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A Passion for DNA
Genes, Genomes and Society
James D. Watson and Walter Gratzer
272 pages
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198x129mm
978-0-19-860428-0
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Paperback
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13 September 2001
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This item is printed to order. Items which are printed to order are normally despatched and charged within 5-10 days.
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- Collection of writings from the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who co-discovered the composition of DNA
- First time these writings have been gathered together
- Resonance with today's headlines is striking - cloning, genetically modified food, etc.
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.Readership: General public; biologists; historians of science
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James D. Watson, President, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Walter Gratzer, King's College London
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Review(s) from previous edition
"James D. Watson . . . has always been a man of passion and strong views . . . His writings on the important issues of the day, prepared over a period of more than thirty years and presented in the 25 essays of this wonderful book, are only slightly less provocative than his frequently startling spontaneous remarks. - Bruce Alberts, President, National Academy of Sciences
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Autobiographical Flights; Values from a Chicago Upbringing; Growing Up in the Phage Group; Minds that Live for Science; Early Speculations and Facts about RNA templates; Bragg's Foreword to The Double Helix; Biographies: Luria, Hershey, and Pauling
Recominant DNA Controversies; In Further Defense of DNA; Standing Up For Recombinant DNA; The Nobelist Versus the Film Star; The DNA Biochemical Canard
Ethos of Science; Moving Towards the Clonal Man: Is This What We Want?; The Dissemination of Unpublished Information; Science and the American Scene; The Necessity for Some Academic Aloofness; Striving for Excellence; Succeeding in Science: Some Rules of Thumb
War on Cancer; The Academic Community and Cancer Research; Maintaining High Quality Cancer Research in a Zero-Sum Era; The Science for Beating Down Cancer
Societal Implications of the Human Genome Project; Moving on to Human DNA; Ethical Implications of the Human Genome Project; Genes and Politics; Five Days in Berlin; Good Gene, Bad Gene: What is the Right Way to Fight the Tragedy of Genetic Disease?; Viewpoint: All for the Good - Why Genetic Engineering must Soldier On
Afterword: Envoi - DNA, Peace and Laughter
Name Index, Subject Index
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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