• The 4 Percent Universe

  • Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality
  • By: Richard Panek
  • Narrated by: Ray Porter
  • Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (2,078 ratings)

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The 4 Percent Universe

By: Richard Panek
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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Publisher's summary

Over the past few decades, a handful of scientists have been racing to explain a disturbing aspect of our universe: only four percent of it consists of the matter that makes up you, me, our books, and every star and planet. The rest is completely unknown.

Richard Panek tells the dramatic story of the quest to find this “dark” matter and an even more bizarre substance called “dark energy”. This is perhaps the greatest mystery in all of science, and solving it will bring fame, funding, and certainly a Nobel Prize. Based on in-depth reporting and interviews with the major players—from Berkeley’s feisty, excitable Saul Perlmutter and Harvard’s witty but exacting Robert Kirshner to the doyenne of astronomy, Vera Rubin—the book offers an intimate portrait of the bitter rivalries and fruitful collaborations, the eureka moments and blind alleys, that have fueled their search, redefined science, and reinvented the universe.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Our view of the cosmos is profoundly wrong, and Copernicus was only the beginning: not just Earth, but all common matter is a marginal part of existence. Panek’s fast-paced narrative, filled with original reporting and behind-the-scenes details, brings this epic story to life for the very first time.

©2011 Richard Panek (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“It’s the biggest mystery of all: why is the universe expanding at an accelerated rate? At its heart is a search for what forces and particles make up reality. It baffled Einstein, and it now obsesses a cadre of fascinating cosmologists. By brilliantly capturing their passions and pursuits, Richard Panek has made this cosmic quest exciting and understandable.” (Walter Isaacson, New York Times best-selling author of Einstein: His Life and Universe)
“A superior account of how astronomers discovered that they knew almost nothing about 96 percent of the universe…. Panek delivers vivid sketches of scientists, lucid explanations of their work, and revealing descriptions of the often stormy rivalry that led to this scientific revolution, usually a media cliché, but not in this case.” ( Kirkus Reviews)
“Science journalist Panek offers an insider’s view of the quest for what could be the ultimate revelation.... This lively story of big personalities, intellectual competitiveness, and ravenous curiosity is as entertaining as it is illuminating.” ( Publishers Weekly)

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From the beginning of time, humans have looked up to the sky in adoration and curiosity, a trend that continues today. The future of space exploration is abundant with people curious to discover what lies beyond the little blue marble we call Earth. Whether you’re someone who looks up to the sky and wonders what that one bright star is, or a seasoned astronomy enthusiast looking to become a pro, these audiobooks are full of insights and revelations.

What listeners say about The 4 Percent Universe

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Much better than I anticpated

I downloaded this with a little hesitation, being fairly familiar with dark matter and dark energy and their effects upon the expanding universe. I had some trepidation that this would simply rehash information I already had. Much to my delight, the book really dug into the politics of science and the scientists involved in the race to discovery. Sure, many of us know about Gamov, Wilson, Penzias, COBE, hyper novae as standard candles, etc. What made this a great read/listen was learning about the two teams racing to discover those hyper novae, who and how the teams were assembled, the different approaches, and such. Contrary to George's review (and he has every right to have wanted a different perspective), I enjoyed this book thoroughly because of its look at the human and political side of science.

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13 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

entertaining,informative,educational and very well

What made the experience of listening to The 4 Percent Universe the most enjoyable?

the story of the search of knowledge to define our reality for the the ultimate question.what is the universe all about. through a maze of events and personality science has inevitably reached closer to define our relationship with the cosmos. superbly read and historiclly accurate .worth the listen a favorite.

What other book might you compare The 4 Percent Universe to and why?

anything brian greene,michio kacko,steven hawking.

Any additional comments?

a great listen.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • AJ
  • 08-07-11

Excellent Book!

This is a wonderful book that tells the history of Cosmology, what the scientist know & especially how they know what they know about the universe...Which is absolutely fascinating!

This book should be read by all the Christians & other religious people who claim scientist have no way of knowing the things they claim, scientist just guess or make things up to debunk religion, etc.

Just to be clear this book is NOT a science vs religion book at all...I am simply pointing out the fact that religious people who think & have been taught that science is just opinion, especially American Christians, should sit down & read this book if they are interested in knowing the truth about how science works. And of course knowing what our current understanding of the universe is & yes the areas where we know very little.

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9 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Mostly history, drama, and infighting

Plenty of detail here on the lives of the astronomers who pieced together the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, but all that detail actually made me understand less rather than more. The book focuses on the drama and infighting of the scientific community, but in the process of listening to these stories the science and explanations behind these discoveries gets lost.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting History

I didn't realize this book was about the history of the discoveries leading to the theories involving the 4% universe, I was expecting more of the theories themselves. Still, it was very interesting learning about the people involved in the discoveries, especially when Saul Perlmutter recently won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the work described in this book. However, it did tend to drag a little at some points.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent scientific history of dark energy/matter

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

As always, Porter is an excellent steward for the work. He imbues excitement and energy into a topic that is difficult. His narration helped bring the individual players to life.

Any additional comments?

Really excellent science book explaining how scientists discovered dark matter and dark energy (and thus realized that we had only been looking at about 4% -- or, per more recent measurements 5% -- of our universe). The author does an admirable job trying to make the subject matter accessible to a lay reader. It is that difficult balance between giving sufficient detail to be accurate and not overwhelming a reader who does not possess advanced degrees in physics and astronomy. I think Panek largely succeeds, and where he doesn't it isn't really his fault - you can only make things so simple, at some point this science is a heavy lift. What is really refreshing is that he not only walks you through the discoveries, the advances, the struggle for primacy in the field, but he also imbues the players (dozens of scientists) with personalities. I believe this is a book I'll reread again, just to really grasp the subject matter. Recommended for those who would like to see how much more there is to the universe than meets the eye.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Dull as sticks history book.

I'm sorry, this is not a book about "Dark Matter" or "Dark Energy", or even "The 4% Universe". The only part of the title that gives a hint as to what this book is about is the "Race to Discover..." part, but even that is making it sound more interesting than it is.

What this really is, is a dull account of how a lot of scientists haggled and fought over who'd get the credit for various discoveries. It's exceedingly dull. If you're interested in the discoveries themselves, and in learning interested and wonderful facts about our universe, read something by Brian Greene or Stephen Hawking or Leonard Mlodinow. If you haven't yet read everything Carl Sagan wrote, then read one of those. Only read this if you want to know how prideful, self-important scientists fought each other over who got the credit.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Alot about the scentists not enough science

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

not sure

What do you think your next listen will be?

not sure

What didn’t you like about Ray Porter’s performance?

good

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

Any additional comments?

it was ok ,,a lot about the scientists not enough about the science

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Even Ray Porter couldn't save this one

I love Ray Porter and would listen to him narrate the phone book. Which might have been more interesting than this book. I'm a medical person, so not a complete science idiot. But unless you're a PhD in astrophysics or cosmology, you may find this book too technical for your enjoyment. Actually, it spent about the same amount of time discussing the value of lambda as it did chronicling the careers of the scientists who were competing to be first to publish this information. I spent my credit in the hopes that I might come away with a slightly better understanding of dark matter and dark energy, which sadly didn't happen.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

4% Interesting

Would you try another book from Richard Panek and/or Ray Porter?

I am not sure, maybe not it depends on the content and whether the author is knowledgeable of the subject.

Would you ever listen to anything by Richard Panek again?

Yes

Would you listen to another book narrated by Ray Porter?

Yes

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The 4 Percent Universe?

The useless and uninteresting details of the astronomers and physicist life.

Any additional comments?

Kinda disappointed I thought this book would go deep into what dark energy and dark matter actually are but the book doesn't. I am not sure I learned much new from this book.

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2 people found this helpful