Adam David Rutherford (born 1975)[3][4][6] is a British
geneticist and science populariser. He was an audio-visual content editor for the journal Nature for a decade, and is a frequent contributor to the newspaper The Guardian. He hosts the
BBC Radio 4 programmes Inside Science and (with
Hannah Fry) The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry; has produced several science documentaries; and has published books related to
genetics and the
origin of life.[7]
Rutherford published a book on the topic of the creation of life. The United Kingdom printing has been called "two books in one",[19] since Creation: The Origin of Life and Creation: The Future of Life[20] are printed
back-to-back so that one can read the book from either end.[21] Among its topics, the first part of the book argues in support of the theory, first proposed by
Thomas Gold, that life emerged not in primordial warm ponds, but in
extremophile conditions in the deep ocean,[22] while the second part discusses
synthetic biology – the use of
genetic modification to create
new organisms.[23] In the U.S., this book is published in a more conventional format with the title Creation: How Science Is Reinventing Life Itself.[24][20] He was also one of the authors whose works are included in the compilation The Atheist's Guide to Christmas.[25][26]
Rutherford was the Podcast Editor[27] and the audio-video editor for the journal Nature until 2013, being responsible for all the publication's published audio, video, and podcasts. He also published audio interviews with notable personalities, including
Paul Bettany on his role playing
Charles Darwin in the movie Creation,[28] and
David Attenborough in his documentary Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life.[29] He wrote editorials on diverse other topics, ranging from the overlap of art and science[30] to reviews of science-themed movies.[31]
Rutherford is a frequent contributor to The Guardian, writing primarily on science topics.[32] He wrote a blog series covering his thoughts and analysis while re-reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species,[33] and has written articles supporting the teaching of
evolution in schools,[34][35] and criticizing the teaching of
creationism as science.[36]
He also writes on religion, notably a 10-part series on his experience participating in the
Alpha course,[37] and on
New Age themes and
alternative medicine, including a review critical of
Rupert Sheldrake's A New Science of Life,[38] and criticism of the lack of controls on advertising claims for
homeopathy.[39]
As a guest writer, he published an article in Wired on the possibility of using DNA for information storage.[40]
Rutherford has returned[when?] to University College London, where he is an
honorary senior research associate in the division of biosciences and teaches courses on genetics and communications.[9]
Broadcasting
Rutherford frequently appears on
BBC science programmes, on both radio and television.[13] Since 2013, he has been the host[41] of the programme Inside Science on
BBC Radio 4.[42] In 2012 he was featured on the series Horizon on
BBC Two television in the documentary Playing God,[43] which covered synthetic biology using the example of the "
Spider Goat", a goat genetically modified to produce
spider silk in its milk.[44]
In 2011 he conceived and directed Space Shuttles United,[54] a video and musical tribute to all the
Space Shuttlemissions.[55]
He co-presents The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry with
mathematicianHannah Fry. As of 2022[update] the programme is airing its 19th series on BBC Radio 4.[56]
In late 2022, he presented the series Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics, on BBC Radio 4. The series is based on his book, Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics.[57]
He is also a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week.[58]
Public speaking and outreach
Rutherford is a frequent speaker at scientific and academic events[59] and a guest at local science and sceptical events, such as Skeptics in the Pub.[60][61][62]
^David, Patrice; Hingle, Andrew; Greig, Duncan; Rutherford, Adam; Pomiankowski, Andrew; Fowler, Kevin (1998), "Male sexual ornament size but not asymmetry reflects condition in stalk–eyed flies", Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 265 (1411): 2211–2216,
doi:
10.1098/rspb.1998.0561,
ISSN0962-8452,
PMC1689512
^Percin, E Ferda; Ploder, Lynda A; Jessica, J Yu; Arici, Kemal; Horsford, D Jonathan; Rutherford, Adam; Bapat, Bharati; Cox, Diane W; Duncan, Alessandra MV; Kalnins, Vitauts I (2000), "Human microphthalmia associated with mutations in the retinal homeobox gene CHX10", Nature Genetics, 25 (4): 397–401,
doi:
10.1038/78071,
PMID10932181,
S2CID9508022
^Rutherford, Adam D; Dhomen, Nathalie; Smith, Hazel K; Sowden, Jane C (2004), "Delayed expression of the Crx gene and photoreceptor development in the Chx10-deficient retina", Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 45 (2): 375–384,
doi:10.1167/iovs.03-0332,
ISSN1552-5783,
PMID14744875