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We are more dependent on science and engineering than at any other time in history. However, there is plenty of evidence that far too many people are scientifically illiterate, often having been put off science at school.

Robert Winston

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Robert Winston
Age: 84
Born: 1940
Born: July 15
Academic
Physician
Politician
Professor
Scientist
Surgeon
Television Presenter
Inner and Outer London
Robert Maurice Lipson Winston
The Lord Winston
Lord Winston
Baron Winston
Professor Robert Maurice Lipson Winston
Baron Winston
History
Often
Scientifically
Science
Illiterate
School
Engineering
Many
Dependent
Time
Plenty
People
Evidence
However

More quotes by Robert Winston

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Both in Britain and America, huge publicity has been given to stem cells, particularly embryonic stem cells, and the potential they offer. Of course, the study of stem cells is one of the most exciting areas in biology, but I think it is unlikely that embryonic stem cells are likely to be useful in healthcare for a long time.
Robert Winston
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You can now modify the genes of large animals, and the largest animal we are concerned with is the human.
Robert Winston
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I don't believe the fertilised egg can be equated with the sort of human life that you and I represent, or our children represent.
Robert Winston
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Women of child-bearing age steadily run out of eggs by the continuous process of cell death. While reading a copy of the Guardian carefully from cover to cover, a normal woman will have lost on average two eggs - while, typically, a normal man will have made 70,000 new sperm.
Robert Winston
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My first vote was for a communist in east London when I was a medical student. But I've voted Tory, Labour and Lib Dem in my time.
Robert Winston
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I love the French detective series 'Spiral.' It's quite brutal to watch, but I'm already hooked.
Robert Winston
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Scientists need to be prepared to engage, and the best people to engage with are students, ideally from primary school because there's no question that their capacity to work out complex things is extremely good.
Robert Winston
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However pragmatic you are, it is very demanding being a new parent.
Robert Winston
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I did not study science at school until I was 13, when I was totally turned on by a seemingly dreary old teacher who suddenly, unannounced, manufactured a huge explosion in the middle of a totally boring monologue. From then on, all of his class wanted to make explosions.
Robert Winston
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Robots may cut down on infection and mean a consultant can see more patients, but wouldn't you rather meet the doctor than a machine?
Robert Winston
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People think I appear on television to promote my image. That's not fair. I hate filming. I turned down 'Strictly Come Dancing.' But television is a wonderful opportunity to promote scientific ideas. 'Super Doctors' is a very thoughtful piece.
Robert Winston
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Animal rights activists talk about cruelty and torture, some backing their assertions by publishing out-of-date photographs of experiments banned long ago. This is a misrepresentation. The work we do is performed with compassion, care, humanity and humility. I have never seen an animal suffer pain.
Robert Winston
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Medicine, which I wouldn't be without, has also been a force for... less good. For example, if you look at our mishandling of the immune system, using antibiotics in children and avoiding infection, we've certainly increased the risk of asthma.
Robert Winston
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There were never any doctors in my family. But my grandparents and my mother had a strong social conscience that was formative.
Robert Winston
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I think it's important for scientists to be a bit less arrogant, a bit more humble, recognising we are capable of making mistakes and being fallacious - which is increasingly serious in a society where our work may have unpredictable consequences.
Robert Winston
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Parents should talk to their children, even when they are babies and can't talk back.
Robert Winston
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That Britain today is a liberal society is largely because of the philosophy and outlook of the Anglican Church, which did so much to shape our core values in the past few centuries.
Robert Winston
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You can't be judgmental about babies. They are all have different needs. I was left with an enduring hatred of cheese because it was forced down me when I was young.
Robert Winston
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I don't know whether it is important to study science at a young age, though current thinking emphasises the need.
Robert Winston
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While nobody has identified any gene for religion, there are certainly some candidate genes that may influence human personality and confer a tendency to religious feelings. Some of the genes likely to be involved are those which control levels of different chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain.
Robert Winston