Wendy Northcutt
Encyclopedia
Wendy Northcutt is an author of a series of books on the Darwin Awards
and the creator of the DarwinAwards.com website.
at Berkeley, worked in a neuroscience
research lab at Stanford
, and later managed the protein purification group at a biotech startup developing cancer
and diabetes therapeutics.
. Emmons states that "Northcutt considers herself a potential Darwin Award candidate. She describes herself as a klutz
."
When interviewed by Salon.com
she said "If there are multiple stupidity genes, then having one or two might make someone creative, while having a dozen would make her a dangerous idiot."
In an interview with a blogger at UK hosting company 123-reg, Wendy said that running the Darwin Awards website takes up all of her time. She said, “I always feel like I’m neglecting my audience, even though I work more than full time.” She also talked about how the Darwin Awards successfully made the transition from being an online publication to being an offline one. The interview mentions that publishers asked her to "remove the stories from the internet. But Wendy was adamant: 'It was a community! I could not do that. Even though it might have cost me a lot of money, I kept saying no.'”
In a 2001 interview with CNN
, Northcutt commented that "Before (the awards became popular), we were an insular community and we could make fun of people and those people (or their families) would never find out. But as it got bigger, I realized there was more and more danger of really hurting people." Therefore she treats the subjects of her stories with compassion, and suggests that those who read her books are likely to become more careful with explosives.
Northcutt has been interviewed by
CNN,
Salon.com,
Jeep van Carr,
the j.ello report,
the Spokane Spokesman-Review,
the San Jose Mercury News,
and the 123-reg blog.
Darwin Awards
The Darwin Awards are a tongue-in-cheek honor, created by Wendy Northcutt to recognize individuals who contribute to human evolution by self-selecting themselves out of the gene pool through putting themselves in life-threatening situations...
and the creator of the DarwinAwards.com website.
Education
According to the short biographies in her books and on her website, Northcutt completed a degree in molecular biologyMolecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
at Berkeley, worked in a neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
research lab at Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and later managed the protein purification group at a biotech startup developing cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and diabetes therapeutics.
Interviews
Northcutt was interviewed by Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury NewsSan Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
. Emmons states that "Northcutt considers herself a potential Darwin Award candidate. She describes herself as a klutz
Klutz
Klutz may refer to:*Most commonly, a clumsy person*Klutz Press is an imprint of Scholastic Press*Klütz is a surname and a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany...
."
When interviewed by Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
she said "If there are multiple stupidity genes, then having one or two might make someone creative, while having a dozen would make her a dangerous idiot."
In an interview with a blogger at UK hosting company 123-reg, Wendy said that running the Darwin Awards website takes up all of her time. She said, “I always feel like I’m neglecting my audience, even though I work more than full time.” She also talked about how the Darwin Awards successfully made the transition from being an online publication to being an offline one. The interview mentions that publishers asked her to "remove the stories from the internet. But Wendy was adamant: 'It was a community! I could not do that. Even though it might have cost me a lot of money, I kept saying no.'”
In a 2001 interview with CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Northcutt commented that "Before (the awards became popular), we were an insular community and we could make fun of people and those people (or their families) would never find out. But as it got bigger, I realized there was more and more danger of really hurting people." Therefore she treats the subjects of her stories with compassion, and suggests that those who read her books are likely to become more careful with explosives.
Northcutt has been interviewed by
CNN,
Salon.com,
Jeep van Carr,
the j.ello report,
the Spokane Spokesman-Review,
the San Jose Mercury News,
and the 123-reg blog.
Books
- 2000: The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action, ISBN 0-525-94572-5 & ISBN 0-452-28344-2
- 2001: The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection, ISBN 0-525-94623-3 & ISBN 0-452-28401-5
- 2003: The Darwin Awards III: Survival of the Fittest, ISBN 0-525-94773-6 & ISBN 0-452-28572-0
- 2006: The Darwin Awards IV: Intelligent Design, ISBN 0-525-94960-7 & ISBN 978-0525949602
- 2008: The Darwin Awards Next Evolution: Chlorinating the Gene Pool, ISBN 0452295637 & ISBN 0452295637
- 2010: The Darwin Awards Countdown to Extinction, ISBN 0525951911& ISBN 978-0452297364