Popular Science: From Cosmic Origins to Everyday Discovery | Uncovered

Presented by PBS Books and the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), UNCOVERED invites readers to discover remarkable books, engaging authors and ideas that can spark curiosity and conversation. This month, we explore Popular Science, beginning with one of humanity’s biggest questions: How did our universe begin?

Join cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper, authors of Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins, published by University of Chicago Press, for a fascinating conversation about the mysteries surrounding the birth of our universe. The authors explore competing ideas about what may have happened before the Big Bang—from cyclic and bouncing universes to multiverses, black holes, string theory and holograms—and discuss how questioning established ideas can lead to new discoveries.

Beyond the cosmos, this episode explores the broader world of Popular Science through a companion reading list featuring books about citizen science, wildlife and evolution, climate and wildfire, agriculture and food, public health, scientific history and the relationship between science and society. Together, these books reveal the many ways science helps us understand our world, challenge assumptions and make sense of the questions that matter to our communities.

Explore the full Popular Science reading list and discover more books, authors and ideas to continue the conversation. Visit pbsbooks.org/uncovered for the printable reading list, featured book information and additional resources to help you keep discovering, reading and uncovering.

Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halpe

A thrilling exploration of competing cosmological origin stories, comparing new scientific ideas that upend our very notions of space, time, and reality.

By most popular accounts, the universe started with a bang some 13.8 billion years ago. But what happened before the Big Bang? And how do we know it happened at all? Here prominent cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper offer a tour of the peculiar possibilities: bouncing and cyclic universes, time loops, creations from nothing, multiverses, black hole births, string theories, and holograms. Along the way, they offer both a call for new physics and a riveting story of scientific debate.

Incorporating insights from Afshordi’s cutting-edge research and Halper’s original interviews with scientists like Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose, and Alan Guth, Battle of the Big Bang compares these models for the origin of our origins, showing each theory’s strengths and weaknesses and explaining new attempts to test these notions. Battle of the Big Bang is a tale of rivalries and intrigue, of clashes of ideas that have raged from Greek antiquity to the present day over whether the universe is eternal or had a beginning, whether it is unique or one of many. But most of all, Afshordi and Halper show that this search is filled with wonder, discovery, and community-all essential for remembering a forgotten cosmic past.

Niayesh Afshordi is a pro at making science infectious, and the high-profile reviews and praise for this book capture that spirit. It’s a fascinating topic told by someone who speaks approachably while sharing a reader’s curiosity and enthusiasm.

Phil Halper is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a science popularizer. He is the creator of the popular YouTube series Before the Big Bang, which has had several million views, and was previously journalist in residence at the Penn State Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos. His astronomy images have been featured in major media outlets including The Washington Post, the BBC, and The Guardian, and he has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals. He lives in London.

Science begins with questions—about where we came from, how the natural world works and how discoveries can change the way we understand our lives and our communities. This month, UNCOVERED explores Popular Science, bringing together books that invite readers to look more closely at the world around us and the questions that continue to shape our understanding of it.

Our featured conversation takes us to the very beginning: the origins of the universe. In Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins, cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper explore competing theories about what happened before the Big Bang and how scientists continue to test, challenge and rethink our understanding of the cosmos.

But the search for discovery doesn’t stop at the edge of the universe. Our Popular Science reading list spans ecology and citizen science, evolution and animal behavior, climate and wildfire, agriculture and food, public health, the history of science and the ways society shapes scientific knowledge. Together, these books show how science helps us investigate the extraordinary—from the origins of the universe to the natural world right outside our doors.
Presented by PBS Books and the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), UNCOVERED brings these diverse scientific perspectives to readers and communities as opportunities to learn, question and start conversations. Explore this month’s reading list and discover where your curiosity takes you.

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Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.

Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.