Speaking of Science

April 2011's selection of notable quotes

Written byThe Scientist
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

BARIS SIMSEK / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

The achievement is impressive, but it is a wholly formal achievement that involves no knowledge…and it does not come within a million miles of replicating the achievements of everyday human thought.

—Law professor Stanley Fish, on Watson, the I.B.M.–built computer that won a game of “Jeopardy” (The New York Times Opinionator blog, Feb. 21, 2011)

By 2029, we’ll have reverse engineered and modeled and simulated all the regions of the brain. And that will provide us the software/algorithmic methods to….create machines that really do have the subtlety and suppleness of human intelligence.

—Futurist Ray Kurzweil, explaining what he calls the “coming singularity” (BigThink.com video, #14532)

There is something uncanny and creepy about the way the brain intrudes on the mind, as if the mind has ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here
July Digest 2025
July 2025, Issue 1

What Causes an Earworm?

Memory-enhancing neural networks may also drive involuntary musical loops in the brain.

View this Issue
Accelerating Recombinase Reprogramming with Machine Learning

Accelerating Recombinase Reprogramming with Machine Learning

Genome Modeling and Design: From the Molecular to Genome Scale

Genome Modeling and Design: From the Molecular to Genome Scale

Twist Bio 
Screening 3D Brain Cell Cultures for Drug Discovery

Screening 3D Brain Cell Cultures for Drug Discovery

DNA and pills, conceptual illustration of the relationship between genetics and therapeutic development

Multiplexing PCR Technologies for Biopharmaceutical Research

Thermo Fisher Logo

Products

waters-logo

Waters and BD's Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions Business to Combine, Creating a Life Science and Diagnostics Leader Focused on Regulated, High-Volume Testing

zymo-research-logo

Zymo Research Partners with Harvard University to Bring the BioFestival to Cambridge, Empowering World-class Research

10x-genomics-logo

10x Genomics and A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore Launch TISHUMAP Study to Advance AI-Driven Drug Target Discovery

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Sino Biological Sets New Industry Standard with ProPure Endotoxin-Free Proteins made in the USA