DNA: The Secret of Life

At the heart of every cell lies a collection of molecules that hold the key to biology's incredible diversity: DNA. In his 2003 book "DNA: The Secret of Life" molecular biologist James D Watson gives the reader an in depth tour of genetics, it's history, where it stands today and where it's going tomorrow. In the early 1950s Watson, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, codiscovered the hidden structure of DNA, for which they shared the 1962 Nobel Prize. That discovery is pretty well covered in "The Double Helix" so, if you've read that one, this book may be covering some familiar ground for you. But if you, like me, have not read TDH then DNA will serve as a good introduction to that era. Watson covers the early history of genetics starting in the early 19th century with Gregor Mendel and his work on heredity of the pea plants. The term "genetics" was coined about 1909 by a British biologist, William Bateson. But even before Mendel and Bateson people were thinking about heredity; theories like pangenesis and homunculus were popular for a time. Darwin proposed Natural Selection in 1859 but was troubled by not knowing a mechanism for his Theory of Evolution. Seven years later Mendel published his findings on pea plant heredity in an obscure Austrian/German journal but it took a long time before the two theories got together. The 20th century was a heady time for genetic research, competition between scientists reached an all time high as everyone searched for the correct molecular structure of DNA. Watson, having lived through those days, knew all those players in a professional, and sometimes personal, way. But when big business and the government got into the fray, things changed. With giant chemical companies investing millions into R&D, and expecting substantial profits in return, the days of free "exchange of knowledge" were over. Some scientists saw big business as an opportunity for unlimited research funding and for personal profit as well. Now the chemical companies, and some scientists, were seeking copyright patients on their discoveries so that anyone wishing to do additional research or even related research would have to pay-up first. Nowadays anything related to "genetics" is, for good or bad, in the public eye. Things like cloning, growth enhancement, GMO's in food and medicine are highly controversial for everyone; health care professionals, consumers, politicians and scientists as well. But no matter where you stand on these issues, you need to be well informed on the science involved and this book is a good starting point to that end. But there's more to genetics that the controversial issues mentioned above and Watson gives the reader an in depth look at the many different facets of this important science. Some of the topics covered are: the origin and evolution of life; medical research on human disease, genetic and otherwise; genetics in forensic law enforcement (like CSI); human evolution, how and when we came "out of Africa" and the Nature vs Nurture debate. Watson's writing is clear and informative, not to mention entertaining, and he gives a good overview of the history and workings of genetic research. You may not agree with everything the good professor has to say but after reading this book you'll have a clearer understanding of the issues. Filled with cutting edge science of the day DNA: The Secret of Life was scientifically up to date in 2003 but, like any science, a lot has changed since then. New findings and theories not withstanding this book is still as relevant and controversial as it was a decade ago. For the layperson reader DNA:SOL is a good jumping off place to newer publications and different authors in molecular biology and genetic research. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a open, but skeptical, mind with some experience in reading science. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition and, as far as I could tell, all the illustrations, charts and photos are included.Last Ranger

Great book on the story of the discovery of DNA, from Crick and Watson (the inside word as per Watson) including great background information to the genome project and how DNA is used today and its potential effects on society. Watson may be opinionated but gives a fair and balance overlook of the material. If you are looking for a college textbook description, this is not the book for you, but if you want to see the story behind one of the greatest discoveries in the 20th century (or maybe history), this is a great book.And thank you to the 3rd party bookseller Aberg books - the book is out of print but was in perfect new condition.

If you want to know something about the role of DNA in the 21st century, who could be a better source of information than the man, who discovered its structure and pioneered its technology. That man is James Watson, the author of "DNA The Secret of Life".Watson and Crick beat Chemistry's superstar, Linius Pauling, in the race to decipher DNA's chemical structure in 1953. Since then, science has made amazing progress in broading and applying that knowledge. Watson tells that story in this book. He, himself, played very important roles in pushing the scientific envelope, including his leadership of the Human Genome Project.In the last second, our bodies each produced millions of new cells. Watson explains how this process works, starting with the reading of the DNA code and the activities of messenger and transfer RNA in assembling a protein. We humans, were not content to merely understand this process. We audaciously put those tiny factories to work for us. We learned how to splice DNA at a point if our choosing. We learned how to insert a gene of our choosing into a bacteria's DNA. We put the cell's factories to work for us making medical products. If we only had a minute sample of DNA, we learned how to make millions of copies of it. In short, we created the biotechnology industry.Watson tells how Amgen and Genentech raced to be first to produce human insulin by recombinant DNA processing. It was another race against time.He tells about the Human Genome Project (HGP), which was perhaps more ambitious than putting a man on the moon. Consider that our DNA is billions of letters long. Enormous breakthrough were made in the chemical analysis techniques. The sequencing rate was made faster and faster by brilliant breakthroughs. The HGP, once thought to be impossible, was finished ahead of schedule.DNA technology will replace many of today's medical techniques in the years ahead. It allows us to understand the enemy and to attack it in a precise manner. The cure of cancers and AIDS will come from DNA technology. Heart disease too. Watson explains the hows and whys of future medical advances.Gene therapy is in its infancy. Imagine having all the cells in your body made more perfect.Tracing human origins, finding the ancestral paths of living things, fingerprinting with DNA, forecasting the health of a human embryo, and other topics are also covered in this book.James Watson: He be the man!!Reviewed by Ralph D. Hermansen, 12-01-07

The Kindle edition of this wonderful book, first published in 2003, claims in its Kindle title to be “fully revised and updated”, which is the only reason I bought it, having already purchased both the hardback (published 2003) and the Arrow paperback (published 2004).In fact this Kindle edition is a word for word transcript of the 2004 paperback edition, including the index – nothing has been changed or added, other than the dishonest title claiming that this 15 year old book has been “fully revised and updated“ - a claim that does not even appear in the paperback from which it has been cloned.Being Kindle, there is of course no chance of a refund, so something of a rip-off with respect to being updated, but on balance worth the cost to have this fabulous book to hand where’er I go.

A fantastic book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of science in the last 70years. From DNA to crispr and biotechnology. It tells the story of all the people involved in the major discoveries that advanced the science of molecular biology. Updated with 2 chapters on personal genomics and the war on cancer. James Watson is a great writer. It is fabulous book. Over 500 pages. Recommended reading at the end for each chapter of the book is great. One of the best science books I've ever read and I'm obsessed with science and its history and the people involved. Get this book. You won't regret it.

A good read for any biology enthusiasts, I am currently studying a Biomedical Science degree and was recommended this by a lecture, I have throughly enjoyed reading it and I have learnt a lot too which is a bonus!

Absolutely fascinating! Though sometimes quite difficult to understand, I often have to re-read passages to get the full meaning (I have an A a gcse biology). It is suitable for someone with a minimal biological background, although it does assume some knowledge. As a previous reviewer mentions, a glossary would be very useful for quick reference!In conclusion, If DNA is something you are interested by, where better to start that a Nobel Prize winners overview?

A terrific read which is engaging and informative for any reader without prior knowledge. A great partner to his other books