"There are probably already too many people on the planet."

"Weeds do become resistant to herbicides, and it needs to be managed with multiple herbicides."

"New molecular methods that add or modify genes can protect plants from diseases and pests and improve crops in ways that are both more environmentally benign and beyond the capability of older methods."

"Jumping genes are fundamental because they're agents of change. Everybody knows that organisms evolve. What makes them evolve is that their genes are dynamic and in motion. A familiar example is the stripe-y corn - called Indian corn - that you buy in the fall."

"We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world or to make it the last."

"I'm interested in memory because it's a filter through which we see our lives, and because it's foggy and obscure, the opportunities for self-deception are there. In the end, as a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened."

"I would never advise anyone to stay in the closet to further their careers - I'm sure it leads to big fat gay ulcers. There are actors I know who won't come out, and I can see it crippling them as human beings. It's a great shame that people can't be who they are in the 21st century, and people won't let them be who they are."

"In ancient Greece, politics and the market were not decoupled."