People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great.

My heroes were never scientists. They were Graham Greene and Christopher Isherwood, you know, good writers.

You've never heard of an English lover. Only an English patient.

Some think there is something wrong about enhancing people.

I don't think we are here for anything. We're just products of evolution. You can say, "Gee, your life must be pretty bleak if you don't think there's a purpose." But I'm anticipating a good lunch.

If we don't play God, who will?

I recently went to my staircase at Clare College, Cambridge and there were women there! There have been a lot of convincing studies recently about the loss of productivity in the Western male. It may be that entertainment culture now is so engaging that it keeps people satisfied. We didn't have that. Science was much more fun than listening to the radio. When you are 16 or 17 and in that inherently semi-lonely period when you are deciding whether to be an intellectual, many now don't bother.