Evolution by natural selection is not an idle hypothesis. The genetic variation on which selection acts is well understood in principle all the way down to the molecular level.

Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds... is not productive.

Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.

I would say that for the sake of human progress, the best thing we could possibly do would be to diminish, to the point of eliminating, religious faiths. But certainly not eliminating the natural yearnings of our species or the asking of these great questions.

Humanity needs a vision of an expanding and unending future.

There are millions and millions of species, including organisms most people have never heard of. There is so much that waits to be told. We don't know the functions of most of them, but they may be more vital for the planet's future sustainability than we can even dream. And we have to find out; we need to be doing this sort of study.

The world depends on fungi, because they are major players in the cycling of materials and energy around the world.