Paul Davies
looking into the "Big Questions" of existence
Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist.
Davies has worked for much of his career in astrophysics and cosmology, with emphasis on the origin and early stages of the universe, the quantum properties of black holes and the nature of time. He is interested in the nature and origin of life – including extraterrestrial life – beyond Earth, and in complex systems generally.
Astrobiological Implications of Interstellar Material in the Solar System
Our Solar System is not isolated. As it slowly orbits the galaxy, its astronomical environment changes and varying external factors can be influential. The history of our planet and its neighbors can be fully understood only in the context of the broader system.
Davies is the author of over twenty books
including The Goldilocks Enigma,
How to Build a Time Machine,
The Mind of God, and many more!
The Demon in the Machine
How Hidden Webs of Information are Solving the Mystery of Life
Oct 2019
The Eerie Silence
Are we alone in the universe?
Jan 2010
The Goldilocks Enigma
Why is the Universe just Right for Life?
Apr 2006
How to Build a Time Machine
Mar 2003
The Fifth Miracle
The search for the origin of life
Mar 1999Research
My research spans from physics and cosmology to the origin of life, and the search for extraterrestrial life.
I'm most interested in the proverbial ‘big questions’ of existence—from what happened before the big bang, to whether or not we are alone in the universe.
These twin interests inevitably lead me into areas where physics and biology overlap. In recent years I have become involved in research on the origin of cancer and its deep evolutionary roots, a subject with important implications for therapy.
Featured publications
Recent & notable peer-reviewed publications:
'The search for extraterrestrial minds.' The Monthly (1 October 2021). Publication Link
Davies, P.C.W. (2020). Does new physics lurk inside living matter? Physics Today, 73(8), 34. Publication Link
In the Media
Sydney Opera House Streams 2015 Hawking Event as a Part of its 50th Anniversary
There are few scientists that can be said to have touched the public imagination. Physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking is one such scientist.
Great Mysteries of Physics 2: is the universe fine-tuned for life? With Paul Davies
Our universe is just right for structure such as galaxies, planets and life to form.
CORES 2023 - “Let There Be Light”: Religion and the Birth of Modern Science
"'Let There Be Light': Religion and the Birth of Modern Science," conversation with Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili (University of Surrey); Keith Ward (Christ Church, Oxford), with responses from Paul C. W. Davies (ASU); Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (ASU) and moderated by Pauline Davies (ASU).