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The Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA| Media: | Paperback | | Author: | James D. Watson | | Publisher: | Touchstone | | Release date: | 12 June, 2001 | | List price: | $14.00 |
| Our price: | $11.20 that is 20% off! |
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| The Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA |
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Average rating:  |
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A disappointing telling of the story of a monumental discovery |
The race to discover the double - helix structure of the 'molecule of life' is the subject of this book. James Watson who was then a twenty- four year old visiting American scientist worked with the team of the British Francis Crick , and this team succeeded in beating the Linus Pauling team to the discovery. There are of course many ' doubles' in the history of science, perhaps most famously Newton- Leibniz invention of the differential calculus, and Darwin- Wallace's discovery of evolution through natural selection. But the ' double ' here was avoided in part by Crick- Watson's fierce competitiveness, and making use without permission of the work of another .(Rosalind Franklin) In other words the story here is valuable in being a realistic ( if incomplete) story of how this monumental discovery was actually made. But it makes in a way the whole process seem if not less exciting, than less emotionally and spiritually satisfactory than one would like in regard to a discovery of such great importance. Compare the kind of wheeling and dealing done by Crick and Watson with Wilkins in filching the Franklin work, with the very different spectacle of Einstein alone through thought- experiments wholly transforming the way we see the world.
I also to tell the truth did not find the Watson who tells the tale a particularly likeable character, and Crick even less so.
This book however does give a real sense of how scientific work is often done, and does in its best moments provide a sense of the excitement of great discovery. |
| The Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA - James D. Watson |
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A unique classic |
One of the most famous accounts ever written of a scientific discovery. Watson shocked the scientific world with the honesty of this account, which included the personalities and politics of the discovery in an extremely open and honest fashion.
There is an excellent but hard-to-find movie based on this book, staring Jeff Goldblum. Try to find it.
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| James D. Watson - The Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA |
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Fascinating Account of a Major Breakthough |
The identification of the structure of DNA is considered one of the major scientific discoveries of the 20th century. James Watson was only 24 when he and Francis Crick (who was supposed to be working on his PhD) discovered the "secret of life."
I really enjoyed reading about this process of scientific discovery. Watson is very candid about his limitations. He discusses his reluctance to learn different subjects because they are too hard. He talks about reading journal articles and attending talks and not understanding anything.
What stood out was his determination to understand DNA. He knew it was important and he was willing to do what it took to discover its structure. He spent a lot of time thinking about it and a lot of time seeking out people who could teach him what he needed to know to continue making progress. I think that this determination was the major reason for his success.
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