Chapter 18 starts off with talking about the NIST and the BIPM, two bureaus that focus on being as precise with all measurements as possible. Kean talks about one of the most important of all measurement tools, the kilogram. The International Prototype kilogram was a cylinder that weighed exactly one kilograms and scientists went to absolutely ridiculous measures to keep it this way. However, when it started to shrink mysteriously, they gave up this method to use an easier and more precise one, email. Aside from what Kean said in the book, I also found out that they're making a sphere that is equal to exactly a kilogram, making it easier to count the atoms inside it.
The scientists started to use a cesium run clock in order to calculate the absolute most precise measurements of time that they possible can. Because alpha is something measurable, scientists of course found the exact measurement. Then came the data from Oklo, a site in Africa where the only known fission reactor exists. Based on research done, some scientists guess that alpha is slowly getting bigger and in return, there was a variation in data. This inconstant, if true, means that the big bang theory would be impossible. Then Australian ideas are introduced with quasars (or black holes) and this somehow led to the theory of a fundamental constant changing. The final ending to this chapter deals with Fermi and his question of whether other life exists or not. Based on the Drake Equation, much life could exist.
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