If I can get some student interested in science if I can show members of the general public what's going on up there in the space program then my job's been done.

It may be that everything the life science companies are telling us will turn out to be right and there's no problem here whatsoever. That defies logic.

When I began in 1960 individuality wasn't an accepted thing to look for it was about species-specific behaviour. But animal behaviour is not hard science. There's room for intuition.

We're as clever as we think we are but we'll be a lot cleverer when we learn to use not just one brain but to pool huge numbers of brains. We're at a level technologically where we can share information and think collectively about our problems. We do it in science all the time - there's no reason why we can't do it in other endeavors.

If Christianity is not scientific and Science is not God then there is no invariable law and truth becomes an accident.

There are no such things as applied sciences only applications of science.

The most watched programme on the BBC after the news is probably 'Doctor Who.' What has happened is that science fiction has been subsumed into modern literature. There are grandparents out there who speak Klingon who are quite capable of holding down a job. No one would think twice now about a parallel universe.

The mysteriousness and mystique of space is such that science fiction attempts to tantalize you by telling you a story that could possibly be out there and that's the appeal of science fiction.

A powerful attraction exists therefore to the promotion of a study and of duties of all others engrossing the time most completely and which is less benefited than most others by any acquaintance with science.

I don't read 'chick lit ' fantasy or science fiction but I'll give any book a chance if it's lying there and I've got half an hour to kill.