HOW IT ENDS

The fascinating science behind the eventual end to everything—from the individual to all existence.

Although we may try to keep it tucked at the back of our minds, most of us are at least vaguely aware of our own mortality. But few among us know what science, with the help of insights yielded from groundbreaking new research, has to say about death on a larger scale. Enter astronomer Chris Impey, who chronicles for us the death of the whole shebang: the individual, species, biosphere, Earth, sun, Milky Way and, finally, the entire universe. With a healthy dose of humor, HOW IT ENDS illuminates everything from the death-defying ambition of human life extension and the evolutionary arms race between microbes and men to the inescapable dimming of the sun and the ultimate "big rip," giving us a rare glimpse into a universe without us. Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor in the Astronomy department at the University of Arizona in Tuscon. He has written popular pieces on astronomy as well as a widely reviewed book, The Living Cosmos. http://www.chrisimpey.com/