万物简史英文版_比尔·布莱森-第2章

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imely　wounded；　or　otherwisedeflected　from　its　lifes　quest　of　delivering　a　tiny　charge　of　genetic　material　to　the　rightpartner　at　the　right　moment　in　order　to　perpetuate　the　only　possible　sequence　of　hereditarybinations　that　could　result…eventually；　astoundingly；　and　all　too　briefly…in　you。

this　is　a　book　about　how　it　happened…in　particular　how　we　went　from　there　being　nothing　atall　to　there　being　something；　and　then　how　a　little　of　that　something　turned　into　us；　and　alsosome　of　what　happened　in　between　and　since。　thats　a　great　deal　to　cover；　of　course；　which　iswhy　the　book　is　called　a　short　history　of　nearly　everything；　even　though　it　isnt　really。　itcouldnt　be。　but　with　luck　by　the　time　we　finish　it　will　feel　as　if　it　is。

my　own　starting　point；　for　what　its　worth；　was　an　illustrated　science　book　that　i　had　as　aclassroom　text　when　i　was　in　fourth　or　fifth　grade。　the　book　was　a　standard…issue　1950sschoolbookbattered；　unloved；　grimly　hefty…but　near　the　front　it　had　an　illustration　that　justcaptivated　me：　a　cutaway　diagram　showing　the　earths　interior　as　it　would　look　if　you　cut　intothe　planet　with　a　large　knife　and　carefully　withdrew　a　wedge　representing　about　a　quarter　ofits　bulk。

its　hard　to　believe　that　there　was　ever　a　time　when　i　had　not　seen　such　an　illustrationbefore；　but　evidently　i　had　not　for　i　clearly　remember　being　transfixed。　i　suspect；　in　honesty；my　initial　interest　was　based　on　a　private　image　of　streams　of　unsuspecting　eastboundmotorists　in　the　american　plains　states　plunging　over　the　edge　of　a　sudden　4；000…mile…highcliff　running　between　central　america　and　the　north　pole；　but　gradually　my　attention　did　turnin　a　more　scholarly　manner　to　the　scientific　import　of　the　drawing　and　the　realization　that　theearth　consisted　of　discrete　layers；　ending　in　the　center　with　a　glowing　sphere　of　iron　andnickel；　which　was　as　hot　as　the　surface　of　the　sun；　according　to　the　caption；　and　i　rememberthinking　with　real　wonder：　〃how　do　they　know　that？〃i　didnt　doubt　the　correctness　of　the　information　for　an　instant…i　still　tend　to　trust　thepronouncements　of　scientists　in　the　way　i　trust　those　of　surgeons；　plumbers；　and　otherpossessors　of　arcane　and　privileged　information…but　i　couldnt　for　the　life　of　me　conceive　howany　human　mind　could　work　out　what　spaces　thousands　of　miles　below　us；　that　no　eye　hadever　seen　and　no　x　ray　could　penetrate；　could　look　like　and　be　made　of。　to　me　that　was　just　amiracle。　that　has　been　my　position　with　science　ever　since。

excited；　i　took　the　book　home　that　night　and　opened　it　before　dinner…an　action　that　i　expectprompted　my　mother　to　feel　my　forehead　and　ask　if　i　was　all　right…and；　starting　with　the　firstpage；　i　read。

and　heres　the　thing。　it　wasnt　exciting　at　all。　it　wasnt　actually　altogether　prehensible。

above　all；　it　didnt　answer　any　of　the　questions　that　the　illustration　stirred　up　in　a　normalinquiring　mind：　how　did　we　end　up　with　a　sun　in　the　middle　of　our　planet？　and　if　it　isburning　away　down　there；　why　isnt　the　ground　under　our　feet　hot　to　the　touch？　and　why　isntthe　rest　of　the　interior　melting…or　is　it？　and　when　the　core　at　last　burns　itself　out；　will　some　ofthe　earth　slump　into　the　void；　leaving　a　giant　sinkhole　on　the　surface？　and　how　do　you　knowthis？　how　did　you　figure　it　out？

but　the　author　was　strangely　silent　on　such　details…indeed；　silent　on　everything　butanticlines；　synclines；　axial　faults；　and　the　like。　it　was　as　if　he　wanted　to　keep　the　good　stuffsecret　by　making　all　of　it　soberly　unfathomable。　as　the　years　passed；　i　began　to　suspect　thatthis　was　not　altogether　a　private　impulse。　there　seemed　to　be　a　mystifying　universalconspiracy　among　textbook　authors　to　make　certain　the　material　they　dealt　with　never　strayedtoo　near　the　realm　of　the　mildly　interesting　and　was　always　at　least　a　longdistance　phone　callfrom　the　frankly　interesting。

i　now　know　that　there　is　a　happy　abundance　of　science　writers　who　pen　the　most　lucid　andthrilling　prose…timothy　ferris；　richard　fortey；　and　tim　flannery　are　three　that　jump　out　froma　single　station　of　the　alphabet　（and　thats　not　even　to　mention　the　late　but　godlike　richardfeynman）…but　sadly　none　of　them　wrote　any　textbook　i　ever　used。　all　mine　were　written　bymen　（it　was　always　men）　who　held　the　interesting　notion　that　everything　became　clear　whenexpressed　as　a　formula　and　the　amusingly　deluded　belief　that　the　children　of　america　wouldappreciate　having　chapters　end　with　a　section　of　questions　they　could　mull　over　in　their　owntime。　so　i　grew　up　convinced　that　science　was　supremely　dull；　but　suspecting　that　it　needntbe；　and　not　really　thinking　about　it　at　all　if　i　could　help　it。　this；　too；　became　my　position　for　along　time。

then　much　later…about　four　or　five　years　ago…i　was　on　a　long　flight　across　the　pacific；staring　idly　out　the　window　at　moonlit　ocean；　when　it　occurred　to　me　with　a　certainunfortable　forcefulness　that　i　didnt　know　the　first　thing　about　the　only　planet　i　was　evergoing　to　live　on。　i　had　no　idea；　for　example；　why　the　oceans　were　salty　but　the　great　lakeswerent。　didnt　have　the　faintest　idea。　i　didnt　know　if　the　oceans　were　growing　more　saltywith　time　or　less；　and　whether　ocean　salinity　levels　was　something　i　should　be　concernedabout　or　not。　（i　am　very　pleased　to　tell　you　that　until　the　late　1970s　scientists　didnt　know　theanswers　to　these　questions　either。　they　just　didnt　talk　about　it　very　audibly。）and　ocean　salinity　of　course　represented　only　the　merest　sliver　of　my　ignorance。　i　didntknow　what　a　proton　was；　or　a　protein；　didnt　know　a　quark　from　a　quasar；　didnt　understandhow　geologists　could　look　at　a　layer　of　rock　on　a　canyon　wall　and　tell　you　how　old　it　was；didnt　know　anything　really。　i　became　gripped　by　a　quiet；　unwonted　urge　to　know　a　littleabout　these　matters　and　to　understand　how　people　figured　them　out。　that　to　me　remained　thegreatest　of　all　amazements…how　scientists　work　things　out。　how　does　anybody　know　howmuch　the　earth　weighs　or　how　old　its　rocks　are　or　what　really　is　way　down　there　in　thecenter？　how　can　they　know　how　and　when　the　universe　started　and　what　it　was　like　when　itdid？　how　do　they　know　what　goes　on　inside　an　atom？　and　how；　e　to　that…or　perhapsabove　all…can　scientists　so　often　seem　to　know　nearly　everything　but　then　still　cant　predict　anearthquake　or　even　tell　us　whether　we　should　take　an　umbrella　with　us　to　the　races　nextwednesday？

so　i　decided　that　i　would　devote　a　portion　of　my　life…three　years；　as　it　now　turns　out…toreading　books　and　journals　and　finding　saintly；　patient　experts　prepared　to　answer　a　lot　ofoutstandingly　dumb　questions。　the　idea　was　to　see　if　it　isnt　possible　to　understand　andappreciate…marvel　at；　enjoy　even…the　wonder　and　acplishments　of　science　at　a　level　thatisnt　too　technical　or　demanding；　but　isnt　entirely　superficial　either。

that　was　my　idea　and　my　hope；　and　that　is　what　the　book　that　follows　is　intended　to　be。

anyway；　we　have　a　great　deal　of　ground　to　cover　and　much　less　than　650；000　hours　in　whichto　do　it；　so　lets　begin。





PART　　I　　　　　　　　　　　LOST　IN　THE　COSMOS

？灏忚��/t锛竧｜澶╁爞
they鈥檙e　all　in　the　same　plane。

they鈥檙e　all　going　around　in　the　same　direction。　。　。　。　

it鈥檚　perfect；　you　know。　　

it鈥檚　gorgeous。　

it鈥檚　almost　uncanny。　　

…astronomer　geoffrey　marcy　

describing　the　solar　system

w锛穡銆倄iaoshuo　txt锛�



1　　　HOW　TO　BUILD　A　UNIVERSENO　MATTER

灏忥紲璇达紲t锛渪t锛炲ぉ锛煛峰爞
how　hard　you　try　you　will　never　be　able　to　grasp　just　how　tiny；　how　spatiallyunassuming；　is　a　proton。　it　is　just　way　too　small。

a　proton　is　an　infinitesimal　part　of　an　atom；　which　is　itself　of　course　an　insubstantial　thing。

protons　are　so　small　that　a　little　dib　of　ink　like　the　dot　on　this　i　can　hold　something　in　theregion　of　500；000；000；000　of　them；　rather　more　than　the　number　of　seconds　contained　in　halfa　million　years。　so　protons　are　exceedingly　microscopic；　to　say　the　very　least。

now　imagine　if　you　can　（and　of　course　you　can鈥檛）　shrinking　one　of　those　protons　down　to　abillionth　of　its　normal　size　into　a　space　so　small　that　it　would　make　a　proton　look　enormous。

now　pack　into　that　tiny；　tiny　space　about　an　ounce　of　matter。　excellent。　you　are　ready　to　starta　universe。

i鈥檓　assuming　of　course　that　you　wish　to　build　an　inflationary　universe。　if　you鈥檇　preferinstead　to　build　a　more　old…fashioned；　standard　big　bang　universe；　you鈥檒l　need　additionalmaterials。　in　fact；　you　will　need　to　gather　up　everything　there　is　every　last　mote　and　particle　ofmatter　between　here　and　the　edge　of　creation　and　squeeze　it　into　a　spot　so　infinitesimallypact　that　it　has　no　dimensions　at　all。　it　is　known　as　a　singularity。

in　either　case；　get　ready　for　a　really　big　bang。　naturally；　you　will　wish　to　retire　to　a　safeplace　to　observe　the　spectacle。　unfortunately；　there　is　nowhere　to　retire　to　because　outside　thesingularity　there　is　no　where。　when　the　universe　begins　to　expand；　it　won鈥檛　be　spreading　outto　fill　a　larger　emptiness。　the　only　space　that　exists　is　the　space　it　creates　as　it　goes。

it　is　natural　but　wrong　to　visualize　the　singularity　as　a　kind　of　pregnant　dot　hanging　in　adark；　boundless　void。　but　there　is　no　space；　no　darkness。　the　singularity　has　no　鈥渁round鈥�

around　it。　there　is　no　space　for　it　to　occupy；　no　place　for　it　to　be。　we　can鈥檛　even　ask　how　longit　has　been　there鈥攚hether　it　has　just　lately　popped　into　being；　like　a　good　idea；　or　whether　ithas　been　there　forever；　quietly　awaiting　the　right　moment。　time　doesn鈥檛　exist。　there　is　no　pastfor　it　to　emerge　from。

and　so；　from　nothing；　our　universe　begins。

in　a　single　blinding　pulse；　a　moment　of　glory　much　too　swift　and　expansive　for　any　form　ofwords；　the　singularity　assumes　heavenly　dimensions；　space　beyond　conception。　in　the　firstlively　second　（a　second　that　many　cosmologists　will　devote　careers　to　shaving　into　ever…finerwafers）　is　produced　gravity　and　the　other　forces　that　govern　physics。　in　less　than　a　minute　theuniverse　is　a　million　billion　miles　across　and　growing　fast。　there　is　a　lot　of　heat　now；　tenbillion　degrees　of　it；　enough　to　begin　the　nuclear　reactions　that　create　the　lighter　elements鈥攑rincipally　hydrogen　and　helium；　with　a　dash　（about　one　atom　in　a　hundred　million）　oflithium。　in　three　minutes；　98　percent　of　all　the　matter　there　is　or　will　ever　be　has　beenproduced。　we　have　a　universe。　it　is　a　place　of　the　most　wondrous　and　gratifying　possibility；and　beautiful；　too。　and　it　was　all　done　in　about　the　time　it　takes　to　make　a　sandwich。

when　this　moment　happened　is　a　matter　of　some　debate。　cosmologists　have　long　arguedover　whether　the　moment　of　creation　was　10　billion　years　ago　or　twice　that　or　something　inbetween。　the　consensus　seems　to　be　heading　for　a　figure　of　about　13。7　billion　years；　but　thesethings　are　notoriously　difficult　to　measure；　as　we　shall　see　further　on。　all　that　can　really　besaid　is　that　at　some　indeterminate　point　in　the　very　distant　past；　for　reasons　unknown；　therecame　the　moment　known　to　science　as　t　=　0。　we　were　on　our　way。

there　is　of　course　a　great　deal　we　don鈥檛　know；　and　much　of　what　we　think　we　know　wehaven鈥檛　known；　or　thought　we鈥檝e　known；　for　long。　even　the　notion　of　the　big　bang　is　quite　arecent　one。　the　idea　had　been　kicking　around　since　the　1920s；　when　georges　lema？tre；　abelgian　priest…scholar；　first　tentatively　proposed　it；　but　it　didn鈥檛　real