What do the music of J.S. Bach, the fundamental forces of nature, Rubik’s Cube, and the selection of mates have in common? They are all characterized by certain symmetries. Symmetry is the concept that bridges science and art, between the world of theoretical physics and the everyday world that we see around us. Yet the language of symmetry—the mathematical branch of group theory—emerged from a most unlikely source: an equation that couldn’t be solved.

Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio explains how symmetry underlies not only some of the most important phenomena in our lives and in the evolution of humans, but also the laws governing our universe. Along the way, he tells the gripping story of several brilliant mathematicians who discovered the language of symmetry including a discussion of the lives of two geniuses who tragically died young. Livio’s latest book, co-authored with Nobel laureate Jack Szostak, is Is Earth Exceptional? The Quest for Cosmic Life.

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