A medical researcher for almost 45 years, Professor Suzanne Cory’s and her colleagues contributed to the watershed realisation that some of our genes are time bombs that may lead to cancer.

In this first lecture Professor Cory reflects on where medical science has come from and where it is heading, drawing out implications for health and the economy.

(A book of the 2014 Boyer Lecture series will be available at ABC Bookshops from late September. Transcripts for these lectures will be available online from January 2015.)