In this panoramic view of the world, David Baker records the historical changes in the Universe, revealing the enormous increase in complexity that accompanies each evolutionary phase of our past, present, and future. As he combines knowledge from physics, chemistry, biology, and other sciences, the distinguished historian helps us see beyond the narrow confines and chaos of human problems, answering the fundamental question: Where do we come from and where are we going?   David Baker tells us not only the story of our species and our planet but also the story of our vast Universe. We are neither the end of this story nor its beginning – we have appeared in the middle of a narrative that will continue long after our own disappearance. John Green, author