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 96
All its glamor had vanished , and the crudely improvised phosphorus atoms gave
no hint that they would ever neatly fit into something of value . Then when
Maurice mentioned that , if they moved with haste , the bus might enable them to
get ...
All its glamor had vanished , and the crudely improvised phosphorus atoms gave
no hint that they would ever neatly fit into something of value . Then when
Maurice mentioned that , if they moved with haste , the bus might enable them to
get ...
Page 150
... unlikely to meet anyone during the ten - to - twelve - minute interval needed to
slop down the brown soup , stringy meat , and heavy pudding provided on most
evenings . Even during my second Cambridge year , when I moved into rooms on
...
... unlikely to meet anyone during the ten - to - twelve - minute interval needed to
slop down the brown soup , stringy meat , and heavy pudding provided on most
evenings . Even during my second Cambridge year , when I moved into rooms on
...
Page 224
Sir Lawrence Bragg retained his enthusiastic interest in protein structure when he
moved in 1954 to London to become director of the Royal Institution . Hugh
Huxley , after spending several years in London , is back in Cambridge doing
work ...
Sir Lawrence Bragg retained his enthusiastic interest in protein structure when he
moved in 1954 to London to become director of the Royal Institution . Hugh
Huxley , after spending several years in London , is back in Cambridge doing
work ...
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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
References to this book
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 / Genetics & Genomics Science / Reference |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |