
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.

Paw in print
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The Latest Issue
January 2026
Giving big with Kwanza Jones ’93 and José E. Feliciano ’94; Elizabeth Tsurkov freed; small town wonderers.
