The Whole Shebang: A State of the Universe(s) Report.

Timothy Ferris has reason to celebrate. A former journalism professor and Rolling Stone contributing editor, Ferris covered the Viking landing on Mars in 1976 and published his first popular astronomy book, The Red Limit, in 1977. Twenty years later, the nation is fascinated by pictures from Mars Pathfinder, and Ferris's new book, The Whole Shebang, is available for those interested in much wider exploration.

Cosmology, from the Greek kosmos for orderly, harmonious heavens, is the study of the universe as a whole. This is a book about cosmology, and it begins with a survey of the big bang model, the theory of origin that explains the vast, highly isotropic and expanding universe we observe around us today. The rate of expansion of the universe is described by the Hubble constant (the ratio of the speed at which a galaxy is receding from the earth to its distance from the earth); its measurement and actual value have long been a topic of cosmological controversy, with professional bragging rights, as well as the age and ultimate fate of the universe, on the line. Ferris rapidly brings the reader up to date on this debate, followed by reviews of general relativity and nucleosynthesis (the study of the production of the elements). It helps to be at least passingly familiar with some of these now well-established ideas. The details can be overwhelming, and, on occasion, an additional diagram or sketch would have been worth at least a hundred words.

From there, however, the tour moves on to black holes, and Ferris's story hits its stride. Black holes, Ferris writes, are "a kind of mandala for twentieth-century physics, a peerless contemplation object, a meeting ground of general relativity and quantum physics, a triumphant example of how creative theorizing can open windows on the real world." The creative theorizing to which he refers is the idea that black holes are not as totally unforgiving as once imagined. They are now believed to radiate energy, known as Hawking radiation, in the form of particles which, under the laws of quantum mechanics, have a small, but finite probability of escape. For Stephen Hawking, this insight was beautiful - "It all fitted together so perfectly that it just had to be right...." For Ferris, major significance lies as well in "the fact that it [the theory] unites relativity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics, three distinct fields of physics never before combined in a single set of equations."

It is this range of scientific ideas - relativity and quantum mechanics, evolution and cosmology - that makes Ferris's presentation so intriguing. In addressing the big questions, describing phenomena from the smallest (cosmologists now focus on the first [10.sup.-43] seconds of the Big Bang) to the largest (astronomers now collect light from galaxies billions of light years distant), and seeking connections between diverse fields of scientific thinking, The Whole Shebang has a scope that reveals science at its very best.

Science is a story about people as well as ideas - Darwin, Hoyle, Sandage, and Hawking, and newer names that push the limits of astronomy, astrophysics, and particle physics today. The comments of contemporary scientists are interesting, providing a flavor for the discussion that lies behind the theories. But, happily, there's none of the "scientists are people too" theme that often burdens popular science writing. Timothy Ferris knows and clearly respects many of the people involved in cosmology today. The feeling is mutual, as he has won the admiration of scientists and professional science organizations for his wide-ranging knowledge and simultaneously careful and passionate presentations. The scientific slips that exist are minor, and generally come, as in the description of relativity, from trying to simplify a bit too much.

The Mars Pathfinder continues to send back amazing pictures of rocks and landscape, things not unfamiliar to those of us on earth. Much of current cosmology research concerns things pictured best and sometimes only by advanced mathematics. Radiating black holes, mysterious dark matter, elusive neutrinos, exotic particles made from strings of space - this is the "stuff" of forefront cosmology. It is already clear that our universe is more than meets the eye: Estimates are that at least 90 percent of the total mass of the universe remains undetected. Accompanied by selections from "The Dark Matter Rap," an MTV version of cosmology, Ferris reminds us of the shocking notion that, despite thousands of years of observing the skies, "all we have studied to date is but a kind of shadow universe." There is much still to learn, and Ferris allows us to see the impact of relatively recent work. The first observation of structure in the cosmic microwave background, evidence of the seeds of galaxies in the early universe, was announced in 1992, and the now redeemed Hubble space telescope is a fountain of new data. The rate of recent significant breakthroughs is striking. One senses that Ferris's book today will aid in appreciating the New York Times's "Science" section of tomorrow.

In the final chapter, titled "Contrarian Theological Afterword," Ferris raises the biggest question: "What about God?" His approach is cautious. He is not given to Hawking's flights of language ("then we would know the mind of God") or to the frankly theological speculations of astrophysicist George Smoot who, to considerable uproar, remarked that in the cosmic background variations one might see "the face of God." Ferris disagrees with those who see cosmology and theology as merging in the face of the ultimate questions about our origin and fate. For Ferris, God is more likely revealed in reflecting on our relationship to one another than in the physical universe.

Timothy Ferris has produced another outstanding book, well worth the effort for both science phobes and science aficionados alike. The wonder engendered by the universe is matched only by the wonder that human beings, arriving so late on the scene, are able to perform the creative and disciplined thinking that allows us to understand it. I gave several copies of The Whole Shebang as graduation presents earlier this year, invitations to an enjoyable and stimulating continuing education.

Nancy Haegel teaches physics at Fairfield University.