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A COMPLETE, UNCOMPLICATED GUIDE TO THE SCIENCE OF LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING

‘Most scientists know only their own field. Tim Coulson is at home with science as an integrated whole. A pleasure to read, and a lasting accomplishment’ Richard Dawkins

‘Step aside Star Wars – ours is the most astonishing origin story you’ll ever hear and its beautifully told by Tim Coulson’ Professor Ken Norris, Deputy Director of Science at the Natural History Museum

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Have you ever wondered why you exist?

What had to happen for you – and all life on Earth – to come into being?

What is the true answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything?

In The Universal History of Us, Tim Coulson – Professor of Zoology at Oxford – takes us back to the beginning of everything: the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. From there, he leads us step by step along the path to the most astonishing thing we have yet encountered – the staggering complexity of the modern human mind.

Covering physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, the emergence of life, evolution, consciousness and the rise of humankind, yet written to be understood by anyone with a child’s curiosity, this book takes the biggest story of all and tells it simply, grippingly and, above all, entertainingly.

It is the history of you, me and everything – of how we all came to be. In short, it is the greatest story ever told.

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‘A highly readable and super enjoyable book . . . that takes us on a free-spirited intellectual romp through every aspect of what we know about our universe’ Peter Hudson FRS Willaman Professor of Biology at Penn State

‘A charming, engaging and erudite account’ David Christian, author of New York Times bestseller Origin Story (2018)

‘A gangbuster science book. A can’t-put-down read. I don’t think I have learned more from a single book’ Douglas W. Smith, Former Senior Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park

‘Exceptional. A highly infectious read. From the first page I found it impossible to put down’ Professor Baroness Kathy Willis, Professor of Biodiversity, University of Oxford

‘Achieves something almost impossible, lucid explanation without dumbing down . . . can read this for fun and accidentally you will know as much general science as any Professor’ James H Naismith FRS FRSE FMedSci MAE, Head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division at Oxford, Professor of Structural Biology

‘With wit, wisdom and humility. The prose is of a perfect weight, and an absolute joy to read’ Sunetra Gupta, Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford

‘Will appeal to a broad variety of readers and inspire new generations of scientists for years to come’ Quentin Paynter

Publisher Review

‘What have we learnt about the past 13.8 billion years that resulted in you looking at this book? Tim Coulson, a fun scientist who has no limits to his brain’s boundaries takes us on a free spirited intellectual romp through every aspect of what we know about our universe. A highly readable and super enjoyable book.’ * Peter Hudson FRS Willaman Professor of Biology at Penn State * ‘A charming, engaging and erudite account by a distinguished biologist of all the things that had to happen for you and me to exist and be as we are.’ * David Christian, author of The New York Times Bestseller Origin Story (2018) * ‘Step aside Star Wars – ours is the most astonishing origin story you’ll ever hear and its beautifully told by Tim Coulson.’ * Professor Ken Norris, Deputy Director of Science at the Natural History Museum * ‘An extremely enjoyable read, written in a very engaging way, and sprinkled with often very funny anecdotes. Will appeal to a broad variety of readers and inspire new generations of scientists for years to come.’ * Quentin Paynter * ‘A gangbuster science book. A can’t-put-down read. I don’t think I have learned more from a single book.’ * Douglas W. Smith, Former Senior Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park * ‘Achieves something almost impossible, lucid explanation without dumbing down. I would defy any scientist not to read this and learn something. For those with no science beyond the stuff at school which you hated, the author hated school too and has you covered. You can read this for fun and accidentally you will know as much general science as any Professor.’ * James H Naismith FRS FRSE FMedSci MAE, Head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division at Oxford, Professor of Structural Biology * ‘Exceptional. A highly infectious read. From the first page I found it impossible to put down. An erudite, witty, and highly intelligent romp through the history of life as we know it’ * Professor Baroness Kathy Willis, Professor of Biodiversity, University of Oxford * ‘With wit, wisdom and humility, Tim Coulson takes us on an incredible journey from the Big Bang to life as we know it on planet Earth. The prose is of a perfect weight, and an absolute joy to read.’ * Sunetra Gupta, Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford * ‘Most scientists know only their own field. Tim Coulson is at home with science as an integrated whole. A pleasure to read, and a lasting accomplishment’ * Richard Dawkins * I learnt a lot from this fantastic book on the history of the universe as will anyone who reads it. * Nils Chr. Stenseth, Director of the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo, former President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences * Tim Coulson’s book is a ripping yarn about the history of our improbable existence. It is smart, informative, yet approachable and brimming with personal anecdotes and humour. * Rosemary Gillespie, William M. and Esther G. Schlinger Chair in Systematic Entomology and Professor of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, Division of Insect Biology at University of California, Berkeley *