Gene..Gamow: After the Discovery of the Double Helix

Author: James D. Watson (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: Following the discovery of DNA structure in the field of evolution by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, the molecular biology community was swept up in a gold rush. The goal was to reveal the mysteries of life hinted at by the newly elucidated molecules. Gene, Girl, Gamow is a report by James Watson on the astonishing consequences of the DNA breakthrough, supplementing the parts omitted from his classic collection The Double Helix. The book details the cooperation and conflicts of the great figures, not only between Watson and Crick but also among many others, including Linus Pauling (then the greatest chemist), Richard Feynman (the focal point of the drumming scene at Caltech), and particularly George Gamow, the Russian physicist who resembled a bear and was a heavy drinker of whiskey, who turned his remarkable intellect to genetics; and Gamow—also an irrepressible prankster—formed the legendary RNA Tie Club with Watson. However, Watson—who had already won the top prize in genetics research at the age of twenty-five—was also puzzled by another goal: finding love and a wife worthy of his extraordinary reputation. While conducting important research with a group of mischievous young colleagues from around the world, they also competed for money and complained about the lack of suitable partners. In the frenzied search for the role of the still-mysterious RNA molecule, Watson’s thoughts rarely strayed far from his ultimate pursuit: a charming Swarthmore girl, who happened to be the daughter of a Harvard renowned biologist. Half scientific internship, half emotional education, Gene, Girl, Gamow profoundly reveals how great science is accomplished. At the same time, it is also an interesting self-exploration of a young man about all his ambitions.