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Just as individuals are curious about the
circumstances surrounding their birth, the human race has
always been interested in its own beginnings. Was the evolution
of intelligent life an inevitable outgrowth of the physical
nature of our universe? Is life on our planet the only life
in the universe? Is this the first time humans have been
capable of looking into the past for life's origins and
into space for other inhabitants?
Astronomer George Seielstad attempts to
demonstrate that the origin and evolution of life were as
naturally the consequences of the big bang as were planets
and stars. "A basic premise of At the Heart of the
Web," Seielstad writes, "is that life is an
integral component of the universe. Cosmology and biology
are not separate disciplines, since life cannot be understood
without tracing the origin and evolution of the universe,
nor can the universe be comprehended without considering
the life residing within it."
This truly interdisciplinary examination
of man's unique place in the universe draws on the latest
findings in astronomy, physics, anthropology, and biology
to formulate a new, highly original view of space, time,
and the creation of life.
From the evolution of humanity to the evolution
of star systems, At the Heart of the Web details
this interconnectedness between the daily and the universal,
with a particular focus on the potential of human intelligence.
The present, for Seielstad, is a moment of immense significance.
Our self-awareness makes possible a limitless future for
humanity -- and thereby for the universe.
George A. Seielstad studied physics at
Dartmouth College and received his doctorate from the California
Institute of Technology. In addition to 20 years' research
at CalTech's Owens Valley Radio Observatory, he was a Guggenheim
Fellow at Sweden's Onsala Space Observatory from 1969 to
1970. Now assistant director of the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory, Dr. Seielstad lives in Green Bank, West Virginia.
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