Life in the Universe

Copyright: KBkids.com

If you have never had the privilege of hearing Stephen Hawkings lecture in real-life, you are missing out on a wonderful, awe inspiring, humbling experience. Stephen Hawkings is one of the great minds of this century. His ideas about cosmological occurrences, physics and math in relations to the cosmos have changed the way scientists look at some things. His physical handicaps make his accomplishments all the more amazing and inspiring. He speaks through a computer, so the voice of Stephen Hawkings has a very distinct sound that people all over the world attribute to him.

This computer program allows you to sit in on one of Stephen Hawkings lectures. Seeing the text as he speaks really helps, as the subjects he is dealing with are very advanced. He has a distinct sense of humor which shines through at unexpected times. The rest of the program may be more advanced than your children can handle. The content of this program is for the advanced science student who is reading and comprehending on an advanced high school level.

From the main screen you can access the lecture, four articles, the "terrain," and a historical section. The four articles included are: The Emergence of Intellegence, The Evolution of Life on Earth, The Origin of Life on Earth, and the Evolution of the Universe. These articles were first published in Scientific American. The historical section allows you to access any part of the program in a very linear manner. A list of options appears and you select one from the mathematical, cosmological, or organic lists. These link to short narrated segments explaining various concepts such as thermodynamics, carbon dating, the Hubble Space Telescope, density of neurons and protons, live pulsars and black holes.

The "Terrain" maps are very abstract and allow you to access information in a different manner. Here you will guide your phage (the 'tour guide' in this program) through graphical representations of the universe, the microscopic organic world and the world of abstract mathematics. From these visual maps you can access all of the information which was on the list in the historical section. This way of looking at information will not appeal to everyone as it is very abstract with little direction.

Two games are included in this program as well. Catch the Signal is a game which needs much in the way of direction. Graphs appear with buttons on the right side of the screen, but there is not enough help to figure out what you are supposed to do. RNA Code is a more straightforward game where you try to match RNA code strings as the pass by. There is nothing fancy about either game, so don't purchase this program for the games.

Life in the Universe is full of superbly done articles and information. It is however very difficult and not for the 'slightly interested' astronomy student. This program is one for the student who really wants to sink his or her teeth into something important.

Bottom Line: Too difficult for the average student, but a superb program full of great information on the cosmos. Hawking's lecture is worth the price alone if you are a fan of his.

Ratings: (Based on KBkids.com's 4 star rating system)

Overall: 3 1/2

BrainGain: 4

FunFactor: 2

EasePlease: 3

Amazon does not carry this product, but you can find it at http://www.cdaccess.com/html/quick/lifeunivdr.htm