The Gene MastersThe Gene Masters
How a New Breed of Scientific Entrepreneurs Raced for the Biggest Prize in Biology
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Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, , No Longer Available.Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, , No Longer Available. Offered in 0 more formatsChronicles the race to map the human genome, noting the impact of skeptics in the 1970s and 1980s, the breakthroughs of the 1990s, and the political maelstrom that ensued in the face of corporate involvement and the fight for credit. 15,000 first printing.
Chronicles the race to map the human genome, noting the impact of skeptics in the 1970s and 1980s, the breakthroughs of the 1990s, and the political maelstrom that ensued in the face of corporate involvement and the fight for credit.
It was one of the most competitive races in the history of science. A confluence of ambition, intelligence, and money fueled the complete mapping of the human genome, the ultimate conclusion of a process that began fifty years ago when Watson and Crick broke open the essential structure of DNA. But the full story of the historic race has never been told - until now. In The Gene Masters, Ingrid Wickelgren, a correspondent for Science magazine, provides a compelling and authoritative account of the intense rivalries and astonishing scientific breakthroughs that finally produced a comprehensive map of the genome.
In the 1970s and '80s, most scientists considered sequencing the human genome a foolishly impractical dream. But, as Wickelgren shows, several tantalizing advances hinted that the Holy Grail of medicine was within reach. As the race heated up in the 1990s, the staid pursuit of science was transformed into a high-stakes public competition with private corporations elbowing out the government and academic labs. Inevitably, a race of another kind ensued, as scientists competed for credit and battled over the release of results into the public domain. High-flying scientists like the cowboy biologist Craig Venter, the gene king William Haseltine, and the collectively minded genome project chief Francis Collins became media darlings, jockeying for attention, prestige, and potential riches. Across the Atlantic, the Icelandic scientist Kari Stefansson began a different controversial quest: to create a large, centralized database to store the medical records of nearly the entire population of Iceland.
A fast-paced account of the wildly ambitious scientists who spearheaded a scientific revolution It was one of the greatest races in science. A confluence of ambition, intelligence, and money fueled the complete mapping of the human genome, the ultimate conclusion of a process that began fifty years ago when Watson and Crick broke open the essential structure of DNA. In the 1970s and '80s, most scientists considered sequencing the human genome a foolishly impractical dream. But as time went on, several breakthroughs revealed that this goal-medicine's Holy Grail-was within reach. As the race heated up in the 1990s, science as we know it took on a whole new dimension, with private corporations elbowing out the government and academic labs. Inevitably, a race of another kind ensued, as scientists competed for credit and battled over the release of results into the public domain. High-flying scientists like gene king William Haseltine, cowboy biologist Craig Venter, and the altruistic and collectively minded Human Genome Project chief Francis Collins became media darlings, jockeying for attention, accolades, and potential riches. In this narrative account, Ingrid Wickelgren delves deeply into their motivations, fears, goals, and conflicts to reveal a fascinating story of big science, big dreams, and larger-than-life personalities. In the tradition of the classic The Microbe Hunters, The Gene Masters sheds light on the people behind one of the most contentious and enterprising scientific endeavors of our time.
A fast-paced account of the wildly ambitious scientists who spearheaded a scientific revolution
It was one of the greatest races in science. A confluence of ambition, intelligence, and money fueled the complete mapping of the human genome, the ultimate conclusion of a process that began fifty years ago when Watson and Crick broke open the essential structure of DNA.
In the 1970s and '80s, most scientists considered sequencing the human genome a foolishly impractical dream. But as time went on, several breakthroughs revealed that this goal-medicine's Holy Grail-was within reach. As the race heated up in the 1990s, science as we know it took on a whole new dimension, with private corporations elbowing out the government and academic labs. Inevitably, a race of another kind ensued, as scientists competed for credit and battled over the release of results into the public domain. High-flying scientists like gene king William Haseltine, cowboy biologist Craig Venter, and the altruistic and collectively minded Human Genome Project chief Francis Collins became media darlings, jockeying for attention, accolades, and potential riches. In this narrative account, Ingrid Wickelgren delves deeply into their motivations, fears, goals, and conflicts to reveal a fascinating story of big science, big dreams, and larger-than-life personalities.
In the tradition of the classic The Microbe Hunters, The Gene Masters sheds light on the people behind one of the most contentious and enterprising scientific endeavors of our time.
Chronicles the race to map the human genome, noting the impact of skeptics in the 1970s and 1980s, the breakthroughs of the 1990s, and the political maelstrom that ensued in the face of corporate involvement and the fight for credit.
It was one of the most competitive races in the history of science. A confluence of ambition, intelligence, and money fueled the complete mapping of the human genome, the ultimate conclusion of a process that began fifty years ago when Watson and Crick broke open the essential structure of DNA. But the full story of the historic race has never been told - until now. In The Gene Masters, Ingrid Wickelgren, a correspondent for Science magazine, provides a compelling and authoritative account of the intense rivalries and astonishing scientific breakthroughs that finally produced a comprehensive map of the genome.
In the 1970s and '80s, most scientists considered sequencing the human genome a foolishly impractical dream. But, as Wickelgren shows, several tantalizing advances hinted that the Holy Grail of medicine was within reach. As the race heated up in the 1990s, the staid pursuit of science was transformed into a high-stakes public competition with private corporations elbowing out the government and academic labs. Inevitably, a race of another kind ensued, as scientists competed for credit and battled over the release of results into the public domain. High-flying scientists like the cowboy biologist Craig Venter, the gene king William Haseltine, and the collectively minded genome project chief Francis Collins became media darlings, jockeying for attention, prestige, and potential riches. Across the Atlantic, the Icelandic scientist Kari Stefansson began a different controversial quest: to create a large, centralized database to store the medical records of nearly the entire population of Iceland.
A fast-paced account of the wildly ambitious scientists who spearheaded a scientific revolution It was one of the greatest races in science. A confluence of ambition, intelligence, and money fueled the complete mapping of the human genome, the ultimate conclusion of a process that began fifty years ago when Watson and Crick broke open the essential structure of DNA. In the 1970s and '80s, most scientists considered sequencing the human genome a foolishly impractical dream. But as time went on, several breakthroughs revealed that this goal-medicine's Holy Grail-was within reach. As the race heated up in the 1990s, science as we know it took on a whole new dimension, with private corporations elbowing out the government and academic labs. Inevitably, a race of another kind ensued, as scientists competed for credit and battled over the release of results into the public domain. High-flying scientists like gene king William Haseltine, cowboy biologist Craig Venter, and the altruistic and collectively minded Human Genome Project chief Francis Collins became media darlings, jockeying for attention, accolades, and potential riches. In this narrative account, Ingrid Wickelgren delves deeply into their motivations, fears, goals, and conflicts to reveal a fascinating story of big science, big dreams, and larger-than-life personalities. In the tradition of the classic The Microbe Hunters, The Gene Masters sheds light on the people behind one of the most contentious and enterprising scientific endeavors of our time.
A fast-paced account of the wildly ambitious scientists who spearheaded a scientific revolution
It was one of the greatest races in science. A confluence of ambition, intelligence, and money fueled the complete mapping of the human genome, the ultimate conclusion of a process that began fifty years ago when Watson and Crick broke open the essential structure of DNA.
In the 1970s and '80s, most scientists considered sequencing the human genome a foolishly impractical dream. But as time went on, several breakthroughs revealed that this goal-medicine's Holy Grail-was within reach. As the race heated up in the 1990s, science as we know it took on a whole new dimension, with private corporations elbowing out the government and academic labs. Inevitably, a race of another kind ensued, as scientists competed for credit and battled over the release of results into the public domain. High-flying scientists like gene king William Haseltine, cowboy biologist Craig Venter, and the altruistic and collectively minded Human Genome Project chief Francis Collins became media darlings, jockeying for attention, accolades, and potential riches. In this narrative account, Ingrid Wickelgren delves deeply into their motivations, fears, goals, and conflicts to reveal a fascinating story of big science, big dreams, and larger-than-life personalities.
In the tradition of the classic The Microbe Hunters, The Gene Masters sheds light on the people behind one of the most contentious and enterprising scientific endeavors of our time.
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