Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Randall is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall’s two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published in 2012. Randall has also recently pursued art-science connections, writing a libretto for Hypermusic: A Projective Opera in Seven Planes that premiered in the Pompidou Center in Paris and co-curating an art exhibit Measure for Measure for the Los Angeles Arts Association.

In her new book, a brilliant exploration of our cosmic environment, the renowned particle physicist and New York Times bestselling author of Warped Passages and Knocking on Heaven’s Door uses her research into dark matter to illuminate the startling connections between the furthest reaches of space and life here on Earth.

Sixty-six million years ago, an object the size of a city descended from space to crash into Earth, creating a devastating cataclysm that killed off the dinosaurs, along with three-quarters of the other species on the planet. What was its origin? In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Lisa Randall proposes it was a comet that was dislodged from its orbit as the Solar System passed through a disk of dark matter embedded in the Milky Way. In a sense, it might have been dark matter that killed the dinosaurs.

Working through the background and consequences of this proposal, Randall shares with us the latest findings—established and speculative—regarding the nature and role of dark matter and the origin of the Universe, our galaxy, our Solar System, and life, along with the process by which scientists explore new concepts. In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Randall tells a breathtaking story that weaves together the cosmos’ history and our own, illuminating the deep relationships that are critical to our world and the astonishing beauty inherent in the most familiar things.

Walter Kirn is an award-winning novelist, memoirist, critic, and essayist who lives in Montana and California. His books include Thumbsucker and Up in the Air, both of which were made into major motion pictures. His latest book is Blood Will Out, the true story of his fifteen-year relationship with the impostor and murderer, ‘Clark Rockefeller.’ Kirn’s journalism regularly appears in numerous national publications and he is at work on a new novel.