DNA: The Secret of Life

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What makes DNA different from hordes of competitors purporting to help readers understand genetics is that it is written by none other than James Watson, of Watson and Crick fame. He and his co-author Andrew Berry have produced a clear and easygoing history of genetics, from Mendel through genome sequencing. Watson offers readers a sense of immediacy, a behind-the scenes familiarity with some of the most exciting developments in modern science. He gleefully reports on the research juggernaut that led to current obsessions with genetic engineering and cloning. Aided by profuse illustrations and photos, Watson offers an enthusiastic account of how scientists figured out how DNA codes for the creation of proteins--the so-called "central dogma" of genetics. But as patents and corporations enter the picture, Watson reveals his concern about the incursions of business into the hallowed halls of science.

After 1975, DNA was no longer solely the concern of academics trying to understand the molecular underpinnings of life. The molecule moved beyond the cloisters of white-coated scientists into a very different world populated largely by men in silk ties and sharp suits.

In later chapters, Watson aims barbs at those who are concerned by genetic tinkering, calling them "alarmists" who don't understand how the experiments work. It is in these arguments that Watson may lose favor with those whose notions of science were born after Silent Spring. Nevertheless, DNA encompasses both sides of the political issues involved in genetics, and Watson is an enthusiastic proponent of debate on the subject. The book accompanies a 5-part PBS series. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

Fifty years ago, James D. Watson, then just twentyfour, helped launch the greatest ongoing scientific quest of our time. Now, with unique authority and sweeping vision, he gives us the first full account of the genetic revolution—from Mendel’s garden to the double helix to the sequencing of the human genome and beyond.
Watson’s lively, panoramic narrative begins with the fanciful speculations of the ancients as to why “like begets like” before skipping ahead to 1866, when an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel first deduced the basic laws of inheritance. But genetics as we recognize it today—with its capacity, both thrilling and sobering, to manipulate the very essence of living things—came into being only with the rise of molecular investigations culminating in the breakthrough discovery of the structure of DNA, for which Watson shared a Nobel prize in 1962. In the DNA molecule’s graceful curves was the key to a whole new science.

Having shown that the secret of life is chemical, modern genetics has set mankind off on a journey unimaginable just a few decades ago. Watson provides the general reader with clear explanations of molecular processes and emerging technologies. He shows us how DNA continues to alter our understanding of human origins, and of our identities as groups and as individuals. And with the insight of one who has remained close to every advance in research since the double helix, he reveals how genetics has unleashed a wealth of possibilities to alter the human condition—from genetically modified foods to genetically modified babies—and transformed itself from a domain of pure research into one of big business as well. It is a sometimes topsy-turvy world full of great minds and great egos, driven by ambitions to improve the human condition as well as to improve investment portfolios, a world vividly captured in these pages.

Facing a future of choices and social and ethical implications of which we dare not remain uninformed, we could have no better guide than James Watson, who leads us with the same bravura storytelling that made The Double Helix one of the most successful books on science ever published. Infused with a scientist’s awe at nature’s marvels and a humanist’s profound sympathies, DNA is destined to become the classic telling of the defining scientific saga of our age.

Customer Reviews:

Hmmmf!.......2006-06-21

Well, I read it. It's interesting material and Watson is a good writer. Now back to whatever it was that I was doing.

Blatant Propaganda. Read with Caution.......2006-04-08

To be fair, I enjoyed how the book opened up the world of science to many non-scientists. Written in a understandable and comprehensible way, the book brought to life the life story and persuits of many scientists driving to understand the essence of life: DNA.

However, disaster struck when I got into the section about GM foods. It was clear that Watson was a great advocate of the new technology and he is entitled to that view. However, he utterly and horrible abuses the name of science and in his "scientific analysis" of Genetically Modified foods. First the refutes all protestors saying they have backwater knowledge of the area and that they are heavily influenced by politics. He goes on applies the stereotype that ALL protestors are from the non-scientific community and that they are professional trouble-rousers. This is ofcourse not true.

Summary of Watson's "Scientific" analysis of GM foods:
He first states that the alternative to GM is persticides. By using Genetically modified crops, farms can stop using the extensive array of pesticides. Watson states that all pesticides are bad and horrible for the environment, EVEN the natural pesticides. This is probably true has me makes quite a few examples how what has gone wrong.

However, his second point is that by using genetic technology, scientists can make a plant product a natural pesticide in every cell. This pesticide found naturally in chrysanthemum can paralyze insects that eat it and they die a horrible death. He seems to say that such a natural pesticide is good because it's fund naturally in chrysanthemum (although he previous said that natural pesicides are just as bad). He offers no counter argument for such technology and goes on to call the European food agencies "lazy" for not embracing such a gene. Readers should think for a moment and consider that although the natural pesticide incorporated into all the cells of corn etc is not dangerous, there are many other examples where other pesticides are incorporated into our food. In such a case, no matter how much you was a plant, you can never wash that pesticide away! Science needs to be applied with extreme caution. 10 years of research might not reveal what dangers some chemicals do to us in the long run. For example, when X-ray was first invented, no-one knew of such dangerous so people took x-ray pictures of their full body for fun! Not surprisingly after 30 years these some these people developed horrible cancers as a direct cause of the x-rays being taken. The implementation of a new science must be made with extreme caution and the public has every right to be suspicious of it.

Another argument made by Watson is that we have been manipulating genes for centuries in the cross cultivation of plants (therefore GM is safe and anyone saying it is playing good is a hypocrite). However, I must remind you that GM is completely different from genetic engineering where scientists have complete control over what they want to produce. In some cases scientists can have finer control over cross cultivation, but I must remind you that when our ancestors selectively breeded different species of goat wheat to make the wheat we use today, it took many generations of patient work. Now with a new technology, we can suddenly create a new species out of thin air and plant them with our nice machines. Therefore if we created something that wasn't good and didn't know about it, the results would be devastating cause we would be dealing with a mass of new species all around the globe instead of just our backyard.

Watson also claims that GM foods will help solve the world hunger problem. This is not the main and state aim of GM foods, it is merely a side agenda of big companies like Monsanto who is more concerned about getting a constant supply of income from farmers. I must remind you that GM foods is propelled by capitalism. Capitalism is good until it something messes up such as in the great depression. However, when genetic engineering is concerned, far worse catastrophes can occur if technology is too rapidly implemented. What if the "terminator gene" made all the plants on earth unable to reproduce in 60 years? Such inter-species mixing is rare but it does happen. The world hunger problem cannot be solved at the cost of world annihilation. The technology will eventually mature, but maybe in a few hundred years not a few years.

There are many more examples where Watson plainly ignores the counter argument and just makes a biased counter attack for GM foods. I must remind readers to read this book with extreme caution. GM foods are not as safe as the book makes it sound and you are not an uneducated myth believer you object to GM foods.

Tells the big picture........2006-03-21

This book was a lot of fun to read and I really felt like I learned a lot after I finished. The book talks about genetically modified food and how there was such an outcry by the public when it first came in to the market. People didn't want to eat "Frankestien food". He explains why many things people think are bad about recombinant DNA (putting the DNA of one organism into another) are just misconceptions and that there is more potential for good than bad when it comes to recombinant DNA.
The book did get a little boring for me when it came to the chapter on the human genome project though, but that was the only chapter that wasn't interesting to me.
Even people with a strong science schooling will learn things they did not know from this book. I am a third year biology major and learned a lot. There may be some parts that are difficult to understand if you haven't taken a few science classes, but the book is still worth reading.
If you are a religious person you might get upset by this book because Watson treats evolution as truth and bases quite a bit of reasoning on it. He doesn't try to hide the fact that he is an atheist, but does criticize the religious a little with his tone. (I personally am not religious.)

Great Natural History Read For Everyone.......2005-09-11

I really enjoyed the simple and straight forward story of how the Nobel Prize winners Watson (the author) and Crick (who the book is dedicated to) discovered the genetic code. It is a very readable story of how two scientists from different disciplines came together to reveal one of the great mysteries of life: how genetic traits are inhereted; and how this DNA makes all life on earth possible.

James Watson is a humble scientist and wonderful writer. Science needs more like him and less of the other kind that unfortunately seem to dominate the field.

The ultimate book of life's secret.......2005-08-09

This is a fascinating scientific tale of life's history told by one of science's champions - Dr. Watson. We are fortunate that he is also a gifted writer and story teller. This book is a scientific page turner and by the end of the first few chapters the reader realizes what all the excitement is about. It is an easy read and a good review for people with science background, for others the details might prove challenging but the big picture is certainly within grasp. With the sequencing of the human genome, many aspects of our lives has and will change, this book can help usher us into the new age by teaching us the basics so we can be "DNA literate". I am a clinical physician but this book has awakened the scientist in me. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Excellent science in laymen terms...unfortunately, author has an agenda

DNA - The Secret of Life
James D. Watson , and Andrew Berry
Manufacturer: Alfred A. knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0965739694

Product Description

Co-Written by one of the co-discoverers of DNA. This book covers the Past, Present, and Future of this vital subject.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent science in laymen terms...unfortunately, author has an agenda.......2007-05-23

I got this book just because I enjoy reading science books. I hadn't read much depth about DNA, so it seemed that this would be an excellent beginner book. And it was.

Starting at the beginning, with the history of the challenges, competition, and science that went into "discovering" DNA, the author does a great job of explaining everything that happened, and how one discovery lead to another.

The author also opened eyes about the patenting of sequencing, which is an outright shame to all of humanity. But, pharma companies have plenty of money because they hook people on drugs, then make more drugs to fix problems that the first drugs caused, and it all spawns into a vicious cycle...I digress. Even at this point, as a scientist, the author says he can understand the patents since the time and money involved...but the knowledge needs to be shared somewhat freely, with licensing, etc.

Then you get to the middle of the book. And the author suddenly sounds like a politician more than a scientist. He systematically goes through various "myths" and beliefs, and attempts to dispel them, with absolutely horrible results.

"As the GM [Genetically Modified] food debate swirls around us, it is important to appreciate that our custom of eating food that has been genetically modified is actually thousands of years old," he writes. Arguing that scientists making hybrid crops is no different than crops being cross-pollinated and morphing into new breeds is asinine, but that what's going on here. Regardless of whether you want to EAT GM foods or not, another important point - genetically altered SEEDS are designed to NOT GROW THE NEXT YEAR. So, farmers have to buy new seeds the following year, and scientists have to create a new batch of altered seeds. There are many problems with this, and on the top of the list is that Seed companies (about 4 major ones in the world) control food.

Another interesting aspect that the author conveniently doesn't cover is the fact that genetically modified foods destroys the ORIGINAL seed - the next year, the modified seeds are modified again, and the next year, those modified seeds are again modified, and so on. What other "science" completely destroys it's base with long-term good results?

In another major point the author makes, regarding rBHT given to dairy cows to produce 10% more milk...here are some problems with his argument. (His argument consists of..."the milk of treated vs. untreated cows are identical, we get more milk, but it's a great idea.) Problems:
1. Cows treated with rBHT have a much higher rate of bovine infection. To combat this, the cows are given additional antibiotics, EVEN IF THEY APPEAR HEALTHY, as a precaution.
2. In one of the 2 concluding chapters, the author admits that we have a long way to go before we can really see details of how everything is working - the way it sounds, is that the milk from treated vs. untreated cows LOOKS the same to our current science, but given another 10 years (and probably another 5-10 in research studies), what if our methods improve, and in fact, the milk is not the same? What if the treated cow milk leads to increased rates of [enter disease name here.]? The author seems to think that it's OK, all in the name of science.

Lastly, the author really does seem to have a general dislike for any political movements OR citizen protests of dealing with genetics/dna/science. Riding along on his high horse, he seems to believe everyone with concerns is simply out to "delay science, and to delay cures for horrible diseases" (he has PLENTY of stories of horrible diseases that "could possibly be cured" through genetics (though he mentions later in the book that a couple experiments have been done, and one of them drastically increased cancer rates. While it may weaken as the years go on, the USA is "by the people, for the people." The government, by the people, fund your research. If the people and/or government wants more information or to delay your progress, it's their call, not yours.

Overall, this book does have some great information. I do believe, however, that there is another "beginner" DNA book whose author isn't out to "set everybody right."

In the Beginning Was the Worm: Finding the Secrets of Life in a Tiny Hermaphrodite

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Genetics from Small Beginnings
Little critters with big secrets
Worms and Heroes
Explaining Life at the Molecular Level

In the Beginning Was the Worm: Finding the Secrets of Life in a Tiny Hermaphrodite
Andrew Brown
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0231131461

Book Description

This is the story of how three men won the Nobel Prize for their research on the humble nematode worm C. elegans; how their extraordinary discovery led to the sequencing of the human genome; how a global multibillion-dollar industry was born; and how the mysteries of life were revealed in a tiny, brainless worm.

In 1998 the nematode worm -- perhaps the most intensively studied animal on earth -- was the first multicellular organism ever to have its genome sequenced and its DNA mapped and read. "When we understand the worm, we will understand life," predicted John Sulston, one of the three Nobel laureates, and his prediction proved astonishingly accurate. Four years later, the research that led to this extraordinary event garnered three scientists a Nobel Prize. Along with Robert Horvitz and Sydney Brenner, Sulston discovered the phenomenon of programmed cell death in the worm, an essential concept that explains how biological development occurs in animal life and, as Horvitz later showed, how it occurs in human life. C. elegans is about as simple as an animal can be, but understanding its genetic organization is helping to reveal the mechanisms of life and, by extension, the mechanisms of our own lives. In the Beginning Was the Worm shows that in order to unlock the secrets of the human genome we must first understand the worm.

But this story is about more than just the worm. It is about how an eccentric group of impassioned scientists toiled in near anonymity for years, driven only by a deep passion for knowledge and scientific discovery. It is the story of countless hours of research, immense ambition, and one of the greatest discoveries in human history.

Customer Reviews:

Genetics from Small Beginnings.......2006-11-22

Why do we grow old and die? Amazingly, after more than forty years of research, we still don't know the answers. This book charts the history of one branch of investigation into this thorny problem and does it with verve, style, and wit. In addition it is written with an admirable clarity that will enable non-specialists to grasp not only what was going on during the 30 years people have been studying c. elegans but also why it matters.

The main omission of the book concerns the fact that unlike complex eukaryotes such as reptiles and mammals our small wormy friend does not undergo cell division. Therefore cell-division-related loss-of-information theories about senescence clearly cannot explain why c. elegans lasts less than a month even under ideal conditions. In principle the fact that this non-dividing cellular system actually does grow old and die should teach us something very important about the mechanisms of aging, but alas we are little closer to understanding why these tiny creatures age than we were when the whole enterprise started with Brenner's initial investigations. It would presumably be very illuminating to contrast the all-too-mortal worm with immortal cancer cell lines; somewhere in there are surely the clues we need to get a better understanding of what it means to age.

But this book is a nice primer on the basic issues involved in the study of aging and as such is a welcome addition to the bookshelf.

Little critters with big secrets.......2006-09-23

The revelations about life promised when the structure of DNA was deduced weren't immediately obvious. In fact, the more investigations proceeded, it was obvious that intense study and analysis would be needed. The inheritance of traits, both physical and behavioural, is a difficult mesh to unravel. Research on single-celled organisms, like E. coli, offered only part of the answers. Even the long years of work with fruit flies only hinted at how genes made bodies and habits. An intermediate creature was needed in order to map out how the DNA did its job. That creature was the humble nematode, about as long as your fingernail is thick. In this highly informative book, Andrew Brown traces the years of study undertaken by scientists and technicians to cut away some of the unknowns to derive answers.

"Cut away" is suggestive. The earliest work required understanding how the worm was assembled by its genes. That effort entailed slicing the worm in bits to map all the interconnections. For a creature made of less than a thousand cells, its body proved anything but simple. One researcher spent three decades studying the vulva of this hermaphrodite. Another, a technician, learned the finesse required to section the nerves in order that the pathways the wires followed could be tracked. No end of complexity was revealed and some of it remains mysterious today. Brown credits childhood habits that contributed to the talents these researchers applied to worm analysis. The "nerve-cutter" did jigsaw puzzles, while another was one of those kids constantly taking things apart - and reassembling them - when he was young. In sharp contrast to today's research environment, Brown notes, these individuals remained individuals, untrammeled by bureaucracy and often working with little or no supervision or even contact with their colleagues. Their own dedication kept them at their tasks for extended periods - and usually extended hours.

Why go to such extreme lengths to examine such a minuscule creature? It was due to Sydney Brenner. Brenner, the son of an illiterate, entered university at age fourteen. When he graduated, Brown notes, Brenner remained too young for legal employment in a university. Research, however, was an open and inviting path. After casting about for the right creature, in the early 1960s he settled on "Caenorhabditis elegans" [say it to yourself quickly!] for detailed study. It was Brenner's vision that the information gleaned would lead to further insights into development and nervous systems - body building and behaviour. Although little was said of it at the time, the techniques would lead to how human behaviour roots would also be revealed.

After describing the details of the progress of the "C. elegans" research, Brown describes the growing interest in launching the Human Genome Project. Although nobody proposed slicing up humans to find out what made them tick, other methods were already being developed. Even mapping the simple worm had proven such a tedious task that when computers entered biology laboratories, Brenner and others made quick use of them. The merging of biology and research led to "the algorithm of the worm". Computer images made the mapping process easier for analysis. Databases of the generations of mutations led to better identification of which genes produced the changes. Although even today, some of these mutations remain to be tracked with detail or assurance. The worm, like much of life, retains mysteries demanding more work.

It was these computer methods that made the study of the human genome feasible. Various techniques arose to map the genome, some of them, such as Craig Venter's "skipping over" method, brought the picture of the human genome closer, if incomplete. They also led to the dispute over patenting genes. Brown notes how Brenner was an early dissenter against this practice. His objections led to a Britain versus the US dichotomy about where gene research should lead. There remains dispute over why Brenner was such a strenuous opponent. Whatever else the study of the little worm brought to biology, there is no doubt its rewards are highly significant. If nothing else, the awarding of three Nobel Prizes must be counted as great.

Brown's effort in researching this book, from delving into the literature to extensive interviews with the surviving participants, makes it worthwhile. There are several personal accounts of the time, which Brown fully acknowledges. He cites frequently the "Worm-Breeder's Gazette" which proved to be a unifying information exchange among the scattered scholars that emerged from the original studies. The "Gazette" tied together not only distant researchers, but the work of those who closely studied small aspects and had no other means of learning who was doing what in other laboratories. Brown's only shortcoming here is a rather patchy prose style. He also engages in some unnecessary repetition, giving the chapters the effect of a set of loosely-tied essays. A good Index - which this book thankfully contains - should have eliminated this approach. The other flaw, far more serious, is the total lack of graphic material. Photographs and diagrams would have made this book peerless. "In the Beginning" is a valuable book, but could have been first class with a bit more effort. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Worms and Heroes.......2004-10-21

I have been following (from afar) the C. Elegans story for about thirty years. Once I was even motivated enough to try to isolate the worm from some soil so I could play around with it for myself. The attempt failed--I don't know why--but I never lost my vicarious interest in it. This is the first book that I've read that covers the story in a "behind the scenes" way, and I was glad to see it published.

The worm now, is of course, one of the best understood multicellular organisms in all of biology. How it came to be a model organism rivaling the mouse, the fruit fly, and man is an interesting lesson in how science at its best really works. It was a man, Sydney Brenner, with a plan to pick just the right organism that could be used to attack some of the fundamental questions of genetics, development and embryogenesis. The selection of this organism took several years of hard work. It is remarkable that during this start-up of the project, the funding organization, the MRC, supported the work without complaint, even though it was something like five years before publications began to roll out.

The book is written for a general audience, though there is lots here of interest to those who are more acquainted with biology too. The politics and personalities of the effort, now almost fifty years on, are covered in quite a bit of depth and some of it is pretty entertaining. The technical aspects of the research is also explained in enough detail that the reader can follow it pretty easily, though there are a few challenging rough spots too.

This is quite a tale of heroic science getting done with a conviction that unselfish, cooperative, non-commercial, basic research is not only worthwhile, but can be a lot of fun. And these guys clearly had a lot of fun. I think that one of the main reasons, pointed out by the author, was that the researchers were crammed in together with perhaps only a meter of bench space, and often not even a desk, had a lot to do with it. No closed doors, no power point, and no email probably had a lot to do with it too.

The book could have been better organized--the jumping around in time (what decade was this?) sometimes was bothersome to me. The portraits of the scientists were nice to see, but I'd have appreciated some drawings of the worm too. Pictures of the laboratory would have been instructive, I think.

Brown has done a quite respectable job with this book, and I think it is quite worth reading if you have any interest at all in biology or the history of science. The effort described will serve to confound the deconstructionists, mystics and other quacks of the academy for a long time to come.

Explaining Life at the Molecular Level.......2004-06-29

_Caenorhabditis elegans_, happily better known as _C. elegans_ and affectionately known by the researchers who study it as "the worm," would not seem to have potential for being the focus of groundbreaking biological studies. It is only a half a millimeter long, for instance, and is a lowly nematode, living on bacteria and slime mold in temperate regions all around the world. It does, however, display rapid growth and production of subsequent generations, which made it perfect for genetic studies, and transparency, which made it perfect for microscopic analysis. But even the original researchers on the worm would have been surprised at all the work that has been done in the last forty years. _C. elegans_ is now "the most completely understood animal in history." That assessment comes in _In the Beginning Was the Worm: Finding the Secrets of Life in a Tiny Hermaphrodite_ (Columbia University Press) by Andrew Brown. In fact, the worm looms even larger in biological research; work on its genetic map grew directly into the human genome mapping project. So its story is worth telling, and Brown, a science journalist, has told it largely through descriptions of the personalities and work of the main researchers. There is little technical detail here about the worm itself, but much interesting history about how the researchers came to understand it so well.

Chief of the characters is Sydney Brenner, who designated the worm as a fit source of research in the mid-1960s. Not everyone thought that the worm was the way to go, or even that trying to understand it at the molecular level was a promising avenue of research. There was more glamorous work and ostensibly more productive work going on researching fruit flies, for instance, but Brenner's team showed astonishing dedication. Almost everyone who worked in the lab came away happy, and Brenner and his main colleagues came away with Nobels. One of the most pleasing aspects of the research was how public it was. The researchers were in favor of free trade in ideas within the team, of course, but there was a high streak of idealism in sharing results with the outside world. They truly believed that the unfettered exercise of their talents was for the benefit of humanity. They insisted that sharing results (rather than, say, copyrighting or licensing them) meant it was more likely that someone would latch on to something interesting which needed further work. No one owned the genetic map they produced, and it was from the beginning available to all takers (although it is now much more accessible since biologists can log into it on the web). It is not just that free release is generous and right, but it works. John Sulston, one of the Nobel winners, said, "It was not a theoretical concept, it was a pragmatic way of moving forward."

From the Publisher

In the 1950s, two young scientists, one British and one American, unlocked the mystery of life's building block: DNA. It was a discovery that has been hailed as the greatest biological feat of the century.

The highly successful "Partners" concept (double biographies of successful pairs) is now available for older readers. Perfect for report writers, these biographies offer students an exciting and innovative way to explore the creative process and the value of teamwork. The dynamics of these famous partnerships illustrate the value of cooperation, compromise, and perseverance.

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