From the beginning, organisms evolve from one cell, which divides and becomes new cells that in turn divide. This cell cycle is the key to life, enabling growth, development and reproduction. Sir Paul Nurse, Chancellor of the University of Bristol, dedicated much of his scientific career to studying how this cycle is controlled, and the gene that plays a decisive role in several of the cell cycle’s phases. This was a discovery that garnered him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2001, together with Leland Hartwell and Tim Hunt. We caught up with Sir Paul when he visited Kuala Lumpur recently, and asked him about life, curing cancer, and why science is important. (Sir Paul was in KL on 24 June to deliver a Nobel Laureate Lecture on ‘What Is Life’, organised by Akademi Sains Malaysia and National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia.)