"Final Theory - The Science of Fiction"

Mark Alpert introduces his debut novel, "Final Theory," a spellbinding thriller about Albert Einstein and a long-hidden set of equations that could destroy the world. The book is already a global phenomenon, with publishers in Europe, Asia and Latin America snapping up rights in 23 languages. He will use it as a launching point to talk about larger issues such as the direction of 21st-century physics and the increasingly blurry border between physics and metaphysics.

Mark Alpert has been an editor at Scientific American for the past ten years where he simplifies bewildering scientific ideas for the magazine's readers, explaining concepts such as string theory, extra dimensions and parallel universes. A lifelong science geek, he majored in astrophysics at Princeton University and subsequently entered the M.F.A. writing program at Columbia University. As a freelance writer, Mark has contributed articles to Popular Mechanics Playboy. His debut novel, Final Theory, is now in print in 23 languages.