The Goldilocks Enigma

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.