b. 1941
W. Ford Doolittle is a Canadian evolutionary biologist and philosopher of biology known for his work on horizontal gene transfer and its implications for the tree of life. He has been a prominent critic of gene-centric views of evolution and has argued that natural selection may not hold the explanatory status traditionally assigned to it. His work bridges molecular biology and philosophy of science, particularly regarding the conceptual foundations of evolutionary theory.
Challenged the universal tree of life through research on horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes
Argued for reconceptualizing natural selection's explanatory role in evolutionary biology
Pioneered work on the evolution of introns and the 'introns-early' hypothesis
Contributed to debates on the units and levels of selection
Bridged molecular biology and philosophy of science in analyses of evolutionary theory