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Forces of Nature

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Forces of Nature

By: Professor Brian Cox, Andrew Cohen
Narrated by: Samuel West
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About this listen

 Sunday Times Bestseller

A breathtaking and beautiful exploration of our planet, this groundbreaking book accompanies the BBC One TV series, providing the deepest answers to the simplest questions.

How did life on Earth begin?
What is the nature of space and time?
What are the chances that we will discover life on other worlds?

Forces of Nature takes you from the mid-Atlantic ridge in Iceland, the volcanoes of Indonesia and the precipitous cliffs in Nepal, to the manatees off the coast of Florida and the northern lights of the Arctic, in search of the fundamental laws that govern our world.

These universal laws shape everything, from the structure of snowflakes to the elegant spirals of the galaxies. By seeking to understand the everyday world – the colours, structure, behaviour and history of our home – we can step beyond the everyday and approach the Universe beyond.

Think you know our planet?
Think again.

©2017 Professor Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Astronomy Astronomy & Space Science Cosmology Science Mathematics Black Hole Solar System

Critic Reviews

Praise for Professor Brian Cox:

‘Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too.’ Guardian

‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things.’ Independent

‘If you didn’t utter a wow watching the TV, you will while reading the book.’ The Times

‘Engaging, ambitious and creative.’ Guardian

‘In this book of the acclaimed BBC2 TV series, Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena.’ Sunday Express

‘Will entertain and delight … what a priceless gift that would be.’ Independent on Sunday
All stars
Most relevant  
it was the most enjoyable book and completely in keeping with Brian Cox and his attitude towards science and the wonders of the universe.

Absolutely Amazing

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If you love science and have a high school level of knowledge of it, you should find this book a great listen.

Learned so much

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So much information all simplified and connected. Very well read. Giving me a greater understanding of the space around us and how experiments , observations and persistence has broken down the mystery of how it works

Loved this

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Will certainly be revisiting a few times...wish I’d had this when studying physics at school! Great combination of the factual set in the context of the real world...and very interesting to hear the how and who surrounding various discoveries. Initially disappointed Professor Brian Cox not narrating, but soon got over it.

Mind-blowing made more digestible

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Thoroughly enjoyable and highly informative. A great book for anyone and well delivered. Highly recommended

A great read

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A fantastic and informative book that answers many questions in an informative and insightful way. This book is for anyone curious about the natural world.

Very very good

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loved it! great explanation of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and optics and how they all combine to produce life

summary of formation of life

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I love the interconnected narrative that Brian creates when explaining complex scientific phenomena. His genuine fascination with nature and our scientific advances in understanding its laws is so inspiring! thank you for ignating sparks in our minds.

An inspiring and captivating story of science

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Enjoyed the book and learnt a great deal.
The one critique of Brian is his thought is so reductionist in nature, which makes some of his narratives illogical.
An example of this is when he states he is happy to forego free will only to say how much he enjoys that the past still exists. You don’t have free will you also don’t have personal preference. Where that leaves the rest of emotions and ethics is also ignored.

Unphiloshhical

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Very interesting, clear explanations on many deep and interesting scientific topics. Recommended for anyone with an interest in astronomy, and the physical and life sciences.

Great read!

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