Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA [Hardcover]

Catherine Brady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 2007

The story of molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn and her groundbreaking research on telomeres and what it reveals about the resourceful opportunism that characterizes the best scientific thinking.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brady's stories tell us about a prize-winning scientist, a professional woman, and a humble person driven by voracious curiosity. She captures and unleashes into print the combination of creativity, passion, and pugnaciousness that makes Elizabeth Blackburn such an inspiration."--Kathleen Collins, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn--one of Time magazine's 100 "Most Influential People in the World" in 2007--made headlines in 2004 when she was dismissed from the President's Council on Bioethics after objecting to the council's call for a moratorium on stem cell research and protesting the suppression of relevant scientific evidence in its final report. But it is Blackburn's groundbreaking work on telomeric DNA, which launched the field of telomere research, that will have the more profound and long-lasting effect on science and society. In this compelling biography, Catherine Brady tells the story of Elizabeth Blackburn's life and work and the emergence of a new field of scientific research on the specialized ends of chromosomes and the enzyme, telomerase, that extends them. In the early stages of telomere research, telomerase, heralded as a potential cure for cancer and diseases related to aging, attracted the voracious interest of biotech companies. The surrounding hype succeeded in confusing the role of telemorase in extending the life of a cell with a mechanism that might extend the lifespan of an entire organism. In Brady's hands, Blackburn's story reveals much about the tension between pure and applied science, the politicking that makes research science such a competitive field, and the resourceful opportunism that characterizes the best scientific thinking. Brady describes the science accessibly and compellingly. She explores Blackburn's struggle to break down barriers in an elite, male-dominated profession, her role as a mentor to other women scientists (many of whom have made their mark in telomere research), and the collaborative nature of scientific work. This book gives us a vivid portrait of an exceptional woman and a new understanding of the combination of curiosity, imaginative speculation, and aesthetic delight that powers scientific discovery.Catherine Brady is Assistant Professor in the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco. She is the author of two collections of short stories, The End of the Class War and Curled in the Bed of Love (a winner of the 2002 Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction).

"Although Blackburn is certainly not an average woman scientist, there are many features of her journey that others who are interested in medical science—women and men alike—will connect with." Thomas R. Cech, Ph.D. England Journal of Medicine

"Brady"s stories tell us about a prize-winning scientist, a professional woman, and a humble person driven by voracious curiosity. She captures and unleashes into print the combination of creativity, passion, and pugnaciousness that makes Elizabeth Blackburn such an inspiration."Kathleen Collins , Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

"Catherine Brady's Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres offers a commanding account of an inspiring effort to overcome gender bias along with advice about doing science, conquering academic politics, and taking responsible positions on science policy." Science

About the Author

"In this superb biography of superstar molecular biologist, Elizabeth Blackburn, Catherine Brady tells exactly how Blackburn made her great discoveries. She also reveals the traits of mind and educational experiences that make Blackburn such a great scientist: a life-long passion for nature, brilliance, creativity, a superb postdoctoral mentor, single-mindedness bordering on obsession, andas a woman in a man"s worldthe wisdom to hide her vast ambition beneath the guise of a sweet, well-behaved young lady. An inspiring account of a real-life heroine, and a lesson in how to conduct Nobel-quality research."Nancy Hopkins , Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology, MIT

Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (November 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262026228
• ISBN-13: 978-0262026222
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,435,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too little explanation of the science, December 21, 2010

By 

H. Potter "Oldhiker" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA (Kindle Edition)

This book was a disappointment. The subject should be interesting, but the presentation was poor. The author explains almost none of the science. She gives entire sentences of technical terms without definition or simplification. Perhaps this is because she is a professor of creative writing, not a scientist or science writer. Or perhaps her main interests are Blackburn's struggles with male chauvinism and right wing politics. Anyway, the result is a scientific biography in which the science is almost incomprehensible.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and perceptive biography of Nobel winner Elizabeth Blackburn, October 1, 2011

By 

B. S. Hood "Insatiable reader" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA (Paperback)

I thought that this was one of the most interesting biographies I've read. Not only does it explain in detail the remarkable scientific progress and discoveries made by Dr. Blackburn, but also her personal and professional evolution. Dr. Blackburn had a free ranging childhood in Tazmania - with unfettered freedom to explore nature and experiment - rare for little girls any where in the world, and particularly fascinating on an island with unique species, topography, and nature. Many of her teachers and mentors recognized her talent and encouraged her, as did her father who was a doctor though he was plagued by alcoholism. She managed to study science even when science was not offered in school. She persevered our of sheer curiosity and passion no matter what the obstacles were - and always some unusual teacher or helpful scholarship committee spotted her as gifted and managed to find a way for her to bloom.

Most books about women scientists treat them as walking dogs - but this one avoids political postering about feminism and explains Blackburn development as a result of her passion for lab work and finding answers. As an undergraduate, she sees herself as a Lab Rat not an exceptional student. Admirably, there is no emphasis on her challenges as a female until she finishes her undergraduate degree in England and goes to Yale University, where she first encounters blatent gender discrimination. Even then, she takes great pains never to complain about being treated differently from male researches, wary of being labeled a trouble-maker - and simply seeks venues where she can do her work. First and foremost, she is an avid scientist, never a wronged woman (despite the fact that she knew she was being discriminated against in pay, grants, and lab space - especially at UC Berkeley).

Realizing that she could not longer get the funds of support for further research at UC Berkeley she accepted a generous offer at the newly emerging biogenetic research campus of the University of California at San Francisco at Mission Bay. At last, she finally had the funds and lab space to complete her remarkable discoveries about telomers and telomerase - the secret to aging, fighting cancer - and understand how DNA eventually unravels in all species. In a unique cooperation with a psychologist, she documents how DNA break down in proportion to specific physical and emotional problems including aging, stress, lack of exercise, and other demonstrable factors. In particular, she documents how care givers of people with chronic illness, die younger than a control group without such responsibilies.

The book also describes her generosity as a researcher in giving her grad students and assistants credit for their work in support of her research. When she received the Nobel prize for medicine in 2010, after the book had been written a few years before, she shared it with her former student.

I'm an amateur science buff and read a lot of popular science. I found the biography superior to any other I've read about male or female scientists in explaining how Elizabeth Blackburn became a stellar scientist. I ordered the book after hearing Dr. Blackburn speak at Mission Bay. I was so impressed by her discoveries and charmed by her warmth that I wanted to learn more about her - before she received the Nobel. I told friends with me at the presentation that I thought she should receive a Nobel - and two years later was thrilled when she did.

Many people to whom I've given the book have been frustrated by the technical explanations of how DNA works. I'm an architect who studied some science as an undergraduate. I found the explanations clear and exciting. Readers who cannot understand the science in this book would do well to read Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle, and a good biography of James Watson, the discoverer of DNA. It is sad that the level of scientific knowledge, even among otherwise very well educated Americans, is appallingly limited.