Jack Cohen (scientist)
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211710525
2008-05-11T19:22:27Z
Chemical Engineer
2015158
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{{otherpersons|Jack Cohen}}
'''Jack Cohen''', FIBiol (born [[19 September]] [[1933]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[reproduction|reproductive]] [[biology|biologist]] also known for his popular science books and involvement with [[science fiction]].
==Academic career==
He studied at [[University of Hull|University College, Hull]] obtaining a [[BSc]] (external degree of the University of London) in [[1954]].He obtained his [[PhD]] in [[Zoology]] at the same institution, (by then [[Hull University]]) in [[1957]]. He went to the [[University of Birmingham]] for post-doctoral work, and was appointed Lecturer in the Department of [[Zoology]] and [[Comparative physiology|Comparative Physiology]] in [[1959]]. He worked for a year at [[Harvard Medical School]] then returned to [[University of Birmingham|Birmingham]] as a Senior Lecturer in [[1968]], a position he held until [[1987]]. His former students include Sir [[Paul Nurse]] winner of the [[2001]] [[Nobel Prize]] for Medicine, and Dr Arthur Jones, a proponent of [[intelligent design]]. In [[1974]] the [[University of Birmingham]] awarded him a [[DSc]] for his work.
During [[1987]] to [[1989]] he was Senior Embryological Advisor and Manager of Laboratories at the [[IVF]]/Infertility Clinic of a [[London]] private hospital. During [[1995]] to [[1996]] he was Visiting Professor at the [[Weizmann Institute]], [[Israel]]. From [[1996]] to [[2000]] he was a consultant at [[Warwick University]] jointly to the Ecosystems Unit of the Biology Dept and the Mathematics Institute. He is currently an Honorary Professor at the Mathematics Institute of [[Warwick University]] and a Visiting Professor at [[Durham Business School]].
He has published in prestigious journals such as [[Nature (journal)|''Nature'']] and written textbooks such as ''Living Embryos - an Introduction to the Study of Animal Development'' (1967) and ''Reproduction'' (1977). His theory of [[Sperm competition|sperm redundancy]]<ref>J. Cohen ''Nature'' 215, 862 - 863 (1967)</ref> has been important in studies of fertility and treatment of infertility. He is a Fellow of the [[Institute of Biology]].
==Other Activities==
Cohen has worked as a consultant for both [[science fiction television]] shows and [[science fiction]] novelists on how to construct plausible [[extraterrestrial life|alien]]s. His collaborators and associated works include [[Anne McCaffrey]] for the ''[[Dragonriders of Pern]]''; the ''[[The Legacy of Heorot|Legacy of Heorot]]'' collaboration of [[Larry Niven]], [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Steven Barnes]]; and several works by [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[David Gerrold]] which he helped design the [[Chtorr]] ecology.
He has also collaborated with fellow [[University of Warwick]] researcher [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] to write deep books on [[epistemology]], and the science of the [[Discworld (world)|Discworld]].
Jack Cohen is a member of the high [[IQ]] society [[Mensa International|Mensa]]. He was one of the small group of British Mensans who persuaded science fiction author [[Isaac Asimov]] to visit the [[United Kingdom]] in June [[1974]].[http://www.andrew-may.com/asf/asimov.htm]
In [[1999]] [[Terry Pratchett]] made both Jack and Professor [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] "Honorary Wizards of the Unseen University" at the same ceremony at which the [[University of Warwick]] gave Terry Pratchett an honorary degree.
His hobbies, according to profiles in the front of his books, include [[boomerang]]-throwing and keeping strange animals.
==Books==
*''[[The Science of Discworld]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] and [[Terry Pratchett]]
*''[[The Science of Discworld II: The Globe]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] and [[Terry Pratchett]]
*''[[The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] and [[Terry Pratchett]]
*''[[Figments of Reality]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] (non-fiction)
*''[[The Collapse of Chaos]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] (non-fiction)
*''[[Evolving the Alien: The Science of Extraterrestrial Life]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]]. The American and second editions were published as ''What Does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life''
*''[[Wheelers (novel)|Wheelers]]'', with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]] (fiction)
*''[[Heaven (novel)|Heaven]]'' (fiction), with [[Ian Stewart (mathematician)|Ian Stewart]], ISBN 0-446-52983-4, Aspect (May 2004)
* ''Living Embryos'', Pergamon (1967)
* ''Reproduction'', Butterworths (1977)
* ''Spermatozoa, Antibodies and Infertility'' (1978) with W. F. Hendry
* ''Living Embryos'' (1981) with B. D. Massey
* ''Animal Reproduction: parents making parents'' (1984) with B. D. Massey
* ''The Privileged Ape'' (1989)
* ''Stop Working and Start Thinking'' (2000) with Graham Medley
==Select Quotations==
* From ''What Does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life''
:"[S]cience is the best defense against believing what we want to." (Cohen himself actually gives credit for this quote to his co-author, Stewart).
==References==
*{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.drjackcohen.net/ Jack Cohen's home page]
*[http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/NE1000000081565/ Press release about Terry Pratchett "Wizard Making" of Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart at the University of Warwick]
*[http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/sf/cons/cohen.htm Jack Cohen SF talks and publications]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Jack}}
[[Category:British science writers]]
[[Category:British biologists]]
[[Category:British Jews]]
[[Category:Science fiction fans]]
[[Category:Academics of the University of Warwick]]
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[cs:Jack Cohen]]
[[fr:Jack Cohen (scientifique)]]