We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.
The practice of science happens at the border between the known and the unknown. Standing on the shoulders of giants, we peer into the darkness with eyes opened not in fear but in wonder.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!
When we look out into space, we are looking into our own origins, because we are truly children of the stars.
Every carbon atom in every living thing on the planet was produced in the heart of a dying star.
We explore because we are curious, not because we wish to develop grand views of reality or better widgets.
No one gets teased for being a geek anymore- science is the new rock n roll.
Look at that! If you ever needed convincing that we live in the solar system, that we are on a ball of rock, orbiting around the Sun with other balls of rock, then look at that! That’s the solar system coming down and grabbing you by the throat.
In science, there are no universal truths, just views of the world that have yet to be shown to be false.
Skepticism must go hand in hand with rationality. When theories are shown to be false, the correct thing to do is to move on.
For the first time, we saw our world, not as a solid, immovable, kind of indestructible place, but as a very small, fragile-looking world just hanging against the blackness of space.
When you fall into a black hole you will be literally spaghettified.
At every stage of understanding the universe better, the benefits to civilisation have been immeasurable. None of those big leaps were made with us knowing what was going to happen.