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If we can put a man on the moon and sequence the human genome, we should be able to devise something close to a universal digital public library.

The overall view of the human genome project has been one of great excitement and positive press, but there are people who have concerns that are quite reasonable, and they are frightened of things they don't understand.

Eventually we'll be able to sequence the human genome and replicate how nature did intelligence in a carbon-based system.

Genome design is going to be a key part of the future. That's why we need fast, cheap, accurate DNA synthesis, so you can make a lot of iterations of something and test them.

I do not think that there is a reputable scientist on this planet who would advocate using this technology to generate a human child as was just announced.

There have been lots of stories written about all the hype over getting the genome done and the letdown of not discovering lots of cures right after.

I imagine a day, some time in the not too distant future when children and teenagers will be able to create their own genetically engineered machines, cure the diseases of the old and find new ways to build and extend the capabilities of humanity, moving from programming software to programing the physical world, through biology.

And of course, identifying all human genes and proteins will have great medical significance.

I think I succeeded in getting the Egyptian people excited about the importance of science, and this is the only way Egypt can get out of this dark ages.

Genetic modification has many different areas, for example in medicine, and Britain is at the leading edge of this new technology. I don't know, but people tell me, it could indeed by the leading science of the 21st century. All I say to people is: 'Just keep an open mind and let us proceed according to genuine scientific evidence.'