Jonathan Weiner
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Weiner is a Pulitzer Prize
-winning author of non-fiction books on his biology observations, in particular evolution
in the Galápagos Islands
, genetics, and the environment.
His latest book is "Long for This World: The Strange Science of Immortality" (Ecco Press, July 2010) a look at the scientific search for the Fountain of Youth.
He won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
and the 1994 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science for his book The Beak of the Finch
. In 1999 he won the National Book Critics Circle Award
and was shortlisted for the Aventis Prize in 2000 for his book Time, Love, Memory about Seymour Benzer
.
Weiner graduated from Harvard University
in 1976.
Weiner is the Maxwell M. Geffen Professor of Medical and Scientific Journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
, where he teaches writing about science and medicine. He has taught at Princeton University
, Arizona State University
and Rockefeller University
.
He lives in New York with his wife, author Deborah Heiligman, and their two sons, Aaron and Benjamin.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning author of non-fiction books on his biology observations, in particular evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
in the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, genetics, and the environment.
His latest book is "Long for This World: The Strange Science of Immortality" (Ecco Press, July 2010) a look at the scientific search for the Fountain of Youth.
He won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction has been awarded since 1962 for a distinguished book of non-fiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in another category.-1960s:...
and the 1994 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science for his book The Beak of the Finch
The Beak of the Finch
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time is a 1994 nonfiction book about evolutionary biology, written by Jonathan Weiner. It won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The finches of the title are the Galapagos or 'Darwin's Finches,' passerine songbirds in the Galapagos...
. In 1999 he won the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
and was shortlisted for the Aventis Prize in 2000 for his book Time, Love, Memory about Seymour Benzer
Seymour Benzer
Seymour Benzer was an American physicist, molecular biologist and behavioral geneticist. His career began during the molecular biology revolution of the 1950s, and he eventually rose to prominence in the fields of molecular and behavioral genetics. He led a productive genetics research lab both at...
.
Weiner graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1976.
Weiner is the Maxwell M. Geffen Professor of Medical and Scientific Journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
, where he teaches writing about science and medicine. He has taught at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
and Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
.
He lives in New York with his wife, author Deborah Heiligman, and their two sons, Aaron and Benjamin.
Selected bibliography
- Planet Earth - the companion book to the PBS series (1986)
- The Next One Hundred Years: Shaping the Fate of Our Living Earth (1990)
- The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time (1994)
- Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior (1999)
- His Brother's Keeper: A Story from the Edge of Medicine (2004)
- Long for this World: The Strange Science of Immortality (2010)