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 13
This book very elegantly propounded the belief that genes were the key
components of living cells and that , to understand what life is , we must know
how genes act . When Schrödinger wrote his book ( 1944 ) , there was general
acceptance ...
This book very elegantly propounded the belief that genes were the key
components of living cells and that , to understand what life is , we must know
how genes act . When Schrödinger wrote his book ( 1944 ) , there was general
acceptance ...
Page 14
Given the fact that DNA was known to occur in the chromosomes of all cells ,
Avery's experiments strongly suggested that future experiments would show that
all genes were composed of DNA . If true , this meant to Francis that proteins
would ...
Given the fact that DNA was known to occur in the chromosomes of all cells ,
Avery's experiments strongly suggested that future experiments would show that
all genes were composed of DNA . If true , this meant to Francis that proteins
would ...
Page 23
While Delbrück kept hoping that purely genetic tricks could solve the problem ,
Luria more often wondered whether the real answer would come only after the
chemical structure of a virus ( gene ) had been cracked open . Deep down he
knew ...
While Delbrück kept hoping that purely genetic tricks could solve the problem ,
Luria more often wondered whether the real answer would come only after the
chemical structure of a virus ( gene ) had been cracked open . Deep down he
knew ...
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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 cytosine 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 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 |