Cosmic Jackpot is Paul Davies's eagerly awaited return to cosmology, the successor to his critically acclaimed bestseller The Mind of God. Here he tackles all the "big questions," including the biggest of them all: Why does the universe seem so well adapted for life?

In his characteristically clear and elegant style, Davies shows how recent scientific discoveries point to a perplexing fact: many different aspects of the cosmos, from the properties of the humble carbon atom to the speed of light, seem tailor-made to produce life. A radical new theory says it's because our universe is just one of an infinite number of universes, each one slightly different. Our universe is bio-friendly by accident — we just happened to win the cosmic jackpot.

While this "multiverse" theory is compelling, it has bizarre implications, such as the existence of infinite copies of each of us and Matrix-like simulated universes. And it still leaves a lot unexplained. Davies believes there's a more satisfying solution to the problem of existence: the observations we make today could help shape the nature of reality in the remote past. If this is true, then life — and, ultimately, consciousness — aren't just incidental byproducts of nature, but central players in the evolution of the universe.

Whether he's elucidating dark matter or dark energy, M-theory or the multiverse, Davies brings the leading edge of science into sharp focus, provoking us to think about the cosmos and our place within it in new and thrilling ways.

"With an articulate blend of science, metaphysics and philosophy — and a dash of religion — physicist and cosmologist Davies discusses the implications of the fact that the conditions of our universe are 'just right' for life to exist: a concept known as the anthropic principle. Had any of the universe's physical laws or constants been just a bit different, life as we know it would have been impossible. In attempting to explain why this is so, Davies summarizes the current state of knowledge in cosmology and provides an accessible introduction to particle physics. He evaluates numerous explanations for the structure of our universe, such as the possibility that ours is but one of an infinite number of 'multiverses,' and examines the question that inevitably arises in discussing the anthropic principle: does the design of the universe imply the existence of an intelligent designer? Davis's own feeling is that there is likely some sort of still undefined 'life principle' in the cosmos but recognizes that this 'is something I feel more in my heart than in my head.' While there is much of interest, readers of Davies's earlier book The Mind of God will be familiar with a good deal of what is presented. 35 b&w illus." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"[A] truly mesmerizing book, no matter which you universe you may inhabit!" Michio Kaku, prof. of theoretical physics, author of Hyperspace and Parallel Worlds

Whether he's elucidating dark matter or dark energy, M-theory or the multiverse, physicist Davies brings the leading edge of science into sharp focus, challenging readers to think about the cosmos in new and thrilling ways.

Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist and cosmologist now at Arizona State University, where he is setting up a pioneering center for the "study of life, the universe, and everything." In addition to his many scientific awards, he is the recipient of the 1995 Templeton Prize — the world's largest annual prize — for his work on science and religion. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Mind of God, About Time, The Origin of Life, and How to Build a Time Machine. He also chairs the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence postdetection committee, so that if SETI succeeds in finding intelligent life, he will be among the first to know. The asteroid 1992OG was officially renamed Pauldavies in his honor. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.