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Genesi. Il grande racconto delle origini
Forse avevano davvero ragione i Greci, in principio era il caos. Molte osservazioni della fisica moderna sembrerebbero confermarlo. Ma cos'è successo nei primi istanti di vita dell'universo? Davvero la scienza del XXI secolo fa ritornare d'attualità il racconto di Esiodo, che racchiude l'origine del tutto in un verso splendido e fulminante: "All'inizio e per primo venne a essere il caos"? E oggi l'universo è il sistema organizzato e affidabile che ci appare o è dominato ancora dal disordine? Per scoprirlo, ogni giorno schiere di uomini e donne esplorano gli angoli più reconditi della materia, usano i grandi telescopi o i potenti acceleratori di particelle con cui, come ieri i Greci con i loro racconti, stanno cercando di rispondere alla più antica tra tutte le domande. Tonelli ci mostra come costruire una cosmogonia non sia più affare per specialisti, e il mito e la scienza abbiano in fondo la stessa funzione: permettere all'essere umano di trovare il proprio posto nell'universo.
218 pages, Paperback
Published September 3, 2020
201 people are currently reading
3616 people want to read
About the author
Guido Tonelli
20 books51 followersGuido Tonelli (born 1950) is an Italian particle physicist. He is one of the main protagonists of the discovery of the Higgs boson at the LHC.[1] He is a professor of General Physics at the University of Pisa (Italy) and a CERN visiting scientist.
Guido Tonelli, fisico al Cern di Ginevra e professore all’Università di Pisa, è uno dei padri della scoperta del bosone di Higgs. Ha ricevuto il premio internazionale Fundamental Physics Prize (2013), il premio Enrico Fermi della Società italiana di fisica (2013) e la Medaglia d’onore del presidente della Repubblica (2014) per essere “l’ultimo esempio di una tradizione di eccellenza che è cominciata con Galileo Galilei per passare attraverso scienziati come Enrico Fermi, Bruno Pontecorvo e Carlo Rubbia”. Ha pubblicato La nascita imperfetta delle cose. La grande corsa alla particella di Dio e la nuova fisica che cambierà il mondo (Rizzoli, 2016; vincitore del premio Galileo), Cercare mondi. Esplorazioni avventurose ai confini dell’universo (Rizzoli, 2017) e Genesi. Il grande racconto delle origini (Feltrinelli, 2019).
Guido Tonelli, fisico al Cern di Ginevra e professore all’Università di Pisa, è uno dei padri della scoperta del bosone di Higgs. Ha ricevuto il premio internazionale Fundamental Physics Prize (2013), il premio Enrico Fermi della Società italiana di fisica (2013) e la Medaglia d’onore del presidente della Repubblica (2014) per essere “l’ultimo esempio di una tradizione di eccellenza che è cominciata con Galileo Galilei per passare attraverso scienziati come Enrico Fermi, Bruno Pontecorvo e Carlo Rubbia”. Ha pubblicato La nascita imperfetta delle cose. La grande corsa alla particella di Dio e la nuova fisica che cambierà il mondo (Rizzoli, 2016; vincitore del premio Galileo), Cercare mondi. Esplorazioni avventurose ai confini dell’universo (Rizzoli, 2017) e Genesi. Il grande racconto delle origini (Feltrinelli, 2019).
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July 29, 2023
Universul înțeles ca o consecință a fluctuațiilor cuantice ale spațiului vid:
”Că Universul întreg provine din spațiu vid sau, mai bine spus, că încă este pur și simplu o stare de vid care a suferit o metamorfoză pare să fie ipoteza cea mai convingătoare a cosmologiei moderne.”
Vidul nu este nimicul:
”Vidul este un sistem material special, cel în care materia și energia sunt nule, dar e un sistem fizic ca toate celelalte.”
Cum spunea Lawrence Kraus: ”Nu știm dacă nimicul există.”
În versiunea asta de Big Bang singularitatea inițială devine suprefluă.
”Că Universul întreg provine din spațiu vid sau, mai bine spus, că încă este pur și simplu o stare de vid care a suferit o metamorfoză pare să fie ipoteza cea mai convingătoare a cosmologiei moderne.”
Vidul nu este nimicul:
”Vidul este un sistem material special, cel în care materia și energia sunt nule, dar e un sistem fizic ca toate celelalte.”
Cum spunea Lawrence Kraus: ”Nu știm dacă nimicul există.”
În versiunea asta de Big Bang singularitatea inițială devine suprefluă.
October 24, 2022
Le cronache del big bang sono sempre affascinanti, ogni volta si arricchiscono delle nuove scoperte dovute al miglioramento tecnologico.
Questa è l'ultima, più appassionante e coinvolgente tra quelle che ho letto in questi ultimi dieci anni.
Non è solo la materia ad affascinare: Tonelli è una persona estremamente colta e mette insieme scienza, poesia, musica sinfonica e mitologia in un racconto rigoroso.
Questa è l'ultima, più appassionante e coinvolgente tra quelle che ho letto in questi ultimi dieci anni.
Non è solo la materia ad affascinare: Tonelli è una persona estremamente colta e mette insieme scienza, poesia, musica sinfonica e mitologia in un racconto rigoroso.
December 28, 2020
Dedicated physicists professionally pursue the oldest question of humankind: Where did all of this--our world, our galaxy, our universe--come from? How did it all begin? Guido Tonelli is the latest in the field to take up this question in "Genesis," a scholarly thought experiment that imagines in seven days' time how the entire universe was born and life as we know it today was made.
Written for astronomy buffs first, popular science enthusiasts second, and a general audience third, what makes Tonelli's new book feel fresh is the incorporation of the latest developments in cosmology and particle physics; a genuine attempt to fulfill a thought experiment throughout the bulk of the narrative; and a special focus on the context and early stages of the birth of the universe. While the density of the prose may remind some readers of college-level textbooks, every section is a chance to learn a new subject--from star formation to cosmological history--with thoroughness and lasting appeal.
"Genesis" is bookended by the humanistic purpose and appeal of continuing to study science, art, philosophy, and religion as the fundamental basis of culture. Having a creation story or myth is the first sign of an emerging culture, and this deeply human tradition is cosmological in nature. It often begins with what the Greeks called "thauma," a sense of wonder borne out of amazement and terror, something that the modernists would call the sublime. But in answering this unavoidable question of how everything began, we have found since the modern era that the scientific method is the most convincing, authoritative, and entertaining route of pursuit.
And so Tonelli begins his thought experiment of how the universe was born, from the emergence of "the void" and the crack of the Big Bang, to the inflation of the universe and the proliferation of dark matter, and lastly to the development of stars, galaxies, planets, and life on Earth.
The most compelling moments of the book for me were the moments that elapsed--less than 10^-21 seconds--between the initial disturbance of the void and the Big Bang itself. Tonelli persuasively argues for two key premises on the origins of the cosmos: the void was not a gaping nothingness ruled by chaos, as so many in the West believe, but a pure space of balance so compact and unbreakable that no quantum fluctuation could break its seal; and then, because something obviously did emerge and usher in the Big Bang, that the universe is not eternal but had a definite point of origin, a beginning that was indeed the very first moment of time. This is an area of popular science writing that is commonly glossed over and that Tonelli slowly and beautifully illustrates with clarity and expertise.
Having reached Day Three of his seven-day thought experiment, most of the material in the chapters that follow will be familiar to readers with a background or demonstrated interest in astronomy. Some of it--not unnecessarily--gets into the finer points of particle physics, leading to writing that is less inspiring and reads more like an index of necessary terms. But even those familiar with the science behind stellar and galactic birth and death cycles will have their knowledge reinforced and their hearts moved by the vivid celestial sequences portrayed by the author.
No matter how many books I read on the topic of cosmology, I never fail to be intrigued by the latest publication, a distillation of advances in the subject. Discussing a topic that has proved to be of perennial interest to cultures around the world for millennia is always a valuable reminder of our human origins and collective history. Guido Tonelli has added to the celebrated humanist tradition with this new volume of insight into astronomical history, creating a compelling mental journey through the cosmos that will inspire readers to look out at the stars with wonder, terror, and amazement.
**My sincere thanks to the teams at FSG and Netgalley for offering this advance readers copy.**
Written for astronomy buffs first, popular science enthusiasts second, and a general audience third, what makes Tonelli's new book feel fresh is the incorporation of the latest developments in cosmology and particle physics; a genuine attempt to fulfill a thought experiment throughout the bulk of the narrative; and a special focus on the context and early stages of the birth of the universe. While the density of the prose may remind some readers of college-level textbooks, every section is a chance to learn a new subject--from star formation to cosmological history--with thoroughness and lasting appeal.
"Genesis" is bookended by the humanistic purpose and appeal of continuing to study science, art, philosophy, and religion as the fundamental basis of culture. Having a creation story or myth is the first sign of an emerging culture, and this deeply human tradition is cosmological in nature. It often begins with what the Greeks called "thauma," a sense of wonder borne out of amazement and terror, something that the modernists would call the sublime. But in answering this unavoidable question of how everything began, we have found since the modern era that the scientific method is the most convincing, authoritative, and entertaining route of pursuit.
And so Tonelli begins his thought experiment of how the universe was born, from the emergence of "the void" and the crack of the Big Bang, to the inflation of the universe and the proliferation of dark matter, and lastly to the development of stars, galaxies, planets, and life on Earth.
The most compelling moments of the book for me were the moments that elapsed--less than 10^-21 seconds--between the initial disturbance of the void and the Big Bang itself. Tonelli persuasively argues for two key premises on the origins of the cosmos: the void was not a gaping nothingness ruled by chaos, as so many in the West believe, but a pure space of balance so compact and unbreakable that no quantum fluctuation could break its seal; and then, because something obviously did emerge and usher in the Big Bang, that the universe is not eternal but had a definite point of origin, a beginning that was indeed the very first moment of time. This is an area of popular science writing that is commonly glossed over and that Tonelli slowly and beautifully illustrates with clarity and expertise.
Having reached Day Three of his seven-day thought experiment, most of the material in the chapters that follow will be familiar to readers with a background or demonstrated interest in astronomy. Some of it--not unnecessarily--gets into the finer points of particle physics, leading to writing that is less inspiring and reads more like an index of necessary terms. But even those familiar with the science behind stellar and galactic birth and death cycles will have their knowledge reinforced and their hearts moved by the vivid celestial sequences portrayed by the author.
No matter how many books I read on the topic of cosmology, I never fail to be intrigued by the latest publication, a distillation of advances in the subject. Discussing a topic that has proved to be of perennial interest to cultures around the world for millennia is always a valuable reminder of our human origins and collective history. Guido Tonelli has added to the celebrated humanist tradition with this new volume of insight into astronomical history, creating a compelling mental journey through the cosmos that will inspire readers to look out at the stars with wonder, terror, and amazement.
**My sincere thanks to the teams at FSG and Netgalley for offering this advance readers copy.**
March 11, 2021
Reading this book greatly added to my understanding of the book of Genesis. Many people might find it a challenge but it's worth reading to the end.
July 8, 2019
Il libro non contiene bibliografia, note esplicative, disegni, indici analitici.
L'introduzione ai concetti fondamentali (quali particelle esistono? cosa fa un acceleratore? perché si fanno esperimenti? cosa è una "particella virtuale"?) è distribuita a casaccio, quando esiste, tra citazioni mitologiche, mondanità riguardanti le vite degli scienziati e "sorrisi delle ragazze" (cit).
A pagina 78 leggo una descrizione delle 'simmetrie' senza nemmeno uno straccio di disegno; il focus si sposta sulla storia di una scienziata che ha dovuto faticare molto per affermarsi.
Questa ha scoperto qualcosa sulle simmetrie, è la più grande matematica del secolo scorso, etc etc, ma queste benedette simmetrie rimangono un dettaglio (pur essendo l'argomento della questione).
Le analogie vengono abusate, sono poco calzanti o a volte semplicemente inutili a comprendere di cosa si parla: evidentemente per l'autore e gli editors comparare l'universo all' "essere parmenideo" schiarisce le idee al volenteroso uomo della strada.
I tentativi di spiegare dei concetti vengono annacquati con aggettivi non necessari (i preferiti:"parossistico" e "infernale") ;
un altro espediente è l'antropomorfizzazione delle particelle: a me questo ha più confuso che chiarito le idee. Il risultato è un resoconto farraginoso e caotico.
Questo non lo rende un libro divulgativo.
Non è nemmeno un libro bello, perché è scritto in maniera dozzinale.
L'organizzazione del libro in 7 capitoli a ricalcare i sette giorni della creazione mi è sembrata completamente arbitraria, e risulta pure essere una promessa non mantenuta, visto che la maggior parte del contenuto dei capitoli ha poco a che vedere con questo parallelo.
Nei ringraziamenti Tonelli ci fa sapere che in combutta con lui, tra gli altri, c'erano Boitani, Mancuso, un prete e un rabbino.
A voler pensare male, questi sono tutti individui che, chi per inclinazione chi per missione, alla gente preferisce confondere piuttosto che schiarire le idee.
L'introduzione ai concetti fondamentali (quali particelle esistono? cosa fa un acceleratore? perché si fanno esperimenti? cosa è una "particella virtuale"?) è distribuita a casaccio, quando esiste, tra citazioni mitologiche, mondanità riguardanti le vite degli scienziati e "sorrisi delle ragazze" (cit).
A pagina 78 leggo una descrizione delle 'simmetrie' senza nemmeno uno straccio di disegno; il focus si sposta sulla storia di una scienziata che ha dovuto faticare molto per affermarsi.
Questa ha scoperto qualcosa sulle simmetrie, è la più grande matematica del secolo scorso, etc etc, ma queste benedette simmetrie rimangono un dettaglio (pur essendo l'argomento della questione).
Le analogie vengono abusate, sono poco calzanti o a volte semplicemente inutili a comprendere di cosa si parla: evidentemente per l'autore e gli editors comparare l'universo all' "essere parmenideo" schiarisce le idee al volenteroso uomo della strada.
I tentativi di spiegare dei concetti vengono annacquati con aggettivi non necessari (i preferiti:"parossistico" e "infernale") ;
un altro espediente è l'antropomorfizzazione delle particelle: a me questo ha più confuso che chiarito le idee. Il risultato è un resoconto farraginoso e caotico.
Questo non lo rende un libro divulgativo.
Non è nemmeno un libro bello, perché è scritto in maniera dozzinale.
L'organizzazione del libro in 7 capitoli a ricalcare i sette giorni della creazione mi è sembrata completamente arbitraria, e risulta pure essere una promessa non mantenuta, visto che la maggior parte del contenuto dei capitoli ha poco a che vedere con questo parallelo.
Nei ringraziamenti Tonelli ci fa sapere che in combutta con lui, tra gli altri, c'erano Boitani, Mancuso, un prete e un rabbino.
A voler pensare male, questi sono tutti individui che, chi per inclinazione chi per missione, alla gente preferisce confondere piuttosto che schiarire le idee.
March 30, 2020
Tonelli reconstrueert in zeven dagen hoe de oerknal gedurende een kleine 14 miljard jaar is uitgegroeid tot ruim twee honderd miljard sterrenstelsels. De Italiaanse natuurkundige beschikt slechts deels over de gave van zijn landgenoot Carlo Rovelli om de meest complexe fenomenen aan leken uit te leggen en de astrofysica op narratieve wijze te doen fonkelen. Te weinig verhelderende flitsen en vereenvoudigende metaforen leiden eerder tot een zwart gat in je concentratieboog dan de uitdijing van je kennis.
November 10, 2024
It took me 18 months to read this book and holy balls. 6 stars if I could. Everyone and their mother writes “birth of the universe” books but it is sooooo refreshing to read one written by an actual physicist (albeit scientists suck dick at writing). this isn’t just some random dude either, Tonelli was a fundamental player in the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
this is a difficultttt to get thru but absolutely worthwhile read for several reasons (hence the 18 months for 250 pages). The book is translated directly from Italian by his wife whose second language is English, so it’s sometimes hard to tell what is a funky translation and what is wack science. This is the kind of book you gotta sit down and mentally prepare to read; there is so much packed into each sentence but they are all so eerily poetic, to the point where I had to stop annotating 5 pages in bc I was underlining every other artsy instagram story-worthy quote. had to read each paragraph multiple times to get the full experience, a 45 minute reading sesh would usually get me thru 7 ish pages.
Obvi based on the title you would think it’s woke Christian propaganda, but like there isn’t rly much to it aside that the book is divided into 7 days for each part of the Big Bang process. However, Tonelli has some spectacular and beautiful insight into the innately humane response to form religions and make art and tell stories as a response to our observation of the infinite around us and that which we do not understand, namely in our profound mission to pursue an origin story. art and science are intertwined and whatnot but I have never seen someone frame cave paintings of eldritch gods in terms of natural selection and survival instincts like this book did. Temporality is abstract and impossible to comprehend mathematically with a tiny 3D brain, so we turn to narrative and community to help us envision the answers.
Instead of a Christian lens, he frames all the scientific bs from a Greek mythological view which I think is hella interesting and also was fucking awesome to read. I still vividly remember the scene of the birth of the stars, where the four fundamental forces battle it out and the weakest of the four (gravity/zeus) emerges victorious against the titans (strong, weak, electromagnetic) and thus the cosmos is molded into these pockets of gravitational density where matter conglomerates and gets smashed into itself so violently that it produces the beautiful stars and also everything that you are made up of. kind of freaky to think that gravity is gonna keep winning until the universe inevitably dies in ice, nuclear fusion tech up your game. we are all children of the stars, but a blip on the cosmic timescale. nothing matters, energy runs out eventually, you are irrelevant, may as well dm that fine shyt who doesn’t know u exist.
this is a difficultttt to get thru but absolutely worthwhile read for several reasons (hence the 18 months for 250 pages). The book is translated directly from Italian by his wife whose second language is English, so it’s sometimes hard to tell what is a funky translation and what is wack science. This is the kind of book you gotta sit down and mentally prepare to read; there is so much packed into each sentence but they are all so eerily poetic, to the point where I had to stop annotating 5 pages in bc I was underlining every other artsy instagram story-worthy quote. had to read each paragraph multiple times to get the full experience, a 45 minute reading sesh would usually get me thru 7 ish pages.
Obvi based on the title you would think it’s woke Christian propaganda, but like there isn’t rly much to it aside that the book is divided into 7 days for each part of the Big Bang process. However, Tonelli has some spectacular and beautiful insight into the innately humane response to form religions and make art and tell stories as a response to our observation of the infinite around us and that which we do not understand, namely in our profound mission to pursue an origin story. art and science are intertwined and whatnot but I have never seen someone frame cave paintings of eldritch gods in terms of natural selection and survival instincts like this book did. Temporality is abstract and impossible to comprehend mathematically with a tiny 3D brain, so we turn to narrative and community to help us envision the answers.
Instead of a Christian lens, he frames all the scientific bs from a Greek mythological view which I think is hella interesting and also was fucking awesome to read. I still vividly remember the scene of the birth of the stars, where the four fundamental forces battle it out and the weakest of the four (gravity/zeus) emerges victorious against the titans (strong, weak, electromagnetic) and thus the cosmos is molded into these pockets of gravitational density where matter conglomerates and gets smashed into itself so violently that it produces the beautiful stars and also everything that you are made up of. kind of freaky to think that gravity is gonna keep winning until the universe inevitably dies in ice, nuclear fusion tech up your game. we are all children of the stars, but a blip on the cosmic timescale. nothing matters, energy runs out eventually, you are irrelevant, may as well dm that fine shyt who doesn’t know u exist.
April 13, 2021
Leggendo questo libro ho avuto la percezione del perché ultimamente leggo libri di Fisica.
Mi devo convincere di queste misure:
Stiamo parlando della fase iniziale della vita dell'universo, la cui durata incredibilmente breve è quella del tempo di Plank, 10 alla-43 secondi, cui corrisponderebbe una dimensione dell'universo di 10 alla-33 centimentri.
Ho avuto la fortuna di ascoltare Tonelli qualche anno fa in cui presentava parte di questo libro e, allo stesso modo della Fisica delle particelle elementari, disse che basta una minima variazione delle loro forze espresse, che tutto annichilisce, compreso il nostro universo.
La complessa ragnatela che definisce ciò che possiamo e non possiamo vedere e percepire, dipende tutto da minimi scarti di labili equilibri energetici.
Il testo è strutturato in capitoli che sono i giorni del mito della creazione biblica, ma gli spazi e i tempi sono, o estremamente piccoli (cit. sopra) o estremamente grandi in cui tutto (energia, materia, luce) si sviluppa all'improvviso e poi ha tempi di assestamento lunghissimi in cui succedono cambiamenti radicali, come ad esempio l'apparizione o la sparizione della luce.
Ad esempio: nei primi 3 minuti di nascita dell'universo (50% del libro), si forma la maggior parte della massa, ma bisogna aspettare 380.000 anni perché i fotoni riescano a sfuggire e illuminare l'universo.
Questa prima del racconto è quella che preferisco, mi impone sforzi immaginativi molto impegnativi, al di fuori delle mie possibili capacità percettive. Ma, come dicevo per altri testi di genere, cerco di farmene una ragione e, per alimentarla, continuo a leggere i racconti di questi scienziati.
Mi devo convincere di queste misure:
Stiamo parlando della fase iniziale della vita dell'universo, la cui durata incredibilmente breve è quella del tempo di Plank, 10 alla-43 secondi, cui corrisponderebbe una dimensione dell'universo di 10 alla-33 centimentri.
Ho avuto la fortuna di ascoltare Tonelli qualche anno fa in cui presentava parte di questo libro e, allo stesso modo della Fisica delle particelle elementari, disse che basta una minima variazione delle loro forze espresse, che tutto annichilisce, compreso il nostro universo.
La complessa ragnatela che definisce ciò che possiamo e non possiamo vedere e percepire, dipende tutto da minimi scarti di labili equilibri energetici.
Il testo è strutturato in capitoli che sono i giorni del mito della creazione biblica, ma gli spazi e i tempi sono, o estremamente piccoli (cit. sopra) o estremamente grandi in cui tutto (energia, materia, luce) si sviluppa all'improvviso e poi ha tempi di assestamento lunghissimi in cui succedono cambiamenti radicali, come ad esempio l'apparizione o la sparizione della luce.
Ad esempio: nei primi 3 minuti di nascita dell'universo (50% del libro), si forma la maggior parte della massa, ma bisogna aspettare 380.000 anni perché i fotoni riescano a sfuggire e illuminare l'universo.
Questa prima del racconto è quella che preferisco, mi impone sforzi immaginativi molto impegnativi, al di fuori delle mie possibili capacità percettive. Ma, come dicevo per altri testi di genere, cerco di farmene una ragione e, per alimentarla, continuo a leggere i racconti di questi scienziati.
November 10, 2021
Nonostante l’argomento sia tra i più affascinanti e mi ritenga un appassionato lettore di saggi di fisica (di livello divulgativo), l’impressione a fine lettura è che questo libro potesse essere scritto meglio. A parte l’artificiosa suddivisione in giornate, discutibile tentativo di mimesi del racconto biblico, le parti meno convincenti sono quelle in cui Tonelli abbandona il terreno conosciuto della fisica per addentrarsi in digressioni in ambiti lontani da questa e che, a mio avviso, non aggiungono davvero nulla. Particolarmente irrilevanti ho trovato l’ultimo capitolo (“Ciò che ci rende umani”) e l’Epilogo. D’altronde anche scorrendo la lista dei ringraziamenti, si rimane perplessi. O almeno io sono rimasto perplesso.
June 15, 2021
I’m going to categorize this within the Carlo Rovelli school of poeticizing cosmology. (Are all Italian physicists this lyrical? I am going to assume so.) Strenuous at times with reference to theoretical physics, but beautifully structured and concluded. Reminds me a lot of the concept attributed to Einstein that religion without science is blind, science without religion (or, as I and arguably Tonelli choose to interpret it, an innately human sense of wonder) is lame.
November 22, 2021
Estupendo libro donde Guido Tonelli detalla pormenorizadamente el origen y desarrollo del Universo incluida su etapa inicial, esa en la cual todo parece surgido de una fluctuación cuántica, hasta el "nosotros", todo ello con el hilo conductor de la mitología y filosofía clásica excepto por el propio origen del Universo que me ha recordado a uno de los capítulos mas metafísicos del Cosmos de Carl Sagan, El filo de la eternidad. En definitiva una visión completa del Cosmos muy bien explicada donde el componente humano siempre está presente
March 26, 2021
Particle physicist Guido Tonelli uses ye olde seven days of biblical creation as a metaphor for the beginnings of the universe, life, and humanity in Genesis. A star player in the discovery of the Higgs Boson, Tonelli is uniquely positioned to tell the epic history that ranges from the Void to the iPhone. As I soon discovered, a background in physics would have been a huge boon in reading this as I was frequently lost in some of the more theoretical musings. However, Tonelli writes with a poetic flair and a zeal sufficient to keep the layman interested throughout. Of particular note are Tonelli’s description of black holes and dark matter, two hard to conceive of but consistently intriguing topics in the field.
Tonelli waxes romantic multiple times about just how ridiculous it is that any of this exists when the variables are considered. One of my favorite bits was the description of the collision between Earth and another heavenly body that formed the moon, and the moon’s subsequent role in allowing life to form on Earth. Guess what? No collision, no moon; no moon, no you or me! While this book won’t make a physicist out of you, it might make you appreciate your place in this light show a bit more so it comes recommended.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.**
Tonelli waxes romantic multiple times about just how ridiculous it is that any of this exists when the variables are considered. One of my favorite bits was the description of the collision between Earth and another heavenly body that formed the moon, and the moon’s subsequent role in allowing life to form on Earth. Guess what? No collision, no moon; no moon, no you or me! While this book won’t make a physicist out of you, it might make you appreciate your place in this light show a bit more so it comes recommended.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.**
August 30, 2020
Met grote goesting begonnen we aan Tonelli, want wetenschap, het ontstaan van de wereld en de hoe en waarom van ons bestaan fascineren ons mateloos.
Het boek zou dit alles ook voor leken vatbaar maken, of zo interpreteerde ik het alleszins.
Tonelli begint helder en kalm en wist met goed en verstaanbaar uit te leggen wat de oerknal geweest was en wat het grote 'niets', of eerder de chaos (naar de oud Griekse betekenis), die daarvoor heerste eigenlijk was.
De rol van de allerkleinste - subatomaire - deeltjes in die knal, de logica van hun werking en hoe we dat vandaag met deeltjesversnellers naspelen en uitvogelen: ik was nog steeds mee en behoorlijk trots op mezelf.
Maar hoe dan ook kwam er een moment waarop ik als lezer moest afhaken. Inzicht op inzicht op inzicht op inzicht: de logische opbouw van zo'n specifieke wetenschap, maar elke keer je ook maar een halve procent van dat inzicht niet helemaal vat, wordt de kloof groter, tot je bij een nieuw stukje opbouw verstek moet laten.
Strakke poging, maar op de duur toch te hoog gegrepen voor mezelf. Jammer.
Het boek zou dit alles ook voor leken vatbaar maken, of zo interpreteerde ik het alleszins.
Tonelli begint helder en kalm en wist met goed en verstaanbaar uit te leggen wat de oerknal geweest was en wat het grote 'niets', of eerder de chaos (naar de oud Griekse betekenis), die daarvoor heerste eigenlijk was.
De rol van de allerkleinste - subatomaire - deeltjes in die knal, de logica van hun werking en hoe we dat vandaag met deeltjesversnellers naspelen en uitvogelen: ik was nog steeds mee en behoorlijk trots op mezelf.
Maar hoe dan ook kwam er een moment waarop ik als lezer moest afhaken. Inzicht op inzicht op inzicht op inzicht: de logische opbouw van zo'n specifieke wetenschap, maar elke keer je ook maar een halve procent van dat inzicht niet helemaal vat, wordt de kloof groter, tot je bij een nieuw stukje opbouw verstek moet laten.
Strakke poging, maar op de duur toch te hoog gegrepen voor mezelf. Jammer.
November 19, 2022
Il libro presuppone che il lettore, alla partenza, abbia già alcuni rudimenti di astrofisica, meccanica quantistica, Higgs, Heisenberg, ecc. Se non li avete, questo libro vi risulterà in larga parte incomprensibile.
February 3, 2025
This book was spectacular! The only reason it got 4 stars is at certain points I would get lost in the scientific jargon it featured, however overall it was an amazing culmination of all known events that occurred before and after the big bang. Would highly recommend!
July 8, 2021
Un saggio ricco di informazioni che ripercorre la genesi dell'universo dal suo primo secondo di vita fino a noi. Un viaggio di 13,8 miliardi di anni.
Consigliato, ma per chi non ha delle buone basi di fisica in alcuni punti potrebbe restare degli interrogativi. Io ad esempio molte cose non le conoscevo e ho dovuto cercarle altrove.
Consigliato, ma per chi non ha delle buone basi di fisica in alcuni punti potrebbe restare degli interrogativi. Io ad esempio molte cose non le conoscevo e ho dovuto cercarle altrove.
March 21, 2021
Review/Reseña en Español/English
Español
La palabra génesis alude al origen o la causa de algo, bajo este contexto ese es el propósito del libro, explicar cómo se creó la vida en la tierra pero claro con un enfoque físico orientado al universo y la materia.
El libro utiliza como analogía los siete días de la creación que vienen en la biblia para explicar cómo se formó el universo. El libro está muy estructurado y la lectura es bastante fluida, me agrado que el autor no necesitara de fórmulas matemáticas para explicar diferentes fenómenos que son complicados.
Con esto me gustaría recalcar que se necesita un grado de conocimientos de física, mecánica cuántica y fenómenos de transporte para comprender el libro, ya que algunos conceptos básicos no son explicados. Por ejemplo, se relacionan diversos conceptos en cuanto a termodinámica en algunas estancias o leyes básicas de la física.
Personalmente, los primeros capítulos fueron aburridos y repetitivos, de igual forma muchas partes del libro se sintieron innecesarios, aunque fue interesante como relacionaba temas de arte, cultura y mitos con conceptos físicos.
Algo que no puedo dejar de lado es el hecho que no tenía referencias, sinceramente con eso le baje a mi calificación. También hubiera sido interesante que se presentara alguna imagen de los fenómenos que se describían, en general es una buena lectura.
¿Es este libro para ti?
Perfecto para: Interesados en el universo, la física y ciencia.
¿Lo recomiendo? Si.
English
The word genesis alludes to the origin or cause of something, in this context that is the purpose of the book, to explain how life was created on earth but of course with a physical approach oriented to the universe and matter.
Equations might lack the evocative power of poetry, but the concepts of modern cosmology – a universe that was born from a fluctuation in the quantum void, or from cosmic inflation – can still take our breath away.
The book uses as an analogy the seven days of creation that come in the Bible to explain how the universe was formed. The book is very structured and the reading is quite fluid, I liked that the author didn't need mathematical formulas to explain different phenomena that are complex.
With this, I would like to emphasize that a degree of knowledge of physics, quantum mechanics, and transport phenomena is needed to understand the book since some basic concepts are not explained. For example, various terms of thermodynamics are related in some instances or basic laws of physics.
Personally, the first chapters were boring and repetitive, in the same way, many parts of the book felt unnecessary, although it was interesting how it related art, culture, and myths with physical concepts.
Something that I cannot put aside is the fact that it had no references, honestly, with that, I lowered my qualification. It would also have been interesting if some image of the phenomena described had been presented, in general, it's a good book.
‘Where does all this come from?’
Is this book for you?
Perfect for: Interested in the universe, physics and science.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
My thanks to the author Guido Tonelli, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for the opportunity to get this ARC for an unbiased review.
October 18, 2025
This was the most convoluted piece of ass I’ve ever read in my life. Who would have thought that someone could make astrophysics even more confusing by how little they actually talked about it. In hindsight, I’m not really sure how Snow White, or airport luggage, or Greco-Roman penises relate to the Big Bang. In fact, not even in normal-sight did I see the connection. I mean, this some valedictorian of summer school shit right here. Does Spirt Halloween rent out the space in Guido Tonelli’s head where the interesting stuff is supposed to be? Because I feel like his weird analogies and mixed metaphors relate more to that show on TBS about the Big Bang with that forehead guy in it than to the universe’s space birth. Christ, does this bloke know how to waffle. He was spinning yarns so long I was able to hang myself with it. Sadly, though, I pulled through, and woke back up to a world where this glass of poop juice is somehow able to be published. The existence of this book is a monument to the depravity of mankind. Whoever took the baguette out of Guido Tonelli’s hand and gave him a pen should be tried for high treason. The only reason my review has one star is because it’s the worst I could do. If Goodreads had an option to buy negative stars, I would spend all of my net annual income just to downvote this book into oblivion. And then I would steal my fiancée’s bank account information and use all of her net annual income on more negative stars. I would destroy my family just to see this book get bad reviews on a website.
October 31, 2019
La fisica raccontata in modo comprensibile (ma non troppo).
Questo libro è filosofia, scienza e poesia insieme.
Contiene il racconto dell'origine dell'universo e dell'umano.
Parla di materia, antimateria materia oscura, stelle, protoni, fotoni, pulsar, galassie, buchi neri, forza debole e forte, gravità, e tutto l'immaginabile e inimmaginabile ma esistente. C'e la mitologia greca, c'è l'arte, c'è la cultura ebraica.
C'è il mondo e l'umano che diventa tale quando inizia ad usare simboli e riti e inizia a raccontare intorno ad un fuoco grazie alla coscienza di sé e degli altri, che siamo poca cosa senza relazioni sociali.
Vogliamoci più bene e leggiamo di più.
Vi sentirete abbracciati da questo libro.
E forse, per un istante, individuerere l'istante iniziale e troverete anche voi l'aleph.
Questo libro è filosofia, scienza e poesia insieme.
Contiene il racconto dell'origine dell'universo e dell'umano.
Parla di materia, antimateria materia oscura, stelle, protoni, fotoni, pulsar, galassie, buchi neri, forza debole e forte, gravità, e tutto l'immaginabile e inimmaginabile ma esistente. C'e la mitologia greca, c'è l'arte, c'è la cultura ebraica.
C'è il mondo e l'umano che diventa tale quando inizia ad usare simboli e riti e inizia a raccontare intorno ad un fuoco grazie alla coscienza di sé e degli altri, che siamo poca cosa senza relazioni sociali.
Vogliamoci più bene e leggiamo di più.
Vi sentirete abbracciati da questo libro.
E forse, per un istante, individuerere l'istante iniziale e troverete anche voi l'aleph.
May 27, 2021
Succo: il libro è soddisfacente dal punto di vista divulgativo - scientifico ma le incursioni nel simbolico e nel sacro sono a mio avviso un condimento fallimentare.
Registro: vuole essere un racconto e non dico che non lo faccia bene ma il tono si fa a tratti un po' troppo colloquiale, il che può rivelarsi controproducente forse anche per il lettore benintenzionato. Se per esempio, mentre leggo del funzionamento distruttivo del buco nero Sagittarius-A*, mi ritrovo improvvisamente, mio malgrado, a domandarmi 'E chissà dove sarà finito Elvis Presley?' , vuol dire che qualcosa ha contribuito a far sbandare la mia fantasia...
Due stelle al libro e due pure a me per essere una lettrice che si fa distrarre facilmente.
Registro: vuole essere un racconto e non dico che non lo faccia bene ma il tono si fa a tratti un po' troppo colloquiale, il che può rivelarsi controproducente forse anche per il lettore benintenzionato. Se per esempio, mentre leggo del funzionamento distruttivo del buco nero Sagittarius-A*, mi ritrovo improvvisamente, mio malgrado, a domandarmi 'E chissà dove sarà finito Elvis Presley?' , vuol dire che qualcosa ha contribuito a far sbandare la mia fantasia...
Due stelle al libro e due pure a me per essere una lettrice che si fa distrarre facilmente.
January 31, 2021
Beautiful, lyrical, and profoundly human, this book tackles one of the oldest and most important questions—how did we get here? What happened at the moment of creation?
I'm an artist by profession, not a scientist, but I found the text accessible and enjoyable. In addition to the facts, the author brought surprising perspectives, putting the discoveries of particle physics in context. I'll have to read it again to really understand it, but I look forward to that. It's worth a second read.
I received and read an advance copy of this book. This is my voluntary and unsolicited review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm an artist by profession, not a scientist, but I found the text accessible and enjoyable. In addition to the facts, the author brought surprising perspectives, putting the discoveries of particle physics in context. I'll have to read it again to really understand it, but I look forward to that. It's worth a second read.
I received and read an advance copy of this book. This is my voluntary and unsolicited review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 28, 2021
Tonelli was a key figure in the discovery of the Higgs Boson (aka the God particle). Essentially this discovery provides new insights on how creation works and what came even before the Big Bang. I was excited to read this and rooting for this influential Italian scientist.
However it falls flat on its face because of the translation. The translators use erudite, PhD level English words in trying to describe these concepts. The intent of the book was to explain this to the masses, not impress us with your expansive vocabulary.
Tonelli is brilliant, but this translation is lacking.
1/5
However it falls flat on its face because of the translation. The translators use erudite, PhD level English words in trying to describe these concepts. The intent of the book was to explain this to the masses, not impress us with your expansive vocabulary.
Tonelli is brilliant, but this translation is lacking.
1/5
November 12, 2020
Il libro vuole essere divulgativo, ma non lo è perché descrive e non spiega. Per questo risulta comprensibile solo a chi già conosce l'argomento, ma per essi è, di conseguenza, anche banale. Il titolo e la suddivisione in giornate richiamano la Genesi, tuttavia l'autore utilizza a piene mani solo esempi tratti dalla mitologia classica.
Infine la scelta di alcuni vocaboli appare piuttosto discutibile. Uno tra tutti l'aggettivo "parossistico" che viene affibbiato a qualsiasi cosa accada nell'universo.
Infine la scelta di alcuni vocaboli appare piuttosto discutibile. Uno tra tutti l'aggettivo "parossistico" che viene affibbiato a qualsiasi cosa accada nell'universo.
July 8, 2022
It started off interesting, but it gets bogged down in the vocabulary of physics and loses its way in the middle. Maybe there's just no way to explain physics without resorting to strong quarks and muons but at the end, I don't have a much better understanding of how it all began than at the beginning.
October 27, 2023
It took 2 wonderful months for me to finish this master piece and I did it on purpose. Enjoying each line and the history telling of this master piece.
The kinda book you will read again and again and again and you will feel each time great feeling. Proud to have this book on my library
Thanks a lot Prof. Tonelli for this wonderful book.
The kinda book you will read again and again and again and you will feel each time great feeling. Proud to have this book on my library
Thanks a lot Prof. Tonelli for this wonderful book.
September 18, 2019
Un racconto certamente parossistico
January 19, 2024
Az "It was amazing" leírás tökéletesen összefoglalja, így muszáj öt csillagot adnom rá. Egészen döbbenetes, már-már agyzsibbasztó az az ismeretanyag, amit a könyv átad arról, hogyan keletkezett a világegyetem, és hogyan jutott el arra a pontra, ahol most tart. Megismerjük az ősrobbanást övező elméleteket, és egyáltalán a fizika és a tudományos elméletek alakulását, amelyek mai tudásunkhoz vezettek. Végigkövetjük az ősrobbanás utáni nanoszekundumokat, amelyekben hihetetlen rövid idő alatt fantasztikusan sok minden történt. Majd az első másodperceket, évezredeket, évmilliókat és -milliárdokat. Az asztrofizika és a részecskefizika rejtelmeibe nyerhetünk bepillantást, és én a könyvet olvasva újra és újra eldobtam az agyam a tényleg felfoghatatlan számoktól: a százezerszeres naptömegektől, a fénysebességhez közelítő perdületű mozgásoktól, a fekete lyukak ijesztő erejétől, a többszázezer fokos hőmérsékletektől... És még ennél annyival több mindenről! Szóval tényleg szinte egyfolytában lenyűgöz a jó stílusban megírt könyv.
A Nádasdy-fordításban szereplő Dante-idézetek külön tetszettek, plusz a mitológiai utalásokat is kifejezetten szórakoztató volt olvasni így, hogy a Stephen Fry-féle Mítoszt nem olyan rég olvastam.
Negatívumként ugyanakkor muszáj megemlítenem, hogy számomra összességében kissé túl tudományos volt. Legalábbis hemzsegtek benne az olyan mondatok, amiből semmit nem értettem. És ez egy ideig még szórakoztató tud lenni, hogy ennyire "komoly" könyvet olvasok, de egy idő után azért fárasztóvá válik, és az ember a saját kicsiségét nem csak az univerzumhoz képest érzi meg, hanem a tudása hiányossága is túlontúl egyértelműen kiviláglik.
Ennek ellenére is szinte letehetelen - legalábbis én senkinek nem ajánlanám, hogy az esetleges nehézségek, negatív érzések miatt abbahagyja, kifejezetten megéri végigolvasni!
A könyv végén a neandervölgyiekről és az egyéb emberősökről szóló rész nekem valahogy kicsit kilógott, ezzel együtt is nagyon érdekes volt, és ott is sok új dolgot tudott mondani. Rendkívül elgondolkoztató, hogyan szelektálódtunk azzá, akik most vagyunk, és milyenek lehettek azok a - nem is annyira primitív - ősök, akiktől annyi mindent örököltünk.
A Nádasdy-fordításban szereplő Dante-idézetek külön tetszettek, plusz a mitológiai utalásokat is kifejezetten szórakoztató volt olvasni így, hogy a Stephen Fry-féle Mítoszt nem olyan rég olvastam.
Negatívumként ugyanakkor muszáj megemlítenem, hogy számomra összességében kissé túl tudományos volt. Legalábbis hemzsegtek benne az olyan mondatok, amiből semmit nem értettem. És ez egy ideig még szórakoztató tud lenni, hogy ennyire "komoly" könyvet olvasok, de egy idő után azért fárasztóvá válik, és az ember a saját kicsiségét nem csak az univerzumhoz képest érzi meg, hanem a tudása hiányossága is túlontúl egyértelműen kiviláglik.
Ennek ellenére is szinte letehetelen - legalábbis én senkinek nem ajánlanám, hogy az esetleges nehézségek, negatív érzések miatt abbahagyja, kifejezetten megéri végigolvasni!
A könyv végén a neandervölgyiekről és az egyéb emberősökről szóló rész nekem valahogy kicsit kilógott, ezzel együtt is nagyon érdekes volt, és ott is sok új dolgot tudott mondani. Rendkívül elgondolkoztató, hogyan szelektálódtunk azzá, akik most vagyunk, és milyenek lehettek azok a - nem is annyira primitív - ősök, akiktől annyi mindent örököltünk.
December 9, 2021
This is an incredible book. You do not have to have technical background to read it, but it helps. But you don’t have to read the technical information if you just excepted it as truth. It goes from the beginning of the big bang or I should say from 10^-34 seconds up till now, 13.8 billion years later. Fantastic book absolutely will read it again
September 22, 2023
Awesome!
Tonelli absolutely delivered a phenomenal piece of work in this short book. I so enjoyed his capacity to reflects upon connections with creation stories and Greek Mythology as points of connection between past creation stories and cutting-edge physics.
I cannot claim to understand it all, but at least my perspective has improved to the point that I appreciate and admire humanity’s path toward understanding the universe’s origins and our unique vantage point.
Tonelli absolutely delivered a phenomenal piece of work in this short book. I so enjoyed his capacity to reflects upon connections with creation stories and Greek Mythology as points of connection between past creation stories and cutting-edge physics.
I cannot claim to understand it all, but at least my perspective has improved to the point that I appreciate and admire humanity’s path toward understanding the universe’s origins and our unique vantage point.
February 29, 2024
Hogyan keletkezett a világunk? A fizikus válaszol, és közben igyekszik a közérthetőség talaján maradni - ez persze elég sokszor nem sikerül neki, de ez talán nem is meglepő, ha az ősrobbanás utáni pillanatok leírásáról van szó vagy a képzelőerőnket meghaladó korai folyamatokról és állapotokról. Eközben némi tudománytörténetet is kap az olvasó, kiegészítve a mitológia és a különböző vallások eredettörténeteinek utalásszerű említésével, illetve kultúrtörténeti érdekességekkel.
A roppant izgalmas témát viszonylag emészthetően dolgozza fel a szerző, és ahogy egyre közelebb érünk az élet, illetve az ember megjelenéséhez (majd túl is lépve rajta a kultúra kialakulásához), a szöveg egyre könnyebben befogadhatóvá válik. Mindenkinek tudom ajánlani a könyvet, aki nem riad vissza a tudományos-ismeretterjesztő skálán talán a tudományoshoz közelebb álló nyelvezettől.
A roppant izgalmas témát viszonylag emészthetően dolgozza fel a szerző, és ahogy egyre közelebb érünk az élet, illetve az ember megjelenéséhez (majd túl is lépve rajta a kultúra kialakulásához), a szöveg egyre könnyebben befogadhatóvá válik. Mindenkinek tudom ajánlani a könyvet, aki nem riad vissza a tudományos-ismeretterjesztő skálán talán a tudományoshoz közelebb álló nyelvezettől.
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