John Sulston Quotes

John Sulston

Profession : Scientist

Birth : March 27, 1942

What is the purpose of being human and alive without doing new things?

John Sulston

It is not a Pandora's box that science opens; it is, rather, a treasure chest. We, humanity, can choose whether or not to take out the discoveries and use them, and for what purpose.

John Sulston

I'm pleased that some economists and sociologists are beginning to talk about, for example, alternative measures of human well-being - alternative, that is, to GDP, on which the world runs.

John Sulston

Our work on C. elegans emphasized the benefits of sharing large amounts of information. We took a global approach to discover the mechanisms that led to the development of the worm.

John Sulston

As far back as I remember, and earlier, I was an artisan, a maker and doer. Mechanically minded, my parents said.

John Sulston

Biomedical research is only as good as its delivery. Distribution of medicines by charities is no more than a stopgap.

John Sulston

When results are shared freely amongst the biological community, as has been done for the worm and the Human Genome Projects, specialist scientists can move much more rapidly towards their goals.

John Sulston

I don't think one ought to bring a clearly disabled child into the world.

John Sulston

There's always a tension between those who would like to garner wealth, and they contribute a lot to society. There's also those who say, 'I believe in the common good. I want that to be enlarged.' They contribute a lot to society. The tension, the debate, between these two views is extremely important to our progress.

John Sulston

On my mother's side, I come from Midlands engineers and, on my father's, from tenant farmers near Oxford.

John Sulston

Muriel, my mother, was my main confidant. She was a teacher of English at Watford grammar school but took a break while my sister Madeleine and I were children. She held court in the kitchen, and we talked about everything.

John Sulston

When it came to choice of subjects, science was obvious - since I was uninterested in anything else - but a decision that caused consternation in some eyes was my demand to take biology for A-level.

John Sulston

Many people thought that, given my knowledge of the egg, I should analyse embryonic mutants.

John Sulston

The fact is that proprietary databases don't work for such basic and broadly needed information as the sequence of the human genome.

John Sulston

In order to protect the market value of a proprietary database, the owner must prohibit redistribution of the contents - otherwise, the information would quickly leak out and be widely known.

John Sulston

Whilst worthy in themselves, applications shouldn't be the only way to drive basic research.

John Sulston

I would say if we can select children who are not going to be severely disadvantaged, then we should do so, but I think it has to be done by voluntary choice.

John Sulston

The Wellcome Trust is a hugely important organisation, and it is vital that its fundraising continues unabated.

John Sulston

The myth is that IP rights are as important as our rights in castles, cars, and corn oil. IP is supposedly intended to encourage inventors and the investment needed to bring their products to the clinic and marketplace.

John Sulston

Title deeds establish and protect ownership of our houses, while security of property is as important to the proprietors of Tesco and Sainsbury's as it is to their customers.

John Sulston