Future of Spacetime

Our minds tell us that some things in the universe must be true. The New Physics tells us that they are not, and in the process, blurs the line between science and science fiction. Here are six accessible essays by those who walk that line, moving ever further out in discovering the patterns of nature, aimed at readers who share their fascination with the deepest mysteries of the universe.

• Richard Price: "An Introduction to Spacetime Physics"

• Stephen Hawking: "Chronology Protection"

• Igor Novikov: "Can We Change the Past?"

• Kip S. Thorne: "Speculations about the Future"

• Timothy Ferris: "On the Popularization of Science"

• Alan Lightman: "The Physicist as Novelist"

Where the science of black holes, gravitational waves, and time travel will likely lead us, as reported by spacetime's most important theoreticians and observers.

Booknews

Price (theoretical physics, U. of Utah) introduces five essays based on popular talks given on June 3, 2000 honoring California Institute of Technology physicist Kip Thorne. Novikov, Hawking, Thorne, Ferris, and Lightman speculate about time travel, trends in linking quantum theory with relativity, and popularizing science in fact and fiction. Includes explanatory figures, photos, and a glossary. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A science writer with a gift for making complex principles accessible to general readers, Timothy Ferris has advanced our understanding of the sciences -- particularly cosmology and astronomy -- and how they have contributed to the way we live today.