With one big bang, the universe exploded into being 13.7 million years ago. This is the story of how everything came about, from the moment when time and space came into existence, to the formation of the first stars, galaxies, and planets, to the evolution of human beings able to contemplate our own origins and ultimate destiny—and on to the infinite future, after the Red Giant Sun consumes Earth. This updated edition of Bang! explains it all in clear, straightforward terms, chronologically, without any mathematics, and including the most up-to-date discoveries.