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

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)

Incredible. Amazing information.

I liked the expansion of MY universe of knowledge. wOW! Thank you. Great presenter; loved his voice.

Not Michio Kaku

Sometimes I get stuck on an author and compare everything else I read in that genre to that author. Such is the case with Michio Kaku. I read Parallel Universes when it first came out and was blown away. As I wrote in my review, most of the book was way over my head but somehow I got a feel and glimmer of understanding for even those parts of the book that were. Kaku has a genius that makes the almost incomprehensible concepts in physics sometimes seem simple and obvious. The 4 Percent Universe did not leave me feeling that way.

I would not say that Panek was unclear in the 4 Percent Universe. Actually, I had the feel that it was more a flat lesson in the history of science. It was a book that just had fewer revelations for me. With Kaku there were just so many "Ah Ha" moments. Hopefully, without sounding too hokey, when reading Kaku, there were moments of what felt like transcendence, an altered state of consciousness. Pretty high bar to set huh? Yeah, I know. Sorry, Richard Panek. You were just fine... just not Michio Kaku.

What a fun way to listen about science.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a history about the history of the universe. This was a great listen for those who have big imaginations, but never became the backyard or professional astronomer or astrophysicist.

It broke down the why's and how's of the universe in layman's terms. Not enough to make the listener feel like they're being talked down to, but not so complex as to make you feel dumb.

The "story" line makes the listen even more palatable. There were protagonists and antagonists and I even felt like picking sides. The people were real and I really enjoyed it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The physicists because they were less confrontational.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Just an easy listening attitude to the book with the occasional hype or dissonance kept it interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, while I could have, daydreaming about the material was fun and highly recommended.

The 4% Book

What did you like best about The 4 Percent Universe? What did you like least?

The book is mistitled. It gives the impression that the book is all about dark matter and dark energy. But it's actually a history of cosmological thought, complete with nitty gritty politics and infighting of the scientists. And that's fine - it was enjoyable to read about that, and it's obvious that a lot of research went into uncovering the backgrounds of the scientists and the way they went about their discoveries. But if you want to learn all about the science itself, seems like only about 4% of the book covers that.

Interesting, but...

Any additional comments?

While it is interesting to hear stories about the people in the field, I prefer less history more science. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy history and it is fun to hear about how the scientific community works but not for 10 hours.

There are some good bits of science facts you might find interesting, however after of listening to many other books I could have passed on this one.

Disappointing

I was very excited to read this book, but I found the narrative disappointingly slow. I would recommend 'A Universe from Nothing' by Lawrence M. Krauss for a more entertaining book on the same subject.

Understanding the universe comes together

A great book. Well written easy to understand and follow. Narration was outstanding. Best to listen at least 2 times at 1.25x.

A great book about Cosmology

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I had read Brian Greene's "Fabric of the Cosmos", and enjoyed all of it but the last third that dealt with Theoretical Physics. I enjoyed all of this book by Richard Panek, including the theoretical portion. "The 4% Universe" provides a good history of the different people who have been instrumental in pushing Cosmology forward, and the ideas that they espoused. It looks at some of the rivalries and petty competitions that drove the researchers. Also, it explains theoretical physics in a way that does not make such an endeavor seem so pointless. The book leads me to feel that there is a purpose to the search for dark matter, and that there is a way that we can prove its existence. We haven't found it, but it is there. This book did not leave me with the sense of futility other physics books have left me with. It was enjoyable, it respects the humanity of the science, and it ends somehow full of hope. We are at a place in history where Physics has come to a halt, groping blindly about for the next big thing. Many authors have voiced this. The last third of "Fabric of the Cosmos" frustrated me because Physics anymore seemed like a total waste of effort and money. However, "The 4% Universe" is about Cosmology, not Physics. The author acknowledges that there is a loss of momentum as Physics casts about looking for inspiration. However, a related discipline like Cosmology is freed by the restraints that hold Physics back, because it can ignore them and go back to what it does best: observing the stars and their behavior. Maybe, just maybe, cosmologists will see the next big thing out there in the heavens.

Demystifying the 4% of the universe we know and some of the unknown 96%

This audiobook was nicely read and wonderfully explained. The insights into the inner workings of great institutions are just as fascinating as the physics and science of cosmology. This book gave enough scientific depth to appreciate the wonders of what the space explorers do - look deep into the space to see into the past to predict the future and the beginnings of our existence. They also look deep into the atoms to understand the vastness of our galaxies. This will give me enough brain fodder for idle musings....

the dark universe

Great book I really enjoyed It.It is Is short history, of how cosmologie And physicist come across dark energy and dark matter