bill bryson a short history of nearly everything review

Part Five, the longest of the sections and comprised of Chapters 16-26, is about a variety of topics, all relating to life on Earth. Finally, he describes Yellowstone National Park as one of the most dangerous places on Earth since it is essentially a vast volcano just waiting to erupt. He then moves on to volcanoes and how they relate to the Earth’s molten core. Bryson starts by talking about meteors and their link to life on Earth. Part Four, Chapters 13-15, explores the natural dangers inherent to Earth.

Finally, he explores lead in the atmosphere, electrons, and earthquakes. He also explains how our understanding of the atom has evolved, and the scientists responsible for our current knowledge.

Bryson relates these ideas to astronomy and the idea that the universe is constantly expanding. Part Three, Chapters 8-12, visits Einstein’s theories of relativity and gravity, quantum theory, and how physics became a scientific discipline. Yet by the end of these chapters, each of these ideas is related back to how the Earth was ultimately measured. Along the way, he explains how geology and chemistry became branches of science, the idea of plate tectonics, the discovery of dinosaur fossils and chemical elements, and a bit about thermodynamics. Bryson introduces a wide array of scientists who had a hand in determining these measurements, and gives helpful and often eccentric background information about each individual. Part Two, Chapters 4-7, is about the size of the Earth and the painstaking lengths scientists have gone to in order to figure out the age and weight of our planet. Finally, he explores how the planets were discovered and how the universe was measured, supernovae, and how these things all relate back to theory of the Big Bang. He also introduces the theory of the Big Bang, and describes the complexities and disputes that inherently go along with it. Here, Bryson starts by talking about the origins, theories, and qualities of the atom. Part One, consisting of Chapters 1-3, is about the cosmos. Throughout the course of an introduction, thirty chapters, and nearly five-hundred pages, Bryson highlights the creation of the Earth, where we are now as a species, and a lot of what has happened in between.

Bill bryson a short history of nearly everything review