I am a geneticist. My first degree at UCL was in evolutionary genetics, including research projects on sexual selection in the stalk-eyed fly, followed by a PhD in developmental genetics of the retina, at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. My research was about a transcription factor’s role in how the human and mouse eye develops, and its role in causing a serious form of congenital blindness. I then went to work as an Editor for the journal Nature (2002-2013), where I wrote, edited, made films and podcasts.
I am now a Lecturer in Biology and Society at UCL, where I teach the history of eugenics, race science, genetics, and science communication, as well as at universities around the world. I’ve written extensively on Darwin, the development of evolutionary theory, the Modern Synthesis, synthetic biology and genetic engineering, behavioural ecology, gene-culture co-evolution, human evolution, and ancient DNA. My most recent work concerns the relationship between science, eugenics and race.
I recently won the Royal Society David Attenborough Award, and prize lecture, which was very nice.
Articles
I’ve written over a hundred articles for the Guardian, the Observer, The Telegraph, The Times, Wired, Focus, Times Educational Supplement, and elsewhere.
§ Where science meets fiction: the dark history of eugenics The Observer, 19 June 2022
§ How should we address Charles Darwin's complicated legacy? The Guardian, 13 Feb 2021
§ Eugenics is still a dirty word, but is it making a comeback? (£) The Telegraph, 21 Feb 2020
§ Ant and Dec’s DNA test merely tells us that we’re all inbred The Guardian, 12 Nov 2019
§ Race, genetics and pseudoscience: an explainer Ewan Birney, Jennifer Raff, Adam Rutherford, Aylwyn Scally. Ewan Birney’s Blog, 24 Oct 2019
§ Elizabeth Warren’s pointless DNA test: Why genetic heritage is irrelevant to identity and politics. Salon, 20 Oct 2018
§ How Accurate Are Online DNA Tests? Scientific American, 15 Oct 2018
§ The human league: what separates us from other animals? The Guardian, 21 Sept 2018
§ DNA ancestry tests may look cheap. But your data is the price. The Guardian, 10 Aug 2018
§ How genetics undermines "scientific" arguments for racism. Salon, 17 Oct 2017
§ 'As long as we study life, it will be read': the Selfish Gene turns 40 The Observer, 29 May 2016
A selection of book reviews:
§ Mama’s Last Hug by Frans de Waal, The Guardian, 08 May 2019
§ Life on Earth by David Attenborough, The Guardian, 12 Oct 2018
§ The Beautiful Cure by Daniel Davis, The Guardian, 31 Jan 2018
§ The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris, The Guardian, 24 Sept 2017
§ The Vital Question: Why Is Life the Way It Is? by Nick Lane, The Observer, 26 Apr 2015
§ The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being by Alice Roberts, The Observer, 14 Sept 2014
Academic publications
§ People with more extreme attitudes towards science have self-confidence in their understanding of science, even if this is not justified Fonseca C, Rutherford A et al. (2023) PLoS Biol 21(1): e3001915
§ A Cautionary history of eugenics, Rutherford A, SCIENCE 24 Sep 2021 Vol 373, Issue 6562
§ The language of race, ethnicity, and ancestry in human genetic research, Ewan Birney, Michael Inouye, Jennifer Raff, Adam Rutherford, Aylwyn Scally, arXiv:2106.10041
§ Human Origins in Southern African Palaeo-wetlands? Strong Claims from Weak Evidence Schlebusch, C.M… Rutherford, A., et al. Journal of Archeological Science 2021
§ Race, Eugenics, and the Cancelling of Great Scientists Rutherford A. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 2021 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24192.
§ Eugenics history: university geneticists respond Andrew Pomiankowski, Mark G Thomas, Steve Jones, Rosemary Ekong, Lucy van Dorp, Nikolas Maniatis, Nick Lane, Adam Rutherford, Catherine Walker, Dallas Swallow Nature 2020 580(7803):321
§ Prospective Investigation of Video Game Use in Adolescents and Subsequent Conduct Disorder and Depression Etchells PJ, Gage SH, Rutherford AD, and Munafo M. Plos One 2016
§ Delayed expression of the Crx gene and photoreceptor development in the Chx10-deficient retina Rutherford A, et al. Inv. Ophth. & Vis. Sci. 2004 45: 375-84
§ Temporal and spatial expression patterns of the CRX transcription factor and its downstream targets. Critical differences during human and mouse eye development Bibb LC, Rutherford A, et al. Hum. Mol. Gen. 2001 10: 1571-9
§ Human microphthalmia associated with mutations in the retinal homeobox gene CHX10 Ferda Percin E, Rutherford A, et al. Nature Genetics 2000 25: 397-401
§ Retinoschisin, the X-linked retinoschisis protein, is a secreted photoreceptor protein, and is expressed and released by Weri-Rb1 cells Grayson C, Rutherford A, et al. Hum. Mol. Gen. 2000 9: 1873-9
§ Male sexual ornament size but not asymmetry reflects condition in stalk-eyed flies David P, Rutherford A, et al. Proc Roy Soc 1998 265: 2211-2216