Product Description

In 1953, two young, unknown scientists sparked a worldwide revolution. Studying DNA for clues to the nature of genes, James Watson and Francis Crick deduced its molecular composition - two chains twisted into a double helix - and immediately realized that the structure implied how genes were copied and passed from one generation to the next. Their observation has had extraordinary consequences: the discovery of a genetic code that all living things share and the realization that the code translates into proteins; the ability to alter an organism's genetic make-up; recognition that diseases like cancer begin when genes go wrong; the foundations of a biotechnology industry and the means of cloning plants and animals; a start on cataloguing human genes; and the glimmer of a new kind of medicine that uses DNA therapeutically. In the midst of the ferment, its instigator Jim Watson has been tireless. A principal architect and visionary of the new biology, a Nobel Prize-winner at 34 and best-selling author at 40 (The Double Helix), he had the authority, flair, and courage to take an early and prominent role as commentator on the march of DNA science and its implications for society. In essays for publications large and small, and in lectures around the world, he delivered what were, in effect, dispatches from the front lines of the revolution. Outspoken and sparkling with ideas and opinions, a selection of them is collected for the first time in this volume. Their resonance with today's headlines is striking. As public concern about genetically modified food mounts, here is Watson's salutory reminder, from a previous era of DNA anxiety, that restrictions on potentially rewarding research are justifiable only if there is robust evidence of likely harm. Commenting on the 1970s War on Cancer, he warns that effective leadership of publicly funded research initiatives, such as the current search for an AIDS vaccine, demands the courage to support promising but risky new ideas and prune away anything less than the best. And as the first Director of the Human Genome Project, now approaching its climax, he acknowledges the past evils of eugenics but argues fiercely for the need to balance potential misuses of genetic data with the overwhelming benefits of a rational attack on the roots of disease. These combative pieces mingle with charming memoirs of distinguished former colleagues, advice for young scientist, and a pointed account of Germany's troubled historical relationship with genetics. They open with Watson's reflections on the family influence and values of his Chicago upbringing that helped shape his career.. This collection of provocative, optimistic, and entertaining essays begins and ends with elegant commentaries from the distinguished molecular biologist and writer Walter Gratzer. They illuminate a volume that portrays the life and work of a scientist, educator, and author who is acknowledged as an intellectual leader of the twentieth century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #142521 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 250 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes and Society is a collection o f essays by James D Watson, the American co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and one of the most famous scientists alive. When his groundbreaking work on the molecular blueprint of life was done in 1953, Watson was still only 25 years old and was working in the University of Cambridge with the English scientist Francis Crick. So important was their work, that both Crick and Watson were awarded the Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Three years later, as a professor at Harvard, Watson wrote a seminal text book on Molecular Biology of the Gene. Then, in 1968, his runaway bestseller The Double Helix--the behind-the-scenes version of how Crick and he had worked together to crack the problem of DNA structure--soon became the most-read popular science book ever. Brilliantly written, the book raised many hackles in the scientific world, especially in the rather conservative and secretive world of British science at the time.

Now some 32 years later, both men are senior citizens, but both are still active scientists in different ways. Watson tells how his career path "moved from a doer of science to my later roles as a manager of science...and occasional governmental advisor or bureaucrat". Designed for the general reader, the essays address what Watson regards as the big issues of the day: the War on Cancer, the arrival of Recombinant DNA procedures, the Human Genome Project, and GM foods, plus autobiographical sketches. Jim Watson's subsequent role as a statesman for science might seem an unlikely one for such a mercurial character but as these essays show, he has lost none of his magical touch with words and is never afraid to speak his mind, no matter how non-pc the result might be. As he says "moving forward will not be for the faint of heart".--Douglas Palmer

New Statesman, November 27, 2000
Among the best books this year to try to explain the history, science and politics of the Human Genome Project...

Review
edifying and hugely entertaining (Richard Dawkins )

'Jim Watson's thoughts are fresh, fearless and free. What is more, they are usually right.' Matt Ridley, author of Genome

Customer Reviews

A hugely enjoyable book
As a student studying genetics I found this book fascinating both as it shows the progression of James Watson through his early career to the discovery of the structure of DNA and beyond and also as it gives an insight into how Watson felt upon making these discoveries. The later chapters on his more recent work and on his opinions on more wide ranging topics such as the ethical implications of the Human Genome Project were also very informative.