"We're just stuff," she said roughly. "A bunch of cells. Minerals. Not worth a ten dollar chip. Who's kidding who? I'm a firm believer in the sciences," Eleanor went on. It was impossible to stop her. "In our advance as a species. Now that medical progress runs our physical evolution, we will have to put our faith in the sciences -- I am quite convinced that one day we'll genetically engineer ourselves into immortals. We will become beings capable of giving birth to and nurturing our exact cloned selves time and time again. As I say, I put my faith in science, a form of religion. When science and religion merge, we will reach a new evolutionary level. We have to realize that we're part of an interconnected net of life. We're the most intelligent, we say, but that's by our measurements. We haven't the longevity of the pine or the endurance of stones. What we do have is the wit of the rat." -Eleanor, Tales of Burning Love, 1997