
Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings
Alan Lightman ’70 probes basic questions about human life and its origins, such as the anatomy of a smile or what creates consciousness. Through 17 essays, ranging from vignettes to journal entries, Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings (Random House) leaves the reader marveling at the universe and how even its simplest aspects are often supremely complex.

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The Latest Issue
April 2026
Inside the new ES and SEAS complex; kudos for austerity; jazz at Princeton.
