Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (Hardcover)

by Kary Mullis (Author) "THE SUN HAD been hot that day in Mendocino County..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nobel Prize, San Diego, Georgia Tech (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Kary Mullis won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction, a chemical procedure that allows scientists to "see" the structures of the molecules of genes. Mullis is no shy, socially inept bench chemist, though; on the contrary, he has led as big and full a life as possible, opening himself to experiences like hallucinogenic drugs, surfing, casually handling dangerous chemicals, and taking shots at the sacred cows of science. Dancing Naked in the Mind Field is Mullis's own chronicle of his adventures, from wooing countless women to possibly being abducted by aliens, and it's a funny, shocking tale indeed. This man certainly doesn't suffer from lack of self-esteem, and yet you might want him along on a trip to the astral plane, say, or a tour of the human genome. Mullis is a fascinating character and his autobiography will put to rest forever the stereotype of scientist as skeptical nerd. --Therese Littleton

From Publishers Weekly
When biochemist Mullis won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993, the press played up his being the first surfer laureate, as well as the first to admit having used LSD. In this collection of essays, Mullis reveals that he also encountered a woman who saved his life while cruising over him on the astral plane, as well as an extraterrestrial who seems to have been a cross between a raccoon and E.T. Mullis argues passionately against the commercialization of science, by which unorthodox but promising ideas fall victim to grantsmanship and marketing; against the assertion that the HIV virus is the cause of AIDS (Mullis insists this theory is still not backed by sufficient evidence); and against the outlawing of psychoactive substances without giving scientists time to study their effects on the nervous system. Mullis was an expert witness on the DNA evidence at the O.J. Simpson trial, although he wasn't called upon to testify. Here, he gives his take on personalities in the trial and explains why he thinks the LAPD's handling of the blood samples was like running a "one-man line-up." Some of Mullis's opinions, like his slightly muddled critique of global warming and his defense of astrology (he didn't receive the Nobel for his work in astrophysics), come across as just plain cranky, in various senses of the word. But whether or not readers agree with Mullis or believe all the details in his accounts of some of his experiences, his eccentric and often insightful opinions about science and life in general will challenge them to reexamine their own beliefs.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1st edition (August 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679442553
• ISBN-13: 978-0679442554
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #671,344 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific genius as human being, March 29, 2000

By	Walter V. Cicha "Cichacech" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (Paperback)

I first heard of Kary Mullis in 1994, when I read his Chemistry Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Angewandte Chemie, my favorite Chemistry journal. I was then still employed as a researcher with the company that gave us better living through chemistry. I ended up reading the multi-thousand word account of his speech three times, without pause. It was simply brilliant, yet hardly had a word of science in it! Instead, it talked about what it means to be alive and human. I have read "Dancing Naked in The Mind Fields" in two sittings since its arrival at my door earlier this week. It does have science in it, but a whole lot more of other things. It also deals with living and being human. All of it is worth reading, re-reading, digesting, and learning. A more compact course in critical thinking does not exist. Nor a more humorous one. Nor a more honest one. Dr. Mullis is one of those extremely rare human beings that truly can be classified as a genius. He is equally at home at the forefront of DNA research as he is on his surfboard, at a nightclub, or studying up on planetary motion and its relation to the diversity in human personalities. There is nothing too preposterous for him to rigorously investigate (and often attempt) and learn something valuable from, just as there are very few "truths" that we all accept in which he cannot find some fundamental fallacy. These include "truths" presented to us by the dogmatic kingdom of post WWII science. His anecdotes along these two divergent yet symmetrical paths -- from his curious adventures as a boy to his often hilarious (and, sadly for society, illegal) encounters as a world famous scientist -- leave the reader fluctuating between uncontrollable fits of laughter and a deeply serious concern for our over-regulated and blatantly unethical, dollar-chasing post-modern world. The book's only flaw? A few very minor and silly typos/oversights. For example, at one point, Dr. Mullis claims to be 22 years old in 1968 and born in 1944. On second thought, he may have put these teasers in on purpose, to prove that nobody is perfect... Reading this book left this reader entertained, amazed, embittered but, most of all, inspired. It is essential reading for anyone whose IQ is higher than the hottest shade temperature ever recorded in the USA, in degrees Fahrenheit. Oh, by the way, how did you spend your 10,000th day?

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific Genius as Human Being, April 26, 2000

By	Walter V. Cicha "Cichacech" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (Paperback)

I first heard of Kary Mullis in 1994, when I read his Chemistry Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Angewandte Chemie, my favorite Chemistry journal. I was then still employed as a researcher with the company that gave us better living through chemistry. I ended up reading the multi-thousand word account of his speech three times, without pause. It was simply brilliant, yet hardly had a word of science in it! Instead, it focused on what it means to be alive and human. I read "Dancing Naked in The Mind Field" in two sittings when it arrived at my door a few weeks ago. It has much science in it, and a whole lot more of other things. It also deals with the excitement and challenges of living and being human. All of it is worth reading, re-reading, digesting, and learning. A more compact course in critical thinking does not exist. Nor a more humorous one. Dr. Mullis is one of those extremely rare human beings that truly can be classified as a genius. He is equally at home at the forefront of DNA research as he is on his surfboard, at a nightclub, or studying up on planetary motion and its relation to the diversity in human personalities. There is nothing too preposterous for him to rigorously investigate and often attempt, while there appear to be very few commonly accepted "truths" in which he cannot find some fundamental fallacy. These include "truths" handed to us from the dogmatic kingdom of post WWII science. His many anecdotes -- from his curious adventures as a boy to his often hilarious encounters as a world famous scientist -- leave the reader fluctuating between uncontrollable fits of laughter and a deeply serious concern for our over-regulated and blatantly unethical world. Reading Dr. Mullis' not quite humble autobiography left this reader entertained, amazed, embittered but, most of all, inspired. It is essential reading for anyone whose IQ is higher than the hottest shade temperature ever recorded in the USA, in degrees Fahrenheit. Oh, by the way, how did you spend your 10,000th day?

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars brilliant nutcase, July 23, 2000

By	"janelw" (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (Paperback)

I picked up this book because of my fascination with PCR and my desire to know more about the history of the discovery. Actually, this book has very little to do with the polymerase chain reaction (but Paul Rabinow's "Making PCR: A Story of Biotechnology" filled that gap nicely for me). Instead, Mullis gives us a glimpse into his mind. At times he's too open; I don't really care about his lust for women or his drug use, but he's always unabashedly honest. He could easily be described as crazy; he refuses to subscribe to scientifically orthodox views that HIV causes AIDS or that the human race is resposible for global warming. The real reason I think this book is a winner is his humor and his gift of storytelling. Even though this book is nothing like what I expected it to be, I enjoyed it, mostly because it's a fun read, and even scientists can have fun.