Meselson, Stahl, and the Replication of DNA: A History of 'The Most Beautiful Experiment in Biology' [Hardcover]

Professor Frederic Lawrence Holmes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300085400 | ISBN-13: 978-0300085402 | Publication Date: November 15, 2001 | Edition: 1

In 1957 two young scientists, Matthew Meselson and Frank Stahl, produced a landmark experiment confirming that DNA replicates as predicted by the double helix structure Watson and Crick had recently proposed. It also gained immediate renown as a "most beautiful" experiment whose beauty was tied to its simplicity. Yet the investigative path that led to the experiment was anything but simple, Frederic Holmes shows in this masterful account of Meselson and Stahl's quest. This book vividly reconstructs the complex route that led to the Meselson-Stahl experiment and provides an inside view of day-to-day scientific research - its unpredictability, excitement, intellectual challenge, and serendipitous windfalls, as well as its frustrations, unexpected diversions away from original plans, and chronic uncertainty. Holmes uses research logs, experimental films, correspondence, and interviews with the participants to record the history of Meselson and Stahl's research, from their first thinking about the problem through the publication of their dramatic results. Holmes also reviews the scientific community's reception of the experiment, the experiment's influence on later investigations, and the reasons for its reputation as an exceptionally beautiful experiment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Holmes has written a remarkable history of one of molecular biology's most significant experiments." -- David Baltimore, president, California Institute of Technology

"Holmes meticulously shows how science is done." -- Alfred Tauber, Boston University

About the Author

Frederic Lawrence Holmes is chairman and Avalon Professor of History of Medicine at Yale University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 503 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (November 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300085400
• ISBN-13: 978-0300085402
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,287,641 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How real science is done, May 11, 2009

By 

Serge Ledan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Meselson, Stahl, and the Replication of DNA: A History of 'The Most Beautiful Experiment in Biology' (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in knowing how real science is done. Real science is not the clean, simple, easy process described in the media. It is tedious, untidy, difficult and it takes patience, determination and passion. This book conveys an intimate and close view of how real scientific biological reaearch is conducted.

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful history of a beautiful experiment, December 26, 2009

By 

Robert Haselkorn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Meselson, Stahl, and the Replication of DNA: A History of 'The Most Beautiful Experiment in Biology' (Hardcover)

This is a quite remarkable history. Holmes spent decades doing the research for this book. Even though I know both principals quite well and lived through their careers following the publication of the famous work, I did not know the full story of the work leading up to the "beautiful experiment". Holmes does a fantastic job capturing the thoughts and feelings of the principals and the supporting cast of Max Delbruck, Jim Watson, Cy Leventhal and others. Holmes thinks deeply about the philosophy of science and does a good job of explaining, with retroactive interviews, the thought processes of Meselson and Stahl as they circled around and finally hit on the right way to do the big experiment. The only small element I thought missing was a speculation about the possible reasons the Nobel committee has failed for more than 50 years to recognize the significance of the experiment.