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 80
... ment of inorganic ions and phosphate groups , we were clearly at a disadvantage . By midday it became imper- ative to locate a copy of Pauling's classic book , The Nature of the Chemical Bond . Then we were having lunch near High Street ...
... ment of inorganic ions and phosphate groups , we were clearly at a disadvantage . By midday it became imper- ative to locate a copy of Pauling's classic book , The Nature of the Chemical Bond . Then we were having lunch near High Street ...
Page 86
... ment of the positions for only a couple of nucleotides automatically generated the arrangement of all the other components . The routine assembly task was over by one , when Francis and I walked over to the Eagle for our habit- ual ...
... ment of the positions for only a couple of nucleotides automatically generated the arrangement of all the other components . The routine assembly task was over by one , when Francis and I walked over to the Eagle for our habit- ual ...
Page 186
... ment that each base in the newly synthesized chain always hydrogen - bonds to an identical base . That night , however , I could not see why the common tautomeric form of guanine would not hydrogen- bond to adenine . Likewise , several ...
... ment that each base in the newly synthesized chain always hydrogen - bonds to an identical base . That night , however , I could not see why the common tautomeric form of guanine would not hydrogen- bond to adenine . Likewise , several ...
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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