Robin Ince - The Infinite Monkey Cage – How to Build a Universe

COPYRIGHT CONTENTS Cover Title Page Copyright Praise Dedication A Beginning A Word from the Producer Introductions & Infinity Life, Death & Strawberries Recipe to Build a Universe Space Exploration Evidence & Why Ghosts Don’t Exist Apocalypse Index Acknowledgements Episode List Credits About the Book About the Authors About the Publisher

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF WilliamCollinsBooks.comThis eBook edition published by William Collins in 2017, 2018 Text © Brian Cox, Robin Ince and Alexandra Feachem 2017, 2018 Photographs © individual copyright holders Diagrams, design and layout © HarperCollins Publishers 2018 By arrangement with the BBC. The BBC logo is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996 The authors assert their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work. Cover photograph © Shutterstock Cover illustrations © Charlotte Ager, Holly O’Neil and Oliver Macdonald Oulds A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Source ISBN: 9780008276324 Ebook Edition © April 2018 ISBN: 9780008254964 Version: 2018-04-27

‘A joyous trip through our understanding of the universe’

Daily Express

Praise for BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage:

‘A witty and irreverent look at the world according to science’

Independent

Praise for Professor Brian Cox:

‘Engaging, ambitious and creative’

Guardian

‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things’

Independent

‘Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena’

Sunday Express

Praise for Robin Ince:

‘Bursting with energy and ideas’

The Times

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise ‘A joyous trip through our understanding of the universe’ Daily Express Praise for BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage: ‘A witty and irreverent look at the world according to science’ Independent Praise for Professor Brian Cox: ‘Engaging, ambitious and creative’ Guardian ‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things’ Independent ‘Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena’ Sunday Express Praise for Robin Ince: ‘Bursting with energy and ideas’ The Times

Dedication

A Beginning

A Word from the Producer

Introductions & Infinity

Life, Death & Strawberries

Recipe to Build a Universe

Space Exploration

Evidence & Why Ghosts Don’t Exist

Apocalypse

Index

Acknowledgements

Episode List

Credits

About the Book

About the Authors

About the Publisher

A BEGINNING CONTENTS Cover Title Page Copyright Praise ‘A joyous trip through our understanding of the universe’ Daily Express Praise for BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage: ‘A witty and irreverent look at the world according to science’ Independent Praise for Professor Brian Cox: ‘Engaging, ambitious and creative’ Guardian ‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things’ Independent ‘Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena’ Sunday Express Praise for Robin Ince: ‘Bursting with energy and ideas’ The Times Dedication A Beginning A Word from the Producer Introductions & Infinity Life, Death & Strawberries Recipe to Build a Universe Space Exploration Evidence & Why Ghosts Don’t Exist Apocalypse Index Acknowledgements Episode List Credits About the Book About the Authors About the Publisher

A Very Special Foreword

by Eric Idle

Hello.

Sorry to come barging into this pseudo-scientific book, but obviously publishers are greedy bastards and will do anything they can to try to seduce the gullible public into buying enormous quantities of meretricious trash for the Christmas market, so I have been asked to lend my name to this blatant attempt to part you from your cash.

What is The Infinite Monkey Cage anyway – apart from being a terrific song written and sung by yours truly with every single instrument played by Jeff Lynne, and certainly something you should try to download for Christmas, but no, it’s the sodding BBC and it’s not available or they’d have to pay for something. That’s why you are stuck with this book.

I think you will find it very helpful. It’s useful for keeping a door propped open or to put on your Christmas table to stop the hot plates blistering the plastic tablecloth. But do watch out for the Christmas pud; the book itself is highly flammable, and if it catches, you might possibly set fire to an elderly aunt. On the other hand, if you are cold, simply stick it in the grate and it will make a lovely Christmas blaze.

As you know, scientists are the new chefs, so pity poor Ince, once a half-way decent comedian, now stuck alongside a glamour-boy professor, playing Robin to his Batman. Still, if it stops him having to play Colchester again I suppose the whole thing has been worth it.

One or two words about The Monkey Cage itself.

Is the Cage infinite?