His lab is known for “using DNA for data storage to resurrecting the wooly mammoth, from creating mini-brains on plates to doing a gut renovation of pig genomes so their organs might be transplantable into people.” In other words, he’s a smart guy. As STAT reports that George Church ascribes his visionary ideas to narcolepsy. “He hates appearing on panels, where he frequently dozes for a couple of minutes or more. Even asleep, though, he can hear his name spoken and so wakes up, usually able to answer whatever question has just come his way without asking that it be repeated.” (Interesting story, though I’m not sure how his appearances on panels vary from every other panel appearance I’ve seen or participated in.)