Egg and Ego: An Almost True Story of Life in the Biology Lab [Paperback]

J.M.W. Slack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1998

A light-hearted look at the nature of academic science, intended for anyone interested in biology but particularly for biology students who want to find out what the future holds in store. The "Egg" of the title refers to the science of developmental biology, which is the speciality of the author, and which provides the material for many of the anecdotes. The "Ego" relates to the vanity of the scientists themselves. Academic scientists have to struggle to maintain their research funding. To do this they must persuade other scientists that they are very good, and that means working at a good institution, publishing papers in the most fashionable journals and giving lectures at the most prestigious meetings. Success often goes to those with the largest egos and it is their style of operation that is described in this book. The author is a well-known scientist who has worked at both universities and research institutes. He has published over 100 scientific papers and an influential book about embryonic development: "From Egg to Embryo".

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (October 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387985603
• ISBN-13: 978-0387985602
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,957,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious laboratory anecdotes and clearly written science., August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Egg and Ego: An Almost True Story of Life in the Biology Lab (Paperback)

Slack interweaves real science (Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology; frog and fly biology) with job descriptions of biologists and events in the laboratory to portray the fragile existence of academic scientists.

As a career university biologist myself, I repeatedly found myself asking the question as I navigated through the book "Why did I get into this business in the first place?" Slack's work will certainly prompt the budding young scientist to confront their own destiny.

To those interested in what professors do (since they are not in the classroom 8 hours per day), this is the book for you. Though clearly written, the science is still not for everyone; occasionally, Slack lapses into jargon without definition. However, the lighthearted and accurate picture of life in the laboratory will certainly provide enough entertainment for any reader, especially if you are undecided if you want to spend the rest of your life cohabitating with an academic.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide for a would be biomedical researcher, August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Egg and Ego: An Almost True Story of Life in the Biology Lab (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for anyone who might have some idea that they might want to be a professional scientist, working in biomedical research or as a professor in a university. Slack writes very well and he can tell an amusing anecdote. There is a some good science in it too. He is slightly curmidgeonly, perhaps, but I think this is part of his appeal. He tells it like it is. Read this book to find out that being a research scientist, perhaps unfortunately, is like being in the corporate world, and scientists have egos just like anyone else. There is a wealth of guidance for a new 'starry eyed' student. Slack is a good scientist and he portrays with a light touch some of the characters he knows, journals, government regulations and career structures. In addition he explains how he got into science and why. Anyone who is already a biological scientist will find much to chuckle at and I think that all biology students should read it - particularly if contemplating going on to take a higher degree. This book is an antidote to the ridiculous idea that scientists are 'higher beings' concerned only with 'truth'.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unvarnished view of life as a research biologist..., March 15, 2001

By 

Alan R. Holyoak - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egg and Ego: An Almost True Story of Life in the Biology Lab (Paperback)

Slack does a grand job of telling his story...life and living as a researcher working on problems of development. Slack has the ability to get you to grin as he talks about cow brains, growth factors, and other scientific adventures..."Where are the brains, Dad?" (You'll have to read the book to know what that means.) He also ably tells what it's like to be a scientist, as well as how one negotiates the politics and requirements of becoming successful as a research scientist.

The format of the book is interesting. It includes several chapters that address what it's like ("Ego") to be a research scientist, i.e., chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10. He defines what he calls "good places," as well as who "good people" are in the scientific community. If you are a budding scientist, these chapters contain nugget after nugget of wisdom and insight. This book is worth the price for them alone.

The remaining chapters, 3, 5, 8 contain the essence of the research that Slack and his group do, thus the "Egg" portion of the book's title. There is good information about the role of growth factors in development, and a broad brush review of the essentials of some of the processes of development and their molecular bases.

If you are up for a good read about life as a biologist, then come on along. The only reason I didn't award this book 5-stars is that there would be a strong tendency for those not trained in the sciences to get lost in the technical aspects of the chapters on developmental processes. For most biologists, however, especially for upper division undergraduate and graduate students, this book is a gem!

4 stars for the non-scientist, and 5 stars for the science crowd.

Kudos to Slack for this great little book (though he seems to take a rather dim view of places other than research universities -- we part ways there). There is, I believe, too strong a sentiment among researchers (represented by some of Slack's opinions) that what non-researcher biologists do, i.e., teach, is not just different, it is "less than." It all comes down to what you choose to do for your own career, and how you define success for yourself.

I hope this review was helpful!

Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN