String theory has the potential to show that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe - from the frantic dance of subatomic quarks to the stately waltz of orbiting binary stars; from the primordial fireball of the big bang to the majestic swirl of heavenly galaxies - are reflections of one, grand physical principle, one master equation.

For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using mathematics.

Cosmology is among the oldest subjects to captivate our species. And it’s no wonder. We’re storytellers, and what could be more grand than the story of creation?

One of the wonders of science is that it is completely universal. It crosses national boundaries with total ease.

We're on this planet for the briefest of moments in cosmic terms, and I want to spend that time thinking about what I consider the deepest questions.

The number of e-mails and letters that I get from choreographers, from sculptors, from composers who are being inspired by science is huge.

There's no way that scientists can ever rule out religion, or even have anything significant to say about the abstract idea of a divine creator.