In this enthralling and illuminating book, Eric Chaisson, author of the classic work Cosmic Dawn, synthesizes current scientific thinking regarding the origin and evolution of the universe. How did everything around us-the air, the land, the sea, and the stars-come to be? What is the source of order, form, and structure characterizing all material things? Drawing on recent breakthroughs in astrophysics and biochemistry, Chaisson explores the development of the most microscopic and the most immense aspects of our universe, including the idea that all objects-from quarks and quasars to microbes and minds-are interrelated. Epic of Evolution is a stunning view of how various changes, operating across almost incomprehensible domains of space and nearly inconceivable stretches of time-all by means of the cosmic evolutionary combination of chance and necessity-have given rise to our galaxy, our star, our planet, and ourselves.