We are 'nuclear waste' from the fuel that makes stars shine; indeed, each of us contains atoms whose provenance can be traced… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
Cosmology does, I think, affect the way that we perceive humanity's role in nature. One thing we've learnt from astronomy is that… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
If we ever establish contact with intelligent aliens living on a planet around a distant star ... They would be made of… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
Darwin and his successors taught us how our biosphere evolved, and thereby transformed our conception of humanity's place in nature. In the… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
Indeed, our everyday world presents intellectual challenges just as daunting as those of the cosmos and the quantum, and that is where… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
There are at least as many galaxies in our observable universe as there are stars in our galaxy. — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
“The atoms that comprise our bodies and that make all visible stars and galaxies, are mere trace-constituents of a universe whose large-scale… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
All the atoms we are made of are forged from hydrogen in stars that died and exploded before our solar system formed.… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
It's becoming clear that in a sense the cosmos provides the only laboratory where sufficiently extreme conditions are ever achieved to test… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
The bedrock nature of space and time and the unification of cosmos and quantum are surely among science's great 'open frontiers.' These… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
The scientific issues that engage people most are the truly fundamental ones: is the universe infinite? Is life just a sideshow in… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
It is astonishing that human brains, which evolved to cope with the everyday world, have been able to grasp the counterintuitive mysteries… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
In future, children won't perceive the stars as mere twinkling points of light: they'll learn that each is a 'Sun', orbited by… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
Stars that become supernovae start off at least eight times heavier than our sun. They're so short-lived that, even if they have… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
“The Sun contains about a thousand times more mass than Jupiter. If it were cold, gravity would squeeze it a million times denser than… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
“We, and the visible universe around us, may exist only because of a difference in the ninth decimal place between the numbers of quarks… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
Crucial to science education is hands-on involvement: showing, not just telling; real experiments and field trips and not just 'virtual reality.' — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
I have no religious belief myself, but I don't think we should fight about it. In particular, I think that we should not rubbish… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
“More energy is needed to rise a millimetre above a neutron star's surface than to break completely free of Earth's gravity. A pen dropped… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
The next humans to walk on the moon may be Chinese. Only China seems to have the resources, the dirigiste government, and the willingness… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
If we ever established contact with intelligent life on another world, there would be barriers to communication. First, they would be many light years… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
There is an ever-widening gap between what science allows and what we should actually do. There are many doors science can open that should… — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
An insect is more complex than a star..and is a far greater challenge to understand. — Martin Rees Copy Share Image
