McKie, Robin

PERSONAL: Male. Education: Glasgow University, B.S. (math and psychology, with honors). Hobbies and other interests: Squash, skiing, walking, photography and traveling.

ADDRESSES: Office—Observer, London, England. Agent—c/o Henry Holt Co., 115 West 18th St., New York, NY 10011.

CAREER: Writer and editor. Edinburgh Evening News, reporter, 1978–78; Times Higher Educational Supplement, science correspondent, 1978–82; Observer, London, England, science editor, 1984–.

WRITINGS:

Panic: The Story of AIDS, Thorsons, 1986.

(With others) Chernobyl: The End of the Nuclear Dream, Vintage Books (New York, NY), 1987.

The Genetic Jigsaw: The Story of the New Genetics, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1988.

(With Walter Bodmer) The Book of Man: The Human Genome Project and the Quest to Discover Our Genetic Heritage, Little, Brown (London, England), 1994, Scribner (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Christopher Stringer) African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity, Holt/John Macrae (New York, NY), 1997.

Dawn of Man: The Story of Human Evolution, Dorling Kindersley Publishing (New York, NY), 2000.

NONFICTION FOR CHILDREN

Lasers, illustrations by Paul Cooper, Elsa Godfrey, and Rob Shone, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1983.

Technology: Science at Work, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1984.

Nuclear Power, illustrations by Mike Saunders and others, Gloucester Press (New York, NY), 1985.

Solar Power, Gloucester Press (New York, NY), 1985.

Robots, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1986.

Energy, Hampstead Press (New York, NY), 1989.

Contributor to periodicals, including World.

SIDELIGHTS: Robin McKie, a writer and science editor for the Observer in London, England, has published books on subjects ranging from human origin to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and has produced many science volumes for children. Noteworthy among McKie's works is African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity, which was written with Christopher Stringer. Scientific advances, many less than a decade old, have transformed researchers' understanding of where and how the human species originated. African Exodus challenges the long-held notion that humans evolved in multiple regions approximately two million years ago; rather, it argues that the human race developed in Africa and began migrating throughout the remainder of the world approximately one hundred thousand years ago. In the book, McKie and Stringer contend that the remarkable genetic similarities among various races are of greater importance than the racial differences revealed in other studies. Robert J. Coontz, Jr. commented in Earth: "In recounting this 'Out of Africa' scenario, the authors blast away at the rival idea that humans evolved in several parts of the world at the same time. The 'multiregional hypothesis' is dead, Stringer and McKie say; fossil bones and modern DNA both show that things just didn't happen that way."

Despite its unconventional approach to the theory of human evolution, African Exodus received widely positive reviews, in particular for its authors' ability to make complex anthropological information comprehendible to readers. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly called African Exodus "intellectually potent yet eminently accessible."

McKie has also written about genetics in such works as The Genetic Jigsaw: The Story of the New Genetics and—with Walter Bodmer—The Book of Man: The Human Genome Project and the Quest to Discover Our Genetic Heritage. Ian N.M. Day, reviewing the book for Lancet, noted that the authors' "stated aim is to help (lay) readers appreciate the scientific challenges that have been overcome in bringing genetics to this remarkable state of preparedness, and to describe the awkward problems that still lie ahead. Although already familiar with the field, I found this book a fascinating read…. The book of man should appeal to professionals for its light overview and to lay readers for the comprehensible journey of self-discovery that it leads them through."

McKie has also produced many science volumes for young readers. These writings for children include Energy, which considers alternatives to petroleum and nuclear power; Lasers; Technology: Science at Work, which addresses subjects such as energy generation, computer design, and space exploration; Nuclear Power, which explains both fission and fusion and provides arguments both for and against nuclear energy; Solar Power; and Robots. McKie's books for children have been highly praised for their deft handling of the material and inclusion of glossaries, photographs, and diagrams designed to further facilitate children's understanding of complex subjects.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Appraisal, spring/summer, 1984, pp. 29-30; fall, 1985, pp. 31-32; fall, 1986, pp. 108-109;

Booklist, March 15, 1985, p. 1060; January 1, 1986, p. 683; June 1, 1986, p. 1462; June 1, 1989, p. 1720; December 1, 1994, Donna Seaman, review of The Book of Man: The Human Genome Project and the Quest to Discover Our Genetic Heritage, p. 642; July, 1997, Mary Caroll, review of African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity, p. 1785.

Earth, February 1998, Robert J. Coontz Jr, review of African Exodus, p. 62.

Growing Point, September, 1985, p. 4500.

Humanist, May/June, 1987, p. 46.

Junior Bookshelf, December, 1983, p. 246.

Lancet, May 28, 1994, Ian N.M. Day, review of The Book of Man, p. 1348.

Library Journal, June 15, 1997, H. James Birx, review of African Exodus, p. 78.

Listener, September 4, 1986, pp. 21-22.

Publishers Weekly, November 21, 1994, review of The Book of Man, p. 61; June 9, 1997, review of African Exodus, p. 33.

School Library Journal, December, 1983, p. 67; March, 1985, p. 168; November, 1985, p. 80; March, 1986, p. 158; September, 1989, p. 259.