Steve Jones (biologist)
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Steve Jones (biologist)
OR:
Steve Jones (biologist) on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

John Stephen Jones (born 24 March 1944) is a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes ...
and from 1995 to 1999 and 2008 to June 2010 was Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
.UCL GEE News
GEE marks the transfer of headship His studies are conducted in the Galton Laboratory. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on the subject of
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, especially
evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
. He is a popular contemporary writer on evolution. In 1996 his work won him the
Michael Faraday Prize The Royal Society of London Michael Faraday Prize is awarded for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences". Named after Michael Faraday, the medal itself is made of silver gilt, and is accompanied by a purse of £2500. Background ...
"for his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the
public understanding of science Public awareness of science (PAwS) is everything relating to the awareness, attitudes, behaviors, opinions, and activities that comprise the relations between the general public or lay society as a whole to scientific knowledge and organization. ...
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 once-regular science column in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' and contributions to other newspaper media".


Early life and education

Jones was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, to Lydia Anne and Thomas Gwilym Jones. His parents met as students at the University of Aberystwyth. Until he was about ten years old the family lived alternately at his paternal grandparents' house in
New Quay New Quay ( cy, Cei Newydd) is a seaside town (and electoral ward) in Ceredigion, Wales, with a resident population of around 1,200 people, reducing to 1,082 at the 2011 census. Located south-west of Aberystwyth on Cardigan Bay with a harbour a ...
,
Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...
, and his maternal grandparents' house near Aberystwyth. Later the family moved to the Wirral, returning to Wales for their holidays. Jones's paternal grandfather and great grandfather were both sea captains. Jones' father, a PhD chemist, worked on detergents such as Jif. Dylan Thomas was an acquaintance of his father. As a child Jones often stayed at his paternal grandparents' home and spent a lot of his time in the attic which contained some seafaring equipment, and boxes of books covering a wide variety of topics, many of which Jones read. He also went to libraries and by the age of 14 years he had read all the works of
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
. As a child in Ceredigion Jones spoke a lot of Welsh until he was 6 or 7 years old, and as a keen observer of local wildlife was particularly interested in birds. Jones was a pupil at Wirral Grammar School for Boys. At the age of 13 to 14 years old Jones was inspired to study biology by a school teacher. Jones was rejected by all the Welsh universities, so he applied to the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
for an undergraduate degree, which had a closing date seven days later, and he was accepted onto a
zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
undergraduate course. He stayed on in Edinburgh to do research for a Doctor of Philosophy degree on the
ecological genetics Ecological genetics is the study of genetics in natural populations. Traits in a population can be observed and quantified to represent a species adapting to a changing environment. This contrasts with classical genetics, which works mostly on ...
of ''
Cepaea ''Cepaea'' is a genus of medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicidae. The shells of species within this genus are often brightly colored and patterned with stripes. The two species ...
'', a
snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...
whose shell is polymorphic in colour pattern, making it a model organism for evolutionary biologists. He developed an interest in snails from
Bryan Clarke Bryan Campbell Clarke (24 June 1932 – 27 February 2014) was a British Professor of genetics, latterly emeritus at the University of Nottingham. Clarke is particularly noted for his work on apostatic selection (which is a term he coined ...
his PhD supervisor.


Career and research

After his PhD, Jones also completed post-doctoral research into the genetics of ''
Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many speci ...
'' at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
to widen his experience. Much of Jones's research has been concerned with snails and the light their study can shed on
biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
and genetics.


Media and outreach

Jones was the 1991 Reith Lecturer on BBC Radio, with a series entitled ''The Language of the Genes'', the basis of his 1993 book of the same name.BBC website
Historic Reith Lectures * Audio podcast
BBC Reith Lectures Archive: 1974 – 2010
* Transcripts
BBC Reith Lectures 1990 – 1999
He presented ''In the Blood'', a six-part TV series on
human genetics Human genetics is the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population gene ...
first broadcast in 1996, see book of same name in bibliography. In July 2011, Jones produced a report dealing with science reporting issues at the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. He was critical of the BBC for giving too much space and credence to maverick views on science, including deniers of anthropogenic global warming. Jones was commissioned by the
BBC Trust The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...
to write a report on the organisation's science reporting, which was published in July 2011. This was broadly supportive of the BBC's accuracy, impartiality and science coverage although it also made a number of suggestions. These included better interaction of staff across the organisation on science topics and in particular an end to "
false balance False balance, also bothsidesism, is a media bias in which journalists present an issue as being more balanced between opposing viewpoints than the evidence supports. Journalists may present evidence and arguments out of proportion to the act ...
". Jones describes "'' tempts to give a place to anyone, however unqualified, who claims interest can make for false balance: to free publicity to marginal opinions and not to impartiality, but its opposite''". The BBC's response to the recommendations was generally positive, several of which it immediately implemented.


Awards and honours

Jones was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
(FRS) in 2012. He won their
Michael Faraday Prize The Royal Society of London Michael Faraday Prize is awarded for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences". Named after Michael Faraday, the medal itself is made of silver gilt, and is accompanied by a purse of £2500. Background ...
in 1996 and delivered the
Reith Lectures The Reith Lectures is a series of annual BBC radio lectures given by leading figures of the day. They are commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on Radio 4 and the World Service. The lectures were inaugurated in 1948 to mark the historic contribu ...
in 1991. He was elected to the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 2011.


Personal life

Jones's life partner since 1977 has been American documentary maker Norma Percy; they married in 2004. Jones is a patron of Humanists UK and an honorary associate of the
National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. It was ...
. He was awarded the second Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year by the
National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. It was ...
on 7 October 2006. On 1 January 2011 he became President of The Association for Science Education.


Views on private education

In an interview on the BBC Radio 5 show '5 Live Breakfast' hosted by
Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...
and Shelagh Fogarty on 13 January 2009, Jones described private schools as a "cancer on the education system".BBC Radio 5 Live: Breakfast, broadcast 13 January 2009 Jones cites private schools as one of the reasons that Britain remains as socially stratified as it is. Among the advantages in private schools compared to state schools, Jones listed smaller classroom sizes, highly trained teachers, better facilities, and coaching through university interviews.


Views on religion

Jones, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published on 15 September 2010 in
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, stating their opposition to
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
's state visit to the UK. Jones has also stated that creationism is "anti-science" and criticised creationists such as
Ken Ham Kenneth Alfred Ham (born 20 October 1951) is an Australian Christian fundamentalist, young Earth creationist and apologist, living in the United States. He is the founder, CEO, and former president of Answers in Genesis (AiG), a Christian apolo ...
. Jones suggested in a BBC
Radio Ulster BBC Radio Ulster ( ga, BBC Raidió Uladh) is a Northern Irish radio station owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland, a division of the BBC. It was established on New Year's Day 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4. It i ...
interview in 2006 that Creationists should be forbidden 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. For Jones, 'evolution is the grammar of biology'.Steve Jones radio interview on "Sunday Sequence" – BBC Radio Ulster 19-03-06
 Jones elaborated on his full position on creationism in a public lecture entitled 'Why creationism is wrong and evolution is right'.Steve Jones – Why creationism is wrong and evolution is right, Royal Society public lecture, April 2006
/ref> National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C1672/12) with Steve Jones in 2015 for its Science and Religion collection held by the British Library.National Life Stories, 'Jones, Steve (1 of 6) National Life Stories Collection: Science and Religion', The British Library Board, 2015
Retrieved 9 October 2017


Views on human evolution

Jones' view that in humans "Natural selection has to some extent been repealed" dates back at least to 1991 and has been the focus of a number of newspaper reports and radio interviews. Referring to the title of a public lecture entitled "Is human Evolution Over?" he stated "''For those of you who have a train to catch, the answer is'' "yes",'' so you can leave now''".Jones, S. (2009). Steve Jones Enlightenment Lecture – Is Human Evolution Over?. His views are largely based on his claim that reduced juvenile mortality, decreasing age of fathers, and decreased geographical isolation of populations in Western societies reduce evolution. Both the data supporting these assertions and his views of the way these factors influence evolution in populations have been extensively criticised by other academics.


Publications

* winner of ( Aventis Prize winner) * * * * * * * * * * * * *


References


External links


Professor Steve Jones homepage at UCLMichael Faraday previous winners 2004 – 1986 (inc. Steve Jones)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Steve 1944 births Living people Genetics education People from Aberystwyth Welsh geneticists Welsh science writers Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of University College London British television presenters Charles Darwin biographers Critics of creationism Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Wirral Grammar School for Boys Welsh humanists British secularists Presidents of the Association for Science Education