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Climate Change Adaptation from Geotechnical Perspectives: Select Proceedings of CREST 2023 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #447)
by Hemanta Hazarika Stuart Kenneth Haigh Babloo Chaudhary Masanori Murai Suman ManandharThis book presents select proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Construction Resources for Environmentally Sustainable Technologies (CREST 2023), and focuses on sustainability, promotion of new ideas and innovations in design, construction and maintenance of geotechnical structures with the aim of contributing towards climate change adaptation and disaster resiliency to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents latest research, information, technological advancement, practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the field of geotechnical engineering for sustainable infrastructure towards climate change adaptation. This volume will be of interest to those in academia and industry alike.
Geo-Sustainnovation for Resilient Society: Select Proceedings of CREST 2023 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #446)
by Hemanta Hazarika Stuart Kenneth Haigh Babloo Chaudhary Masanori Murai Suman ManandharThis book presents select proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Construction Resources for Environmentally Sustainable Technologies (CREST 2023), and focuses on sustainability, promotion of new ideas and innovations in design, construction and maintenance of geotechnical structures with the aim of contributing towards climate change adaptation and disaster resiliency to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents latest research, information, technological advancement, practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the field of geotechnical engineering for sustainable infrastructure towards climate change adaptation. This volume will be of interest to those in academia and industry alike.
Natural Geo-Disasters and Resiliency: Select Proceedings of CREST 2023 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #445)
by Hemanta Hazarika Stuart Kenneth Haigh Babloo Chaudhary Masanori Murai Suman ManandharThis book presents select proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Construction Resources for Environmentally Sustainable Technologies (CREST 2023), and focuses on sustainability, promotion of new ideas and innovations in design, construction and maintenance of geotechnical structures with the aim of contributing towards climate change adaptation and disaster resiliency to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents latest research, information, technological advancement, practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the field of geotechnical engineering for sustainable infrastructure towards climate change adaptation. This volume will be of interest to those in academia and industry alike.
Sustainable Construction Resources in Geotechnical Engineering: Select Proceedings of CREST 2023 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #448)
by Hemanta Hazarika Stuart Kenneth Haigh Babloo Chaudhary Masanori Murai Suman ManandharThis book presents select proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Construction Resources for Environmentally Sustainable Technologies (CREST 2023), and focuses on sustainability, promotion of new ideas and innovations in design, construction and maintenance of geotechnical structures with the aim of contributing towards climate change adaptation and disaster resiliency to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents latest research, information, technological advancement, practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the field of geotechnical engineering for sustainable infrastructure towards climate change adaptation. This volume will be of interest to those in academia and industry alike.
Stratigraphy Around the Permian–Triassic Boundary of South China (New Records of the Great Dying in South China)
by Wei-Hong He G. R. Shi Jian-Xin Yu Dao-Liang Chu Ke-Xin Zhang Hai-Shui Jiang Ting-Lu Yang Yi-Fan XiaoThis book timely provides high-quality records of 32 PTB sections across different depositional settings from terrestrial to marine facies in South China, including descriptions of lithologies, high-resolution correlation of key boundaries and fossil occurrences at each section. This book also analyzes the patterns and processes of the community and ecosystem evolution over space and through time in the lead to the end-Permian mass extinction, and critically analyzes the mostly debated hypothesis, anoxia and volcanism, which were considered as the causes of mass extinction, based on the data from the studied sections of South China, together with materials from other regions of the world.
Dryland Social-Ecological Systems in Changing Environments
by Bojie Fu Mark Stafford-SmithThis open access book prepared by a joint working group committed to critical research on dryland social-ecological systems (SESs) presents a timely synthesis of up-to-date knowledge in various thematic fields relevant to dryland SESs. It aims to organize key salient concepts and establish a conceptual framework relevant to the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural understanding of dryland SESs, which have specific contexts and a geographically representative structure. Through synthesizing research across the world and analyzing scientific evidence for good practices, it has the potential to promote collaboration among global researchers as well as communication with policy makers, managers, and practitioners for dryland ecosystem management to promote sustainability. It calls for synergies between different sectors and countries to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in drylands.
Python for Water and Environment (Innovations in Sustainable Technologies and Computing)
by Anil Kumar Manabendra SahariaThis textbook delves into the practical applications of surface and groundwater hydrology, as well as the environment. The Part I, "Practical Python for a Water and Environment Professional," guides readers through setting up a scientific computing environment and conducting exploratory data analysis and visualization using reproducible workflows. The Part II, "Statistical Modeling in Hydrology," covers regression models, time series analysis, and common hypothesis testing. The Part III, "Surface and Subsurface Water," illustrates the use of Python in understanding key concepts related to seepage, groundwater, and surface water flows. Lastly, the Part IV, "Environmental Applications," demonstrates the application of Python in the study of various contaminant transport phenomena.
Electromagnetic Sources and Electromagnetic Fields (Modern Antenna)
by Gaobiao XiaoThis book presents a modified spherical harmonic expansion method in which the electromagnetic fields and their sources are expanded with the same set of spherical vector basis functions in a similar procedure. Explicit expressions for the electromagnetic fields, potentials, energies, and the related Green’s functions are derived for the spherical modes in both frequency domain and time domain. Based on the formulation, the relationships between the electromagnetic sources, the electromagnetic far fields, and the electromagnetic near fields are clearly revealed. In particular, a nonuniform transmission line model is developed for intuitively characterizing the total radiation process. The introduction of the cutoff radius and the cutoff mode degree provides a simple reference for determining the numbers of degrees of freedom of the fields associated with sources in a bounded region. Based on the theory, an efficient hybrid method for synthesizing antenna arrays with complex footprints is proposed and demonstrated with several numerical examples. Effective algorithms are also developed for reconstructing the radiating part of the current sources.This book is intended for researchers, engineers, and graduate students who are interested in studying the energy transfer in electromagnetic radiation, synthesis and measurement of antenna arrays, and applications of inverse electromagnetic source problems.
Risk, Uncertainty and Maladaptation to Climate Change: Policy, Practice and Case Studies (Disaster Risk Reduction)
by Anindita Sarkar Nairwita Bandyopadhyay Shipra Singh Ruchi SachanThis book focuses on integrated disaster risk reduction arising out of climate change and shows how communities build resilience through adaptive and transformative strategies at the local and global levels. It integrates disaster risk, uncertainty, and maladaptation to climate change with evidence from empirical research and a systematic review of existing studies. The book also proposes two important contributions, which makes it distinctive. First, it gives a systematic review of the literature to capture the changing context and concept of risk, uncertainty, and maladaptation to climate change. Second, it uses case studies from around the globe to demonstrate the ways that communities have fostered to build resilience to mitigate the impacts of climate change.There is a growing recognition that decision-makers often rely on intuitive thinking processes rather than undertaking a systematic analysis of options in a deliberative fashion. This latter approach requires accepting a plurality of narratives, embracing multiple disciplinary perspectives, and above all, integrating the appropriate disciplines that can help in finding better solutions. Thus, the book adds value to the existing knowledge on climate change adaptation, perception, and policy initiatives to address disaster risk reduction. It considers all these interconnected issues of risk, uncertainty, and maladaptation through a series of conceptual review- and evidence-based case studies to create new knowledge to address climate change adaptation and a resilient future. The book is a useful contribution to resilience scientists, policymakers, and practitioners from diverse disciplines.
BRICS Countries: Challenges and Opportunities
by Yiping Li Hirok Chaudhuri Otto Corrêa Rotunno Filho Natalia Guseva Faizal BuxThis book provides a detailed study and assessment of water resources management andpollution control in different BRICS countries. The regions involved areBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This book gives importantinsight into how future sustainability depends on the development of effectivewater governance mechanisms at the level of countries. According to theregional characteristics from different aspects it cuts into the waterenvironment problems and studies in different ways, which is multifaceted andtargeted. Using case studies that include environmentally integrated basinexperiments (eibex) of Brazil, groundwater overflow zone of India, semi-aridriver basin of South Africa and so on, this volume provides criticalinformation for researchers and policymakers.
Innovative Public Participation Practices for Sustainable Urban Regeneration (Urban Sustainability)
by Eugenio Mangi Weixuan Chen Tim Heath Ali CheshmehzangiThis book analyzes the adoption of stakeholders’ engagement in various fields and scales while providing the readers with an international outlook of the topic. In the contemporary processes of urban development, regeneration is becoming a relevant way to limit the occupation of new land and to enhance the existing spatial, social, and ecological dimensions of specific parts of the city. It generally entails the engagement of different groups of stakeholders and users at various levels—e.g., institutional and private—who carry on their own agendas while conveying a wide range of interests and values to safeguard. At the same time, despite indications of a significant increase in its implementation under various forms and in multiple contexts in the last twenty years, participatory mechanisms have not been without challenges and barriers due to several factors, including facilitators’ poor negotiation and communication practices, and consequently misinterpretation of the values at stake made by the parties involved, or obstructionism and gridlocks carried on by the different stakeholders. The narrative of the collection is structured in four sections The contributions elaborate on innovative participatory patterns, how they are/might be entangled with the different stages of regeneration projects, in what measure they have contributed to the United Nations sustainability goals, and the potential matters emerging during the negotiation phases. In detail, the four sections are: 1. Public space regeneration 2. Ecological regeneration 3. Built heritage regeneration 4. Informal settlements regeneration. Finally, this book is a significant asset to urban policy makers, planners, practitioners, and researchers in the architecture and urban studies domain who aim at deepening public participation practices knowledge by comparing different experiences.
Recent Developments in Structural Engineering, Volume 1 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #52)
by Ratnesh Kumar Manmohan Dass Goel Sangeeta S. GadveThe book presents the select proceedings of 13th Structural Engineering Convention. It covers the latest research in multidisciplinary areas within structural engineering. Various topics covered include structural dynamics, structural mechanics, finite element methods, structural vibration control, advanced cementitious and composite materials, bridge engineering, soil-structure interaction, blast, impact, fire, material and many more. The book will be a useful reference material for structural engineering researchers and practicing engineers.
Deepwater Geohazards in the South China Sea
by Shiguo Wu Yunbao Sun Qingping Li Jiliang Wang Dawei Wang Qiliang Sun Chuanxu Chen Yangbing XieThis book comprehensively analyzes and summarizes the types, characteristics and prevention of deep-sea geological disasters in the South China Sea based on the research progress of global background. It also brings attention to the general public and stakeholders the risks of deep-sea geological disasters.
Korteweg–de Vries Flows with General Initial Conditions (Mathematical Physics Studies)
by Shinichi KotaniLarge numbers of studies of the KdV equation have appeared since the pioneering paper by Gardner, Greene, Kruskal, and Miura in 1967. Most of those works have employed the inverse spectral method for 1D Schrödinger operators or an advanced Fourier analysis. Although algebraic approaches have been discovered by Hirota–Sato and Marchenko independently, those have not been fully investigated and analyzed. The present book offers a new approach to the study of the KdV equation, which treats decaying initial data and oscillating data in a unified manner. The author’s method is to represent the tau functions introduced by Hirota–Sato and developed by Segal–Wilson later in terms of the Weyl–Titchmarsh functions (WT functions, in short) for the underlying Schrödinger operators. The main result is stated by a class of WT functions satisfying some of the asymptotic behavior along a curve approaching the spectrum of the Schrödinger operators at +∞ in an order of -(n-1/2)for the nth KdV equation. This class contains many oscillating potentials (initial data) as well as decaying ones. Especially bounded smooth ergodic potentials are included, and under certain conditions on the potentials, the associated Schrödinger operators have dense point spectrum. This provides a mathematical foundation for the study of the soliton turbulence problem initiated by Zakharov, which was the author’s motivation for extending the class of initial data in this book. A large class of almost periodic potentials is also included in these ergodic potentials. P. Deift has conjectured that any solutions to the KdV equation starting from nearly periodic initial data are almost periodic in time. Therefore, our result yields a foundation for this conjecture. For the reader’s benefit, the author has included here (1) a basic knowledge of direct and inverse spectral problem for 1D Schrödinger operators, including the notion of the WT functions; (2)Sato’s Grassmann manifold method revised by Segal–Wilson; and (3) basic results of ergodic Schrödinger operators.
Environmental Technology Innovation and ESG Investment: In the Asia-Pacific Region
by Sumiko TakaokaThis book focuses on environmental technology and financial markets of the Asia-Pacific region, which includes traditional and emerging innovative countries such as Japan, China, and South Korea. The research and its outcomes presented here are devoted to the nexus between innovation in environment-related technologies, finance, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. A promising means of achieving a sustainable society is to accelerate innovation in environmental technologies. Chapters of this book tackle some important issues. Using the data on environmental innovation creation and financial markets, the contributors identify three scopes in which ESG performance forms how investors evaluate corporate performance against climate-related risk in the Asia-Pacific capital markets (e.g., corporate bond and credit default swaps); how lenders allocate their credits according to carbon emissions in Japan; and what determines environmental technology creation and how it affects environmental improvement at a country-level. This book thus provides insights into the nexus between innovation in environment-related technologies, finance, and ESG.
Environmental and Natural Resources Economics
by Xiangzheng Deng Malin Song Zhihui Li Fan Zhang Yuexian LiuThis book aims to integrate multiple disciplinary such as management, economics, and geography from the perspective of resource science and also to strengthen research on resource management to promote sustainability in natural resources. It established clear definition of natural resources and in-depth exploration of main fields such as water resources, land resources, and agricultural resources. Classic methods of economics are applied to solve the problems of resource consumption, environmental pollution, and climate change in modern society. On the basis of classical economics, the disciplinary system of environmental and natural resources is further developed. It is a helpful reference for readers to further study natural resources and environmental economics.
Harnessing Urban Innovation to Unlock the Sustainable Development Goals (Urban Sustainability)
by Ali Cheshmehzangi Nicholas You José Siri Eugénie BirchThis book first attempts to explore the nexus between urban innovation and sustainable development goals (SDGs). It puts together global examples of urban innovation initiatives, highlighting practical, policy-oriented, social, and technological interventions. The case studies are divided into four clusters of ‘green cities’, ‘inclusive cities’, ‘resilient cities’, and ‘healthy cities’. In doing so, the book maps various global examples of urban innovation for sustainable pathways and directions. It also highlights means of implementation of tool and technologies, data, financing, and governance. The overarching aim is to provide a holistic overview of urban innovation sustainable development nexus, which would help future policy development, paradigm shifts, and technological applications.By summarising a selection of successful initiatives, interventions, and projects, this book highlights how urban innovation could accelerate achieving SDGs. The lessons learned from each case study cluster are narrated as knowledge transfer platforms for future city development and achieving sustainable development. These lessons will be beneficial to practitioners and governments, as well as researchers and academics who are interested in urban innovation research. City case studies included in the book are based on their success stories as role models for other cities in developed and developing nations. This collection helps us portray a more holistic image of urban innovation aligned with the SDGs and pathways to achieving them.
Emprender para cambiar el mundo: El impacto social de la innovación
by Andy Freire Santiago A. SenaAndy Freire con Santiago A. Sena nos presentan a los emprendedores sociales, quienes demuestran que el impacto social y la sostenibilidad económica no son lógicas contrapuestas, sino una alianza innovadora que cambia paradigmas en todo el mundo. Mientras el futuro aparece amenazante (la pérdida masiva de empleo por la automatización, el calentamiento global y las crisis humanitarias), estos emprendedores traen respuestas: generar un impacto social positivo y sustentable desde empresas que proveen bienes y servicios, tienen clientes, generan ganancias, son rentables y, al mismo tiempo, solucionan problemas sociales concretos. Su experiencia deja en claro que hay una nueva forma de encarar la vida laboral. El capitalismo puede ser salvaje, pero los emprendedores sociales se comprometen a domarlo y humanizarlo en beneficio de la sociedad.
La generación despierta
by Bruno Rodríguez Eyal WeintraubBruno Rodríguez y Eyal Weintraub, cofundadores de la agrupación ambiental Jóvenes por el clima, parte del movimiento Fridays for Future creado por Greta Thunberg, comparten su visión sobre la crisis climática y analizan el rol vital de la juventud en la construcción de un nuevo paradigma que permita imaginar un futuro distinto en el planeta. En el año 2019, los jóvenes Bruno Rodriguez y Eyal Weintraub, recién salidos del colegio secundario, observaron lo que la huelga de Greta Thunberg en Suecia estaba generando a nivel global y entendieron que había que poner manos a la obra. La agrupación que fundaron, Jóvenes por el clima, es hoy una referencia ineludible en el movimiento ambiental argentino. Son audaces, son irreverentes y no se callan nada. Este libro es un análisis fulminante de los factores que condujeron a la situación crítica que hoy amenaza la vida en el planeta. Es también una reflexión política profunda, que pone el foco en las desigualdades y denuncia la inacción de los gobiernos. Y es sobre todo una reivindicación de la utopía y del espíritu transformador que puede guiarnos en la creación de un futuro distinto.
¡Tierra a la vista!: Hacia una filosofía para la sostenibilidad
by Máximo MazzoccoUna de las voces más relevantes del ambientalismo joven argentino comparte su visión acerca de cómo transformar el mundo que habitamos y revertir la crisis planetaria. El mundo está cambiando (demasiado rápido). Lo sentimos, lo vemos, lo caminamos. "Somos lo último de lo viejo y lo primero de lo nuevo", cuenta el recuerdo del porvenir. "La jugada es ahora, no después", insiste la crisis climática y ecológica. ¿Qué dirán sobre esta época en el futuro? ¿La juzgarán como egoísta, individualista, genocida, ecocida, antropocentrista e incauta? ¿O podremos virar el barco hacia algo más romántico y esperanzador? ¿Será "el siglo donde la humanidad recapituló, puso al alma colectiva en puntas de pie y se despertó a tiempo"? ¿O será lo contrario? Buscamos materializar la ilusión de la sostenibilidad en un planeta que, con o sin nosotros, seguirá girando. Por un lado, no tenemos idea de qué hay detrás de ese horizonte, ya que está precedido por lo misterioso, incierto y desconocido. Por otro, sabemos que debemos ir en esa dirección, hacia el bien común. Si la meta es un mundo pacífico, justo, educado, sin pobreza, sin hambre, con igualdad de oportunidades y de género, lleno de vida submarina y ecosistemas terrestres sanos, solo nos queda armar el molde y colocar los ladrillos necesarios. Del otro lado nos están esperando.
Early China Coast Meteorology
by P. Kevin MackeownIn this colourful story of the Hong Kong Observatory, P. Kevin MacKeown takes us through the dev
Pacific Crossing
by Elizabeth SinnDuring the nineteenth century tens of thousands of Chinese men and women crossed the Pacific to work, trade, and settle in California. Drawn initially by the gold rush, they took with them skills and goods and a view of the world which, though still Chinese, was transformed by their long journeys back and forth. They in turn transformed Hong Kong, their main point of embarkation, from a struggling infant colony into a prosperous international port and the cultural center of a far-ranging Chinese diaspora. Making use of extensive research in archives around the world, Pacific Crossing charts the rise of Chinese Gold Mountain firms engaged in all kinds of transpacific trade, especially the lucrative export of prepared opium and other luxury goods. Challenging the traditional view that the migration was primarily a "coolie trade," Elizabeth Sinn uncovers leadership and agency among the many Chinese who made the crossing. In presenting Hong Kong as an "in-between place" of repeated journeys and continuous movement, Sinn also offers a fresh view of the British colony and a new paradigm for migration studies.
As Oito Grandes Lições da Natureza: O Que a Natureza Nos Ensina Sobre Viver Bem no Mundo
by Gary FergusonO que a natureza nos ensina sobre viver bem no mundo Um manifesto poderoso sobre a interdependência de tudo o que existe na natureza e sobre como poderemos viver uma vida mais gratificantes e nos reconectarmos com o mundo natural. Durante demasiado tempo, vivemos separados da natureza, vendo-nos como superiores, distantes, independentes. Porém, ao fazê-lo, perdemos de vista tudo o que o mundo natural nos pode ensinar. Neste livro, Gary Ferguson revela-nos as surpreendentes complexidades que podemos encontrar na natureza, bem como a sabedoria que advém do mundo natural, da sua diversidade, dos seus mistérios e da sua capacidade de resiliência perante a mudança. Baseando-se em áreas que vão desde a ciência e a psicologia à filosofia e à história, Gary Ferguson desvenda a deslumbrante teia de conexões que temos com a natureza, enfatizando a necessidade de voltarmos a estabelecer uma ligação com o mundo natural para potenciarmos o nosso bem-estar físico, mental e espiritual e redescobrirmos a nossa humanidade. Porque, afinal, nós somos natureza. «Um livro que nos faz refletir e nos ensina a viver em harmonia e equilíbrio com o mundo em nosso redor.» Kirkus Reviews
A Sexta Extinção
by Elizabeth KolbertLeitura recomendada por Yuval Noah Harari, Al Gore, Bill Gates e Barack Obama, A Sexta Extinção é considerado um dos livros de divulgação científica mais importantes dos últimos anos, tendo sido finalista do National Book Critics Award e vencedor do Prémio Pulitzer para obras de não-ficção. Nos últimos 500 milhões de anos, a Terra passou por cinco extinções em massa, nas quais a diversidade da vida no planeta se reduziu drástica e subitamente. Atualmente, e pela primeira vez na História, decorre um processo de extinção em massa provocado por uma única espécie: o Homem. Nos últimos dois séculos, provocámos danos irreparáveis no clima e ecossistema global; como consequência direta, mais de um quarto de todos os mamíferos da Terra está hoje em vias de extinção, tal como acontece com 40% dos anfíbios, um terço dos corais e dos tubarões, um quinto dos répteis e um sexto das aves. Considerado um dos livros de divulgação científica mais relevantes dos últimos anos, A Sexta Extinção é leitura recomendada por personalidades como YuvalNoah Harari, Al Gore, Bill Gates ou Barack Obama. Neste seu valioso trabalho, Elizabeth Kolbert combina os resultados de uma extensa investigação no terreno com a história das ideias e o trabalho de geólogos, botânicos e biólogos marinhos, produzindo um documento inédito e, mais do que isso, um apelo urgente para que, repensando o nosso papel no planeta, não deixemos como derradeiro legado uma sexta extinção. «Um livro maravilhoso e um aviso muito claro de que mudanças repentinas são possíveis de ocorrer. Já aconteceram no passado e podem vir a repetir-se.» Barack Obama «Um livro que altera de forma radical o nosso modo de ver o mundo.» The Seattle Times «As longas viagens que Elizabeth Kolbert realizou durante a pesquisa para este livro e o tratamento detalhado tanto dos factos históricos como dos científicos, fazem de A Sexta Extinção um contributo muito valioso para a compreensão das nossas circunstâncias atuais.» Al Gore, The New York Times Book Review «Kolbert mostra nestas páginas que é capaz de escrever poeticamente sobre os animais em vias de extinção, mas o verdadeiro poder deste livro reside nos factos científicos e no contexto histórico apresentados pela autora, ao documentar as perdas crescentes que o Homem está a provocar.» The New York Times
Génesis: The Story Of How Everything Began
by Guido TonelliTudo nasce de uma simples e inevitável pergunta: «De onde vem tudo isto?» Um ensaio admirável sobre o início de tudo que devolve à Humanidade a verdadeira história das suas origens. No princípio, era o caos. Talvez os gregos tivessem razão, já que muitas observações da física moderna parecem confirmá-lo. Mas o que aconteceu realmente nos primeiros instantes da vida do universo? Do caos descrito por Hesíodo ao bosão de Higgs, Guido Tonelli, renomado físico do CERN e professor na universidade de Pisa, emula a estrutura narrativa bíblica da criação do mundo em sete dias para relatar, em sete capítulos e assinalável fascínio, a estranha singularidade que permitiu a formação do universo e a sopa primordial de onde surgiu a Vida. Com inesperada simplicidade e incontestável poesia, Tonelli segue o fio condutor da consciência para responder à sempiterna pergunta: De onde vem tudo isto? A narração de como tudo começou, da formação das partículas, da matéria, das estrelas, dos humanos e do seu pensamento simbólico, de tudo quanto existe, portanto, é acompanhada pela recuperação dos mitos ancestrais criados e transmitidos de geração em geração em torno da origem do universo, bem como do relato de histórias fascinantes de cientistas que dedicaram a vida à investigação do enigma da origem, de Galileu a Stephen Hawking, com os seus momentos Eureka! e as histórias anedócticas que entraram para a história da ciência e do mundo. «Nós, os cientistas, somos como os homens na caverna de Platão: tentamos libertar-nos dos grilhões - conclusões erradas -, tentamos dar um nome às sombras, tentamos sair da caverna para ver a luz.» Guido Tonelli