Gravity’s Century

Cowen is a gifted science writer and storyteller, and the story is amazing!--John C. Mather, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics A clear and compelling narrative about the development of our understanding of gravity and the universe, powered by Einstein and his cohorts. Cowen weaves together the historical and personal events leading to this revolution and brings us up to date with the ideas and speculations that will likely forge an even newer and more radical understanding of the nature of the world.--George F. Smoot, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics This gracefully written history of 20th-century gravity research from science writer Cowen shines a light on a key aspect of modern physics...Filled with vivid descriptions of cutting-edge work and the scientists behind it, Cowen's book is fascinating, both a learning experience and a pleasure to read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review) (03/11/2019) Einstein's general theory of relativity radically changed our notions of space, gravity, and time. Gravity's Century takes us from Einstein's struggle to develop his theory up to the modern day--when the detection of gravitational waves from black holes has confirmed general relativity's most audacious claims, even as scientists are still trying to reconcile the theory with the other great idea of twentieth-century physics, quantum mechanics.--David Spergel, Princeton University