Better understanding of the natural world not only enhances all of us as human beings, but can also be harnessed for the better good, leading to improved health and quality of life.

I am still a keen mountain walker and an enthusiastic glider pilot.

It was during my time at secondary school that I abandoned religion.

I was by far the youngest of the family, and at times it was like being an only child.

I was never very good at exams, having a poor memory and finding the examination process rather artificial, and there never seemed to be enough time to follow up things that really interested me.

It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways.

This time at Birmingham turned me into a general biologist, and ever since then I have always tried to take a biological approach to any research project that I have undertaken.