Networks
Provine, William Ball
Charles A. Alexander Professor of Biological Sciences, and Professor of History
Positions
- Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) - 2011
- Professor, History (HIST), College of Arts and Sciences - 2011
I am interested in the recent history of genetics and evolutionary biology, and the connections of these fields with public life.
Research Areas
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Affiliations
Research
research activities
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Ernst Mayr, A Retrospective. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 20:411-413. 2005
- Ernst Mayr: Genetics and Speciation. Genetics. 167:1041-1046. 2004
- No free will. ISIS. 90. 1999
- Western geneticists discover Kimura. Journal of Genetics. 75:9-17. 1996
- Edward Henry Sturtevant and crosses between Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. Genetics. 129:1-5. 1991
- Discussion: Population genetics. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. 52:201-207. 1990
- Review of "Trial and error: The American controversy over creation and evolution," by Edward J. Larson. Academe. 73:50-52. 1987
- Geneticists and Race. American Zoologist. 26:857-887. 1986
- Geneticists and race. American Zoologist. 26:857-887. 1986
- Geneticists and the biology of race crossing. Science. 182:790-796. 1973
- The legend of "Long Tom" at the Cumberland Gap. Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 24:256-264. 1965
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article
- Evolution, religion and free will 2007
- Formerly restricted interview with Barbara McClintock, now available at Cornell University Archives 1999
- Evolution and the foundation of ethics 1988
- Scientists, face it! Science and religion are incompatible 1988
- Genetics, race, intelligence: The Genetics Society of America resolution. The Cornell Review. 6:21-34. 1979
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book
- Origins of theoretical population genetics, with a new afterword 2001
- Sewall Wright and Evolutionary Biology. Chicago : University of Chicago Press. 1986
- Sewall Wright and evolutionary biology 1986
- The Origins of Theoretical Population Genetics. Chicago : University of Chicago Press. 1971
- The origins of theoretical population genetics 1971
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booksection
- Mechanisms of speciation: A review 1991
- Preface 1991
- The neutral theory of molecular evolution in historical perspective 1990
- Evolution and the foundation of ethics, with additions 1989
- The study of the genetics of natural populations during the evolutionary synthesis of the 1930s and 1940s 1985
- Mechanisme, Dessein, et. Ethique: La Revolution Darwinienne Inachevee 1983
- Choosing our genes 1980
- Origins of the genetics of natural populations series 1980
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chapter
- Evolution, religion, and science. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science. 667-680. 2006
- Geneticists and the biology of race. The Evolution of Population Biology. 2004
- Speciation in Historical Perspective. Applied Systems Analysis. 17-29. 2004
- Design? Yes. But is it intelligent?. Darwinism, design, and public education. 2003
- The origin of Dobzhansky's genetics and the origin of species. The evolution of Theodosius Dobzhansky. 99-114. 1994
- Genes and ecology and history. Genes in ecology. 3-28. 1991
- Founder effects and genetic revolutions in microevolution and speciation: An historical perspective. Genetics, speciation, and the founder principle. 43-76. 1989
- Progress in Evolution and Meaning of Life. Evolutionary Progress. 49-74. 1988
- Adaptation and mechanisms of evolution after Darwin. The Darwinian heritage. 825-866. 1985
- The R. A. Fisher--Sewall Wright controversy and its influence upon modern evolutionary biology. Oxford Surveys in Evolutionary Biology. 197-219. 1985
- The development of Wright's theory of evolution: Systematics, adaptation, and drift. Dimensions of Darwinism. 43-70. 1983
- Origins of the genetics of natural populations series. Dobzhansky's genetics of natural populations I-XLIII. 1-83. 1981
- Francis B. Sumner and the evolutionary synthesis. Studies in the History of Biology. 211-240. 1979
- Role of mathematical population geneticists in the evolutionary synthesis. Studies in the History of Biology. 167-192. 1978
- Role of mathematical population geneticists in the evolutionary synthesis of the 1930s and 1940s. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics. 2-30. 1977
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document part
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report
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review
- Review of "Trial and error: The American controversy over creation and evolution," by Edward J. Larson. 50-52. 1987
- Facts bearing on Darwin's illness. Review of "To be an invalid," by Ralph Colp. 1431-1432. 1977
- An attempt to limit research. Review of "Antivivisection and medical science in Victorian society," by Richard D. French. 711-712. 1975
- Missing some of Darwin's brilliance. Review of "Darwin on man," by Howard E. Gruber and Paul H. Barrett. 483-484. 1975
- Proof of natural selection. Review of "The triumph of the Darwinian method," by Michael Ghiselin. 169-170. 1974
- Review of Kenneth Ludmerer, "Genetics and American Society: A historical appraisal.". 101-102. 1974
- Gene 1979
- Genetipo/Fenotipo (Genotype/Phenotype) 1979
- Eredita (Heredity) 1978
- Edward Murray East 1972
editor of
featured in archived article
Teaching
teaching overview
- I love teaching at Cornell. Digging deep into issues is the hallmark of my teaching.
Service
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in History of Science, University of Chicago 1970
- M.A. in History of Science, University of Chicago 1965
- B.S. in Mathematics, University of Chicago 1962
awards and honors
- The Darwin Award, 1996
- Wilhelmine Key Lecturer, 1990
- John M. and Emily B. Clark Award for Distinguished Teachers of Undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell, 1989
- Guggenheim Fellowship, 1985
- Arnold Ravin Memorial Lecturer, 1984
- Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Lecturer, 1980
- Fellow
- Cocos Fellow
Other
college
- CALS
name prefix
- Professor