The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNAThe classic personal account of Watson and Crick’s groundbreaking discovery of the structure of DNA, now with an introduction by Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind. By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only twenty-four, a young scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world-class researchers to solve one of science’s greatest mysteries gives a dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries. With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and Crick’s desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of life sciences, the identification of the basic building block of life. Never has a scientist been so truthful in capturing in words the flavor of his work. |
From inside the book
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A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA James D. Watson.
events in exactly the same light. In this sense, no one will ever be able to write a
definitive history of how the structure was established. Nonetheless, I feel the
story ...
A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA James D. Watson.
events in exactly the same light. In this sense, no one will ever be able to write a
definitive history of how the structure was established. Nonetheless, I feel the
story ...
Page
In 1951, James Watson, who later became the genome project's main advocate
and first director, was a twentythree-year-old, newly minted Ph.D. The former
radio Quiz Kid and ornithologist from Chicago had gone to Cambridge, England,
...
In 1951, James Watson, who later became the genome project's main advocate
and first director, was a twentythree-year-old, newly minted Ph.D. The former
radio Quiz Kid and ornithologist from Chicago had gone to Cambridge, England,
...
Page
A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA James D. Watson.
that embodied the genetic code. Their brilliant insight— which heralded a new
age in biology and medicine—proved to be the scientific coup of the second half
of ...
A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA James D. Watson.
that embodied the genetic code. Their brilliant insight— which heralded a new
age in biology and medicine—proved to be the scientific coup of the second half
of ...
Page
Crick and Watson, along the backs Francis in the Cavendish Maurice Wilkins
World Wide Photos The microbial genetics meeting, Copenhagen, March Linus
Pauling Information Office, California Institute of Technology Sir Lawrence Bragg
...
Crick and Watson, along the backs Francis in the Cavendish Maurice Wilkins
World Wide Photos The microbial genetics meeting, Copenhagen, March Linus
Pauling Information Office, California Institute of Technology Sir Lawrence Bragg
...
Page
A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA James D. Watson.
postwar years he was especially keen about the possibility of solving the
structures of proteins, the most complicated of all molecules. Often, when
administrative ...
A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA James D. Watson.
postwar years he was especially keen about the possibility of solving the
structures of proteins, the most complicated of all molecules. Often, when
administrative ...
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - pramodghuge - LibraryThingA very personal account by the author James Watson on how he and his colleague Francis Crick with the help of others beat Linus Pauling to win the coveted Nobel prize for identifying the structure of ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - ajlewis2 - LibraryThingI read about a third of it. I found the story wandered and wasn't clear. His treatment of Rosalind Franklin sounded like something written in the 1950s. It was at that point that I decided the book ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
adenine answer argument arrival atoms bacterial base pairs biochemistry biological Cal Tech Cambridge Cavendish chains Chargaff’s chemical chemistry chemists conversation Copenhagen crystallographic cytosine Delbrück dinner DNA molecule DNA structure double helix Elizabeth existed fact fellowship Francis Crick genes genetics Griffith guanine helical Herman hope Hugh Huxley hydrogen bonds idea immediately important interest ions John Kendrew King’s College knew large number letter like-with-like Linus Pauling London look lunch Luria manuscript Maurice Wilkins Maurice’s Max and John Max Delbrück Max Perutz model building Moreover morning never Nonetheless nucleic acids nucleotides º º Odile Pauling’s Perutz Peter phage phosphate groups polynucleotide Pop’s possibility problem protein purine and pyrimidine pyrimidine quickly realized reason Rosalind Franklin Rosy Rosy’s scientific solve soon sugar-phosphate backbone talk tautomeric forms tell theory thought thymine told viruses walked wanted Watson week X-ray diffraction X-ray photographs X-ray pictures
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA |
| Author | James D. Watson |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, 2011 |
| ISBN | 0743219171, 9780743219174 |
| Length | 256 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / History Science / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics Science / Reference |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |