# Gabriel Dover

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{{Short description|British geneticist}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Gabriel Dover
| birth_name = Gabriel A. Dover
| native_name_lang = 
| image = <!--(filename only, i.e. without "File:" prefix)-->
| image_size = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{birth date |df=y|1937|12|13}}
| birth_place = [Manchester](/source/Manchester)
| death_date = {{death date and age |df=y|2018|04|01 |1937|12|13}}
| death_place = 
| death_cause = 
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| resting_place_co-ordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}-->
| other_names = 
| fields = 
| workplaces = {{Plainlist|
* [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge)
* [University of Leicester](/source/University_of_Leicester)}}
| patrons = 
| education  = {{Plainlist|
* [University of Leeds](/source/University_of_Leeds) (BSc)
* [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge) (PhD)}}
| thesis_title = The genetics and function of the meiotic pairing-control systems in the triticinae
| thesis_url = http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.453906
| thesis_year = 1972
| doctoral_advisor = [Ralph Riley](/source/Ralph_Riley)<ref name=riley/>
| academic_advisors = 
| doctoral_students = {{Plainlist|
* [Stephen D. M. Brown](/source/Stephen_D._M._Brown)<ref>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Cambridge|title=The molecular organisation and evolution of rodent genomes|first=Stephen D. M.|last=Brown|year=1981|url=https://copac.jisc.ac.uk/id/31666252?style=html|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.252843}}|oclc=556404448|archive-date=17 November 2018|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117151320/https://copac.jisc.ac.uk/id/31666252?style=html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1038/285047a0| title = Conservation of segmental variants of satellite DNA of Mus musculus in a related species: Mus spretus| journal = Nature| volume = 285| issue = 5759| pages = 47–9| year = 1980| last1 = Brown | first1 = S. D. M. | author-link1 = Stephen D. M. Brown| last2 = Dover | first2 = G. A. | pmid = 7374752| bibcode = 1980Natur.285...47B| s2cid = 4326610| author-link2 = Gabriel Dover}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 6276556
| year = 1981
| last1 = Brown | first1 = S. D. | author-link1 = Stephen D. M. Brown
| title = Organization and evolutionary progress of a dispersed repetitive family of sequences in widely separated rodent genomes
| journal = [Journal of Molecular Biology](/source/Journal_of_Molecular_Biology)
| volume = 150
| issue = 4
| pages = 441–66
| last2 = Dover | first2 = G | author-link2  = Gabriel Dover | doi=10.1016/0022-2836(81)90374-0
}}</ref>
* [Enrico Coen](/source/Enrico_Coen)<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Brownlee|first1=C.|title=Biography of Enrico Coen|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=101|issue=14|year=2004|pages=4725–4727|issn=0027-8424|doi=10.1073/pnas.0401746101|pmid=15051867|pmc=387315|bibcode=2004PNAS..101.4725B|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Coen|first1=Enrico S.|last2=Thoday|first2=John M.|last3=Dover|first3=Gabriel|title=Rate of turnover of structural variants in the rDNA gene family of Drosophilam elanogaster |journal=Nature| volume=295| issue=5850| year=1982| pages=564–568| issn=0028-0836| doi=10.1038/295564a0| pmid=6799840| bibcode=1982Natur.295..564C|s2cid=4347190}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Cambridge|title=The dynamics of multigene family evolution in Drosophila|first= Enrico Sandro|last=Coen|year=1982|url=http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.348792|oclc=499809938}}</ref>}}
| notable_students = 
| known_for = [Molecular drive](/source/Molecular_drive)<ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 7146894
| year = 1982
| last1 = Dover
| first1 = G. A. | author-link1 = Gabriel Dover
| title = Molecular drive
| journal = Science 
| location = New York, N.Y.
| volume = 218
| issue = 4577
| pages = 1069
| last2 = Strachan
| first2 = T
| last3 = Coen
| first3 = E. S.
| last4 = Brown
| first4 = S. D. | author-link4 = Stephen D. M. Brown
 | doi=10.1126/science.7146895
| bibcode = 1982Sci...218.1069D
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/0168-9525(86)90211-8| title = Molecular drive in multigene families: How biological novelties arise, spread and are assimilated| journal = Trends in Genetics| volume = 2| pages = 159–165| year = 1986| last1 = Dover | first1 = G. A. }}</ref>
| influences = 
| influenced = 
| awards = 
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| spouse = <!--(or | spouses = )-->
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| signature = <!--(filename only)-->
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| footnotes = 
}}
'''Gabriel A. Dover''' (13 December 1937{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} – 1 April 2018) was a British [geneticist](/source/geneticist), best known for coining the term [molecular drive](/source/molecular_drive) in 1982 to describe a putative third evolutionary force operating distinctly from [natural selection](/source/natural_selection) and [genetic drift](/source/genetic_drift).<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1038/299111a0| title = Molecular drive: A cohesive mode of species evolution| journal = Nature| volume = 299| issue = 5879| pages = 111–117| year = 1982| last1 = Dover | first1 = Gabriel | pmid = 7110332| bibcode = 1982Natur.299..111D| s2cid = 4317964}}</ref><ref name=scopus>{{Scopus id}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 16409378
| year = 2006
| last1 = Wratten
| first1 = N. S.
| title = Evolutionary and functional analysis of the tailless enhancer in Musca domestica and Drosophila melanogaster
| journal = [Evolution & Development](/source/Evolution_%26_Development)
| volume = 8
| issue = 1
| pages = 6–15
| last2 = McGregor
| first2 = A. P.
| last3 = Shaw
| first3 = P. J.
| last4 = Dover
| first4 = G. A.
| doi = 10.1111/j.1525-142X.2006.05070.x
| s2cid = 13560187
}}</ref><ref name=riley/>

==Early life and education==
Dover was born in Manchester in 1937. Born to a Jewish family, his adolescence included moving to Palestine in 1938–1942, and again for 5 years after the war, when he lived in Israel on a kibbutz. Described as "deeply politicised" and discomforted with the plight of the Palestinians he returned to the UK, and pursued a life in academia. His first degree was in Hebrew and Aramaic (first class) from the [University of London](/source/University_of_London) in 1960. He was then awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in [botany](/source/botany) and [genetics](/source/genetics) from the [University of Leeds](/source/University_of_Leeds).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/staff/community/people/bereavements/professor-gabriel-dover|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704034829/https://www2.le.ac.uk/staff/community/people/bereavements/professor-gabriel-dover|archive-date=2018-07-04|title=Professor Gabriel Dover — University of Leicester|author=((ep256))|website=www2.le.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-08-02}}</ref> In 1972 he received a PhD from the [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge) for research on the genetics and function of the [meiotic](/source/meiosis) pairing-control systems, supervised by [Ralph Riley](/source/Ralph_Riley).<ref name="riley" /><ref>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Cambridge|title=The genetics and function of the meiotic pairing-control systems in the triticinae.|first= Gabriel A.|last=Dover|year=1972|url=https://copac.jisc.ac.uk/id/23494503?style=html|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.453906}}|oclc=500428008}}</ref>

==Research and career==
Dover's research was on the [evolution](/source/evolution) of [genes](/source/genes) and [genomes](/source/genomes), particularly the complex processes that occur in [multigene families](/source/gene_family) such as [ribosomal RNA](/source/ribosomal_RNA) genes. His recent work has focused on [development](/source/Developmental_biology) in [flies](/source/fly), in particular the [co-evolution](/source/co-evolution) between the developmental regulatory elements involved in [morphogenesis](/source/morphogenesis).

The majority of his career was spent at the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. In 1992, Dover became a professor of genetics at the [University of Leicester](/source/University_of_Leicester).<ref>Dover G. ''Dear Mr Darwin: Letters on the Evolution of Life and Human Nature'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000); biographical note, p.4.</ref> He was awarded a [Research Fellow](/source/Research_Fellow)ship in 1997 and an emeritus Fellowship in 2002 by the [Leverhulme Trust](/source/Leverhulme_Trust).<ref>[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=104319&sectioncode=26 "Williams L. Fellowships"], ''Times Higher Education Supplement'', 24 October 1997. Retrieved 21 March 2010.<br>- [http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/news/raac_awards_new/raac_2002.pdf Awards to Individuals 2002, The Leverhulme Trust]. Retrieved 21 March 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221103642/http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/news/raac_awards_new/raac_2002.pdf |date=21 February 2007 }}</ref>

Dover co-edited the textbook ''Genome Evolution''<ref name=genomevol>''Genome Evolution'' (Academic Press, 1982) {{ISBN missing}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1002/ajmg.1320150223| title = Genome evolution GA Dover and RB Flavell (eds) London: Academic Press Ltd., 1982, $ 19.50| journal = American Journal of Medical Genetics| volume = 15| issue = 2| pages = 349| year = 1983| last1 = Baglioni | first1 = C. }}</ref> with [Richard B. Flavell](/source/Richard_B._Flavell). He also wrote a popular book on evolution, ''Dear Mr Darwin: Letters on the Evolution of Life and Human Nature'',<ref name=deardarwin>''Dear Mr Darwin: Letters on the Evolution of Life and Human Nature'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000) {{ISBN|0520227905}}</ref> framed as an exchange of letters with [Charles Darwin](/source/Charles_Darwin) from beyond the grave. The book seeks to refute the [selfish gene theory](/source/selfish_gene_theory) promulgated by [Richard Dawkins](/source/Richard_Dawkins).

==Personal life==
Dover retired in 2002 and lived in [Oxford](/source/Oxford).<ref name=riley/> He had three children. He died on 1 April 2018 of a chest infection.<ref name=riley>{{cite web |title=Bereavements: Professor Gabriel Dover|publisher=University of Leicester |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/staff/community/people/bereavements/professor-gabriel-dover |website=le.ac.uk |access-date=3 July 2018 |language=en|first=Bambos|last= Kyriacou|year=2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704034829/https://www2.le.ac.uk/staff/community/people/bereavements/professor-gabriel-dover|archive-date=2018-07-04}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|35em}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dover, Gabriel}}
Category:1937 births
Category:2018 deaths
Category:20th-century British biologists
Category:British geneticists
Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds
Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge
Category:Academics of the University of Leicester
Category:Scientists from Manchester
Category:Jewish British scientists

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gabriel Dover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Dover) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Dover?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.