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DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution
The definitive insider's history of the genetic revolution--significantly updated to reflect the discoveries of the last decade.
James D. Watson, the Nobel laureate whose pioneering work helped unlock the mystery of DNA's structure, charts the greatest scientific journey of our time, from the discovery of the double helix to today's controversies to what the future may hold. Updated to include new findings in gene editing, epigenetics, agricultural chemistry, as well as two entirely new chapters on personal genomics and cancer research. This is the most comprehensive and authoritative exploration of DNA's impact--practical, social, and ethical--on our society and our world.
James D. Watson, the Nobel laureate whose pioneering work helped unlock the mystery of DNA's structure, charts the greatest scientific journey of our time, from the discovery of the double helix to today's controversies to what the future may hold. Updated to include new findings in gene editing, epigenetics, agricultural chemistry, as well as two entirely new chapters on personal genomics and cancer research. This is the most comprehensive and authoritative exploration of DNA's impact--practical, social, and ethical--on our society and our world.
512 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2017
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984 people want to read
About the author
James D. Watson
93 books305 followersIn 1928, James D. Watson was born in Chicago. Watson, who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) at age 25, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. His bird-watching hobby prompted his interest in genetics. He earned his B.Sc. degree in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1947, and his Ph.D. from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1950. He worked with Wilkins and Francis Crick at Cavendish Laboratory in England in 1951-1953, when they discovered the structure of DNA. Watson became a member of the Harvard Biology Department in 1956, then a full professor in 1961. His book The Double Helix, which was published in 1968, became a bestseller. Watson was appointed director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island in 1968, and became its president in 1994. As director of the National Center for Human Genome Research at the NIH in 1989, Watson launched the worldwide campaign to map and sequence the human genome. Watson was an outspoken unbeliever who considered that human progress had been shackled by the idea of divine fate, and that human beings should do their utmost to improve the future. In a Youngstown State University speech, Watson said, "The biggest advantage to believing in God is you don't have to understand anything, no physics, no biology. I wanted to understand" (The Vindicator, Dec. 2, 2003).
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wa...
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More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wa...
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http://www.dnaftb.org/19/bio.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 8, 2019
This book was well-written in lay terms, and kept me engaged from start to finish. I would recommend using a text like this as a supplement to some science courses, or perhaps to law and ethics courses. Very good.
January 24, 2025
About 100 years passed since Mendel’s work on heredity (1850s) to Watson & Cricks Nobel-award work on DNA structure (1950s). These are the more recognized milestones on the road of genetic revolution. In this book, Watson painted the high-level achievements of the entire “genetic revolution”. If I’m allowed to oversimplify, they boil down to two big blocks: gene editing and genome sequencing. The first 3 chapters are about general genetics (to the discovery of double helix and how DNA replicates). These are the backgrounds. He then delve into these two blocks.
Gene editing. After understanding the DNA structure, works in the 60s and 70s laid ground for “recombinant” DNA. Gene editing is probably an easier-to-understand but perhaps a tad imprecise name for laymen (page 91’s figure is very useful). This led to progress in new drugs and GM foods. However, there are always naysayers (Watson dubbed some“professional polemicists”) who would sow doubts into people’s mind. Perhaps skepticism is healthy. Perhaps government’s lie about mad cow disease is to blame for the erosion of trust. But by and large, according to Watson, these drugs and GM foods are safe.
Genome sequencing: The human genome has 3.2B base pairs. Completely sequencing the genome is (part of) the goal of the Human Genome Project (HGP). This was mostly an information processing challenge. Sequencing one human’s complete genome took ~$100M when it was first done in 2001 (I think that was Venter, Watson was the 2nd person to be sequenced). In 2015, the price has dropped to ~$1K — far faster than Moore’s law (figure on p. 224). So what can we do/learn with the resulting information? A lot, from the merely curious (e.g., we have roughly the same number of genes as a Nematode worm) to forensics (e.g., identifying criminals as well as Czar’s remains) to science (e.g., we now know the three waves of “out-of-Africa” migration: homo Erectus 2Mya followed by homo Neanderthal 600Kya and then homo Sapiens 100Kya) to medicine (most genetic diseases can be detected but as of now only a few successful treatment exist — using gene editing).
There are other things that do not neatly fit into these two blocks. For instance, how much of our genetic makeup determines our life and what we can do about oncogenes.
Gene editing. After understanding the DNA structure, works in the 60s and 70s laid ground for “recombinant” DNA. Gene editing is probably an easier-to-understand but perhaps a tad imprecise name for laymen (page 91’s figure is very useful). This led to progress in new drugs and GM foods. However, there are always naysayers (Watson dubbed some“professional polemicists”) who would sow doubts into people’s mind. Perhaps skepticism is healthy. Perhaps government’s lie about mad cow disease is to blame for the erosion of trust. But by and large, according to Watson, these drugs and GM foods are safe.
Genome sequencing: The human genome has 3.2B base pairs. Completely sequencing the genome is (part of) the goal of the Human Genome Project (HGP). This was mostly an information processing challenge. Sequencing one human’s complete genome took ~$100M when it was first done in 2001 (I think that was Venter, Watson was the 2nd person to be sequenced). In 2015, the price has dropped to ~$1K — far faster than Moore’s law (figure on p. 224). So what can we do/learn with the resulting information? A lot, from the merely curious (e.g., we have roughly the same number of genes as a Nematode worm) to forensics (e.g., identifying criminals as well as Czar’s remains) to science (e.g., we now know the three waves of “out-of-Africa” migration: homo Erectus 2Mya followed by homo Neanderthal 600Kya and then homo Sapiens 100Kya) to medicine (most genetic diseases can be detected but as of now only a few successful treatment exist — using gene editing).
There are other things that do not neatly fit into these two blocks. For instance, how much of our genetic makeup determines our life and what we can do about oncogenes.
November 23, 2019
This was an excellent book. Author James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 has written a very in-depth account of its discovery, as well as many of the associated downstream medical and scientific discoveries and advancements that followed.
As mentioned, this is a very large book, in terms of its scope, and depth. It begins with the previously held view that humans originated from tiny homonculouses (a miniature fully-formed version of a larger human), which is both interesting and quite funny, IMO...
Watson then takes a deep-dive into many of the following (among others):
*The history of the eugenics movement; Hitler and the Nazi regime.
*The founding of biotech companies and their research.
*The human genome; chromosomes, genes, and nucleotide base pairs.
*Genetically modified foods and recombinant DNA.
*The origins of human life on Earth, and the "Out of Africa" hypothesis.
*Genetic fingerprinting.
*The nature-nurture debate.
*Genetics and disease; Huntington's, PKU, Down's syndrome, and Tay-Sachs.
*Cancer and genetics.
James Watson's "DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution" is a definitive guide to all things DNA. It is also written in a fairly accessible manner, and has been updated for 2017, when Watson was 89 (91 in 2019!).
He mentions in the coda that he intended for this book to be accessible even to the layperson with no previous knowledge of biology, and he has largely succeeded. Of course any previous knowledge of biology and/or DNA will help you get the most out of what he covers here.
All and all, this was an excellent book. It is extremely well researched, written, edited, and delivered. It is a must-read for anyone interested in genetics, DNA, and its relevant current research.
5 stars.
As mentioned, this is a very large book, in terms of its scope, and depth. It begins with the previously held view that humans originated from tiny homonculouses (a miniature fully-formed version of a larger human), which is both interesting and quite funny, IMO...
Watson then takes a deep-dive into many of the following (among others):
*The history of the eugenics movement; Hitler and the Nazi regime.
*The founding of biotech companies and their research.
*The human genome; chromosomes, genes, and nucleotide base pairs.
*Genetically modified foods and recombinant DNA.
*The origins of human life on Earth, and the "Out of Africa" hypothesis.
*Genetic fingerprinting.
*The nature-nurture debate.
*Genetics and disease; Huntington's, PKU, Down's syndrome, and Tay-Sachs.
*Cancer and genetics.
James Watson's "DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution" is a definitive guide to all things DNA. It is also written in a fairly accessible manner, and has been updated for 2017, when Watson was 89 (91 in 2019!).
He mentions in the coda that he intended for this book to be accessible even to the layperson with no previous knowledge of biology, and he has largely succeeded. Of course any previous knowledge of biology and/or DNA will help you get the most out of what he covers here.
All and all, this was an excellent book. It is extremely well researched, written, edited, and delivered. It is a must-read for anyone interested in genetics, DNA, and its relevant current research.
5 stars.
October 28, 2017
James D. Watson has been sitting front row on the genetic (r)evolution. He discovered early in his career the double Helix (with Francis Crick) and followed the scientific progess throughout his life well into his retirement. Now in his 90s, he describes all facets of genetics: from the dawn of discovery to the future of genetic engineering.
Scientists rarely write a book for average humans to understand, this is an exception. He tries to cover all aspects and possibilities of biochemistry: inheritance, criminal justice, anthropology, our food supply, medicine and more. The book literally touches every aspect of our lives, well written and every chapter more fascinating than the previous.
Scientists rarely write a book for average humans to understand, this is an exception. He tries to cover all aspects and possibilities of biochemistry: inheritance, criminal justice, anthropology, our food supply, medicine and more. The book literally touches every aspect of our lives, well written and every chapter more fascinating than the previous.
January 1, 2020
Jednym z podstawowych problemem współczesnych nauk przyrodniczych jest ich odbiór społeczny. Stąd nie bez powodu, w podsumowaniu opiniowanej książki, autorzy przywołują pokutujący do dziś mit Frankensteina i jego laboratoryjnych knowań badawczych prowadzących jakoby do wynaturzeń i moralnie niejednoznacznych ingerencji w tajemnicę życia. Współodkrywca struktury DNA postanowił pokazać, że wiedza pomaga wyzwolić się ze zbiorowych uprzedzeń, które odbierają nam czasem szansę na lepsze i bardziej godne życie, chociażby dzięki niebywałemu rozwojowi genetyki.
"DNA. Historia rewolucji genetycznej" to istotne rozszerzenie treści książki "DNA. Tajemnica życia" (CiS 2003). Doszedł trzeci współautor, kilka kluczowych rozdziałów i jednocześnie stan badan genetycznych został doprowadzony do 2017 roku. Wciąż jednak główny przekaz do czytelników kieruje bezpośrednio dziewięćdziesięcioletni noblista James D. Watson.
Jednym zdaniem - książka fenomenalna na każdym poziomie. Właściwie trudno jest mi zrozumieć sytuację, że tak mało się o takich publikacjach mówi, dyskutuje. Niezawinione cierpienie wywołane mutacjami, które można ograniczać pośrednio poprzez promocję badań, czyli pomagając chociażby w przebijaniu się do świadomości społecznej książek o fundamentalnym znaczeniu dla zrozumienia nas samych, jest obowiązkiem każdego. We wspomnianym posłowiu, autorzy piszą tak (str. 472):
"Nawet jednak ci, którzy rozumieją, że chęć polepszenia losu bliźnich jest częścią ludzkiej natury, nie mogą się porozumieć co do tego, jak robić to najlepiej. To odwieczny temat społecznej i politycznej debaty. Przeważa ortodoksyjny pogląd, że najlepsza pomoc wiąże się ze zwróceniem uwagi na wychowanie. Niedożywione, niekochane i niewykształcone istoty ludzkie są gorzej przystosowane, by wieść godne życie. Ale jak wiemy, wychowanie, choć tak ważne, ma swoje ograniczenia, które najbardziej dramatycznie ujawniają się w przypadkach poważnych wad genetycznych. Choćby nie wiem jak dobrze żywieni i kształceni, chłopcy z łamliwym chromosomem X nigdy nie będą w stanie sami o siebie zadbać, a żadne dodatkowe zajęcia nie zapewnią wolniej kojarzącym uczniom najwyższych ocen."
"DNA" jest książką popularną, której absolutnie nie przeszkadza to w trzymaniu się wysokich standardów merytorycznych. Autorzy w pasjonujący sposób wciągają czytelnika w świat biologii molekularnej, zaczynając od historycznego wprowadzenia. Opisują koncepcje dziedziczenia - te mniej lub bardziej poprawne próby formułowane do połowy XX wieku. Kolejne rozdziały opowiadają o czysto naukowym rozwoju wiedzy genetycznej (jak powstają białka, czym są mutacje, jak ustala się sekwencje zasad,...), o powstaniu biotechnologii i komercyjnych rozwiązaniach implementacji wiedzy, oraz o projekcie poznania ludzkiego genomu. Druga część stanowi pasjonujący opis konsekwencji rewolucji molekularnej. Są uwarunkowania prawne i zmiany w sądownictwie, gdzie dopuszczono dowody uzyskane dzięki genetyce, jest rozdział o paleoantropologii i dywagacje o różnorodności wewnątrzgatunkowej, czy dyskusja nad żywnością modyfikowaną genetycznie i kontrowersje wokół problemu 'geny a wychowanie'.
Jednak istotą przekazu dla czytelnika, jest nadrzędna narracja unosząca się nad każdą stroną książki - walka z niedoskonałością organizmów. Nowotwory, mukowiscydoza, trisomia 21, choroba Alzheimera, zespół Crohna, Duchenne'a, Huntingtona czy Taya-Sachsa. Poznajemy dziesiątki badaczy, którzy poszukują przyczyn różnych schorzeń. Niepowodzenia ich nie zrażają, budują w nich co najwyżej pokorę wobec tego, co jeszcze nieznane. Napędza ich czysta chęć zrozumienia i doniesienia o sukcesach klinicznych. Chyba w każdym musi wzbudzić radość opis emocji chłopca, który cierpiąc od urodzenia na ślepotę, w kilka dni po terapii zaczął widzieć. Wystarczyła tylko wiedza odpowiednio wykorzystana, którą w tym przypadku zreferowano tak (str. 396):
"Corey cierpiał na rzadkie recesywnie dziedziczone zaburzenie znane jako wrodzona ślepota Lebera, którego przyczyną jest defekt genu RPE65, produkującego białko siatkówki zaangażowane w proces wykrywania światła. Podczas operacji gen został dostarczony przez iniekcję, a jako wektor posłużył wirus AAV."
Serce rośnie, gdy się coś takiego czyta.
Dydaktycznie książka jest zrównoważonym źródłem wiedzy o genetyce, bez zbędnego natłoku detali technicznych. Autorzy skupili się na opisie motywacji konkretnych planów badawczych, na uzmysłowieniu stopnia komplikacji i przybliżeniu mrówczej pracy, której wymaga postęp, chociażby w ustalaniu przyczyn kilku-chromosomalnych schorzeń. To z reguły poszukiwanie igły w stogu siana. Zreferowane techniki co rusz pokazują ludzką pomysłowość. Poznajemy bezcenne dla genetyki populacje, w których pula genowa jest istotnie ograniczona w wyniku uwarunkowań geograficzno-kulturowych (Mormoni, mieszkańcy Islandii, Żydzi czy Amisze). Z przyjemnością wyczytywałem smaczki w stylu 'miękkiego lamarckizmu', bo okazuje się, że konsekwencje epigenetyczne modyfikacji doświadczeń rodziców mogą być przekazane potomstwu (str. 422). Z dyskutowanych od lat kontrowersji 'biologia a psychologia' zapamiętałem ciekawe ustalenie, że czasem zaburzona genetycznie produkcja enzymu monoaminooksydazy koreluje się z zachowaniami przemocowymi (str. 432).
Autorzy nie unikają trudnych pytań. Mają wątpliwości wobec, rokującej na przyszłość ale i niebezpiecznej, terapii genowej linii zarodkowej. Pytają o sens patentowania odkryć kolejnych genów, o stopień jawności personalnego genomu i ubezpieczenia na życie z taką molekularną wiedzą o sobie. Pytają o pacjentów 'pod ścianą', którym z dnia na dzień podniesiono cenę 1000x za ratujący ich życie lek na toksoplazmozę, czy o rolnicze monokultury z GMO. Czytelnik prowadzony jest w istotne detale, które opatrzono odpowiednim komentarzem. Watson nie szczędzi ciekawej kuchni prac nad poznaniem genomu ludzkiego (był szefem projektu), czy relacji z przepychanek biznesowych miedzy firmami biotechnologicznych. Jego doświadczenie jest bezcenne, bo podane z pierwszej ręki. Nie ukrywa się ze swoim światopoglądem i apelem o jawność prac genetycznych czy o odwagę badaczy. Słynne moratorium na pewne technik prowadzące ostatecznie do ingerencji w genom człowieka, uzgodnione w Asilomar w 1975 roku, było według niego zbyt zachowawczą deklaracją, która ważne procesy niepotrzebnie opóźniła.
Książka wydana na bardzo dobrym papierze stanowi również przyjemność wizualną. Na większości stron dostajemy ilustracje - grafiki procesów, zdjęcia badaczy, czy przełomowe źródłowe materiały. Wszystkie wciągają i zachęcają do pełniejszego odbioru treści; dopowiadają, a czasem stanowią wręcz komentarz do ważnych wydarzeń z historii rozwoju genetyki szeroko rozumianej (jest protestujący latami rodzic, którego syna dzięki dowodom genetycznym skazano za przestępstwo, szczęśliwa dzięki diagnostyce preimplantacyjnej rodzina, Łysenko w pseudonaukowej zadumie na polu kukurydzy, zjazd bliźniąt jednojajowych, odręczny portret Watsona wykonany przez dziewczynkę - jedną z pierwszych pacjentek terapii genowej, poznajemy kobietę oddaną sprawie poznania potwornej choroby, która tuli dziecko z zespołem Huntingtona, szczęśliwy zespół badaczy zastawiony dziesiątkami tysięcy stron wydrukowanego zsekwencjonowanego ludzkiego genomu, są uliczne protesty przeciw GMO czy wreszcie pasja wielu naukowców podczas pracy).
Zanim zaprotestujemy jednostronnie przeciwko Monsanto (o którego finansowej zachłanności autorzy piszą szeroko, co jednak nie przekreśla zysków społecznych), przeciwko ingerencji w naturę, przeciwko prawu do godnego życia ludzi, których jedyną nadzieją jest postęp w terapii genowej, przestrzegając przed jakoby kolejnymi eugenicznymi eksperymentami, mamy obowiązek zrozumieć zdobytą wiedzę o nas samych, którą rozpoczął przełom w 1953. "DNA. Historia rewolucji genetycznej" pomaga zbudować zobiektywizowane fundamenty o stopniu zdeterminowania nas przez ciąg kilku miliardów symboli ...TGCA...
Gorąco zachęcam do lektury.
ŚWIETNE - 9.5/10
"DNA. Historia rewolucji genetycznej" to istotne rozszerzenie treści książki "DNA. Tajemnica życia" (CiS 2003). Doszedł trzeci współautor, kilka kluczowych rozdziałów i jednocześnie stan badan genetycznych został doprowadzony do 2017 roku. Wciąż jednak główny przekaz do czytelników kieruje bezpośrednio dziewięćdziesięcioletni noblista James D. Watson.
Jednym zdaniem - książka fenomenalna na każdym poziomie. Właściwie trudno jest mi zrozumieć sytuację, że tak mało się o takich publikacjach mówi, dyskutuje. Niezawinione cierpienie wywołane mutacjami, które można ograniczać pośrednio poprzez promocję badań, czyli pomagając chociażby w przebijaniu się do świadomości społecznej książek o fundamentalnym znaczeniu dla zrozumienia nas samych, jest obowiązkiem każdego. We wspomnianym posłowiu, autorzy piszą tak (str. 472):
"Nawet jednak ci, którzy rozumieją, że chęć polepszenia losu bliźnich jest częścią ludzkiej natury, nie mogą się porozumieć co do tego, jak robić to najlepiej. To odwieczny temat społecznej i politycznej debaty. Przeważa ortodoksyjny pogląd, że najlepsza pomoc wiąże się ze zwróceniem uwagi na wychowanie. Niedożywione, niekochane i niewykształcone istoty ludzkie są gorzej przystosowane, by wieść godne życie. Ale jak wiemy, wychowanie, choć tak ważne, ma swoje ograniczenia, które najbardziej dramatycznie ujawniają się w przypadkach poważnych wad genetycznych. Choćby nie wiem jak dobrze żywieni i kształceni, chłopcy z łamliwym chromosomem X nigdy nie będą w stanie sami o siebie zadbać, a żadne dodatkowe zajęcia nie zapewnią wolniej kojarzącym uczniom najwyższych ocen."
"DNA" jest książką popularną, której absolutnie nie przeszkadza to w trzymaniu się wysokich standardów merytorycznych. Autorzy w pasjonujący sposób wciągają czytelnika w świat biologii molekularnej, zaczynając od historycznego wprowadzenia. Opisują koncepcje dziedziczenia - te mniej lub bardziej poprawne próby formułowane do połowy XX wieku. Kolejne rozdziały opowiadają o czysto naukowym rozwoju wiedzy genetycznej (jak powstają białka, czym są mutacje, jak ustala się sekwencje zasad,...), o powstaniu biotechnologii i komercyjnych rozwiązaniach implementacji wiedzy, oraz o projekcie poznania ludzkiego genomu. Druga część stanowi pasjonujący opis konsekwencji rewolucji molekularnej. Są uwarunkowania prawne i zmiany w sądownictwie, gdzie dopuszczono dowody uzyskane dzięki genetyce, jest rozdział o paleoantropologii i dywagacje o różnorodności wewnątrzgatunkowej, czy dyskusja nad żywnością modyfikowaną genetycznie i kontrowersje wokół problemu 'geny a wychowanie'.
Jednak istotą przekazu dla czytelnika, jest nadrzędna narracja unosząca się nad każdą stroną książki - walka z niedoskonałością organizmów. Nowotwory, mukowiscydoza, trisomia 21, choroba Alzheimera, zespół Crohna, Duchenne'a, Huntingtona czy Taya-Sachsa. Poznajemy dziesiątki badaczy, którzy poszukują przyczyn różnych schorzeń. Niepowodzenia ich nie zrażają, budują w nich co najwyżej pokorę wobec tego, co jeszcze nieznane. Napędza ich czysta chęć zrozumienia i doniesienia o sukcesach klinicznych. Chyba w każdym musi wzbudzić radość opis emocji chłopca, który cierpiąc od urodzenia na ślepotę, w kilka dni po terapii zaczął widzieć. Wystarczyła tylko wiedza odpowiednio wykorzystana, którą w tym przypadku zreferowano tak (str. 396):
"Corey cierpiał na rzadkie recesywnie dziedziczone zaburzenie znane jako wrodzona ślepota Lebera, którego przyczyną jest defekt genu RPE65, produkującego białko siatkówki zaangażowane w proces wykrywania światła. Podczas operacji gen został dostarczony przez iniekcję, a jako wektor posłużył wirus AAV."
Serce rośnie, gdy się coś takiego czyta.
Dydaktycznie książka jest zrównoważonym źródłem wiedzy o genetyce, bez zbędnego natłoku detali technicznych. Autorzy skupili się na opisie motywacji konkretnych planów badawczych, na uzmysłowieniu stopnia komplikacji i przybliżeniu mrówczej pracy, której wymaga postęp, chociażby w ustalaniu przyczyn kilku-chromosomalnych schorzeń. To z reguły poszukiwanie igły w stogu siana. Zreferowane techniki co rusz pokazują ludzką pomysłowość. Poznajemy bezcenne dla genetyki populacje, w których pula genowa jest istotnie ograniczona w wyniku uwarunkowań geograficzno-kulturowych (Mormoni, mieszkańcy Islandii, Żydzi czy Amisze). Z przyjemnością wyczytywałem smaczki w stylu 'miękkiego lamarckizmu', bo okazuje się, że konsekwencje epigenetyczne modyfikacji doświadczeń rodziców mogą być przekazane potomstwu (str. 422). Z dyskutowanych od lat kontrowersji 'biologia a psychologia' zapamiętałem ciekawe ustalenie, że czasem zaburzona genetycznie produkcja enzymu monoaminooksydazy koreluje się z zachowaniami przemocowymi (str. 432).
Autorzy nie unikają trudnych pytań. Mają wątpliwości wobec, rokującej na przyszłość ale i niebezpiecznej, terapii genowej linii zarodkowej. Pytają o sens patentowania odkryć kolejnych genów, o stopień jawności personalnego genomu i ubezpieczenia na życie z taką molekularną wiedzą o sobie. Pytają o pacjentów 'pod ścianą', którym z dnia na dzień podniesiono cenę 1000x za ratujący ich życie lek na toksoplazmozę, czy o rolnicze monokultury z GMO. Czytelnik prowadzony jest w istotne detale, które opatrzono odpowiednim komentarzem. Watson nie szczędzi ciekawej kuchni prac nad poznaniem genomu ludzkiego (był szefem projektu), czy relacji z przepychanek biznesowych miedzy firmami biotechnologicznych. Jego doświadczenie jest bezcenne, bo podane z pierwszej ręki. Nie ukrywa się ze swoim światopoglądem i apelem o jawność prac genetycznych czy o odwagę badaczy. Słynne moratorium na pewne technik prowadzące ostatecznie do ingerencji w genom człowieka, uzgodnione w Asilomar w 1975 roku, było według niego zbyt zachowawczą deklaracją, która ważne procesy niepotrzebnie opóźniła.
Książka wydana na bardzo dobrym papierze stanowi również przyjemność wizualną. Na większości stron dostajemy ilustracje - grafiki procesów, zdjęcia badaczy, czy przełomowe źródłowe materiały. Wszystkie wciągają i zachęcają do pełniejszego odbioru treści; dopowiadają, a czasem stanowią wręcz komentarz do ważnych wydarzeń z historii rozwoju genetyki szeroko rozumianej (jest protestujący latami rodzic, którego syna dzięki dowodom genetycznym skazano za przestępstwo, szczęśliwa dzięki diagnostyce preimplantacyjnej rodzina, Łysenko w pseudonaukowej zadumie na polu kukurydzy, zjazd bliźniąt jednojajowych, odręczny portret Watsona wykonany przez dziewczynkę - jedną z pierwszych pacjentek terapii genowej, poznajemy kobietę oddaną sprawie poznania potwornej choroby, która tuli dziecko z zespołem Huntingtona, szczęśliwy zespół badaczy zastawiony dziesiątkami tysięcy stron wydrukowanego zsekwencjonowanego ludzkiego genomu, są uliczne protesty przeciw GMO czy wreszcie pasja wielu naukowców podczas pracy).
Zanim zaprotestujemy jednostronnie przeciwko Monsanto (o którego finansowej zachłanności autorzy piszą szeroko, co jednak nie przekreśla zysków społecznych), przeciwko ingerencji w naturę, przeciwko prawu do godnego życia ludzi, których jedyną nadzieją jest postęp w terapii genowej, przestrzegając przed jakoby kolejnymi eugenicznymi eksperymentami, mamy obowiązek zrozumieć zdobytą wiedzę o nas samych, którą rozpoczął przełom w 1953. "DNA. Historia rewolucji genetycznej" pomaga zbudować zobiektywizowane fundamenty o stopniu zdeterminowania nas przez ciąg kilku miliardów symboli ...TGCA...
Gorąco zachęcam do lektury.
ŚWIETNE - 9.5/10
February 4, 2025
The first 2/3rds of the book: A very informative and thorough history of DNA research and the biotech industry. A pretty rosy retelling of Watson and Crick's treatment of Rosalind Franklin but nothing too offensive.
The final 1/3rd: "I want to use GENETICS to determine which race is the DUMBEST but they won't let me because of WOKE. And no, I'm not RACIST. To support my case, let me provide some examples about violent PITBULLS and RODENTS. And my editor wouldn't let me include this but I SOLD my NOBEL to a Russian OLIGARCH. Also, Gone In 60 Seconds was a MEDIOCRE movie"
The final 1/3rd: "I want to use GENETICS to determine which race is the DUMBEST but they won't let me because of WOKE. And no, I'm not RACIST. To support my case, let me provide some examples about violent PITBULLS and RODENTS. And my editor wouldn't let me include this but I SOLD my NOBEL to a Russian OLIGARCH. Also, Gone In 60 Seconds was a MEDIOCRE movie"
March 28, 2022
1 Beginnings of Genetics: From Mendel to Hitler
6,5/10
It's a lot of topics, names, and ideas explored in a short format. Basically like an encyclopedia. I don't need a ton of in-depth info, but I need more than this. It basically just names people then tells us about their ideas and moves on.
The chapter ends on a super long anti-eugenics note with all the boring very progressive points about White supremacy, Nazis, Hitler, evil researchers, racism. The rushed format and the biased ideological message combined makes it so childish that you feel like the book is talking down to you. I don't need people telling me if Hitler was bad or good or what to think about eugenics. The book should have presented the research and made the reader conclude everything for himself. Instead we read about who is "racist" or "evil" making sure we can't do any moral calculations ourselves.
For example, these sort of statements make it seem like IQ is not how much information you can absorb. Even though most IQ tests use this very factor to measure your IQ:
Below is the kind of points the book makes about researchers who are "evil". We are supposed to imagine that these researchers were not just wrong, racist, and mean. They were pathetic losers. All critical thinking is done for you so you get bored reading it:
Interesting fact:
2 The Double Helix: This Is Life
7/10
I feel like I should read The Double Helix instead. This is a short version of the discovery of DNA. Very similar to the story presented in the movie about Watson. But he's pulling all intrigue and drama punches now. Rosalind Franklin was presented as an irritating arrogant researcher in his prior books, which she very much was in real life as her nickname even today is, The Dark Lady. Here they rather explore the basics while staying kind and respectful all around removing all the spicy drama that makes such stories extra fascinating. So it's a short and non-dramatic version of the real story. But as a PR move it's likely the "better" version of reality. The prior version of this book was way more interesting while explaining this story - as I remember it. This feels like a PC version of the former book by the same authors.
3 Reading the Code: Bringing DNA to Life
6/10
Technical DNA stuff. Research post the discovery of DNA. It's trying to show visual stuff via text alone which NEVER works.
4 Playing God: Customized DNA Molecules
6/10
Changing DNA structures. Very technical. Again, a visual guide could show this all faster.
5 DNA, Dollars, and Drugs: Biotechnology
7/10
Gene patenting. More than just research explanations. This is more practically minded.
6 Tempest in a Cereal Box: Genetically Modified Food
7,5/10
GMO. Goes over what it is and how some companies are trying to sell GMO crops. Largely pro GMO. Most countries try to stop it even though it can make crops cheaper and more reliable. All because of irrational fear.
7 The Human Genome: Life’s Screenplay
6/10
Human genome projects.
8 Personal Genetics: The First of the Rest of Us
0/10
Cheap private genome sequencing.
9 Reading Genomes: Evolution in Action
6/10
Honestly getting boring. So much technical stuff.
10 Out of Africa: DNA and the Human Past
6/10
More about human genes and how we differ from apes and how races differ in DNA too. Boring.
11 Genetic Fingerprinting: DNA’s Day in Court
6,5/10
Less dry than the prior chapters for sure. But it's a bit basic and weird still. You constantly wonder why this is even important to read. I know about the basics of DNA being used in criminal investigations and this chapter doesn't really tell me much new stuff. It's a lot of stories, anecdotes, and research presented in separate parts. It also goes into family lines. Actually a pretty clear chapter for once.
12 Disease Genes: Hunting and Treating Human Disease
6,5/10
Genes and sickness. Reproduction and how we can test for these genes. A bit about gene editing for sickness. Again too basic and intro and frankly several levels below a proper documentary.
13 Who We Are: Nature vs. Nurture
7/10
A bit more pointy and coherent. But this is social science so obviously I didn't lose track of anything and could enjoy it more. I would still say the first version of the book is way better. This version seems to give you less info and gets stuck on soft left-wing politics and vague statements as it doesn't dare say too much about genes and humanity. In a book on DNA this fear makes all the info less engaging and more boring. But he lightly touches on sex and race differences which I appreciate.
14 Cancer: War Without End?
5/10
Didn't listen to much of this. Just like the chapters I rated 6/10 this one didn't teach me much. But now I won't give it 6/10 as I'm putting my foot down. I frankly wasn't interested in this topic at all.
Coda: Our Genes and Our Future
7/10
Vague chit-chat about gene editing and the usefulness of eugenics. Kinda mediocre.
My final opinion on the book
Frankly, boring. It's a lot of info about DNA and human genes. It's a great intro if you really need a basic intro. For some reason I wasn't fully focused while listening to this book while the prior version was a deep experience for me. What happened?
Maybe I'm just just interested in such technical things anymore? They feel irrelevant to my field of study. Back then I just wanted to learn everything to get to the truth. Now I feel like a book about DNA is not really relevant to my understanding of social science and this book is not that engaging overall either. The writing style is more boring. James Watson went from being direct, clever, interesting, provocative, to now having written a progressive book that pulls punches on every page. It's like someone found a virile bull named Watson and castrated it so that it would never again speak up. This is just shallow technical details page after page with no personal touch. We get a few personal stories, but all feel like someone took Watson's stories and put them through a PC filter. It all feels forced and fake. This is obviously perfect as a book teachers can give to their students because there is nothing out of line or scientifically too far reaching. But on the other hand it may be too dry for them. Watson even shies away from explaining why some people learn faster than other people: IQ. In his view, in this book at least, it's unexplained. He doesn't quite understand that you can avoid group to group comparisons while admitting that IQ is a thing and thereby make it uncontroversial. He also spends maybe 40 pages just furiously attacking eugenics. Which is such an overdone thing to do in these sort of books that it's frankly tiresome and should be skipped. Instead you should refer to some other books on the topic and then skip it entirely as you know basically all your readers are familiar with this critique already. Only new point of views on this would be neutral or positive. The negative point of views have been explored 1000 times over.
The book is so technical, shallow, and neutral that you need to be interesting in the topic to fully enjoy it. I would be able to keep focus if it was 200 pages shorter. But this version tries to be a textbook instead of a fun intro and hence it's not really something you can just read for fun.
It's a good intro to DNA research. A very detailed one at times. To me it just wasn't that interesting.
6,5/10
It's a lot of topics, names, and ideas explored in a short format. Basically like an encyclopedia. I don't need a ton of in-depth info, but I need more than this. It basically just names people then tells us about their ideas and moves on.
The chapter ends on a super long anti-eugenics note with all the boring very progressive points about White supremacy, Nazis, Hitler, evil researchers, racism. The rushed format and the biased ideological message combined makes it so childish that you feel like the book is talking down to you. I don't need people telling me if Hitler was bad or good or what to think about eugenics. The book should have presented the research and made the reader conclude everything for himself. Instead we read about who is "racist" or "evil" making sure we can't do any moral calculations ourselves.
For example, these sort of statements make it seem like IQ is not how much information you can absorb. Even though most IQ tests use this very factor to measure your IQ:
In those early days of IQ testing, it was thought that high intelligence and an alert mind inevitably implied a capacity to absorb large quantities of information.
Below is the kind of points the book makes about researchers who are "evil". We are supposed to imagine that these researchers were not just wrong, racist, and mean. They were pathetic losers. All critical thinking is done for you so you get bored reading it:
In time, however, a form of late-onset epilepsy ensured that Laughlin’s later years were especially pathetic.
Interesting fact:
Eugenics was embraced with particular enthusiasm by those who today would be termed the “liberal left.” Fabian socialists—some of the era’s most progressive thinkers—flocked to the cause, including George Bernard Shaw, who wrote that “there is now no reasonable excuse for refusing to face the fact that nothing but a eugenic religion can save our civilisation.” Eugenics seemed to offer a solution to one of society’s most persistent woes: that segment of the population that is incapable of existing outside an institution.
2 The Double Helix: This Is Life
7/10
I feel like I should read The Double Helix instead. This is a short version of the discovery of DNA. Very similar to the story presented in the movie about Watson. But he's pulling all intrigue and drama punches now. Rosalind Franklin was presented as an irritating arrogant researcher in his prior books, which she very much was in real life as her nickname even today is, The Dark Lady. Here they rather explore the basics while staying kind and respectful all around removing all the spicy drama that makes such stories extra fascinating. So it's a short and non-dramatic version of the real story. But as a PR move it's likely the "better" version of reality. The prior version of this book was way more interesting while explaining this story - as I remember it. This feels like a PC version of the former book by the same authors.
3 Reading the Code: Bringing DNA to Life
6/10
Technical DNA stuff. Research post the discovery of DNA. It's trying to show visual stuff via text alone which NEVER works.
4 Playing God: Customized DNA Molecules
6/10
Changing DNA structures. Very technical. Again, a visual guide could show this all faster.
5 DNA, Dollars, and Drugs: Biotechnology
7/10
Gene patenting. More than just research explanations. This is more practically minded.
6 Tempest in a Cereal Box: Genetically Modified Food
7,5/10
GMO. Goes over what it is and how some companies are trying to sell GMO crops. Largely pro GMO. Most countries try to stop it even though it can make crops cheaper and more reliable. All because of irrational fear.
7 The Human Genome: Life’s Screenplay
6/10
Human genome projects.
8 Personal Genetics: The First of the Rest of Us
0/10
Cheap private genome sequencing.
9 Reading Genomes: Evolution in Action
6/10
Honestly getting boring. So much technical stuff.
10 Out of Africa: DNA and the Human Past
6/10
More about human genes and how we differ from apes and how races differ in DNA too. Boring.
11 Genetic Fingerprinting: DNA’s Day in Court
6,5/10
Less dry than the prior chapters for sure. But it's a bit basic and weird still. You constantly wonder why this is even important to read. I know about the basics of DNA being used in criminal investigations and this chapter doesn't really tell me much new stuff. It's a lot of stories, anecdotes, and research presented in separate parts. It also goes into family lines. Actually a pretty clear chapter for once.
12 Disease Genes: Hunting and Treating Human Disease
6,5/10
Genes and sickness. Reproduction and how we can test for these genes. A bit about gene editing for sickness. Again too basic and intro and frankly several levels below a proper documentary.
13 Who We Are: Nature vs. Nurture
7/10
A bit more pointy and coherent. But this is social science so obviously I didn't lose track of anything and could enjoy it more. I would still say the first version of the book is way better. This version seems to give you less info and gets stuck on soft left-wing politics and vague statements as it doesn't dare say too much about genes and humanity. In a book on DNA this fear makes all the info less engaging and more boring. But he lightly touches on sex and race differences which I appreciate.
14 Cancer: War Without End?
5/10
Didn't listen to much of this. Just like the chapters I rated 6/10 this one didn't teach me much. But now I won't give it 6/10 as I'm putting my foot down. I frankly wasn't interested in this topic at all.
Coda: Our Genes and Our Future
7/10
Vague chit-chat about gene editing and the usefulness of eugenics. Kinda mediocre.
My final opinion on the book
Frankly, boring. It's a lot of info about DNA and human genes. It's a great intro if you really need a basic intro. For some reason I wasn't fully focused while listening to this book while the prior version was a deep experience for me. What happened?
Maybe I'm just just interested in such technical things anymore? They feel irrelevant to my field of study. Back then I just wanted to learn everything to get to the truth. Now I feel like a book about DNA is not really relevant to my understanding of social science and this book is not that engaging overall either. The writing style is more boring. James Watson went from being direct, clever, interesting, provocative, to now having written a progressive book that pulls punches on every page. It's like someone found a virile bull named Watson and castrated it so that it would never again speak up. This is just shallow technical details page after page with no personal touch. We get a few personal stories, but all feel like someone took Watson's stories and put them through a PC filter. It all feels forced and fake. This is obviously perfect as a book teachers can give to their students because there is nothing out of line or scientifically too far reaching. But on the other hand it may be too dry for them. Watson even shies away from explaining why some people learn faster than other people: IQ. In his view, in this book at least, it's unexplained. He doesn't quite understand that you can avoid group to group comparisons while admitting that IQ is a thing and thereby make it uncontroversial. He also spends maybe 40 pages just furiously attacking eugenics. Which is such an overdone thing to do in these sort of books that it's frankly tiresome and should be skipped. Instead you should refer to some other books on the topic and then skip it entirely as you know basically all your readers are familiar with this critique already. Only new point of views on this would be neutral or positive. The negative point of views have been explored 1000 times over.
The book is so technical, shallow, and neutral that you need to be interesting in the topic to fully enjoy it. I would be able to keep focus if it was 200 pages shorter. But this version tries to be a textbook instead of a fun intro and hence it's not really something you can just read for fun.
It's a good intro to DNA research. A very detailed one at times. To me it just wasn't that interesting.
August 6, 2018
An excellent and fascinating book. If you are interested in what we know about DNA this is a great place to start. However, I am not sure I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't have at least a little bit of knowledge on genetics. I know the writers intended for an all-audience approach, but as someone who has had to teach genetics before, I would recommend at least a basic knowledge of genetics to get the most out of this book.
January 26, 2020
Some portion of this book went right over my head. I know it was written so that anyone off the street could become informed about the science of DNA, but it was still pretty "Sciencey." At least three-quarters of it, however, was still "accessible" to me. It covered every aspect from discovery to how and why DNA is being used to fight diseases, to the uses of 23andMe, and forensic science. I feel much more informed as a result of this book.
July 26, 2018
An updated and comprehensive review of the topics, researchers, and milestones of the Genetic Revolution told in the first person by James Watson.
June 10, 2021
Unlike Watson's more famous book, The Double Helix, this one covers more recent discoveries and controversies in the science of DNA. As such, it was more interesting to me than his earlier work. It's also more focused, without the side-tracking into gossip and Watson's personal life.
To me, the most interesting chapters were on topics that I've frequently encountered in the news and other books: the use of DNA in crime investigations, nature vs. nurture, and the business of biotech.
Unfortunately, other chapters are primarily a survey of research into various genes and their effects on the body, few of which were things I've heard of before. I didn't get much out of those sections, and didn't even remember the details once I reached the end of the book. I would have preferred a deeper look at the most significant discoveries: ones that are more likely to stick in my mind.
Interestingly, there was no evidence of Watson's controversial views on race and intelligence, other than a brief rant about how political correctness has frightened scientists away from certain fields of study. In fact, the sections on eugenics and nature vs. nurture make the opposite point regarding racial differences. It's a shame that Watson's legacy has been marred by ill-considered statements that don't appear to reflect his actual beliefs.
To me, the most interesting chapters were on topics that I've frequently encountered in the news and other books: the use of DNA in crime investigations, nature vs. nurture, and the business of biotech.
Unfortunately, other chapters are primarily a survey of research into various genes and their effects on the body, few of which were things I've heard of before. I didn't get much out of those sections, and didn't even remember the details once I reached the end of the book. I would have preferred a deeper look at the most significant discoveries: ones that are more likely to stick in my mind.
Interestingly, there was no evidence of Watson's controversial views on race and intelligence, other than a brief rant about how political correctness has frightened scientists away from certain fields of study. In fact, the sections on eugenics and nature vs. nurture make the opposite point regarding racial differences. It's a shame that Watson's legacy has been marred by ill-considered statements that don't appear to reflect his actual beliefs.
December 25, 2022
What a comprehensive book on DNA. The author along with Francis Crick had discovered the double helix structure of the DNA and duly won the Nobel Prize many decades ago.
Every page of the book bubbles with energy and is a cauldron of ideas and simplified explanations of the scientific journey.
The chapter on how DNA has helped identify killers and confirm paternities and also to confirm the identity of celebrities (Family of Nicholas Tsar (the last one) that was assassinated in 1919) after exhuming the body post passage of over 80 years, is exhilarating to say the least.
Nature v Nurture is another masterpiece of an essay.
The war on cancer elucidated towards the end of the book is another crusade the author is part of.
The whole book is one chapter after another in a series of well etched paintings. The clarity of thought is overwhelming.
At a young age of 89, (for the revised edition) this book is a phenomenal achievement.
Go for it.
Every page of the book bubbles with energy and is a cauldron of ideas and simplified explanations of the scientific journey.
The chapter on how DNA has helped identify killers and confirm paternities and also to confirm the identity of celebrities (Family of Nicholas Tsar (the last one) that was assassinated in 1919) after exhuming the body post passage of over 80 years, is exhilarating to say the least.
Nature v Nurture is another masterpiece of an essay.
The war on cancer elucidated towards the end of the book is another crusade the author is part of.
The whole book is one chapter after another in a series of well etched paintings. The clarity of thought is overwhelming.
At a young age of 89, (for the revised edition) this book is a phenomenal achievement.
Go for it.
February 22, 2019
As a review of the past? It's great. As a blueprint for the future? It's...not great. It's like Watson has one answer to anything (genes) and won't consider other options. I don't know about you, but if an experiment with hundreds of thousands of people showed that genes only had a tiny effect on IQ (which is, by the way, a pretty bad metric for intelligence), I'd conclude that genes had little effect on intelligence; I wouldn't conclude I needed a bigger sample size. And being afraid of racists bending bad science is a valid fear when the racists are still in power.
(He does disclose his own financial entanglements, though, which is pretty good, because he's, uh, a little too optimistic about his companies.)
(He does disclose his own financial entanglements, though, which is pretty good, because he's, uh, a little too optimistic about his companies.)
July 20, 2019
This book was very comprehensive and it took me a long time to finish it. I think it had more than 12 hours as an audiobook, all packed with information. I liked that it provided the full story of genetics and it included biology, ethics, law enforcement, agriculture and many more. The author managed to narrate the events in an almost unbiassed manner. It is hard to pack so many years of knowledge in a single book. However, the transition form one topic to another was very smooth. I think I will have to read it again a couple more times because of the large volume of information. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in genetics. I understood most of it without any formal background.
March 17, 2021
This is a great overview of the field of genetics straight from one of the leading experts in the field.
Watson leaves no corner of the field untouched. He dives into a quick history of genetics, from Gregor Mendel, to his own discoveries of the structure of DNA, to modern genetic editing. He offers some good chapters on epigenetics, GMOs, and cancer research. Watson's discussions tend to stick to the factual and practical and he doesn't wander off into highly speculative territory as, authors far from the science tend to do.
For a guy who has spent his entire life in academia, it is impressive that his writing style manages to be so engaging and accessible. I believe everyone could be better informed from this read.
Watson leaves no corner of the field untouched. He dives into a quick history of genetics, from Gregor Mendel, to his own discoveries of the structure of DNA, to modern genetic editing. He offers some good chapters on epigenetics, GMOs, and cancer research. Watson's discussions tend to stick to the factual and practical and he doesn't wander off into highly speculative territory as, authors far from the science tend to do.
For a guy who has spent his entire life in academia, it is impressive that his writing style manages to be so engaging and accessible. I believe everyone could be better informed from this read.
January 7, 2023
The scope of this book is ambitious, encompassing a short history of the field of genetics, as well as a survey of all the major applications to biotechnology. As a result the book is a bit of a slog and yet each subtopic seems to be summarized too quickly. There is also a lot of time spent addressing criticism from activists of various backgrounds. I'm sympathetic to the challenge of writing such a sweeping overview with any level of detail, but in the end it's hard to recommend this book to other readers. I would suggest books that focus on a more specific topic, such as "The Double Helix" by the same author or Sally Smith Hughes' "Genentech".
July 27, 2025
This is the first book by James Watson that I read. It can be roughly broken into three parts:
- the double-helix discovery story - fairly interesting, might be a repetition of his previous books
- the human genome project - very, very interesting
- cancer research and pharmaceuticals - pretty boring.
It's rather sad that this insightful book ends with fairly dull chapters overloaded with specifics of various cancer-related genes, etc. Probably obvious for a professional, barely understandable for a lay man.
I would recommend this book nevertheless due to the first two parts, but don't expect a strong finish.
- the double-helix discovery story - fairly interesting, might be a repetition of his previous books
- the human genome project - very, very interesting
- cancer research and pharmaceuticals - pretty boring.
It's rather sad that this insightful book ends with fairly dull chapters overloaded with specifics of various cancer-related genes, etc. Probably obvious for a professional, barely understandable for a lay man.
I would recommend this book nevertheless due to the first two parts, but don't expect a strong finish.
May 23, 2024
This is an informative read that offers a deep dive into the world of genetics. It is both a historical account and a forward-looking examination of where genetic research might take us. Despite some technical complexity and occasional bias, the book stands out as a significant contribution to popular science literature. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and future of genetic science, providing both a rich educational experience and a thought-provoking look at the ethical dimensions of our genetic future.
July 17, 2019
This is a fascinating read of the recent history of genes. I can't say I understood it all but I think I got most of it. One of the interesting things is how the author speaks of the incredibly complicated and interrelated nature of DNA but yet thinks that we are able to test changes made to genes and understand the unintended consequences easily. To me it shows the arrogance that sometimes success science beyond where it should go.
June 21, 2025
Other than I thought, it's not just the story on the discovery of DNA, that's just the first couple of chapters. No it's much more than that, putting the discovery of DNA in line with all DNA based research and research outcomes in that perspective, from the eyes of one of the discoverers of DNA. It's a privilege to read James Watson's view on what has been based on his groundbreaking work,and to see there's still a lot of research to do.
January 1, 2021
The last three chapters are the best, with the coda being no less than grand. Overall, it ain't a book to study genetics, but to give an overview. It's written like an article in a popular science journal, and since the amount of information is so vast, the authors decided not to slow down to disentangle complexity.
August 25, 2025
This describes a little of Watson's personal experiences in DNA discovery but contains much more of the subsequent history up to the present day of genetics and how we are using it to solve health problems and its associated ethics. After a while, I found it to be very detailed into all the research that is happening.
September 11, 2019
Great
I liked the detailed explanation on cancer. The 1st person narration of the double helix discovery was enlightening and entertaining. Recommended to all interested in genetics and proteomics.
I liked the detailed explanation on cancer. The 1st person narration of the double helix discovery was enlightening and entertaining. Recommended to all interested in genetics and proteomics.
January 1, 2022
είναι καταπληκτικό πως ο Watson θυμάται και καταγράφει με τόσες λεπτομέρειες την περιπέτεια χαρτογράφησης του ανθρωπίνου γονιδιώματος . Ενδιαφέρων βιβλίο ιδίως όταν αναλύει τα γονίδια και πως αυτά αποκρυπτογραφήθηκαν και πως λειτουργούν.
December 9, 2017
Fascinating!
December 4, 2018
Dense, heavy, difficult to read, eye opening and fabulous.
April 24, 2019
Great book
First hand information from the man who identified the structure of DNA. Really hope Gene research can provide cure for all diseases.
First hand information from the man who identified the structure of DNA. Really hope Gene research can provide cure for all diseases.
December 31, 2019
I can't weigh in on the particulars of his reputation, but this book was extremely informative to my understanding of the history of DNA.
January 6, 2020
Really great explanations for a layperson and very interesting. I really liked the author who is basically the archetypal mad scientist; several passages made me laugh out loud
May 4, 2020
Amazing and though provoking
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