
The Society of Biological Sciences in Cyprus (SBSCy) mourns the death of 92-year-old American evolutionary biologist, mathematician, geneticist and philosopher Professor Richard Lewontin. Lewontin introduced molecular techniques into Evolutionary Biology and strongly opposed the use of Biology as a means to justify racial inequality.
Richard Lewontin received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Harvard and then his master’s degree in statistics and a doctorate in zoology from Columbia University under the supervision of Theodosius Dhobzansky. He taught at the Universities of North Carolina, Rochester and Chicago, ending up at Harvard. He has been awarded the Sewall Wright Awards (American Union of Naturalists, 1974), the Crafford Prize (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 2015), the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal (Genetics Society of America, 2017) and the title of the National Academy of Sciences, a title which he resigned as a protest against US involvement in the Vietnam War. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Athens and maintained a strong friendship with Professor Costas Krimbas who also passed away this year. He has published significant work and some of his writings have been translated into Greek. His contribution to Biology is very important. SBSCy expresses its sincere condolences to his family.