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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Page 36
... Linus explained the specific characteristics that made his model - the a - helix - uniquely beautiful . This show , like all of his dazzling performances , de- lighted the younger students in attendance . There was no one like Linus in ...
... Linus explained the specific characteristics that made his model - the a - helix - uniquely beautiful . This show , like all of his dazzling performances , de- lighted the younger students in attendance . There was no one like Linus in ...
Page 161
... Linus to his blunder . If a student had made a similar mistake , he would be thought unfit to benefit from Cal Tech's chemistry faculty . Thus , we could not but initially worry whether Linus ' model fol- lowed from a revolutionary re ...
... Linus to his blunder . If a student had made a similar mistake , he would be thought unfit to benefit from Cal Tech's chemistry faculty . Thus , we could not but initially worry whether Linus ' model fol- lowed from a revolutionary re ...
Page 222
... Linus arrived in Cambridge on Friday night . On his way to Brussels for the Solvay meeting , he stopped off both to see Peter and to look at the model . Unthink- ingly Peter arranged for him to stay at Pop's . Soon we found that he ...
... Linus arrived in Cambridge on Friday night . On his way to Brussels for the Solvay meeting , he stopped off both to see Peter and to look at the model . Unthink- ingly Peter arranged for him to stay at Pop's . Soon we found that he ...
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Common terms and phrases
a-helix adenine answer argument arranged arrival atoms bacterial base pairs biochemistry biological Cal Tech Cambridge Cavendish chains Chargaff's Chargaff's rules chemical chemistry chemists College conversation Copenhagen crystallographic crystals cytosine Delbrück dinner DNA molecule DNA structure double helix Elizabeth existed experimental experiments fact fellowship Francis Crick genes genetic geneticists girls Griffith guanine Herman hope Hugh Huxley hydrogen bonds idea immediately important ions John Kendrew keto King's knew large number letter Linus Pauling London look lunch Luria manuscript Maurice Wilkins Maurice's Max and John Max Perutz ment model building molecular Moreover morning never Nonetheless nucleic acids nucleotides Odile Pauling's Perutz Peter phage phosphate groups polynucleotide Pop's possibility problem protein purine purine and pyrimidine pyrimidine quickly realized reason Rosalind Franklin Rosy Rosy's scientific solve soon sugar sugar-phosphate backbone talk tautomeric forms tell thought thymine tion told walked wanted Watson week X-ray photograph X-ray pictures