A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society [Hardcover]

James D. Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

In 1953, two young, unknown scientists sparked a worldwide revolution. Studying DNA for clues to the nature of genes, James Watson and Francis Crick deduced its molecular composition - two chains twisted into a double helix - and immediately realized that the structure implied how genes were copied and passed from one generation to the next. Their observation has had extraordinary consequences: the discovery of a genetic code that all living things share and the realization that the code translates into proteins; the ability to alter an organism's genetic make-up; recognition that diseases like cancer begin when genes go wrong; the foundations of a biotechnology industry and the means of cloning plants and animals; a start on cataloguing human genes; and the glimmer of a new kind of medicine that uses DNA therapeutically. In the midst of the ferment, its instigator Jim Watson has been tireless. A principal architect and visionary of the new biology, a Nobel Prize-winner at 34 and best-selling author at 40 (The Double Helix), he had the authority, flair, and courage to take an early and prominent role as commentator on the march of DNA science and its implications for society. In essays for publications large and small, and in lectures around the world, he delivered what were, in effect, dispatches from the front lines of the revolution. Outspoken and sparkling with ideas and opinions, a selection of them is collected for the first time in this volume. Their resonance with today's headlines is striking. As public concern about genetically modified food mounts, here is Watson's salutory reminder, from a previous era of DNA anxiety, that restrictions on potentially rewarding research are justifiable only if there is robust evidence of likely harm. Commenting on the 1970s War on Cancer, he warns that effective leadership of publicly funded research initiatives, such as the current search for an AIDS vaccine, demands the courage to support promising but risky new ideas and prune away anything less than the best. And as the first Director of the Human Genome Project, now approaching its climax, he acknowledges the past evils of eugenics but argues fiercely for the need to balance potential misuses of genetic data with the overwhelming benefits of a rational attack on the roots of disease. These combative pieces mingle with charming memoirs of distinguished former colleagues, advice for young scientist, and a pointed account of Germany's troubled historical relationship with genetics. They open with Watson's reflections on the family influence and values of his Chicago upbringing that helped shape his career. This collection of provocative, optimistic, and entertaining essays begins and ends with elegant commentaries from the distinguished molecular biologist and writer Walter Gratzer. They illuminate a volume that portrays the life and work of a scientist, educator, and author who is acknowledged as an intellectual leader of the twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

In A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society, James Watson once again proves that he is the "prose laureate" of biomedical sciences. As a result of his classic works, The Double Helix (1968) and Molecular Biology of the Gene (1965), we have come to expect him to treat complex issues with clarity and focus. Molecular Biology of the Gene may be a gold standard for judging modern textbooks, because it presents not only the experimental basis of molecular biology but also the principles of this field.

Given Watson's larger-than-life dimensions, it is necessary to avoid the temptation to review the man and not his book. In A Passion for DNA, a collection of essays written for a variety of occasions during the past three decades, he concentrates on three themes: his autobiography; the growth, practice, and application of molecular biology; and the contemporary ethos of science. Watson describes his growth and maturation as a scientist and administrator; the meaning of success in science; science and public policy; the nature of cancer research; the past, present, and future of DNA; and the Human Genome Project and its bioethical problems. It would have added to the value of the book if each essay had been preceded by an introduction by Watson describing the circumstances in which the essay was written and the rationale for its inclusion in this book.

Watson's recipes for success are basically as follows: success tends to beget success, and therefore you should learn from winners by associating yourself with the very talented; take risks, but be sure to have a fallback; and have fun and stay connected. Over and over again, the reader learns about the value of mentorship, scientific patronage, and luck (which Watson argues, as did Pasteur, "favors the prepared"). In recounting the contributions of the Watson laboratory to the growth of molecular biology after The Double Helix (or "What have you done lately?"), the author describes his seminal contributions to our knowledge of the structure of ribosomes, messenger RNA, protein synthesis, and the regulation of genetic expression. Only in passing does he note that after 1962, few papers from his laboratory bore his name rather than only the names of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who did the work. This actually represents an incredible act of generosity rarely, if ever, seen in today's competitive, publish-or-perish academic world.

Watson recalls the angst of the scientific community when it confronted the question of the safety and ethics of working with recombinant DNA and the resolve of the scientists at the Asilomar meeting in 1975 to declare a moratorium on this research until guidelines could be established. Watson is certainly correct in his assessment, based on today's record, that this moratorium was probably a waste of time and a needless blow to the momentum of science. However, he discounts the important message about the social responsibility of scientists that this voluntary moratorium transmitted to the public.

In an essay on cancer research and the "war on cancer," Watson tells us that to win wars one must know the enemy and the location of the battlefield. When Richard Nixon declared a war on cancer, this information was not yet available. The discovery and elucidation of the action of oncogenes and of cancer viruses were pivotal for understanding the terrain, planning the strategy, and pursuing the war. Watson provides numerous examples to stress the necessity of research in the basic sciences for developing successful therapies against cancer.

When addressing the problems of the "post-genomic age," "Honest Jim" (as he referred to himself in the working title of his autobiography, The Double Helix) is quick to point out the shameful story of eugenics in the United States, particularly at his own institution, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and in Germany. He suggests that whereas we in the United States have learned the lessons taught by the brutality and moral corruption of eugenics, Germany still has a way to go in accepting and acknowledging its past. In Watson's view, the spirit and path of science must be guided by the safeguards of investigation and discussion: we must now consider the ethical problems that will arise from the success of the Human Genome Project.

Donald A. Chambers, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2000 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

`Review from previous edition James D. Watson . . . has always been a man of passion and strong views . . . His writings on the important issues of the day, prepared over a period of more than thirty years and presented in the 25 essays of this wonderful book, are only slightly less provocative than his frequently startling spontaneous remarks.' Bruce Alberts, President, National Academy of Sciences

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr (Txt) (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198604289
• ISBN-13: 978-0198604280
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,146,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watson's passion, July 8, 2000

By 

B. Burge "Free with my opinions" (Redwood City CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society (Hardcover)

Chris, I've been reading Watson's new book "a passion forDNA". Autobiographical writings on the thought process and earlyDNA players of the 40s 50s and 60s, as well as some more recent musings on recombinant DNA, cancer and the genome.

Very well done! Gives an appreciation for how the obvious can be overlooked, and how difficult it is to break out of old ways of thinking. And the man writes very well... and he shares my politics... hes obviously a genius.

Many insights about who did what, who succeded, who fell short. Good short pieces on Luria, Pauling and Hershey. Points out Caltech's shabby treatment of Pauling on his retirement... they didnt like HIS politics!

I hadn't realized that Alex Rich played an important role in studying the structure of DNA and RNA right at the beginning (the 50s) looking for DNA like structure in RNA, (with Watson at caltech) - they didnt find much and were stumped - though Alex later showed that copolymers of RNA can have double helical structure. And did you know that Francis Crick, in 1968, argued that RNA must have been the original genetic molecule... and that it might act as an enzyme catalyzing its own replication! How right he was. Shades of Ribozyme!

So am I making myself clear... buy this book...

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whoa, this book has been ignored!, March 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society (Hardcover)

With the release of "Genes, Girls, and Gamow", this earlier book has suddenly been ignored, overlooked, and forgotten. Nobody, of course, forgets "The Double Helix", and now we have this sensation called "Genes Girls and Gamow". With a bad choice of title and an equally bad choice for a cover---a large close-up picture of a geeky young biologist---making such a mockery and preposterous idea of what appeals to girls in general, I can only salute Rosalind Franklin for her exquisite determination not to be lured by this sly personage. If one wants to examine the life and perspective of the codiscoverer of the structure of the double helix from a more venerable perspective, "A Passion for DNA: Genes Genomes and Society" will earn the reader's respect. From the cover alone of this book, it is almost galling that, by comparison, "Genes Girls and Gamow" gets more brouhaha, hoopla, and hoolabaloo.

10 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passion for Bible Pounding, September 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society (Hardcover)

It is understandable that right to life advocates are desperate to find soap boxes for their religious and political views. However we think it inappropriate to abuse this forum intended for the evaluation of literary works. The expression of political and religious opinions should be reserved for those venues intended for those puposes. Dr. Watson's book is a scientifically insightful and humanistically compassionate work deserving of serious attention.