Daw ‧ kins, Richard /ˈdɔːkɪnz/ BrE AmE
(1941–) a British scientist with a special interest in ↑ evolution . He is known especially for his book The Selfish Gene (1976), in which he says that humans, plants, and animals are built by ↑ gene s (=the parts of a cell which control qualities that are passed on to a living thing from its parents) so that the genes can continue to exist. He is often on British television and radio, and is also known for strongly opposing the belief in God. He wrote the best-selling book The God Delusion (2006) on this subject.