"Although it is now almost unanimously accepted that the cosmos started with the Big Bang, we still have no plausible theory for the forces that set this creative cataclysm into motion." "In Out Of This World, Stephen Webb examines recent theories. After introducing general relativity and quantum mechanics - the twin foundations of twentieth century physics - he explains how they are fundamentally incompatible. Then he introduces us to the seemingly outlandish and bizarre proposals - from almost unbelievably small particles to huge membranes that may envelope our Universe - that physicists have devised to account for this incompatibility, ultimately leading to us to wholly new realms of understanding."--BOOK JACKET