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 126
over , the proportion of adenine and thymine groups varied with their biological origin . The DNA of some organisms had an excess of A and T , while in other forms of life there was an excess of G and C. No explanation for his striking ...
over , the proportion of adenine and thymine groups varied with their biological origin . The DNA of some organisms had an excess of A and T , while in other forms of life there was an excess of G and C. No explanation for his striking ...
Page 220
For a while Francis wanted to expand our note to write at length about the biological implications . But finally he saw the point to a short remark and composed the sentence : “ It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we ...
For a while Francis wanted to expand our note to write at length about the biological implications . But finally he saw the point to a short remark and composed the sentence : “ It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we ...
Page 222
ticipating in perhaps the most famous event in biology since Darwin's book . Francis and I stood over her as she ... This structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest . ” On Tuesday the manuscript was sent ...
ticipating in perhaps the most famous event in biology since Darwin's book . Francis and I stood over her as she ... This structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest . ” On Tuesday the manuscript was sent ...
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - tgraettinger - LibraryThingWonderful account of the discovery of DNA. Had almost the feel of a detective novel. It's a very easy, quick read. If you can find it, there is a video, "The Race for the Double Helix" aka "Life Story ... Read full review
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
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Common terms and phrases
acid adenine answer argument arranged arrival asked atoms backbone base pairs bases became began biological bonds Bragg building Cambridge Cavendish chemical chemistry coiled coils College completely conversation Crick crystallographic Delbrück double helix English equal evidence existed experiments face fact final Francis gave genes genetic give given groups guanine hand held helical hope hydrogen idea immediately important interest John join King's knew later letter Linus London look lunch Maurice meeting mind molecules months Moreover morning moved Nature needed never obvious Pauling Pauling's Peter position possibility problem protein quickly realized reason remained Rosy saying scientific sense solve soon structure success sugar sure talk tell theory thinking thought tion told walked wanted week write X-ray
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA |
| Author | James D. Watson |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Touchstone, 2001 |
| ISBN | 074321630X, 9780743216302 |
| Length | 256 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / General Science / History Science / Life Sciences / Human Anatomy & Physiology Science / Reference |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |