Les travaux de Jerry Coyne explorent la génétique écologique et évolutive, avec un accent particulier sur la spéciation, notamment chez les drosophiles. Ses écrits, publiés dans des revues scientifiques de premier plan ainsi que dans des médias grand public, abordent des sujets complexes tels que la génétique des populations, les mécanismes évolutifs et les subtilités de la compétition des spermatozoïdes. Coyne offre aux lecteurs des perspectives approfondies sur les processus qui sous-tendent l'évolution et la formation de nouvelles espèces. Son style accessible rend les idées scientifiques complexes compréhensibles pour un large public.
An argument in favor of evolution places an emphasis on the factual evidence supporting it, drawing on scientific evidence and discussing the significance of archaeological findings that reveal key moments in evolutionary history.
Deserted by his mother and abandoned by his father at just three months old, Jerry Coyne was sent to live in a Catholic children's home run by nuns of the order of the Sisters of Nazareth. Life soon settled into a rhythm and then, one day, the beatings started. Harsh, vicious punishments became part of everyday life for the bemused little boy as the nuns attempted to beat the Devil out of him. Jerry began to hide behind bad behaviour and at the age of 12, his defiance resulted in him being sent to a boarding for boys with behavioural problems. Life then got worse when his housemaster, the man whose job it was to take care of him, began a regime of mental, physical and sexual abuse. Years of self-hatred and guilt led to Jerry suffering from a severe stammer and, eventually, he tried to hang himself. This was the turning point and, after finally finding the courage to go to the authorities, Jerry and numerous other victims came forward and were instrumental in the conviction and imprisonment of their abuser. Devil's Child is the devastating true story of a childhood destroyed by abuse and of a young man's struggle to try to come to terms with the past and believe in the future.