Growing up, I was vaguely aware of things that went on in church, because I was in the boys' choir at the local Episcopal church. But I got the clear message that I was supposed to learn music there, and not pay too much attention to the rest of it, and I followed those instructions very carefully.

I believe God did intend, in giving us intelligence, to give us the opportunity to investigate and appreciate the wonders of His creation. He is not threatened by our scientific adventures.

The brain is the most complicated organ in the universe. We have learned a lot about other human organs. We know how the heart pumps and how the kidney does what it does. To a certain degree, we have read the letters of the human genome. But the brain has 100 billion neurons. Each one of those has about 10,000 connections.

We give our kids vaccinations. That's a biological enhancement that's considered not just acceptable but actually admirable.

In the lab, we're discovering that nature can do chemistry we never dreamed was possible.

I still tend to read more urban fantasy and romance than science-fiction, but every once in a while, a couple of books will come along and knock my socks off.

What I do is not curing cancer or rocket science or lead mining - anything tremendously difficult or world changing. I understand where I am in the cosmic order of things, and I'm OK with it.

Some of the best ideas come from sheer discovery, and not by some masterminded, preconceived genius.