Before the Big Bang: The Origin of Our Universe from the Multiverse

The author does an excellent job of communicating a very complex set of hypotheses clearly. Very cleverly, she knits the story of her cosmological theorising with the story of herself and her family growing up in Cold War Albania, and her emigration to the USA as she pursued her academic career. She's made a very light and enjoyable read of something that could have been incomprehensible in less capable hands. I'm incredible grateful for the insight this gave me.

"Before the Big Bang" is a captivating journey into the realms of cosmology, presented by Laura Mersini-Houghton. With a background NOT rooted in science, I embarked on this journey with some trepidation, only to find myself thoroughly engaged and enlightened.Mersini-Houghton's clarity in explaining the complex concept of the Multiverse is exceptional. Her use of everyday analogies demystifies the intricacies of cosmology, making the subject accessible and intriguing. The narrative weaves through her life, starting from her childhood in Communist Albania, and progresses into the depths of cosmological theories. This blend of personal anecdotes with scientific exploration creates a compelling and educational read.Mersini-Houghton's expertise shines through her humble, humorous, and human approach. She successfully simplifies complex ideas while retaining their scientific essence. Her arguments for the existence of the Multiverse are not only compelling but also convincing, even to a reader with limited scientific background.The structure of the book greatly aids in understanding. The integration of Mersini-Houghton's personal journey with the chronological presentation of scientific ideas enhances the engagement factor. Her writing style is clear, engaging, and tailored to a broad audience, which makes the book a delightful read.As a standalone work, "Before the Big Bang" has significantly broadened my horizon in the field of science. It struck a perfect balance between scientific explanations and personal storytelling, making it an exemplary model in the popular science genre. This book has not only informed me but also confirmed a long-held intuition about the existence of multiple universes.I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in space, cosmology, or science in general. Laura Mersini-Houghton’s work is a gateway to the vast and fascinating universe, inviting even those who might feel daunted by the complexities of science.

This is a very good book about cosmology science,well written and explains things clearly

A clever mixture of biography and intellectual discovery. The mathematics behind the theory is extremely complicated. The author tries very hard to make it comprehensible to the layperson. Its a big ask, though, and I think that the book will be best enjoyed by people who have studied maths to a high level.

I'm still reading this and so far it is a fascinating read. Made more interesting by the biographical details. But it seriously needs an editor. It's as though the Kindle edition is an early draft. I realise English is not the author's first language but somebody should have fixed the grammar. Some of it is unreadable.

A fascinating account of 21st century thinking on the origin of the universe(s). I particularly like the historical context and the insights into the thought processes that went into the scientific endeavour. A book that was hard to put down.

Gave a concise and understandable dissertation of the multiverse. Very enjoyable read from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this book.

A good book on this subject.

Mersini-Houghton traces her life from living in communist Albania to her life in astrophysics at the same time she looks at the history of cosmology. She does a nice job of describing how she developed the theory of the multiverse from the quantum origin of the universe and its relation to string theory. She ends with the predictions made by the theory proposed by her and her colleagues which were verified by discoveries like the "Great Void" and the "cold spot" in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. As she mentions at the end, you can't use the experimental method in cosmology effectively because there is no control group and only one sample! Other cogent interpretations of these discoveries exist. Since no lab or current observation can differentiate the various interpretations at this time, we will have to wait for further information and even more sophisticated tools in astronomy. Still, given our current state of knowledge, this is a readable and enjoyable account of a major theory on the origin of the universe. And it is an instructive story of leaving life in a strict, mind-controlling dictatorship and going to a place of free inquiry.

Very hard for the non-physicist to understand but Mersini takes us on an incredible journey to the beginning of our universe and at the same time to “end”. A great read.

It really made aware common folks about the new theory for the origin of our universe based on quantum mechanics background. The “classical- one universe theory” forces us to believe that we are living in a kind of special universe, which may not be the case according to this new theory proposed by author. It kind of completes the circle which started being earth as center of universe long back and eventually came that we are a part of multiverse. There may exist many universes which we may not see but can be proved by observations and rigorous mathematics. After reading this one must feel that multiverse is not a science fiction idea any more.

ORIENTACIÓN:Once capítulos y un epílogo. Los seis primeros capítulos describen con carácter muy general diferentes aspectos como la entropía, que nada había antes del Big Bang, inflación, relatividad de Einstein, A.Friedmann, G.Lemaître, E.Hubble, G.Gamow, A.Guth, A.Linde, mecánica cuántica (M.Planck, N.Bohr, L.deBroglie, W.Heisenberg, E.Schrödinger). Fine-Tuning (modelo estándar de la cosmología, universo primigenio, CMB, materia y energía oscuras, origen y final del universo, etc.) para ir introduciéndonos en el multiverso desde la teoría de H.Everett III en la que cada rama de la función de onda da lugar a un universo (concepto diferente al de Mersini). Con la misma profundidad esquemática, nos habla de la teoría de cuerdas y de su "landscape" (paisaje). A partir de estas bases se introduce en el origen de nuestro cosmos, partiendo del "espacio de los estados iniciales del universo" para calcular la probabilidad de nuestros posibles orígenes, basándose en el paisaje de la teoría de cuerdas bajo la mecánica cuántica. Presenta muestro universo primigenio como un paquete de ondas entrelazadas cuánticamente que viaja a través del paisaje de la teoría de cuerdas y desde las matemáticas y de la cosmología cuántica, concluir que muchos de los estados iniciales que comenzaron con altas energías tenían capacidad de producir un universo cuántico y uno de ellos es el nuestro, en un multiverso. Finalmente la autora y sus colaboradores desarrollaron la teoría del "paisaje cuántico del multiverso", presentada en 2005. Teoría desarrollada en los últimos capítulos del libro. Su último capítulo, el 11, describe las conversaciones con R.Penrose para defender su teoría respecto de la propia de Penrose que plantea un universo de ciclos (que llama "aeones") y que califica como un "multiverso secuencial".OPINIÓN:Desde mi punto de vista, el libro puede contemplarse desde tres diferentes contenidos: En el primero, la autora describe sus vivencias personales en relación con la Albania comunista en la que vivió y una vez graduada, abandonó para trasladare a EEUU. El segundo, una descripción muy esquemática para sentar las bases del desarrollo de su teoría y el tercero, su teoría (ideas, desarrollo, comprobación y publicación). Hoy sin observación. ¿PERO COMO PODREMOS OBSERVARLO desde nuestro Universo? y en laboratorio???. ¿Será concluyente una teoría que no puede ser observada y quizás ni falsable?.La autora describe así mismo, siete predicciones planteadas por ella y colaboradores, de las cuales seis han sido observadas. La séptima, conocida como "dark flow" sigue abierta.Respecto al término "multiverso", siempre lo entendí como universos paralelos y no como universos secuenciales, Sr. Penrose/Sra. Mersini.El libro exige conocimientos de cosmología para entender su parte segunda. Para la tercera es necesario conocimientos de nivel más alto.Es un libro interesante que hace reflexionar sobre ciertos "espacios-tiempos" de nuestra geografía y movimientos políticos; nos refresca las aportaciones a la cosmología y nos deja al final en un gran vacío ante la carencia de observación, hoy en día, del multiverso. El libro carece de bibliografía y glosario, incluyendo un índice onomástico y terminológico.

I just want to say thanks to Dr. Mersini-Houghton for this magnificent book. I really enjoyed reading every single page of it. She explains in a very simple way the origin of the idea of multiverse. The only thing I believe is missed is the bibliography. Please add one and let the previous who bought it can get it as pdf .