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 106
... face . When Naomi made a complimentary re- mark about my looks , I knew that I had made the right decision . In the evenings there was no way to avoid intellec- tual games , which gave the greatest advantage to a large vocabulary ...
... face . When Naomi made a complimentary re- mark about my looks , I knew that I had made the right decision . In the evenings there was no way to avoid intellec- tual games , which gave the greatest advantage to a large vocabulary ...
Page 136
... face from the dim light I had turned on . Something eaten in Paris had not gone down properly , but he told me not to be bothered . The following morning I was given a note saying that he had recovered but had to catch the early train ...
... face from the dim light I had turned on . Something eaten in Paris had not gone down properly , but he told me not to be bothered . The following morning I was given a note saying that he had recovered but had to catch the early train ...
Page 155
... face , however , had nothing to do with the broad grin on Peter's face when he sauntered into the office one afternoon in the middle of December and put his feet up on his 155.
... face , however , had nothing to do with the broad grin on Peter's face when he sauntered into the office one afternoon in the middle of December and put his feet up on his 155.
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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