Francisco J. Ayala

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Francisco J. Ayala
Born
Francisco José Ayala Pereda

(1934-03-12)March 12, 1934[1]
DiedMarch 5, 2023(2023-03-05) (aged 88)
California
NationalitySpanish-American
CitizenshipSpanish, American (1971–2023)
Alma materUniversity of Salamanca, Columbia University
Known forPopulation genetics
Spouses
  • Mary Henderson
    (m. 1968, divorced)
  • Hana Lostokova (m. 1985)
Children2
AwardsNational Medal of Science, Templeton Prize
Scientific career
FieldsBiology, Genetics
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Davis (1971 - 1989)[2]
University of California, Irvine (1989-2018)[3]
Doctoral advisorTheodosius Dobzhansky
Doctoral studentsJohn Avise

Francisc José Ayala (March 12, 1934 – March 3, 2023) was a Spanish-American biologist and philosopher at the University of California, Irvine.

He was a Dominican priest,[4][5] ordained in 1960,[6] but left the priesthood that same year.

After graduating from the university of Salamanca, he moved to the United States in 1961 to study for a PhD at Columbia University. There, he studied for his doctorate under Theodosius Dobzhansky, graduating in 1964.[7] He became a U.S. citizen in 1971.

He was president and chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[8][9]

He died from a heart attack on March 3, 2023, a week before his 89th birthday.[10][11]

Books[change | change source]

Ayala has published 950 papers and 30 books. Recently published books include:

  • Ayala F.J. 2010. Am I a monkey? Six big questions about evolution. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD.
  • Ayala F.J. and Robert Arp eds. 2009. Contemporary debates in Philosophy of Biology. Wiley-Blackwell: London. ISBN 9781405159982
  • Avise J.C. and F.J. Ayala eds. 2007. In the Light of evolution: adaptation and complex design. National Academy Press: Washington DC. ISBN 9780309104050
  • Cela Conde C.J. and F.J. Ayala. 2007. Human evolution: trails from the past. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
  • Ayala F.J. 2007. Darwin’s gift to science and religion. Joseph Henry Press: Washington, DC.
  • Ayala F.J. 2006. Darwin and intelligent design. Fortress Press: Minneapolis, MN.
  • Hey J; W.M. Fitch and F.J. Ayala eds. 2005. Systematics and the origin of species. On Ernst Mayr’s 100th Anniversary. National Academies Press: Washington DC. ISBN 0309095360
  • Wuketits F.M. and F.J. Ayala eds. 2005. Handbook of evolution: the evolution of living systems (including Hominids), Volume 2. Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, Germany. 292 pp. 2005. ISBN 9783527619719
  • Ayala F.J. 2004. Human evolution: biology, culture, ethics. Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River.

References[change | change source]

  1. Hall, Brian Keith; Strickberger, Monroe W.; Hallgrímsson, Benedikt (2008). Strickberger's evolution: the integration of genes, organisms and populations. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett. p. 633. ISBN 978-0-7637-0066-9.
  2. Ayala, Francisco J. (December 2009). "Francisco J. Ayala". Current Biology. 19 (23): R1060–R1061. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.09.033. S2CID 46117440.
  3. Watanabe, Teresa (28 June 2018). "Acclaimed UC Irvine geneticist resigns after committing sexual harassment". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  4. "Evolution, religion science and faith". Pbs.org. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  5. Dreifus, Claudia (April 27, 1999). "A conversation with Francisco J. Ayala; ex-priest takes the blasphemy out of evolution". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  6. Richardson, W.; Slack, Gordy (2001). Faith in science: scientists search for truth. London: Routledge. p. 6. ISBN 0-415-25765-4.
  7. Ayala, Francisco (1976). "Theodosius Dobzhansky: the man and the scientist". Annual Review of Genetics. 10: 1–6. doi:10.1146/annurev.ge.10.120176.000245. PMID 797305. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  8. Dean, Cornelia (April 29, 2008). "Roving defender of evolution, and of room for God". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  9. "Biologist Francisco J. Ayala". The Scientist. 5 February 1996. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  10. "Muere el genetista Francisco J. Ayala a los 88 años de edad". El País. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  11. Dean, Cornelia (10 March 2023). "Francisco Ayala, Biologist and Defender of Evolution, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)