Science is not, despite how it is often portrayed, about absolute truths. It is about developing an understanding of the world, making predictions, and then testing these predictions.

I think a scientist's job is to explore the Universe, to explore the cosmos around us. People always want to know - why is that useful? Well, on just pure fundamental grounds, on some level it's like art, it's like umm, music, it's aesthetics, it's like philosophy. You want to know where you are in the Universe.

I am an astronomer, and my job is to look to the heavens to better understand the universe and our place in it.

I have been described by one of my colleagues as a 'militant agnostic' with my tagline, 'I don't know, and neither do you!' I take this hard-line, fence-sitting position because it is the only position consistent with both my scientific ethos and my conscience.

Each religion, by the help of more or less myth, which it takes more or less seriously, proposes some method of fortifying the human soul and enabling it to make its peace with its destiny.

I've been treated really well for 'Stick It.' There was this cop and he pulled me over and he was like, 'Oh my God, you're in 'Stick It.' I said, 'Yes. Yes. You're the last person I would think would be pumped up by this movie'. He let me go, so that was nice.

Before Darwin, our world was very religious. People saw altruism as something given by God for us to be good so that we could go to Paradise.

Although religion was around me my whole life I never felt it was forced upon me. It is my centring, my grounding, the soul of me. I feel I'm nothing without it.