Science journalist Tom Yulsman is a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he is a collaborator in the NASA-sponsored Center for Astrobiology. Former Editor-in-Chief of Earth magazine, Yulsman has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Discover, Astronomy magazine, and many other publications. He lives in Niwot, Colorado.
"In general, I believe that this book has the potential to be a
great foil to accompany the standard astronomy textbooks, giving a
great feel for the astronomers behind the discoveries that are
shaping our view of the universe as well as a very clear exposition
of many of the concepts involved … . I had not realised when I
began to read the manuscript that the author was a professor of
journalism rather than astronomy as the vast majority of the
concepts covered were explained in such an exemplary fashion … .
[the chapter on quantum mechanics] I thought was a wonderful
chapter which made some of the concepts involved clearer to me than
ever before … [the book] will provide the reader with a great
breadth of topic, all treated with a depth that I have rarely found
in reviewing many astronomy books … ."
-Ian Morison, The New Scientist
"Yulsman's book is a marvel of synthesis. In an epoch when
discoveries are pouring Niagara-like from the skies, he has
assembled the most important ones under one roof-and explained them
clearly and enjoyably. Highly recommended."
-Keay Davidson, author of Carl Sagan: A Life
"It's easy to find poetry in the cosmos; far harder to find it in
the physics that holds it all together. In Origins, reporter and
science writer Tom Yulsman does just that. Taking on a subject no
smaller than the origin of the universe, the birth of the planets,
and the celestial science that holds the whole sprawling system
together, Yulsman writes with authority and artfulness, casting his
reportorial net wide and bringing back what he came after. Since
the moment human beings began asking questions, the one they've
wanted answered most is where it all began. Yulsman explains what
we know so far."
-Jeffrey Kluger, coauthor of Apollo 13
"Origins is intended for general readers, whom Yulsman seeks to
'infect with the same fascination with nature' that drove his
research. The book is for 'anyone who's ever looked up at the night
sky on a clear night and had those thoughts … where did all this
come from?' He hopes his book will strike a chord with the kind of
readers who bought Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time but
found the material difficult. 'That includes me,'' Yulsman
acknowledges. He set out to write a book that would grapple with
the same subject matter but in a much more accessible manner …
Yulsman's artful prose and narrative style make it easier for the
curious layperson to gain an understanding of some of the most
complex physical aspects of the universe's emergence and structure.
He uses metaphor and analogy to make concepts approachable … He
also peppers the book liberally with fascinating people: scientists
at work, immersed in research, and debate. Origin's characters are
not just planets, galaxies, quarks, and neutrons, but
mathematicians, physicists, cosmologists, astro-chemists,
theoreticians of astronomy, geologists, even metero-hunters, all
engaged in an effort to unravel answers to really big questions
…Through visits and interviews with scientists engaged in
cutting-edge research on these most profound issues, Yulsman shares
with readers the amazing things we have learned … As a journalist,
he is able to tell stories and use anecdotes to bring alive what
can often be a very abstract set of ideas."
-Wendy Worrall Redal, Program Coordinator for the CEJ and editor of
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