Part 4/23:
A core theme is the interplay of entropy and the formation of order. Greene notes that while entropy—the universe’s tendency toward disorder—gets a bad reputation, local pockets of order, such as stars and planets, naturally form via gravity, increasing the overall entropy even as they create complex structures. Stars are particularly significant because they synthesize elements vital for life, and their supernovae disperse these ingredients across space, fueling cosmic cycles of matter.