Nathan Hellner-Mestelman takes us right back to the Big Bang, then hurls us through cosmic history as we discover how to swirl up galaxies, solar systems, and eventually life. In this quirky medley of science and speculation, we'll cover every common thread weaving across our cosmos. Ever wondered what atoms, cells, people, refrigerators, the universe, and beer have in common? Come along for a maddening adventure of science in The Language of the Stars!

Even if people sometimes argue over the pettiest things, we all have our curiosity in common. The universe is a stupendous place that has no obligation to make sense to us. Just think about it: we're living on a tiny planet that's hurtling around a star which is whirling through a galaxy that's careening through the cosmos at absurd speeds. We humans only appeared 100,000 years ago in our universe's 13.8-billion-year-long backstory. In the big picture, we're newcomers to the cosmos—and our...