About this item
Longlisted for the 2015 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing AwardThe Sunday Times (UK) Best Science Book of 2014A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2014An NBC News Top Science and Tech Book of 2014A Politics & Prose 2014 Staff PickIn the sixteenth century, Nicolaus Copernicus dared to go against the establishment by proposing that Earth rotates around the Sun. Having demoted Earth from its unique position in the cosmos to one of mediocrity, Copernicus set in motion a revolution in scientific thought. This perspective has influenced our thinking for centuries. However, recent evidence challenges the Copernican Principle, hinting that we do in fact live in a special place, at a special time, as the product of a chain of unlikely events.
About the Author
Caleb Scharf is Director of Astrobiology at Columbia University in New York where he teaches and researches the questions surrounding the puzzle of life in the universe. His books include Gravity's Engines, The Copernicus Complex, The Zoomable Universe, and (coming in June 2021) The Ascent of Information. He is also author of more than 120 scientific papers, over 500 popular science articles, and a frequent consultant and speaker for TV and live audiences. Check out www.calebscharf.com
