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William Morrow

Impact: How Rocks from Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong

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Description

A Short History of Nearly Everything meets Astrophysics for People in a Hurry in this humorous, accessible exploration of how meteorites have helped not only build our planet but steered the evolution of life and human culture.The Solar System. Dinosaurs. Donkey Kong. What is the missing link? Surprisingly enough, it's meteorites. They explain our past, constructed our present, and could define our future.Impact argues that Earth would be a lifeless, inhospitable piece of rock without being fortuitously assaulted with meteorites throughout the history of the planet. These bombardments transformed Earth’s early atmosphere and delivered the complex organic molecules that allowed life to develop on our planet. While meteorites have provided the raw materials for life to thrive, they have radically devastated life as well, most famously killing off the dinosaurs and paving the way for humans to evolve to where we are today.As noted meteoriticist Greg Brennecka explains, meteorites did not just set us on the path to becoming human, they helped direct the development of human culture. Meteorites have influenced humanity since the start of civilization. Over the centuries, meteorite falls and other cosmic cinema have started (and stopped) wars, terrified millions, and inspired religions throughout the world. With humor and an infectious enthusiasm, Brennecka reveals previously untold but important stories sure to delight and inform readers about the most important rocks on Earth. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; First Edition (February 1, 2022)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063078929


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 25


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,220,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #81 in Comets, Meteors & Asteroids #412 in Rocks & Minerals #2,068 in Astronomy (Books)


#81 in Comets, Meteors & Asteroids:


#412 in Rocks & Minerals:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • He rocks it!
Our development on this planet is entirely guided by rocks falling from space. Greg accurately, yet whimsically, traces how space rocks were the turning points leading to our existence today. This book teaches a new respect for what's up there, and for what could be coming to visit us soon.
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2022 by John P.
    • Cute Writing about meteorites
Very entertaining writing about how meterorites carry iron & other important stuff from other planets, like Mars, to the Earth.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2022 by Wizard of WID
    • Meteors for dunmies
Learned more than I ever would have in a astronomy class. Easy to comprehend and informative. Highly recommend
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022 by Robert Gray
    • A little too humorous
I like science, which is why I was excited to read this book. And it's nice to read science that is well written for a popular audience. But this book puts humor first, making it seem like silliness instead of science, so much so that sometimes it stopped the flow of reading and I began to have trouble trusting his facts. He says, for example, that "until recently in human history, there was not an overabundance of appreciation for what was happening in and above the sky from a scientific perspective." Umm, so we're not counting Stonehenge or Mayan calendars. And, indeed, the time period between the demise of the dinosaurs and the beginning of recorded history is generally ignored. In short, I was disappointed. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022 by Lillian Moss
    • humorous, approachable examination
Impact: How Rocks from Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong by Greg Brennecka is a highly recommended, humorous, approachable examination of how meteorites have influenced us from the formation of our planet to the development of human culture. Brennecka, a cosmochemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, shares stories and facts that will entertain and inform readers about the most important rocks on Earth. Starting with the formation of the universe, he presents how, by transforming the early atmosphere and potentially delivering the complex organic molecules needed for life, the constant assault by meteorites is what has made Earth the planet we all live on today. Of course this change also includes killing off the dinosaurs. Meteorites have influenced and terrified humanity while influencing culture since the start of civilization. Brennecka covers the numerous ways meteorites have become part of our culture. The text is written in a very accessible, humorous style. Included are numerous cartoon illustrations of various scientific concepts and photographs of historical meteorites and artifacts. The writing style will make it suitable for popular science readers of all levels of expertise. There is an appendix with more technical information for advanced readers. It is safe to say that those with a greater scientific background will want to look elsewhere for a more complex and thorough scientific examination of meteorites, however this is a fine choice for those who are new to the study of meteorites and would enjoy the humorous presentation. Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2022 by She Treads Softly
    • I liked it a lot.
Way more information than I was expecting and written in a conversational way. This book tells the history of meteor strikes which I thought would be boring, but was an indication that there's a lot more to meteors and meteorites than I knew about. There are hundreds of different kinds of meteorites some mostly iron, and some with a lot of water, and some with carbon-organic molecules. You might ask how could a meteorite have water in it when it was white hot coming through the atmosphere? It was only that way for a few seconds and the interior didn't get hot. And the meteorite was at minus 250 Celsius in space. Anyway I recommend the book. In academic style also, there's a huge bibliography for each chapter. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2022 by Martin Montana
    • Insightful and entertaining
This insightful and entertaining book traces how meteoric impacts throughout the Earth's history have affected geology, the biosphere, and human culture. It's a fascinating look at how impacts have affected our past and are likely to affect our future. Easy to read and understand, it's a good choice for anyone interested in this field. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2022 by AndreaRomance
    • Science with a little humor never hurts
I listened to the audio book version of this and liked it. This being a non-fiction science documentary subject, it can put a lot of people off. But if you want to learn a bit about some sources of things that go bump in the night, this is an interesting read. This book is written to entertain as well as inform. The author uses humor to help keep the reader engaged. Depending on your taste in humor, older people might get the jokes more, your enjoyment may vary. This is a "beginners guide to" level book with historic stories that are good and some deep dive material. For the nerds that want more, the author cites other books to take you further. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2022 by JimmyD

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