Dr. Matt Ridley's books have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages, and won several awards. His books include The Red Queen, The Origins of Virtue, Genome, Nature via Nurture, Francis Crick, The Rational Optimist, The Evolution of Everything, How Innovation Works, and Viral: the Search for the Origin of Covid-19, co-authored with Alina Chan. He has been a weekly columnist for The Times (London), the Telegraph, and the Wall Street Journal. As Viscount Ridley, he served in the House of Lords from 2013 to 2021, serving on the science and technology select committee. With BA and DPhil degrees from Oxford University, Matt Ridley worked for The Economist for nine years as science editor, Washington correspondent, and American editor, before becoming a self-employed writer and businessman.