Alan Lightman, who earned his PhD in physics from the California Institute of Technology, is the author of both fiction and nonfiction works, including the international bestseller Einstein's Dreams, The Diagnosis, and The Accidental Universe. Known for his unique perspective as both a scientist and a humanist, his latest work, The Miraculous from the Material, offers a collection of essays that explore the wonders of the natural world. He is a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT and host of the public television series Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science.