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Matthew Hedman shows how scientists have determined the age of everything from colonization of the New World over 13,000 years to the age of the universe, which is nearly 14 billion years old. Taking advantage of recent advances throughout the sciences, Hedman brings the distant past closer to us than it has ever been. He details, for example, how interdisciplinary studies of the Great Pyramids of Egypt can determine exactly when and how these incredible structures were built. He shows how the remains of humble trees can illuminate how the surface of the sun has changed over the past 10 millennia. And he explores how the origins of the Earth, solar system, and universe are being discerned with help from rocks that fall from the sky, the light from distant stars, and even the static seen on televisiobn sets.
Covering a wide range of time scales, from the big bang to human history, this provocative and far-ranging look at how science has determined the age of everything from modern mammals to the oldest stars will be indispensable for all armchair time travellers.
