A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves

By Walter Alvarez, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY, 236 pages, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-393-29269-5

This volume is written as Big History which means not simply human history, but also the story of the connections of humans to their changing environment. It describes the series of unusual events that have led to the development of the human race. In his introduction, Alvarez argues that Big History intends to recount a very long and complex version of history focusing on science as well as historical accounts produced by human beings. It is focused on understanding the entire past by taking a panoramic view that necessarily involves more science than humanism. In addition to a prologue which describes Big History as a discipline and relates a fascinating and personal discovery of evidence of the giant meteoric impact at Chicxulub by the author and his colleagues, and an Epilogue which focuses on how unlikely it is that the human race has developed as it has, the book is divided into 4 large sections focused on the Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity.

In addition to the personal account of doing geology in the introduction, my favorite section in this volume was the longest, the four chapters focusing on Earth. In it Alvarez focuses lovingly on his area of expertise, Earth science. The chapters stress the way the planet produced materials that humans use and an environment in which they thrive. For example, Chapter 3, focuses on silicon, its use by humans as well as the geology of its origin. Chapter 4 then explores the development of continents and oceans and provides a useful introduction to plate tectonics. Chapter 5 concerns the rise and fall of mountain ranges, and Chapter 6 uses a cross-continental train trip on Amtrak to examine rivers and their importance to humans. In other words, this section is a complete and unconventional introduction to modern geology.

The section on the Cosmos focuses on modern astronomy and cosmology and does a good job of pointing out how fast the field is evolving. The third section, which deals with the origins of Life, begins with the first living cells and traces how human beings evolved. The discussion of DNA evidence for the development of humans from simpler life forms was particularly interesting. Finally, the section on humanity describes how humans spread across Earth and developed fire, stone tools, and eventually metals. The book takes you from the Big Bang to the origins of civilizations and written history and ends with man’s adventures into space.

Throughout the book, the author stresses the element of chance in all this. In his own words (page 105) Alvarez states that two of the main themes of the book are “how geologic history has influenced human history, and how easily things could have turned out very differently.” He has clearly illustrated the role of chance in all phases of human development until today, but understandably makes no attempt to predict the future.

Alvarez has clearly written this book for a general audience although the end notes provide technical citations for almost everything. It is especially appropriate for young people interested in science since it is not only an easy read, but presents exciting problems from many areas of science. I loaned my copy to a sophomore from Brown University, Shaunald Shende who is studying mechanical engineering and applied mathematics, whom I met on a plane. Even though he had traveled through Dallas from Rapid City and made a connection across the airport in 10 minutes, he still enjoyed the book enough to pronounce it “good airplane reading” and said he had learned some science reading it. I enjoyed this volume for pleasure reading and learned from it. I recommend it to any physicist interested in Big History or anyone who wants to give a bright college or high school student a science-oriented birthday present that will be greatly enjoyed.

Ruth H. Howes
714 Agua Fria Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
email: rhowes@bsu.edu

These contributions have not been peer-refereed. They represent solely the view(s) of the author(s) and not necessarily the view of APS.