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  • Parallel Worlds

  • A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos
  • By: Michio Kaku
  • Narrated by: Marc Vietor
  • Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (75 ratings)

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Parallel Worlds

By: Michio Kaku
Narrated by: Marc Vietor
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Publisher's Summary

Is our universe dying?

Could there be other universes?

In Parallel Worlds, world-renowned physicist and best-selling author Michio Kaku - an author who "has a knack for bringing the most ethereal ideas down to earth" (Wall Street Journal) - takes listeners on a fascinating tour of cosmology, M-theory, and its implications for the fate of the universe.

In his first book of physics since Hyperspace, Michio Kaku begins by describing the extraordinary advances that have transformed cosmology over the last century and particularly over the last decade, forcing scientists around the world to rethink our understanding of the birth of the universe and its ultimate fate. In Dr. Kaku's eyes, we are living in a golden age of physics, as new discoveries from the WMAP and COBE satellites and the Hubble space telescope have given us unprecedented pictures of our universe in its infancy.

As astronomers wade through the avalanche of data from the WMAP satellite, a new cosmological picture is emerging. So far the leading theory about the birth of the universe is the "inflationary universe theory", a major refinement on the big bang theory. In this theory our universe may be but one in a multiverse, floating like a bubble in an infinite sea of bubble universes, with new universes being created all the time. A parallel universe may well hover a mere millimeter from our own.

The very idea of parallel universes and the string theory that can explain their existence was once viewed with suspicion by scientists, seen as the province of mystics, charlatans, and cranks. But today physicists overwhelmingly support string theory and its latest iteration, M-theory, as it is this one theory that, if proven correct, would reconcile the four forces of the universe simply and elegantly and answer the question "what happened before the big bang?"

Already, Kaku explains, the world's foremost physicists and astronomers are searching for ways to test the theory of the multiverse using highly sophisticated wave detectors, gravity lenses, satellites, and telescopes. The implications of M-theory are fascinating and endless. If parallel worlds do exist, Kaku speculates, in time - perhaps a trillion years or more from now, as appears likely - when our universe grows cold and dark in what scientists describe as a big freeze, advanced civilizations may well find a way to escape our universe in a kind of "interdimensional lifeboat".

An unforgettable journey into black holes and time machines, alternate universes, and multidimensional space, Parallel Worlds gives us a compelling portrait of the revolution sweeping the world of cosmology.

©2006 Michio Kaku (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"In Parallel Worlds, Michio Kaku brings his formidable explanatory talents to bear on one of the strangest and most exciting possibilities to have emerged from modern physics: that our universe may be but one among many, perhaps infinitely many, arrayed in a vast cosmic network. With deft use of analogy and humor, Kaku patiently introduces the reader to variations on this theme of parallel universes, coming from quantum mechanics, cosmology, and most recently, M-theory. Read this book for a wonderful tour, with an expert guide, of a cosmos whose comprehension forces us to stretch to the very limits of imagination." (Brian Greene, Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics, Columbia University, and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Elegant Universe)
"Those who might enjoy a tour of cosmology, time travel, string theory, and the universe in 10 or 11 dimensions will find no better guide than Michio Kaku, a rare individual who has undertaken research in these subject areas yet also knows well how to present this intriguing, complex material in an engaging and easily assimilable style." (Donald Goldsmith, author of The Runaway Universe and Connecting with the Cosmos)
"A highly readable and exhilarating romp through the frontiers of cosmology." (Martin Rees, author of Our Cosmic Habitat and Our Final Century)

What listeners say about Parallel Worlds

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Thought-provoking

A very interesting overview of the latest mathematical and cosmological theories as they relate to the birth, growth and death of the universe and associated implications including parallel worlds and the multiverse. Well presented in terms that the layperson can understand.

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Very Good "read" , thought provoking !! D Pez 😆

Inspiring book. totally enjoyed . very thought provoking and interesting information
I will recommend it to All.
Pez 💥💥💥💥💥

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Brilliant understandable summary of universes

comprehensive, non complex and never boring...although many times i replayed paragrapghs to grasp deeper understanding. Wonderful afterword too about the meaning of our universe and our place in it. thank you!

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insightful and thought provoking

Kaku eloquently outlines the complexity of our universe and the possibilities of others. In this way he provides novices an ability to see into the minds of some of the worlds most ingenious physicists. this book also shows how even science has a need for a God to explain the unexplained.

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Awesome

Interesting narration. Science made easy for everyone. Love to hear more audio books from this author.

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Parallel Worlds

Deeply insightful, thought provoking and highly recommended. Expertly narrated with clarity, empathy and precision. Great!

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Full of good science and stuff but.......

The author presents string theory and parallel universes in an educational way that most people can understand. Its fun and easy to follow and I enjoyed it until........ Toward the end he insinuates that because string theory hasn't been worked out yet, that there could be a god behind it all. He also uses Schrodingers cat as an example of something not being in existence unless it's observed as evidence of a god. Yet everything is in existence so there must be some supernatural being observing everything to break the wave function. My question is how do we know it's a god? Could it be another universe that has the technology to observe us breaking the wave function? Or even another high tech race observing us from a distance? Just because there's a gap that needs to be filled dosnt mean there is a god. Other than that flawed reasoning I enjoyed this book and its well worth a listen.
Cheers.

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2 people found this helpful

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