The Universe is Vast, Complex and Inhospitable

A major theme of Bryson's work is the vastness of the universe. In fact, space is so vast and complex that some of the information about it seems quite fantastical. It is possible that the Big Bang has actually occurred millions of times, creating a universe with new properties each time, like an artist painting over the same canvas.

Some notable scientists believe that there are an infinite number of galaxies in different dimensions, with different attributes. It seems highly probable that there are at least seven to 10 dimensions, of which humans can perceive only four (length, width, depth and time.) Within the familiar four-dimensional universe, there are over 140 billion galaxies. They contain an estimated 10 billion trillion planets, only 70 of which have been identified.

Even the tiniest part of the universe is vast, when one considers that every single object the size...