Our Improbable Universe

From the most practical point of view, we really are "star children": the iron in the blood of our veins originated in a stellar explosion billions of years ago. How likely is it that all the myriad conditions for life would come together so precisely? Without positing or denying the existence of a creator behind it all, the answer to that question is humbling and fascinating. Along the way, Michael Mallary summarizes the latest findings in cosmology — including string theory, high-energy physics, and relativity.