Includes bibliographical references and index.

When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth. Since then, physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories. But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories--relativity and the quantum theory. This would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang? What lies on the other side of a black hole? Are there other universes and dimensions? Is time travel possible? Why are we here? Kaku grapples with these questions and also explains the intense controversy swirling around this theory, with Nobel laureates taking opposite sides. It is a captivating, gripping story; what's at stake is nothing less than our conception of the universe-- Provided by publisher.