[applause] now, in the weeks before his death, the award-winning filmmaker ric burns was able to capture some truly special moments with oliver sacks as he reflected back on his life in the sure knowledge that it was soon to end, and we're so excited to share with you the world premiere of ric burns' short film. we may have lost a legendary scientist, but his words, his work, his inspiration live on. such a delight to introduce the enduring wisdom of oliver sacks. [applause] sacks: i think one can become wildly and beautifully excited and ecstatic just by what one is thinking. when i was about 14 or 15, my love of the physical sciences, of physics and chemistry and geology and astronomy, got displaced, but not annihilated, by a rising love of biology and by darwin. darwin saw evolution and natural selection as having determined the diversification and the development of life on earth, and that's why stephen jay gould is also such an important influence in my life, someone who reminded me incessantly that nothing in biology made sense except in the light of evolution and chance, contingen