The Unity of Science

A journey guided by science that explores the universe, the earth, and the story of life

For Irwin Shapiro, science starts with questions. This book provides a broad and entertaining survey of major scientific discoveries that have changed our views of nature and, in turn, spawned further questions.

Shapiro, an award-winning scientist and beloved teacher, separates his inquiry into three parts: looking up at the universe; looking down at the earth and its fossils; and looking in at the story of life. His framework encourages readers to view science as a detective story—to observe and question nature and natural phenomena, and to base all conclusions on scientific evidence.

With his knowledgeable yet conversational approach, Shapiro offers an enjoyable way for the curious to learn about the foundations of a range of scientific topics: the motions of bodies in the cosmos, the history and structure of the earth, the evolution of organisms, and the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence.

Irwin Shapiro is Timken University Professor at Harvard University, where he directed the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1983 through mid-2004. Shapiro has received numerous awards, including the 2013 Einstein Prize from the American Physical Society. He grew up in Far Rockaway, NY, and lives in Lexington, MA.