12 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American geneticist at Harvard — who pioneered ancient DNA analysis to reconstruct human prehistory — author of Who We Are and How We Got Here — whose lab has produced more ancient DNA research than any other in the world.
American geneticist at Harvard Medical School — who co-pioneered next-generation DNA sequencing, CRISPR gene editing applications, and synthetic biology — one of the most prolific inventors in biology with over 100 patent applications — proponent of de-extincting woolly mammoths.
British-Indian geneticist and polymath who was one of the founders of population genetics and the modern evolutionary synthesis — combining Mendelian genetics with Darwinian evolution.
American molecular biologist who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA with Francis Crick (1953) — winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1962) — but who is also notorious for using Rosalind Franklin's data without credit and for making racist statements that ended his institutional career.
American geneticist and blogger — Substack (Unsupervised Learning) and Gene Expression — who writes on population genetics, human prehistory, and the genetics of human variation with unusual depth and accessibility — one of the most widely read independent science writers.
Biologist working on longevity and aging research — referenced in discussions of the biology of aging.
British statistician and geneticist who single-handedly invented or developed much of modern statistics — analysis of variance, maximum likelihood, experimental design — while also contributing to the synthesis of Mendelian genetics with Darwinian evolution.
American evolutionary biologist at Rice University and author of Future Humans — which explores how human evolution continues in the modern era — making evolutionary genetics accessible to general audiences.
American geneticist who developed the concept of genetic drift and the adaptive landscape — key contributions to the mathematical foundations of evolutionary biology.
American theoretical physicist and genomics researcher — former VP Research at Michigan State — co-founder of Genomic Prediction — who works on the genomics of cognitive traits and has argued that polygenic screening for intelligence is both possible and ethical.
David Reich's 2018 account of the ancient DNA revolution — demonstrating that human population history is characterized by large-scale migrations and population replacements that create the diversity we see today — covering the peopling of the Americas, the spread of Indo-European languages, and African population structure.
Indian geneticist and agricultural scientist who led the introduction of Borlaug's high-yield wheat varieties into India — the central architect of India's Green Revolution that averted mass famine.