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 28
... hand , it was equally obvious that I had not done anything which was going to tell us what a gene was or how it repro- duced . And unless I became a chemist , I could not see how I would . I thus welcomed Herman's suggestion that I go ...
... hand , it was equally obvious that I had not done anything which was going to tell us what a gene was or how it repro- duced . And unless I became a chemist , I could not see how I would . I thus welcomed Herman's suggestion that I go ...
Page 88
... hands . As to the forces that held the chains together , the best guess seemed to be salt bridges in which diva- lent ... hand , there was absolutely no evidence against our hunch . If only the King's groups had thought about models ...
... hands . As to the forces that held the chains together , the best guess seemed to be salt bridges in which diva- lent ... hand , there was absolutely no evidence against our hunch . If only the King's groups had thought about models ...
Page 114
... not done this , since be- fore the war no one took helices seriously . I thus went to Roy Markham to see if any spare TMV was on hand . Markham then worked in the Molteno Institute , which , unlike all other Cambridge labs , was well 114.
... not done this , since be- fore the war no one took helices seriously . I thus went to Roy Markham to see if any spare TMV was on hand . Markham then worked in the Molteno Institute , which , unlike all other Cambridge labs , was well 114.
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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