Russell Doolittle
Encyclopedia
Russell F. Doolittle is an American biochemist
at the University of California, San Diego
with focus in structure and evolution of proteins. Born in Connecticut
, he earned a B.A. in Biology from Wesleyan University
in 1952, and an M.A. in Education from Trinity College
in 1957. He earned his Ph.D in biochemistry at Harvard University
in 1962 with research in blood clotting. He has done postdoctoral research in Sweden funded by the National Institutes of Health
.
Notably he co-developed the Hydropathy index, and was instrumental in determining the structure of fibrinogen
. He has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences
since 1984, was a Guggenheim Fellow
and is a co-recipient of the Paul Ehrlich Prize
. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1985. In addition, he has calculated the date of the divergence of all life
forms from a common ancestor. In 2006, Doolittle was awarded the John J. Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences.
He is a critic of creationism
and intelligent design
and has accused Michael Behe
, an ID proponent, of misquoting his work.
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
with focus in structure and evolution of proteins. Born in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, he earned a B.A. in Biology from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1952, and an M.A. in Education from Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in 1957. He earned his Ph.D in biochemistry at 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 1962 with research in blood clotting. He has done postdoctoral research in Sweden funded by the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
.
Notably he co-developed the Hydropathy index, and was instrumental in determining the structure of fibrinogen
Fibrinogen
Fibrinogen is a soluble plasma glycoprotein, synthesised by the liver, that is converted by thrombin into fibrin during blood coagulation. This is achieved through processes in the coagulation cascade that activate the zymogen prothrombin to the serine protease thrombin, which is responsible for...
. He has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
since 1984, was a Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
and is a co-recipient of the Paul Ehrlich Prize
Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
The Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize is given every year since 1952 for investigations in medicine. The prize carries a prize money of 100.000 Euro. The prize awarding ceremony is traditionally on March 14, the birthday of Paul Ehrlich, in the St. Pauls-Church, Frankfurt.Awarded are...
. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1985. In addition, he has calculated the date of the divergence of all life
Tree of life (science)
Charles Darwin proposed that phylogeny, the evolutionary relatedness among species through time, was expressible as a metaphor he termed the Tree of Life...
forms from a common ancestor. In 2006, Doolittle was awarded the John J. Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences.
He is a critic of creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
and intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
and has accused Michael Behe
Michael Behe
Michael J. Behe is an American biochemist, author, and intelligent design advocate. He currently serves as professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and as a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture...
, an ID proponent, of misquoting his work.
Books
- Russell F. Doolittle, Of Urfs and Orfs: A Primer on how to Analyze Derived Amino Acid. (University Science Books, December 1986) ISBN 0935702547
- Russell F. Doolittle, John N. Abelson, and Melvin I. Simon, Computer Methods for Macromolecular Sequence Analysis (Methods in Enzymology) (Academic Press, 1996) ISBN 0121821676
- John N. Abelson, Melvin I. Simon, and Russell F. Doolittle, Molecular Evolution: Computer Analysis of Protein and Nucleic Acid Sequences, Volume 183: Volume 183: Molecular Evolution (Methods in Enzymology) (Academic Press, Feb 28, 1990) ISBN 012182084X
- Michael W. and Doolittle, Russell F. Mosesson, Molecular biology of fibrinogen and fibrin (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) (New York Academy of Sciences, 1983) ISBN 0897662091
External links
- Russell Doolittle at University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
- 40/40 Vision: Russell Doolittle - The Revolution of Biology from UC Television (UCTV) (Video of lecture tracing DNA from our closest to most distant ancestors)
- Profiles in Discovery from UC Television (UCTV) (Video)