The hitchhiker's guide to Big History

Don't panic! Big History is a field that covers 13.8 billion years from the Big Bang, the formation of the Earth, the long evolutionary history of life, to the long thrust of human history. This book is an easy and sometimes humorous read that boils down the vastness of existence into relatable terms for readers of any background, being worthwhile for science-lovers and the science-phobic alike. The final chapters are devoted to the 21st Century Crisis and the potential for increasing complexity for trillions of years up until the projected end of the Universe, shedding light on what will happen next in the Near and Deep Future, right up to the final fate of the Universe. Used as the primary reader for Big History at Macquarie University, it is essential reading for any student who aspires to view all academic disciplines and all timelines as a unified whole.