UK astrophysicist wins 1 mln pound religion prize

LONDON: A British astrophysicist known for his theories on the origin and destiny of the universe has been honored by one of the dominant religion in the world price.

Martin Rees, an expert in 68-years on the extreme physics of black holes and the Big Bang, is the recipient of the 2011 Templeton Prize, the John Templeton Foundation has announced. Price £ 1,000,000 (1.6 million) is among the world's most lucrative.

Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr. said Rees - who professes no religious belief - was chosen because of the nature of his research, which he said calls everyone "to struggle with the most fundamental questions of our nature and existence. "

Rees tried to tackle many of these fundamental issues during his term that just ended at the head of the Royal Society, who saw the body of 350 years to discuss issues ranging from disputed origins of life Earth to the possibility of eventually discovering life elsewhere.

In an interview at a London hotel before the announcement of the prize, Rees told The Associated Press that he was attracted to "big questions that we can not answer."

One of the biggest has been raised by scientists who wonder why it is that the physical laws of the universe seems perfectly calibrated to support human life. Even a slight tweaking of what scientists call the universal constants can change the universe to make it uninhabitable.