VOA标准英语2010-Former Priest Turned Geneticist Separates

（单词翻译）

Rosanne Skirble | Washington, DC 05 April 2010
Francisco Ayala accepts the 2010 Templeton Prize for his achievement in affirming life's spirituality.
Related Links:

Fact Sheet Francisco Ayala
Link to Bio at University of California, Irvine
2010 Templeton Prize
National Medal of Science
American Association for the Advancement¹ of Science
 

Francisco Ayala is a man at the intersection² of science and religion, who sees no conflict between the two. The molecular³ biologist has revolutionized evolutionary⁴ theory, leading to new ways to prevent diseases while shedding light on issues concerning society, ethics⁵ and religion.

Ayala was born in Madrid in 1934, a few years before the Spanish Civil War that deeply divided his native country and prompted an exodus⁶ of the Spanish elite⁷.  But Ayala's family - who owned a department store - stayed and he grew up in the shadow of the Spanish dictatorship. He and his siblings⁸ went to Catholic schools.

Francisco Ayala, professor of biology and evolutionary genetics, in his laboratory at the University of California (1988)

Science and Religion

A priest sparked Ayala's interest in science. He went on to study physics at the University of Madrid and with that degree in hand headed to a theological center in Salamanca, where, in 1960, he was ordained⁹ a Dominican priest.

But the next year he decided¹⁰ to return to science and five years later, left the priesthood. He pursued a degree in evolutionary genetics at Columbia University in New York. "Trying to understand humans, what we are and where we come from," he says.

In 1964, Ayala received a doctorate¹¹ in the field. His research began with fruit flies, but over the last two decades, his focus has been on parasitic¹² protozoa, single-celled organisms that cause major diseases.

Francisco Ayala with sons, Carlos [left] and Jose [right], in 1995.

Scientific breakthrough

Ayala discovered that parasites¹⁴ were responsible for Chagas, an often fatal disease afflicting¹⁵ millions of people in the Americas. The parasites reproduced not sexually, but by cloning.

"Each individual [parasite¹³] grows and divides into two, and that process keeps going on generation after generation, thousand after thousand years, millions after million years," says Ayala.

This led Ayala to similar discoveries about the parasites that cause malaria¹⁶ and other tropical diseases. "We are able to demonstrate that the spread of malignant¹⁷ malaria happened only within the last five thousand years, even though the parasite affects hundreds of millions of people. So it's a very recent human disease in the evolutionary scale."

Francisco Ayala argues both science and faith are damaged when one invades the other.

Ayala says malaria was likely first transmitted from chimpanzees to humans through a single mosquito. In one recent study - among the 1,000 he's published - Ayala establishes that gorillas¹⁸ and chimps¹⁹ may serve as reservoirs for the parasites that cause human malaria.  "The next stop is for epidemiologists and physicians who are trying to develop vaccines²⁰ or drugs to take advantage of this knowledge in doing their work," he says.

'The bible has no place in science education'

In addition to his work as a scientist, Ayala has also written and lectured extensively on religion and science. The former priest says the theory of evolution is consistent with his Christian²¹ faith.  "Belief in God and accepting that life has purpose and meaning and accepting that life has moral values and other things that are properly the content of religion are perfectly²² compatible with science."

Francisco Ayala travels to Poland for a book signing following the publication of his book, 'Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion.'

In 1981 Ayala joined a legal battle as an expert witness in the challenge against an Arkansas law mandating²³ that the biblical story of creation be taught in schools, alongside Darwin's theory of evolution.  "That law was rejected," in court he says because, "the bible has no place in science education."

That position was later affirmed by the U.S. Supreme²⁴ Court. "Laws like this which required teaching creationism in science classes are unconstitutional," he says.

Not only are the laws unconstitutional, Ayala asserts, but creationism - especially widespread in the American South among evangelical Christians²⁵ - is contrary to Christian tradition. He says 3rd century church theologian and philosopher St. Augustine understood that.

"Augustine says repeatedly what the bible is teaching us is how to worship god, how we should relate to each other, our moral values and how to go to heaven, not how the heavens were made. How the heavens were made is for the scientists to find out."

Ayala became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1971. He has received many awards for his work, including the National Medal of Science, the nation's top science honor. And, this year he won the Templeton Prize for achievement affirming life's spirituality. In announcing the award, Templeton officials said "Ayala's clear voice in matters of science and faith echoes the foundation's belief that evolution of the mind and truly open-minded inquiry²⁶ can lead to real spiritual progress in the world."  The prize is worth $1.6 million and Ayala says all the money will go to charity.