Overview

The 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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9780684852799

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Reviews

Philip Morrison Life Lively, wholly brash, full of sharp and sudden opinion, often at the edge of scandal.

Richard Feynman<p>He has described admirably how it feels to have that frightening and beautiful experience of making a great scientific discovery.<p>

"""He has described admirably how it feels to have that frightening and beautiful experience of making a great scientific discovery.""--Richard Feynman ""Like nothing else in literature, it gives one the feel of how creative science really happens.""--C. P. Snow ""Perfectly fascinating and delightful...his engaging directness and awesome candor give an unusual insight into the creative processes of science.""--Carl Kaysen"

Author Information

James D. Watson, together with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1962. He is Chancellor Emeritus of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

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