“Arivetingtourofthecosmosfromoneofthebrightestmindsinastrophysics.“--TheWashingtonPostArevolutionarynewaccountofouruniverse’screation--andabreathtakingexplorationofthelandscapefromwhichwesprang--fromoneoftheworld’smostcelebratedcosmologistsWhatcamebeforetheBigBang,andwhatexistsoutsideoftheuniverseitcreated?Untilrecently,scientistscouldonlyguessatwhatlaypasttheedgeofspace-time.However,aspioneeringtheoreticalphysicistLauraMersini-Houghtonexplains,newscientifictoolsarenowgivingustheabilitytopeerbeyondthelimitsofouruniverseandtotestourtheoriesaboutwhatisthere.Andwhatwearefindingisupendingeverythingwethoughtweknewaboutthecosmosandourplaceinit.Mersini-Houghtonisnostrangertoboundaries--ortopushingthroughthem.AsachildgrowingupinCommunistAlbania,shediscoveredauniversebeyondherwalled-offworldthroughthestudyofmathandscience,andthroughmusic.Asafemalecosmologistinamale-dominatedfield,shetranscendedthelimitsthatsocietyandherprofessiontriedtoplaceonher.Andasatrailblazingresearcher,shehelpedtorevolutionizethestudyofouruniversebyrevealingthat,farfromlivinginacosmicAlbania,withaworldthatendsatitsborders,wearepartofalargerfamilyofuniverses--amultiverse--thatholdswondersweareonlybeginningtounlock.Mersini-Houghton’sgroundbreakingresearchsuggeststhatwesitinaquantumlandscapewhosepeaksandvalleyshideamultitudeofotheruniverses,andevenholdthesecrettotheoriginsofexistenceitself.Recentevidencehasrevealedthesignaturesofsuchsiblinguniversesinourownnightsky,confirmingMersini-Houghton’stheoreticalworkandofferinghumblingevidencethatouruniverseisjustonememberofanunendingcosmicfamily.Theincrediblescientificsagaofonewoman’smind-expandingjourneythroughthemultiverse,BeforetheBigBangwillreshapeourunderstandingofhumanity’splaceintheunfathomablevastnessofthecosmos.
