But every day I go to work I'm making a bet that the universe is simple, symmetric, and aesthetically pleasing — a universe that we humans, with our limited perspective, will someday understand.

With something like Chernobyl, the public reaction was Oh, my God, science has really done wrong.

There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the big bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.

The big bang, the most cataclysmic event we can imagine, on closer inspection appears finely orchestrated.

Both my parents instilled an interest in science and mathematics.

I think we all want to know where we came from and how we fit into the world, but some of us need to know how it all works in great detail.

My name is George Smoot III, and I AM smarter than a fifth-grader.