|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“The chase for the double-helical structure of DNA was an
adventure story in the best sense. First, there was a pot of scientific
gold to be found—possibly very soon. Second, among the explorers
who raced to find it, there was much bravado, unexpected lapses of
reason, and painful acceptances of the fates not going well. The early
1950s were not times to be cautious but rather to run fast whenever a
path opened up—nuggets of gold might be lying exposed over the
next hill. As one of the winners with a fortune much, much bigger than I
ever dared hope for, I could not stop moving. There was more genetic
loot to be located, and not joining in the further hunt would make me
feel old.” —from the preface
Immediately following
the revolutionary discovery of the structure of DNA by James D. Watson
and Francis Crick in 1953, the world of molecular biology was caught up
in a gold rush. The goal: to uncover the secrets of life the newly
elucidated molecule promised to reveal. Genes, Girls, and Gamow
is James Watson’s report on the amazing aftermath of the DNA
breakthrough, picking up where his now-classic memoir The Double
Helix leaves off.
Here are the collaborations and collisions of
giants, not only Watson and Crick themselves, but also legions of
others, including Linus Pauling (the greatest chemist of the day),
Richard Feynman (the bongo-playing cynosure of Caltech), and especially
George Gamow, the bearlike, whiskey-wielding Russian physicist, who had
turned his formidable intellect to the field of genetics; with
Gamow—an irrepressible prankster to boot—Watson would found
the legendary RNA-Tie Club.
But Watson––at
twenty-five already the winner of genetic research’s greatest
jackpot––is obsessed with another goal as well: to find
love, and a wife equal to his unexpected fame. As he and an
international cast of roguish young colleagues do important research
they also compare notes and share complaints on the scarcity of eligible
mates. And amid the feverish search for the role of the still mysterious
RNA molecule, Watson’s thoughts are seldom far from the supreme
object of his affections, an enthralling Swarthmore coed named Christa,
the daughter of the celebrated Harvard biologist Ernst Mayr.
Part
scientific apprenticeship, part sentimental education, Genes, Girls,
and Gamow is a penetrating revelation of how great science is
accomplished. It is also a charmingly candid account of one young
man’s full range of ambitions.
|
|
|
|
|