Science

Aging is a side-effect of being a machine with moving parts. All such machines, whether living or not, inherently create entropy in their structure. Living organisms have immensely sophisticated systems for exporting that entropy, but those systems are generally not 100% comprehensive, so aging still happens.

Biogerontologist researching aging reversal and life extension therapies

Many organisms have a pattern of temporal change and senescence that is reproducible and predictable for the species and gender — clearly with a huge genetic component. For example, the longevity of rats is 3.8 years while their 'cousins' the mole-rats live up to 30 years. These timings are probably optimized to fit with the ecology patterns of the species — predation, litter size, environmental variation, food abundance, etc.

Synthetic biologist & Harvard geneticist; pioneer of DNA sequencing technology

My colleague Jerry Joyce once chaired a NASA committee that defined life in a practical sense, as a self-sustaining chemical system with the potential for Darwinian evolution (the hallmark of biology). That's a perfectly adequate operational definition that is appropriate for research into the origins of life. Obviously it has nothing to do with consciousness, or even the experience of being alive.

Nobel Prize Winner for Work on Chromosome Protection and Telomeres

You can never convince a chimpanzee to give you a banana by promising him that after he dies, he will go to chimpanzee Heaven, and there receive countless bananas for his good deeds. No chimpanzee will ever believe that. Only humans believe such stories. This is why we rule the world, whereas the chimpanzees are locked up in zoos and research laboratories.

Bestselling author of "Sapiens" & historian studying human civilization

Until about 70,000 years ago, humans were just another kind of animal. They weren't particularly important. Their impact on the world was not greater than that of jellyfish, fireflies, or woodpeckers. However, 70,000 years ago humans evolved new cognitive abilities that turned them into the most powerful force on the planet.

Bestselling author of "Sapiens" & historian studying human civilization

There is a line between the observable and greater universe. For discussion it's very useful to recognise that when we speak about anything outside the observable universe, we're switching from the empirical to the speculative and theoretical

Astrophysicist who discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe

One can certainly live their life happily, here on earth never looking up or contemplating what's out there… but for many people (myself included) when you become aware of how much is out there? You feel this compelling pull of curiosity to understand.

Astrophysicist who discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe

It's difficult to describe to people who aren't curious, just what curiosity is. Imagine explaining to a robot or a computer what curiosity is! For those of us who experience it however, it's almost a primal-pull.

Astrophysicist who discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe

Why should a creature that evolved out of slime, which has all the limitations which we do, be able to access this fundamental information about the universe which allows us, for example, to be able to predict the magnetic moment of the electron to a trillion decimal places on the basis of purely mathematical calculation. Why does that work? It is a miracle, it is magic, but it works- and that's the part of magic that's real.

Theoretical Physicist & Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

His physics was the part of his attempt to find magic which actually worked! I see science similarly to that. This is still a magical and mysterious thing that we are able to understand the world in very powerful and predictive ways- that is the foundation of all of our technologies today.

Theoretical Physicist & Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.

Leader of Catholic Church for 27 years; advocated for human rights and peace

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.

Physicist who developed the theory of relativity and E=mc².

To rephrase John F. Kennedy, we are choosing to go to the Moon, not because it's easy, but because it's a great business!

Entrepreneur & Founder of Moon Express, Infosys Technologies Co-Founder

The first trillionaires are going to be created through space exploration. Imagine the mineral wealth on planet Earth, and then realise that Earth is just a tiny blue dot in our whole galaxy… which is just one galaxy in a universe, which could be part of many universes. Everything we think is rare on Earth, is abundant in space.

Entrepreneur & Founder of Moon Express, Infosys Technologies Co-Founder

All modern humans share a common ancestor. We all emerged from Africa, 200,000 years ago, as our species moved across the Earth, adapting to the differing climates and conditions of our planet. We are one big, beautiful, dysfunctional and incredible family, tearing itself apart over something as inconsequential as our hue.

Climate change isn't just warming the planet - it's fundamentally rewiring the hydrological cycle. Wet places are getting wetter, dry places drier, and the timing of water availability is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Hydrologist & water security expert; founded Pacific Institute