Unraveling the Double Helix covers the most colorful period in the history of DNA, from the discovery of "nuclein" in the late 1860s to the publication of James Watson's The Double Helix in 1968. These hundred years included the establishment of the Nobel Prize, antibiotics, x-ray crystallography, the atom bomb and two devastating world wars—events which are strung along the thread of DNA like beads on a necklace. The story of DNA is a saga packed with awful mistakes as well as brilliant science, with a wonderful cast of heroes and villains. Surprisingly, much of it is unfamiliar. The elucidation of the double helix was one of the most brilliant gems of twentieth century science, but some of the scientists who paved the way have been airbrushed out of history. James Watson and Francis Crick solved a magnificent mystery, but Gareth Williams shows that their contribution was the last few pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle assembled over several decades.The book is comprehensive in scope, covering the first century of the history of DNA in its entirety, including the eight decades that have been neglected by other authors. It also explores the personalities of the main players, the impact of their entanglement with DNA, and what unique qualities make great scientists tick.
- 504 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Unravelling the Double Helix
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Contents
- Timeline
- Who’s Who
- Preface: Not another one
- 1. Rewind
- 2. In the beginning
- 3. Bag of worms
- 4. Gardening leave
- 5. Of grasshoppers and flies
- 6. Bausteine
- 7. A whirlwind from Russia
- 8. Crystal gazing
- 9. The sad demise of a promising candidate
- 10. Inventions and improvements
- 11. Movable type
- 12. Transformational research
- 13. Up North
- 14. Unholy Grails
- 15. Applications of science
- 16. Dreams of geneticists
- 17. Tidying up
- 18. Tipping points
- 19. Twists and turns
- 20. Meetings of minds
- 21. Team building
- 22. Whizz kid
- 23. Handicap race
- 24. Photo finish
- 25. Aftershocks
- 26. Retrospective
- Glossary and Abbreviations
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Acknowledgements
- Illustration Credits
- Index
- Also by Gareth Williams
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Unravelling the Double Helix by Gareth Williams in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Biology. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.