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Summary: Nothing to fear...
Review: A fascinating read. Wouldn't this world be a better place if everyone understood science and didn't fear what science has to teach us? "Knowledge, even that which may unsettle us, is surely to be preferred to ignorance, however blissful in the short term the latter may be." pg. 364
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Summary: DNA is a wonderful thing in modern society
Review: ABSTRACT
DNA - The Secrets of Life
Authors - James D. Watson with Andrew Berry
Random House, Inc., New York This book DNA - The secrets of Life goes into depth on more then several subjects on many different levels. The book starts by introducing and walking you through the History or beginning of genetics from Mendel to Hitler. The book is able to answer most all questions/concerns and clarifies any confusion that may be had. Several chapters in the book or sections, if you will, discuss DNA itself. They start by introducing it as the Double Helix in chapter 2. They go on to further explain throughout the book the coding of DNA and the molecules that are customized in the DNA double helix strand. DNA - The Secrets of Life also writes about the roll DNA plays in Biotechnology and human past and evolution. The book takes a slight turn at chapter 10 when the topic of DNA comes up in court cases and how it is so useful and highly effective in today's law firms. In the following chapters of the book it presents the idea of Genetic Diseases and how to hunt down the "odd gene out" that is mutated and causes the initial problem. The book continues on by writing of how genetic diseases may be prevented or treated. This chapter presents insight into the cure and the factors and results that play into finding a cure into genetic diseases. The book ends with a bang of a chapter that asks the question: Who are we? Nature vs. Nurture. Marc Brien wrote this Abstract This book brought me to my feet and made me applaud and cheer outloud. It was a delightful book that shared the history/current and possible future discoveres with DNA
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Summary: Perfect for the layman OR the scientist
Review: As a biological sciences graduate, I know quite a lot about DNA and all sorts of experiments that led to its discovery. This book, though, showed me the people behind every experiment, the genius behind every new idea, and made everything more real. It's extremely well written, very simple to understand, and it's a fun read. Everything is arranged chronologically, from Mendel's peas to the Human Genome Project, and it's well illustrated. I even had my mother read it so she'll have a better idea of what I'm studying towards! And she liked it too. :)
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Summary: Great as a general education textbook
Review: As a science professor, occasionally I teach courses for nonscience majors. Not only do I agree with the positive reviews posted by others, I also would recommend Watson's book as a terrific text for those not planning to go further in the sciences. There are numerous topics that lend themselves to classroom discussion and independent or group projects. An exceptionally readable book on an often difficult topic.
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Summary: Arm yourself with the facts about DNA
Review: As someone from outside the scientific community, I found Watson and Berry's book very helpful in understanding the history and issues surrounding DNA. It provides a solid history of the discovery and ongoing work in this area of biology. Importantly, the authors also address many of the issues the discovery and development of the understanding of DNA have presented our society. I recommend "The Secret of Life" to anyone desiring to equiped with the facts surrounding this important area of science.
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Summary: Great Book about DNA and its role in society
Review: DNA: The Secret of Life presents an overview of the development of genetics over the last hundred years or so and is written by none other than James D. Watson himself (corecepient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the determination of the chemical structure of DNA). Watson traces the roots of DNA and it role in science, medicine, business, and ethics. He begins his story with Mendel and then the eugenics movement (a rather racist "pseudo-scientific" field). Watson continues with his involvement in deciphering the structure of DNA and his later work on RNA. Further chapters focus on the implications of genetically altered foods, on how numerous start up genetic corporations have profited from patenting genes used to produce disease fighting drugs, about how DNA fingerprinting can be used to both solve crime and identify previously unidentifiable bodies, and how researchers have used genetics to fight devastating disease like Huntington's disease. The final chapters of the book deal with current issuses in genetics such as funding for research, ethical issuses involving unborn children with inheritable diseases, and a few words on stem cells and cloning.
In some sense, this book is the "untold history of genetics." It brings to light the tiredless work of numerous scientists that have shaped genetics into the fascinating field that it is today. I found it interesting that such a myriad group of biologists, biochemists, chemists, and physicists jumped on the DNA bandwagon and discovered so much about this little chemical. I found it particularly interesting because I read this book after already having taken a genetics class in college. But do not be deferred if you have no scientific background whatsoever. The book is fully acessable and intended for anyone even remotely interested in DNA. While it helps to have knowledge of genetic terms, the scientific jargon in this book is minimal and each term is fully explained to aid in clairity.
The prose of this book flows very smoothly and at times you forget that you are reading a science book instead of a novel because the pages quickly fly by. I found this rather surprising since I had previsously read Watson's famous book, "The Double Helix." Although "The Double Helix" is an important book, its prose was at times slow, stunted, and far from captivating. "DNA: The Secret of Life" suffers from none of those flaws. With the help of coauthor Andrew Berry, Watson has written a book that is as full of life and surprise as its title suggests.
My advice is that everyone should read this book no matter what there background in science is. It is an important and enjoyable read that reveals how the chemical DNA is involved in all of the complicated intricies of life! With the increasing growth of research in genetics, it doesn't hurt to learn some of the concepts about DNA that this book teaches. That way, you can be truely informed about DNA, and this knowledge will allow you to form your own opinions about how DNA is used in society now and in the future.
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Summary: Genetic revolution from Mendel to human genome sequencing
Review: Fifty years ago author and scientist James D. Watson helped launch an investigation into the phenomena of human DNA with publication of his now-famous "Double Helix" book: today he gives the first history of the genetic revolution from Mendel to human genome sequencing. Individual chapters consider the rise of molecular science, provide explanations of DNA processes and emerging new sciences surrounding genetics, and provides general-interest readers with a fine blend of science and social issues. This is an important survey and a "must" for school and community library Science and Biology collections.
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Summary: Genetic revolution from Mendel to human genome sequencing
Review: Fifty years ago author and scientist James D. Watson helped launch an investigation into the phenomena of human DNA with publication of his now-famous "Double Helix" book: today he gives the first history of the genetic revolution from Mendel to human genome sequencing. Individual chapters consider the rise of molecular science, provide explanations of DNA processes and emerging new sciences surrounding genetics, and provides general-interest readers with a fine blend of science and social issues. This is an important survey and a "must" for school and community library Science and Biology collections.
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Summary: Great insight into the most important scientific breakthrou
Review: I love reading this book, over and over. As a biochemist, it's wonderful to see the personal side of such an important scientific breakthrough. How exciting was the race to be the first to understand the structure of DNA. And no matter how good a scientist you are, luck also is important to be at the right time in the right place. See how the impact of understanding DNA has brought as half a century later. Very impressive!!
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Summary: An Excellent Read for the Armchair Scientist
Review: If you are interested in the science of genetics (What exactly is a gene? How does DNA work? How does genetic fingerprinting work? How do they do that?) then this book is for you. If, on the other hand, you are interested in the social implications of genetics (Is genetic profiling ethical? Should we be exploring gene therapy? Does genetic testing of fetuses promote abortion? What good is the human genome project?), then this book is ALSO for you. Indeed, one might criticize this book for having an identity crisis as to whether it is about science or ethics. However, I have come to realize that in genetics, perhaps more than in any other discipline, science and social issues are inexorably linked. Even so, while I found the book fascinating from cover to cover (almost), I would have to say that it tends to be disjointed in places, leaping from subject to subject a little haphazardly. It is almost as if the writer was ticking off items on his "things to write about" list. As such, the book loses its cohesion from time to time. For example, a chapter on the early Soviet Union's biology program is wedged in between accounts of recent searches for pernicious genes and studies of twins. But this is a minor point. Mr. Watson is not only a top notch scientist, he is an excellent writer. Although the chapter on Soviet biology left me scratching my head, it was amusing, interesting and well-written, as was the rest of the book. And for that, I can forgive a great deal. The proof is in the pudding. Over the last few days, I have engaged a number of colleagues, as well as my wife, in discussions on genetics issues and have found that this book has greatly enriched my understanding of the field and reinforced my interest in the subject. It's also worth pointing out that if you are in the process of building a family, this book is full of the kind of scientific background that will hold you in good stead as you examine options like genetic testing, in-vitro fertilization and the implications of family histories of disease. I will levy only one direct criticism about this book. It tends to wander aimlessly toward the end. It is almost as if Mr. Watson couldn't decide how to end it, so he chose to do so multiple times. The result is a rather off-putting set of diatribes espousing the author's agnostic and highly utilitarian approach to the subject. (Incidentally, those of you on or near the religious right will find plenty of fodder here.) Not that I minded hearing the author's views, it's just that "I got it already." However, this is a minor taint to an otherwise excellent book about the science and ethics of genetics. For you armchair scientists out there, I would put this one toward the top of the "to read" stack.
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