| Francisco J. Ayala | |
Positions: |
University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy School of Humanities Professor of Logic and the Philosophy of Science, Logic & Philosophy of Science School of Social Sciences 
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Degree: |
PH.D., Columbia University, 1964 |
Academic
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Awarded 2001 National Medal Of Science. Member: National Academy of Sciences; American Academy of Arts & Sciences; American Philosophical Society. Foreign Member: Russian Academy of Sciences, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome; Royal Academy of Sciences, Spain; Mexican Academy of Sciences; Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Received: Gold Honorary Gregor Mendel Medal, Czech Academy of Sciences; Gold Medal of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei; Gold Medal of the Stazione Zoologica, Naples; President's Award of the American Institute of Biological Sciences; Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award and 150th Anniversary Leadership Medal, AAAS; Medal of the College of France; UCI Medal, University of California; 1998 Distinguished Scientist Award, SACNAS; and Sigma Xi's William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement, 2000. Honorary Degrees: Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina); Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic); University of Athens (Greece); Universities of Bologna and Padua (Italy); University of Warsaw (Poland); “Far East National University” (Vladivostok, Russia); Universities of Barcelona, Las Islas Baleares, Leon, Madrid, Salamanca, Valencia, and Vigo (Spain). |
Research |
Evolutionary Genetics |
Abstract: |
Some recent research of my group has focused on the origin and evolution of introns, and on the evolution and functional significance of (1) pseudogenes and (2) ectopic expression. We continue research on questions related to the molecular clock of evolution. DNA and protein sequences can be used for reconstructing evolutionary history and timing events of the past. How good is the clock? We are investigating a number of genes and testing new models of rates of gene evolution. Another major research effort focuses on the origin of malaria and other parasitic diseases, such as leishmaniasis, Chagas and sleeping sickness. We have shown that the four species of Plasmodium that cause human malaria diverged many million years ago; they became human parasites independently, by lateral transfer from other hosts. However, the world populations of P. falciparum, the agent of malignant malaria, originated from a single propagule only a few thousand years ago. We have also shown that the world expansion of P. falciparum parasites is very recent, starting in Africa during the Neolithic, a few thousand years ago. Additionally, I am interested in the philosophy of biology and in bioethics, as well as in the relationships between science and religion, including the teaching of evolution in the schools. |
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Ayala, F.J. and R. Arp, eds. 2010. Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology. Wiley-Blackwell: Malden, MA. xii + 426 pp. |
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Rich, S.M., F.H. Leendertz, G. Xu, M. LeBreton, C.F. Djoko, M.N. Aminake, E.E. Takang, J.L.D. Diffo, B.L. Pike, B.M. Rosenthal, P. Formenty, C. Boesch, F.J. Ayala, and N.D. Wolf. 2009. The Origin of Malignant Malaria. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106:14902-14907. |
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Rougeron, V., T. De Meeûs, M. Hide, E. Waleckx, H. Bermudez, J. Arevalo, A. Llanos-Cuentas, J.-C. Dujardin, S. De Doncker, D. Le Ray, F.J. Ayala and A.-L.Bañuls. 2009. Extreme inbreeding in Leishmania braziliensis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106:10224-10229. |
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Ayala, FJ. 2009. Darwin and the scientific method. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, suppl. 1:10033-10039. |
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Di Fiore, A., T. Disotell, P. Gagneux, and F.J. Ayala. 2009. Primate malarias: evolution, adaptation, and species jumping. In: Huffman, M.A. and C.A. Chapman, eds., Primate Parasite Ecology. The Dynamics and Study of Host-Parasite Relationships (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge), pp. 141-182. |
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Cela-Conde, C.J., F.J. Ayala, E. Munar, F. Maestú, M. Nadal, M.A. Capó, D. del Río, J.J. López-Ibor, T. Ortiz, C. Mirasso, and G. Marty. 2009. Sex-related similarities and differences in the neural correlates of beauty. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106:3847-3852. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2009. Human Nature: One Evolutionist’s View. In: Pennock, R.T. and M. Ruse, eds., But Is It Science? The Philosophical Question in the Creation/Evolution Controversy (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY), pp. 136-157. |
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Koffia, M., T. De Meeüs, B. Bucheton, P. Solano, M. Camara, D. Kaba, G. Cuny, F.J. Ayala, and V. Jamonneaua. 2009. Population genetics of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the agent of sleeping sickness in Western Africa. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106:209-214. |
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Avise, J.C., S.P. Hubbell, and F.J. Ayala, eds. 2008. In the Light of Evolution. Volume II: Biodiversity and Extinction (National Academies Press: Washington, DC), xvii + 414 pp. |
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Balakirev, E.S., V.A. Pavlyuchkovc, and F.J. Ayala. 2008. DNA variation and endosymbiotic associations in phenotypically-diverse sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:16218-16223. |
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Long, S., M. Jirk?, F.J. Ayala, and J. Lukeš. 2008. Mitochondrial localization of human frataxin is necessary but processing is not for rescuing frataxin deficiency in Trypanosoma brucei. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:13468-13473. |
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Tarrío, R., F.J. Ayala, and F. Rodríguez-Trelles. 2008. Alternative splicing: A missing piece in the puzzle of intron gain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:7223-7228. |
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Lai, D.-H., H. Hashimi, Z.-R. Lun, F.J. Ayala, and J. Lukes. 2008. Adaptations of Trypanosoma brucei to gradual loss of kinetoplast DNA: Trypanosoma equiperdum and Trypanosoma evansi are petite mutants of T. brucei. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:1999-2004. |
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Haag, K.L., B. Gottstein, and F.J. Ayala. 2008. Taeniid history, natural selection and antigenic diversity: evolutionary theory meets helminthology. Trends in Parasitology 24:96-102. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2007. Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion. Joseph Henry Press: Washington, DC, xi + 237 pp. |
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Cela Conde, C.J. and F.J. Ayala. 2007. Human Evolution. Trails from the Past. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, vii + 437 pp. |
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Avise, J.C. and F.J. Ayala, eds. 2007. In the Light of Evolution. Volume I: Adaptation and Complex Design (National Academies Press: Washington, DC), xviii + 360 pp. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2007. Darwin’s greatest discovery: Design without designer. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104:8567-8573. |
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Tatarenkov, A. and F.J. Ayala. 2007. Nucleotide variation at the dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) gene in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Genetics 86: 125-137. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2007. Human Evolution. The Three Grand Challenges of Human Biology. In: D.L. Hull and M. Ruse, eds., The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology (Cambridge University Press: New York), pp. 233-254. |
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Annan, Z., P. Durand, F.J. Ayala, C. Arnathau, P. Awono-Ambene, F. Simard, F.G. Razakandrainibe, J.C. Koella, D. Fontenille, and F. Renaud. 2007. Population genetic structure of Plasmodium falciparum in the two main African vectors, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 7987-7992. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2006. Darwin and Intelligent Design. Fortress Press: Minneapolis, MN, xi + 116 pp. |
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Rodríguez-Trelles, F., R. Tarrío and F.J. Ayala. 2006. Models of spliceosomal intron proliferation in the face of widespread ectopic expression. Gene 366:201-208. |
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Nébavi, F., F.J. Ayala, F. Renaud, S. Bertout, S. Eholié, K. Moussa, M. Mallié and T. de Meeüs. 2006. Clonal population structure and genetic diversity of Candida albicans in AIDS patients from Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103:3663-3668. |
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Rodríguez-Trelles, F., R. Tarrío and F.J. Ayala. 2006. Origins and Evolution of Spliceosomal Introns. Annu. Rev. Genet. 40:47-76. |
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Hey, J., W.M. Fitch and F.J. Ayala, eds. 2005. Systematics and the Origin of Species. On Ernst Mayr’s 100th Anniversary. National Academies Press: Washington, DC. xiii + 367 pp. |
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Wuketits, F.M. and F.J. Ayala, eds. 2005. Handbook of Evolution: The Evolution of Living Systems (Including Hominids), Volume 2. Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, Germany. 292 pp. |
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Lim, C.S., L. Tazi and F.J. Ayala. 2005. Plasmodium vivax: Recent world expansion and genetic identity to Plasmodium simium. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:15523-15528. |
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Balakirev, E.S., V.R. Chechetkin, V.V. Lobzin, and F. J. Ayala. 2005. Entropy and GC Content in the ?-esterase Gene Cluster of the Drosophila melanogaster Subgroup. Mol. Biol. Evol. 22:2063-2072. |
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Rodríguez-Trelles, F., R. Tarrío, and F. J. Ayala. 2005. Is ectopic expression caused by deregulatory mutations or due to gene-regulation leaks with evolutionary potential? BioEssays 27:592-601. |
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Ayala, F.J. and M. Coluzzi. 2005. Chromosome speciation: Humans, Drosophila, and mosquitoes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:6535-6542. |
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Leclerc, M.C., P. Durand, C. Gauthier, S. Patot, N. Billotte, M. Menegon. C. Severini, F.J. Ayala and F. Renaud. 2004. Meager genetic variability of the human malaria agent Plasmodium vivax. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:14455-14460. |
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Haag, K.L., L. Alves-Junior, A. Zaha, and F.J. Ayala. 2004. Contingent, non-neutral evolution in a multicellular parasite: natural selection and gene conversion in the Echinococcus granulosus antigen B gene family. Gene 333:157-167. |
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Balakirev, E.S. and F.J. Ayala. 2004. Nucleotide Variation in the tinman and bagpipe Homeobox Genes of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 166:1845-1856. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2004. Human Evolution: Biology, Culture, Ethics. In: J.B. Miller, ed., The Epic of Evolution. Science and Religion in Dialogue (Pearson Education, Inc.: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey), pp. 166-180. |
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Balakirev, E.S. and F.J. Ayala. 2003. Pseudogenes: Are They “Junk” or Functional DNA? Annu. Rev. Genet. 37:123-151. |
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C.J. Cela-Conde and F.J. Ayala. 2003. Genera of the human lineage. PNAS 100:7684-7689. (Table 1 reprinted in PNAS 100:1033, 2003.) |
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Rodriguez-Trelles, F., R. Tarrio, and F.J. Ayala. 2003. Convergent neofunctionalization by positive Darwinian selection after ancient recurrent duplications of the xanthine dehydrogenase gene. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:13413-13417. |
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Ayala, F.J. 2003. Intelligent Design: The Original Version. Theology and Science 1:9-32. |
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Žurovcová, M. and F.J. Ayala. 2002. Polymorphism Patterns in Two Tightly Linked Developmental Genes, Idgf1 and Idgf3, of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 162:177-188. |
Professional
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Genetics Society of America |
| Society for the Study of Evolution | |
| Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society | |
| Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution | |
| American Association for the Advancement of Science | |
Address |
University of California Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology 321 Steinhaus Hall Mail Code: 2525 Irvine, CA 92697 |
Phone: | (949) 824-8293 |
Fax: | (949) 824-2474 |
Email: | fjayala@uci.edu |
| Updated | 11/18/2009 |
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