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.
What's Eating the Universe?
and Other Cosmic Questions
In the constellation of Eridanus lurks a cosmic mystery. It appears as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe, leaving a super-void. What is the culprit? A supermassive black hole? Another, bigger universe?
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
What the James Webb Space Telescope reveals by Paul Davies
Discover why NASA’s new telescope is a huge step forward for understanding the universe.
Time's Arrow - A conversation between Paul Davies and Logan Chipkin
Time's Arrow: A conversation with Paul Davies about time's irreversible flow, black holes, memories of Stephen Hawking and the information paradox, Maxwell's demon and living systems -- and how to improve universities. With Logan Chipkin.
‘A step too far’: Theoretical physicist Paul Davies on life after death
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This week, he talks to Paul Davies.