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 xi
... hope this book will show , science seldom proceeds in the straightforward logical manner imagined by out- siders . Instead , its steps forward ( and sometimes back- ward ) are often very human events in which personali- ties and ...
... hope this book will show , science seldom proceeds in the straightforward logical manner imagined by out- siders . Instead , its steps forward ( and sometimes back- ward ) are often very human events in which personali- ties and ...
Page 23
... hope that they would eventually learn how the genes controlled cellular heredity . Leading this group were Luria and his German - born friend , the theoretical physicist Max Delbrück , then a professor at Cal Tech . While Delbrück kept ...
... hope that they would eventually learn how the genes controlled cellular heredity . Leading this group were Luria and his German - born friend , the theoretical physicist Max Delbrück , then a professor at Cal Tech . While Delbrück kept ...
Page 39
... was always the possibility that something would go wrong . It seemed prudent to put off the awkward letter until I could talk personally with Perutz . Then I could state 39 in much greater detail what I might hope to accom-
... was always the possibility that something would go wrong . It seemed prudent to put off the awkward letter until I could talk personally with Perutz . Then I could state 39 in much greater detail what I might hope to accom-
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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