Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

Unravelling the Double Helix: The Lost Heroes of DNA

Gareth Williams

3.9/5 ( ratings)

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.

Pages: 504

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Release: October 01, 2019

ISBN: 1643132156

ISBN 13: 9781643132150

Unravelling the Double Helix: The Lost Heroes of DNA

Gareth Williams

3.9/5 ( ratings)

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.

Pages: 504

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Release: October 01, 2019

ISBN: 1643132156

ISBN 13: 9781643132150

More books from Gareth Williams

A Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries of Loch Ness

3.7/5 ( ratings)

Vikings: Life and Legend

3.9/5 ( ratings)

Treasures from Sutton Hoo

Angel of Death: The Story of Smallpox

Happy Meow-loween Little Pumpkin

Updated New Biology for You Student Book

4.2/5 ( ratings)

Master Pieces: The Architecture of Chess

3.5/5 ( ratings)

The Adventures of Medical Man: Kids' Illnesses and Injuries Explained

3.1/5 ( ratings)

Outlaws, Spies, and Gangsters: Chasing Notorious Criminals

3.4/5 ( ratings)

The Cambridge Companion to Ovid

3.9/5 ( ratings)

Essential Biology for Cambridge IGCSE print Student Book: Support EAL students' subject and language knowledge

4.6/5 ( ratings)

عقل به روایت کانت

2.3/5 ( ratings)

Silver Economy in the Viking Age

3.6/5 ( ratings)

The Space In-Between: Essays on Latin American Culture

4.3/5 ( ratings)

Silver Economies, Monetisation and Society in Scandinavia, AD 800-1100

4.4/5 ( ratings)

Biology for You: Revised National Curriculum Edition for Gcse

4.6/5 ( ratings)

Ovid: Ibis

3.4/5 ( ratings)

Biology for You

Early Anglo-Saxon Coins

Challenging Medicine

Rate this book!

Write a review?