Russell Doolittle

Russell F. Doolittle (January 10, 1931 – October 11, 2019) was an

American biochemist who taught at the University of California,
San Diego (UCSD). Described as a "world-renowned evolutionary
biologist",[1] Doolittle's research primarily focused on the structure
and evolution of proteins.[2] Highlights of Doolittle's decades of
research include his role in co-developing the hydropathy index
and determining the structure of fibrinogen.

Early life and education

Doolittle was born on January 10, 1931, in New Haven,
Connecticut.[3] Doolittle earned a B.A. in biology from Wesleyan
Department of Chemistry and
University in 1952, and an M.A. in education from Trinity College Biochemistry, UC San Diego
in 1957.[4] He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Harvard
University in 1962 with research in blood clotting. Doolittle later
conducted postdoctoral research in Sweden funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Career
Doolittle notably co-developed the hydropathy index, and was instrumental in determining the structure
of fibrinogen. Dootlittle was a member of the National Academy of Sciences from 1984,[5] was a
Guggenheim Fellow and was a co-recipient of the Paul Ehrlich Prize.[2]

In 1985, Doolittle was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985.[6] In
1992, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.[7] In addition, Doolittle calculated the date
of the divergence of all life forms from a common ancestor.[8] In 2006, Doolittle was awarded the John J.
Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences for his professional achievements.[9]

Personal views
Doolittle was a critic of creationism[10] and intelligent design (ID), and accused Michael Behe, an ID
proponent, of misquoting his work.[11] In 1981, Doolittle debated ID proponent Duane Gish on live
television.[12] In 2016, three years before is death, Doolittle signed onto an open letter urging world
leaders to take the threat of climate change seriously.[13]

Death and legacy

Doolittle died in La Jolla on October 11, 2019, at the age of 88.[14][15] Molecular biologist Kenneth R.
Miller praised Doolittle's contributions to science, stating he regards Doolittle "as the very epitome of a
humane life in science".[16]

Books
Russell F. Doolittle, Of Urfs and Orfs: A Primer on how to Analyze Derived Amino Acid
Sequences (https://books.google.com/books/about/Of_Urfs_And_Orfs.html?id=jIlMMx6Ji-s
C). (University Science Books, December 1986) ISBN 0-935702-54-7
Russell F. Doolittle, John N. Abelson, and Melvin I. Simon, Computer Methods for
Macromolecular Sequence Analysis (Methods in Enzymology) (Academic Press, 1996)
ISBN 0-12-182167-6
Russell F. Doolittle, The Evolution of Vertebrate Blood Clotting (University Science Books,
August 2012) ISBN 978-1-891389-81-8
John N. Abelson, Melvin I. Simon, and Russell F. Doolittle, Molecular Evolution: Computer
Analysis of Protein and Nucleic Acid Sequences, Volume 183: Volume 183: Molecular
Evolution (Methods in Enzymology) (Academic Press, Feb 28, 1990) ISBN 0-12-182084-X
Mosesson, Michael W. and Doolittle, Russell F. Molecular biology of fibrinogen and fibrin
(Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) (New York Academy of Sciences, 1983)
ISBN 0-89766-209-1

References
1. Fogg, Christiana; Kovats, Diane; Vingron, Martin (4 August 2021). "ISCB Honors 2021
Award Recipients Peer Bork, Barbara Engelhardt, Ben Raphael, Teresa Attwood" (https://w
ww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8275334). Bioinformatics. 37 (Supplement_1): i1–i6.
doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btab383 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbioinformatics%2Fbtab383).
PMC 8275334 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8275334).
2. "Russell Doolittle" (http://biology.ucsd.edu/faculty/doolittle.html). University of California, San
Diego. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
3. "In Memoriam: Russell Doolittle, 1931-2019" (https://biology.ucsd.edu/about/news/article_11
0619.html). biology.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
4. Doolittle, Russell (2008). "Biography of Dr Doolittle" (http://bix.ucsd.edu/bioalgorithms/book/
biobox.pdf) (PDF). University of California, San Diego. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
5. "Russell F. Doolittle" (http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/deceased-members/5624
8.html). www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
6. "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter D" (http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMe
mbers/ChapterD.pdf) (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 22 April
2011.
7. "APS Member History" (https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Russell+Dool
ittle&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advan
ced). search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
8. Menon, Shanti (June 1996). "A new tree of life - Russell Doolittle calculates a new, more
recent date for the divergence of all life forms from a common ancestor" (http://discovermag
azine.com/1996/jun/anewtreeoflife793). Discover. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
9. "John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science" (https://web.archive.org/web/201012
29180532/http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_carty). National
Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original (http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServe
r?pagename=AWARDS_carty) on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
10. Russell Doolittle, "The Probability and Origin of Life" in Scientists Confront Creationism
(1984) Ed. Laurie R. Godfrey, p. 85
11. Doolittle, Russell (February–March 1997). "A Delicate Balance" (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20140203003611/http://new.bostonreview.net/BR22.1/doolittle.html). Boston Review.
Archived from the original (http://new.bostonreview.net/BR22.1/doolittle.html) on 2014-02-
03. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
12. "Russell Doolittle dies | National Center for Science Education" (https://ncse.ngo/russell-dool
ittle-dies). ncse.ngo. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
13. "An Open Letter Regarding Climate Change From Concerned Members of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences | Earth Research Institute" (https://www.eri.ucsb.edu/events/news/ope
n-letter-regarding-climate-change-concerned-members-us-national-academy-sciences).
www.eri.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
14. "Doolittle Announcement" (https://chemistry.ucsd.edu/news/doolittle.html). University of
California San Diego Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry NewsNews. University of
California San Diego. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
15. "In Memoriam: Russell Doolittle, 1931-2019" (https://biology.ucsd.edu/about/news/article_11
0619.html). biology.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
16. Farrell, John. "The Achievement Of Russell Doolittle" (https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfarre
ll/2019/11/17/the-achievement-of-russell-doolittle/). Forbes. Retrieved 2021-10-05.

External links
Russell Doolittle Biochemistry Laboratory Records (http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/finding
aids/mss0077.html) MSS 77. Special Collections & Archives (http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collecti
ons/sca/index.html), UC San Diego Library.
Russell Doolittle (http://biology.ucsd.edu/faculty/doolittle.html) at University of California, San
Diego
40/40 Vision: Russell Doolittle - The Revolution of Biology (http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.
asp?showID=5226) from UC Television (UCTV) (Video of lecture tracing DNA from our
closest to most distant ancestors)
Profiles in Discovery (http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.asp?showID=8539) from UC
Television (UCTV) (Video)

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