Skip to main content

How to Design a Universe

The Science of Real and Virtual Worlds

How to Design a Universe cover

How to Design a Universe

The Science of Real and Virtual Worlds

Quantity
Pre-order. Available Sep 10 2026
$20.72 RRP $25.90 Website price saving $5.18 (20%)

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

Could we be living in a computer simulation? How would we even know?

In How to Design a Universe, acclaimed astrophysicist Catherine Heymans takes you on a humorous and mind-bending journey through the science of reality itself. From the quantum quirks of subatomic particles to the cosmic mysteries of dark matter and the secrets of the human senses, Heymans explores whether humanity could ever create a virtual universe as rich and diverse as our own – and what that means for our sense of self, free will and consciousness.
Blending personal stories, pop culture, cutting-edge technology and ground-breaking experiments, this book makes the biggest questions in science accessible and urgent. How to Design a Universe will change the way you see the world – and your place in it.

Accessibility Information

Additional accessibility information

  • EPUB 3.0
  • WCAG level AA
  • WCAG v2.2 compliant
  • accessibility@bloomsbury.com

Support for non-visual reading

  • No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
  • Has alternative text descriptions for images

Visual adjustments

Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)

Navigation

  • Page list to go to pages from the print source version
  • Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
  • All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
  • Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
  • Purposes of all links are made clear

Rich content

Language tagging provided

Table of Contents

Prologue: Booting Up
1. Light
2. Sense
3. The Motherboard
4. Programming
5. The Scientific Method
6. The Quantumverse
7. The Multiverse
8. Gravity
9. The Dark Side of the Universe
10. Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness
Epilogue: Comminuque

Product details

Published Sep 10 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Pages 304
ISBN 9781399421492
Imprint Bloomsbury Sigma
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Catherine Heymans

Catherine Heymans is Astronomer Royal for Scotland…

Related Titles

Environment: Staging