Over 3.5 billion years ago, a complex chemical appeared in the warm oceans of a young Earth. The chemical had a startling quality: it could reproduce itself. Over vast periods of time this ancient chemical gave rise to more than five million widely varied forms of life. This book tells the story of how life arose and evolved. It describes the discoveries of scientists who have tried to understand the very origins of life and crack the code that governs...

Presents a brief overview of the history of astronomy, highlighting important discoveries and notable scientists and their theories.

The method by which people can organize events in everyday life-from past to present to future-is known as time. But the nature of time, and whether it exists at all, has fascinated scientists and philosophers for millennia. Scholars have struggled to find the key that will unlock the secrets of time. This book takes a detailed look at the scientific quest for a greater understanding of time and its complex role in the Universe.