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Jerry Allen Coyne (born December 30, 1949) is an American biologist and skeptic known for his work on speciation and his commentary on intelligent design. A professor emeritus of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago, he has published on the theory of evolution. His concentration is speciation and ecological and evolutionary genetics, particularly as they involve the fruit fly, Drosophila. In 2023 he became a fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

He is the author of the text Speciation and the bestselling non-fiction book Why Evolution Is True. Coyne maintains a website and writes for his blog, also called Why Evolution Is True. He is a hard determinist.

Coyne gained attention outside of the scientific community as a public critic of religion. As a proponent of New Atheism, he is often cited with atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. He is the author of the book Faith Versus Fact.

Early life and education

Jerry Allen Coyne was born December 30, 1949. He was raised by Jewish parents. He graduated with a B.S. in biology from the College of William & Mary in 1971, receiving the Botetourt Medal for academic achievement. According to Coyne, while in college, he was involved in activism against apartheid and protested against the Vietnam War. His graduate work at Rockefeller University under Theodosius Dobzhansky was interrupted when he was drafted. He earned a Ph.D. in biology at Harvard University in 1978, studying under Richard Lewontin, and went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Davis, with Timothy Prout.

Career

Coyne was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1988. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007. He received the Emperor Has No Clothes Award from the Freedom from Religion Foundation in 2011.

Coyne has served as Vice President (1996) and President (2011) of the Society for the Study of Evolution. He has been associate editor of the publications Evolution (1985–1988; 1994–2000) and The American Naturalist (1990–1993). He has taught evolutionary biology, speciation, genetic analysis, social issues and scientific knowledge, scientific speaking and writing. He considers evolutionary biology to be "... more like the fine arts of science, in that it's aesthetically quite satisfying, but it also happens to be true, which is an extra bonus."

His writing has been published in the scientific journals Nature, and Science, as well as news and magazine publications including The New York Times, the Times Literary Supplement, and The New Republic. His research interests include population and evolutionary genetics, speciation, ecological and quantitative genetics, chromosome evolution, and sperm competition.

Coyne was a consultant for the defense during the murder trial of O. J. Simpson and expressed concerns that the DNA evidence implicating Simpson could be faulty. In 2024, shortly after Simpson's death, Coyne shared his belief that Simpson was "guilty as hell" and the verdict was "a miscarriage of justice largely due to the incompetence of the prosecution", which had caused him to refuse subsequent requests to serve as an expert witness.

In a 1996 critique of the theory of intelligent-design creationism, Coyne wrote a New Republic article on Of Pandas and People (a book review), which started a long history of writing on evolution and creationism.

The Ecuadoran frog Atelopus coynei is named after Coyne, who collected the holotype in a swamp on a frogging trip to western Ecuador as a student in the late 1970s.

Critiques of creationism

Coyne is a critic of creationism, theistic evolution, and intelligent design, which he calls "the latest pseudoscientific incarnation of religious creationism, cleverly crafted by a new group of enthusiasts to circumvent recent legal restrictions."

Beliefs

Atheism and skepticism

Coyne considers himself a secular Jew, and an outspoken anti-theist. As a proponent of New Atheism, he is often cited with atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. He supports the theses of metaphysical naturalism and the conflict thesis. He claims that religion and science are fundamentally incompatible, that only rational evaluation of evidence is capable of reliably discovering the world and the way it works, and that scientists who hold religious views are only reflective of the idea, "that people can hold two conflicting notions in their heads at the same time" (cognitive dissonance). He has argued that the incompatibility of science and faith is based on irreconcilable differences in methodology, philosophy, and outcomes when they try to discern truths about the universe.

Coyne produces a website in blog format titled Why Evolution Is True. As of January 10, 2023, it had over 73,000 subscribers. On the blog, he has covered subjects spanning science, medical ethics, atheism, determinism, philosophy and free speech.

Coyne is an advocate of skepticism, and has stated that "all scientific progress requires a climate of strong skepticism." He has participated in public forums and debates with theists.