James S. Trefil is the Clarence J Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University and author of more than fifty books. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the AAAS, and the World Economic Forum. Much of his published work focuses on science for the general audience. He regularly gives presentations to judges and public officials about the intersections between science and the law. His most recent books are Cosmic Queries, with Neil deGrasse Tyson, which deals with fundamental questions about the universe and was on the New York Times best seller list, and Imagined Life with Michael Summers, which examines the possibility of life on newly discovered exoplanets.Robert M. Hazen is Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory and Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Sciences, Emeritus, at George Mason University. He is author of more than 400 articles and 25 books on science, history, and music. His book The Story of Earth (Viking-Penguin), was finalist in the Royal Society and Phi Beta Kappa science book competitions. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geochemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of America, he received the 2021 IMA Medal, the 2016 Roebling Medal, the Mineralogical Society of America Award and MSA's Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the American Chemical Society Ipatieff Prize. In 2012 he was recipient of Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award. He has presented numerous named lectures and was Distinguished Lecturer for Sigma Xi and MSA, for which he is a past President. The biomineral "hazenite" and the fossil dolphin Cammackacetus hazenorum were named in his honor.

• 1 Science: A Way of Knowing: How do you know what you know? 12 The Ordered Universe: Why do planets appear to wander slowly across the sky? 303 Energy: Why must animals eat to stay alive? 634 Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why is it easier to make an omelet from an egg than to make an egg from an omelet? 925 Electricity and Magnetism: What is lightning? 1196 Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What is color? 1517 Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a human ever travel faster than the speed of light, at "warp speed"? 1858 The Atom: Why are there so many different materials in the world? 2099 Quantum Mechanics: How can the electron behave like both a particle and a wave? 23410 Atoms in Combination: The Chemical Bond: How does blood clot? 25411 Materials and Their Properties: How have computers gotten so much faster? 28912 The Nucleus of the Atom: How do scientists determine the age of the oldest human fossils? 31613 The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How can antimatter be used to probe the human brain? 34614 The Stars: How much longer can the Sun sustain life on Earth? 36915 Cosmology: Will the universe end? 39616 Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the only planet with life? 42217 Plate Tectonics: Can we predict destructive earthquakes? 45818 Earth's Many Cycles: Will we ever run out of fresh water? 48719 Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are human activities affecting the global environment? 52020 Strategies of Life: What is life? 54721 The Living Cell: What is the smallest living thing? 57622 Molecules of Life: What constitutes a healthy diet? 60023 Classical and Modern Genetics: Why do offspring resemble their parents? 62724 The New Science of Life: How did scientists develop a vaccine for COVID 19? 65325 Evolution: How did life emerge on the ancient Earth? 685Index I-1Additional appendices available online only

James S. Trefil is the Clarence J Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University and author of more than fifty books. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the AAAS, and the World Economic Forum. Much of his published work focuses on science for the general audience. He regularly gives presentations to judges and public officials about the intersections between science and the law. His most recent books are Cosmic Queries, with Neil deGrasse Tyson, which deals with fundamental questions about the universe and was on the New York Times best seller list, and Imagined Life with Michael Summers, which examines the possibility of life on newly discovered exoplanets.Robert M. Hazen is Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory and Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Sciences, Emeritus, at George Mason University. He is author of more than 400 articles and 25 books on science, history, and music. His book The Story of Earth (Viking-Penguin), was finalist in the Royal Society and Phi Beta Kappa science book competitions. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geochemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of America, he received the 2021 IMA Medal, the 2016 Roebling Medal, the Mineralogical Society of America Award and MSA's Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the American Chemical Society Ipatieff Prize. In 2012 he was recipient of Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award. He has presented numerous named lectures and was Distinguished Lecturer for Sigma Xi and MSA, for which he is a past President. The biomineral "hazenite" and the fossil dolphin Cammackacetus hazenorum were named in his honor.

• 1 Science: A Way of Knowing: How do you know what you know? 12 The Ordered Universe: Why do planets appear to wander slowly across the sky? 303 Energy: Why must animals eat to stay alive? 634 Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why is it easier to make an omelet from an egg than to make an egg from an omelet? 925 Electricity and Magnetism: What is lightning? 1196 Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What is color? 1517 Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a human ever travel faster than the speed of light, at "warp speed"? 1858 The Atom: Why are there so many different materials in the world? 2099 Quantum Mechanics: How can the electron behave like both a particle and a wave? 23410 Atoms in Combination: The Chemical Bond: How does blood clot? 25411 Materials and Their Properties: How have computers gotten so much faster? 28912 The Nucleus of the Atom: How do scientists determine the age of the oldest human fossils? 31613 The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How can antimatter be used to probe the human brain? 34614 The Stars: How much longer can the Sun sustain life on Earth? 36915 Cosmology: Will the universe end? 39616 Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the only planet with life? 42217 Plate Tectonics: Can we predict destructive earthquakes? 45818 Earth's Many Cycles: Will we ever run out of fresh water? 48719 Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are human activities affecting the global environment? 52020 Strategies of Life: What is life? 54721 The Living Cell: What is the smallest living thing? 57622 Molecules of Life: What constitutes a healthy diet? 60023 Classical and Modern Genetics: Why do offspring resemble their parents? 62724 The New Science of Life: How did scientists develop a vaccine for COVID 19? 65325 Evolution: How did life emerge on the ancient Earth? 685Index I-1Additional appendices available online only

James S. Trefil is the Clarence J Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University and author of more than fifty books. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the AAAS, and the World Economic Forum. Much of his published work focuses on science for the general audience. He regularly gives presentations to judges and public officials about the intersections between science and the law. His most recent books are Cosmic Queries, with Neil deGrasse Tyson, which deals with fundamental questions about the universe and was on the New York Times best seller list, and Imagined Life with Michael Summers, which examines the possibility of life on newly discovered exoplanets.Robert M. Hazen is Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory and Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Sciences, Emeritus, at George Mason University. He is author of more than 400 articles and 25 books on science, history, and music. His book The Story of Earth (Viking-Penguin), was finalist in the Royal Society and Phi Beta Kappa science book competitions. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geochemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of America, he received the 2021 IMA Medal, the 2016 Roebling Medal, the Mineralogical Society of America Award and MSA's Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the American Chemical Society Ipatieff Prize. In 2012 he was recipient of Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award. He has presented numerous named lectures and was Distinguished Lecturer for Sigma Xi and MSA, for which he is a past President. The biomineral "hazenite" and the fossil dolphin Cammackacetus hazenorum were named in his honor.

• 1 Science: A Way of Knowing: How do you know what you know? 12 The Ordered Universe: Why do planets appear to wander slowly across the sky? 303 Energy: Why must animals eat to stay alive? 634 Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why is it easier to make an omelet from an egg than to make an egg from an omelet? 925 Electricity and Magnetism: What is lightning? 1196 Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What is color? 1517 Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a human ever travel faster than the speed of light, at "warp speed"? 1858 The Atom: Why are there so many different materials in the world? 2099 Quantum Mechanics: How can the electron behave like both a particle and a wave? 23410 Atoms in Combination: The Chemical Bond: How does blood clot? 25411 Materials and Their Properties: How have computers gotten so much faster? 28912 The Nucleus of the Atom: How do scientists determine the age of the oldest human fossils? 31613 The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How can antimatter be used to probe the human brain? 34614 The Stars: How much longer can the Sun sustain life on Earth? 36915 Cosmology: Will the universe end? 39616 Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the only planet with life? 42217 Plate Tectonics: Can we predict destructive earthquakes? 45818 Earth's Many Cycles: Will we ever run out of fresh water? 48719 Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are human activities affecting the global environment? 52020 Strategies of Life: What is life? 54721 The Living Cell: What is the smallest living thing? 57622 Molecules of Life: What constitutes a healthy diet? 60023 Classical and Modern Genetics: Why do offspring resemble their parents? 62724 The New Science of Life: How did scientists develop a vaccine for COVID 19? 65325 Evolution: How did life emerge on the ancient Earth? 685Index I-1Additional appendices available online only