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. |
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Page 35
... Pauling had partly solved the structure of proteins . The news hit me in Geneva , where I had stopped for several ... Pauling's talk was made with his usual dramatic flair . The words came out as if he had been in show business all his ...
... Pauling had partly solved the structure of proteins . The news hit me in Geneva , where I had stopped for several ... Pauling's talk was made with his usual dramatic flair . The words came out as if he had been in show business all his ...
Page 117
... Pauling wandering about the globe saying nasty things about the politics of its onetime investment bankers who held back the hordes of godless Reds . Failure to con- tain Pauling might result in a London press confer- ence with Linus ...
... Pauling wandering about the globe saying nasty things about the politics of its onetime investment bankers who held back the hordes of godless Reds . Failure to con- tain Pauling might result in a London press confer- ence with Linus ...
Page 217
... PAULING first heard about the double helix from Delbrück . At the bottom of the letter that broke the news of the complementary chains , I had asked that he not tell Linus . I was still slightly afraid something would go wrong and did ...
... PAULING first heard about the double helix from Delbrück . At the bottom of the letter that broke the news of the complementary chains , I had asked that he not tell Linus . I was still slightly afraid something would go wrong and did ...
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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