of the universe was of a quantum nature. Kinney considers the consequences of eternal cosmic inflation. Can we come to terms with the possibility that our entire observable universe is one of infinitely many, forever hidden from our view?