Steve Jones (biologist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steve Jones (born March 24, 1944) is a professor of genetics at Galton laboratory of University College London. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on the subject of biology, especially evolution. He is one of the best known contemporary popular writers on evolution. His popular writing shows a wry, sometimes rather dark, sense of humour. In 1996 his writing won him the Royal Society Michael Faraday prize ``for his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the public understanding of science in areas such as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation through his many broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures, popular science books, and his regular science column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions to other newspaper media.
Jones was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, and has degrees from the University of Edinburgh and University of Chicago. Much of his research has been concerned with snails and the light their anatomy can shed on biodiversity and genetics. His book In the blood explores, confirms and debunks some commonly held beliefs about inheritance and genetics. Topics explored include issues as diverse as "lost tribes", European royal families, and haemophilia.
Professor Jones is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association. He was awarded the second Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year by the National Secular Society on 7 October 2006.
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[edit] Controversy
Jones' allegation that Creationism is "anti-science" offended some Christians and put him into direct opposition to proponents of Creationism like Ken Ham (whom Jones criticised) who argue that evolution is "hypothesis, not science." Jones suggested in a BBC Radio Ulster interview on 19 March 2006 that Creationists should be disallowed from being medical doctors because "all of its (Creationism's) claims fly in the face of the whole of science" and he further claimed that no serious biologist can believe in Biblical Creation.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Books by Steve Jones
- Jones, Steve; Dawkins, Richard; Martin, Robert D.; Pilbeam, David R. (1994). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human evolution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-46786-1.
- Jones, Steve (1997). In the Blood: God, Genes and Destiny. Houghton Miffin. ISBN 0-00-255512-3.
- Jones, Steve (1999). Almost Like a Whale: The Origin of Species Updated. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-40985-0.
- Jones, Steve (2000). The Language of the Genes. Flamingo. ISBN 0-00-655243-9. winner of (Aventis Prize winner)
- Jones, Steve (2003). Y: The Descent of Men. Flamingo. ISBN 0-618-13930-3.
- Jones, Steve and Van Loon, Borin (2005). Introducing Genetics. Totem Books. ISBN 1-84046-636-7.
[edit] Articles by Steve Jones
- Steve Jones view from the lab: Scientist or media tart?
- Steve Jones View from the lab: dinosaurs, academics and the case against ginger biscuits
- Steve Jones View from the lab: the hard cell
- Steve Jones: Why is there so much genetic diversity
- Steve Jones: Don't blame the genes
- Professor Steve Jones: My work space
[edit] Articles about Steve Jones
[edit] Television
Steve Jones presented In the Blood, a six-part TV series on human genetics first broadcast in 1996, see book of same name in bibliography.
[edit] Quotation
- "Evolution is to the social sciences as statues are to birds: a convenient platform upon which to deposit badly digested ideas."
[edit] External links
- Professor Steve Jones homepage at UCL
- Professor Steve Jones biography at Edge.org
- Michael Faraday previous winners 2004 - 1986 (inc. Steve Jones)
- 'GM Foods - Safe?' Steve Jones gives his views Freeview video provided by the Vega Science Trust.
- Steve Jones radio interview on "Sunday Sequence" - BBC Radio Ulster 19-03-06
