John Maynard Smith
John Maynard Smith Evolutionary biologist and geneticist | |
---|---|
Institutions | University College London, University of Sussex |
Doctoral advisor | J. B. S. Haldane |
Doctoral students | Sean Nee Andrew Pomiankowski |
John Maynard Smith
Biography
Early years
John Maynard Smith was born in London, the son of the surgeon Sidney Maynard Smith, but following his father's death in 1928, the family moved to Exmoor, where he became interested in natural history. Quite unhappy with the lack of formal science education at Eton College, Maynard Smith took it upon himself to develop an interest in Darwinian evolutionary theory and mathematics, after having read the work of old Etonian J. B. S. Haldane, whose books were in the school's library despite the bad reputation Haldane had at Eton for his communism. He became an atheist at age 14.[2]
On leaving school, Maynard Smith joined the
Second degree
Maynard Smith, having decided that aircraft were "noisy and old-fashioned",[4] then took a change of career, entering University College London to study fruit fly genetics under Haldane.[3] After graduating he became a lecturer in zoology at his alma mater between 1952 and 1965, where he directed the Drosophila lab and conducted research on population genetics. He published a popular Penguin book, The Theory of Evolution, in 1958 (with subsequent editions in 1966, 1975, 1993).
He became gradually less attracted to communism and became a less active member, finally leaving the party in 1956
University of Sussex
In 1962 he was one of the founding members of the
Evolution and the Theory of Games
In 1973 Maynard Smith formalised a central concept in
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1977. In 1986 he was awarded the Darwin Medal.
Evolution of sex and other major transitions in evolution
Maynard Smith published a book titled The Evolution of Sex which explored in mathematical terms, the notion of the "
In 1991 he was awarded the
In his honour the European Society for Evolutionary Biology has an award for extraordinary young evolutionary biology researchers named The John Maynard Smith Prize.
Animal Signals
His final book, Animal Signals, co-authored with David Harper, on signalling theory was published in 2003.[3]
Death
He died on 19 April 2004 sitting in a chair at home, surrounded by books. He was survived by his wife Sheila and their children.
Controversy
Another evolutionary biologist, William Donald Hamilton, harboured a grievance against Maynard Smith for his handling of an article that Hamilton submitted to The Journal of Theoretical Biology in 1963, which was eventually published as two papers in July 1964.[10][11] Maynard Smith acted as a reviewer of the paper after two other reviewers had been unable to understand it, and requested that Hamilton revise it into two parts due to concerns about its accessibility, later describing it as "deeply obscure".[11][12] In March 1964, Maynard Smith published the article "Group Selection and Kin selection" in Nature, which covered concepts from Hamilton's article.[13] Although Maynard Smith cited an earlier paper by Hamilton published in the American Naturalist, Hamilton felt Maynard Smith had not given him sufficient credit.[10][11] Hamilton also objected to an anecdote included by Maynard Smith in a review published in the New Scientist in 1976 which implied Maynard Smith's mentor Haldane had understood the concept of Hamilton's inclusive fitness in the 1950s.[11][12] Hamilton replied to the review suggesting that the anecdote was false, but later apologised to Maynard Smith for having doubted it.[10][11]
Legacy
The John Maynard Smith Archive is housed at the British Library (Add MS 86569-86840). The papers can be accessed through the British Library catalogue.[14]
Awards and fellowships
- Fellow, Royal Society (1977)
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1977)[15]
- Member, American Philosophical Society (1980)[16]
- Member, United States National Academy of Sciences (1982)[17]
- Darwin Medal (1986)
- Frink Medal (1990)
- Balzan Prize (1991)
- Linnean Medal (1995)
- Royal Medal (1997)
- Crafoord Prize (1999)
- Copley Medal (1999)
- Kyoto Prize (2001)
- Darwin–Wallace Award (2008). This used to be bestowed every 50 years by the Linnean Society of London; Maynard Smith was one of thirteen co-recipients, and one of only two recipients ever awarded post-mortem. Since 2010, the medal has been awarded annually.
Publications
- Maynard Smith, J. (1958). ISBN 0-14-020433-4
- 1993 edn ISBN 0-521-45128-0
- 1993 edn
- Maynard Smith, J. (1968) Mathematical Ideas in Biology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07335-9[18]
- Maynard Smith, J. (1972) On Evolution. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-85224-223-9
- Maynard Smith, J.; S2CID 4224989.
- Maynard Smith, J. (1974b) Models in Ecology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-20262-0
- Maynard Smith, J. (1978d) The Evolution of Sex. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29302-2
- Maynard Smith, J. (ed.) (1981d) Evolution Now. London, Macmillan. ISBN 0-7167-1426-4
- Maynard Smith, J. (1982d) ISBN 0-521-28884-3
- Maynard Smith, J. (1986b) The Problems of Biology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-289198-7
- Maynard Smith, J. (1988a) Did Darwin Get it Right?: Essays on Games, Sex and Evolution. London, Chapman & Hall. ISBN 0-412-03821-8
- Maynard Smith, J. (1989a) Evolutionary Genetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850231-1
- Maynard Smith, J. and ISBN 0-19-850294-X
- Maynard Smith, J. and ISBN 0-19-286209-X
- Maynard Smith, J. and ISBN 0-19-852685-7[19]
Notes
- ^ His surname was Maynard Smith, not Smith, and it was not hyphenated.
References
- S2CID 85622626.
- ^ "John Maynard Smith". British Humanist Association. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ PMID 16285849. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- PMID 15579672.
- PMID 15579672.
- ^ Ullica Segerstrale (2000). Defenders of the Truth.
- S2CID 82303195.
- ISBN 978-1-84046-780-2
- ISBN 978-0-674-03175-3.
- ^ OCLC 826131713.
- ^ a b c d e Piel, Helen (July 2019). John Maynard Smith and the Fact(s) of Evolution. A Study of Scientific Working Life in Post War Britain (phd thesis). University of Leeds.
- ^ a b John Maynard Smith - Bill Hamilton (36/102), retrieved 7 April 2023
- S2CID 4177102.
- ^ John Maynard Smith Archive[permanent dead link], archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 15 May 2020
- ^ "John Maynard-Smith". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "John Maynard Smith". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- .
- doi:10.1086/431089.
External links
University of Sussex
- Press release announcing his death
- Tribute from his colleagues Archived 16 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- List of publications Archived 6 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
Media
- Freeview video 'The Origin of Life', A Royal Institution Discourse by the Vega Science Trust
- Freeview video 'Flight in Birds and Aeroplanes', a Masterclass by the Vega Science Trust
- In conversation with John Maynard Smith FRS
- Five short videos
- John Maynard Smith telling his life story at Web of Stories (video)
- Interview of Smith by MeaningofLife.tv(56min video)
- John Maynard Smith at IMDb