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Sydney Brenner

Sydney Brenner Quotes

Researcher

Sydney Brenner is a renowned molecular biologist known for his pioneering work in gene editing and molecular biology. In the 1970s, he discovered the first eukaryotic gene, and for his contributions to molecular biology and genetics, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

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All Easy School Years Cells Challenges Chemicals Firsts Function Intellectual Medical

Famous Sydney Brenner Quotes

“Innovation comes only from an assault on the unknown.”

Innovation Assault

Author:Sydney Brenner

“In my second year, after moving to the Medical School, I began the courses of Anatomy and Physiology. I had begun to see that I was interested in cells and their functions.”

Years School Moving Courses Chance Function Medical Cells Second Chance Anatomy Physiology Medical School Medical Education Anatomy And Physiology

Author:Sydney Brenner

“I lived at home and I cycled every morning to the railway station to travel by train to Johannesburg followed by a walk to the University, carrying sandwiches for my lunch and returning in the evening the same way.”

Way Home Walks Morning Travel Train University Evening Stations Lunch Every Morning Funny Travel Sandwiches Railway Railway Station Johannesburg

Author:Sydney Brenner

“Progress in science depends on new techniques, new discoveries and new ideas, probably in that order.”

Ideas Science Order Progress Depends Discovery Technique New Ideas New Discoveries Progress In Science

Author:Sydney Brenner

“The modern computer hovers between the obsolescent and the nonexistent.”

Technology Modern Computer Idolatry Computer Technology

Author:Sydney Brenner

“It is now widely realized that nearly all the 'classical' problems of molecular biology have either been solved or will be solved in the next decade. The entry of large numbers of American and other biochemists into the field will ensure that all the chemical details of replication and transcription will be elucidated. Because of this, I have long felt that the future of molecular biology lies in the extension of research to other fields of biology, notably development and the nervous system.”

“As was predicted at the beginning of the Human Genome Project, getting the sequence will be the easy part as only technical issues are involved. The hard part will be finding out what it means, because this poses intellectual problems of how to understand the participation of the genes in the functions of living cells.”

Humans Mean Hard Problem Science Easy Issues Involved Findings Projects Intellectual Research Function Cells Genes Participation Sequence Genome Genome Project Human Genome Project

Author:Sydney Brenner

“I think one of the things about creativity is not to be afraid of saying the wrong thing.”

Thinking Creativity Wrong Things Saying The Wrong Thing

Book:A life in science

Source: A life in science

“Have you tried neuroxing papers? It.'s a very easy and cheap process. You hold the page in front of your eyes and you let it go through there into the brain. It's much better than xeroxing.”

Eye Easy Process Brain Fronts Paper Pages Papers Let It Go

Author:Sydney Brenner

“I also became interested in chemistry and gradually accumulated enough test tubes and other glassware to do chemical experiments, using small quantities of chemicals purchased from a pharmacy supply house.”

Enough House Tests Experiments Chemistry Chemicals Quantity Tubes Pharmacy

Author:Sydney Brenner

“So that's when I saw the DNA model for the first time, in the Cavendish, and that's when I saw that this was it. And in a flash you just knew that this was very fundamental.”

Firsts Saws Models First Time Fundamentals Flash Dna

Book:A life in science

Source: A life in science

“I completed the first three years of primary school in one year and was admitted to the local school the age of six directly into the fourth year, some two years younger than all my contemporaries.”

Years Firsts Two Age School Three Six Locals Primaries Two Years Three Years Fourth Primary School Fourth Year

Author:Sydney Brenner

“There was still food rationing in England and life was difficult all through my 2 year stay in Oxford.”

Years Stills Difficult England Oxford

Author:Sydney Brenner

“I set up a laboratory in the Department of Physiology in the Medical School in South Africa and begin to try to find a bacteriophage system which we might use to solve the genetic code.”

Trying Use Might School South Solve Medical Code Department South Africa Laboratory Physiology Medical School Medical Education Might Use

Author:Sydney Brenner

“In 1995, I founded The Molecular Sciences Institute with a gift from the Philip Morris Company where I hoped that we could create an environment where young people could pursue science in an atmosphere of harmonious purpose and high intellectual challenge.”

People Young Purpose Challenges Company Environment Intellectual Pursue Atmosphere Harmonious Institute Philip Morris Philip Morris

Author:Sydney Brenner

“Living most of the time in a world created mostly in one's head, does not make for an easy passage in the real world.”

World Doe Real Easy Real World Passages

Author:Sydney Brenner

“Many have gone on to do important scientific work but all remember those wonderful times when we and our science were young and our excitement in meeting new challenges knew no bounds.”

Important Remember Young Challenges Gone Wonderful Meetings Bounds Excitement New Challenges Wonderful Times

Author:Sydney Brenner

About the Author

Born: January 13, 1927
Known for: Researcher
Quotes: 17

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