Paul Davies Paul Davies / http://beyond.asu.edu/drupal/ Paul Davies is a British‐born Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist and Astrobiologist, dedicated to reflecting upon the “big questions” of existence. From the origin of the universe to the fate of humanity, including the nature of time, the search for life in the universe and fundamental questions of quantum mechanics, he has developed this knowledge all while being the current Director of the BEYOND Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University (ASU), United States. In the United Kingdom, he held academic positions at the Universities of Cambridge, London and Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne before moving to Australia in 1990, where he served as Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Adelaide. He later helped found the Australian Center for Astrobiology in Sydney. In 2006 he emigrated to the United States to join ASU. It was there that he worked with the National Cancer Institute on a research programme seeking to understand the physical properties of cancerous cells and tumours, and investigate the relationship between gene expression and the physical forces and environment of the cells, all with the aim of improving clinical management. On other research fronts, Davies assisted in the creation of quantum field theory in curved spacetime helping to explain how black holes radiate energy and what caused the ripples in the cosmic afterglow of the big bang. In astrobiology, the field of research that seeks to understand the origin and evolution of life, besides the investigation of life beyond Earth, Davies has helped promote various theories: in the 90's he suggested the possibility that life may have begun in Mars and spread to Earth, and in his latest book, The Eerie Silence, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is referred to. He is also working on the speculative theory that the earth may hold a hidden biosphere of alternative lifestyles. He is the author of around 30 books and a renowned science communicator, writing regularly for newspapers and magazines, and participating in radio and television documentaries. Among other honours, in 2002 he received the Royal Society’s Michael Faraday Prize preceded by the Templeton Prize in 1995. Paul Davies will participate in the macro topic Extending the limits of life, and along with French paleoanthropologist, Michel Brunet, he will specifically analyze the topic: Ancient life and life beyond the Earth.